Your Symphony Experience is Yours!
We are so glad to welcome you to Kalamazoo Symphony performances! Whether this is your first time at the KSO or you’re a frequent attendee, we’ve compiled a list of common questions so you can relax and enjoy the performance.
A Shared Experience
There is nothing like a live concert! The interaction between the audience and musicians creates a special energy, which also influences the performance. Music is a shared experience, which means you are an important part of the performance. Your reaction to the experience will be as unique as you are: clap, cheer, and share your excitement!
You can Contact our team any time with questions.
Tickets and Ticket Policies
Tickets are available online at KalamazooSymphony.com at any time.
- View the concert calendar and get tickets online.
- Fun fact: Symphony Subscribers get ticket discounts, don’t pay fees, and get extra benefits!
Visit the Tyler-Little Community Box Office in the Epic Center lobby on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.) or call 269.250.6894.
Call our office at 269.349.7759 Tuesday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., or visit us in person at our Epic Center office, 359 South Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 100, Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can also purchase tickets for Symphony events taking place in Miller Auditorium through the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office.
These outlets are the only organizations authorized to sell Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra tickets. Third-party organizations may sell Symphony tickets at an increased price. We cannot exchange, refund, move, verify, or make adjustments to any tickets purchased through an unauthorized third-party vendor or tickets that are not in your name.
As long as we are not sold out, tickets will be available at the door! We recommend you call the Community Box Office or check our website for ticketing updates.
A processing fee is added to all orders, including cash orders.
Did you know that our base ticket cost only covers 10% of our seasonal expenses? Ticketing fees go toward covering a small portion of our costs to perform in so many locations across Kalamazoo. Some of the venues we perform in charge a “per ticket” fee for utilizing their facilities. The fees also help cover the costs of offering online ticketing.
Symphony Subscribers have ticket fees waived all season! Click here to learn more about becoming a Symphony Subscriber.
We are excited to offer Print-at-Home tickets!
All online ticket orders default to a Print-at-Home ticket option. Print-at-Home tickets will be attached as a PDF in an email sent to the email address on your account. Your Print-at-Home tickets will be emailed from webmaster@kalamazoosymphony.com. We recommend you add this email to your list of accepted contacts.
If you would prefer to have your tickets mailed, you can change the Delivery Method Option before completing your purchase.
You can also request your tickets to be held at Will Call. If you choose to have your tickets held at Will Call, they will be available for pickup an hour before your performance. Please arrive at least 30 minutes early to pick up your tickets; the Will Call lines can be long.
If you lose, misplace, or don’t receive your tickets, we are here to help!
Give us a call during business hours prior to the event, or arrive at the concert venue early so we can help you at the ticketing window.
If you’re interested in attending three or more concerts during our season, you’re eligible to become a Symphony Subscriber and save up to 15% over individual ticket prices, plus gain access to additional benefits! Perhaps you’re interested in only one or two shows? Great! Our standard ticket pricing for a majority of our concerts starts at $25, though there are lower options available.
For most concerts, we offer discounts for teachers, college students, under 18, veterans, active-duty military personnel, and SNAP/EBT recipients. For more information about pricing, contact our office; we would be happy to answer your questions!
Learn more about our special ticket offers.
All ticket transactions are subject to a processing/facility fee. All ticket pricing is subject to change. Ticket offers may not be available for certain concerts.
If you can’t attend a performance, please contact us prior to the concert; we are happy to help you find a way to attend a different Symphony event!
While the Kalamazoo Symphony does not offer refunds, we have many flexible options you can take advantage of in the event of an illness or conflict. You may credit the amount to your account, donate the tickets to the KSO to offset production costs, or exchange the tickets for a different concert.
Credit My Ticket Amount: If you choose to credit the amount to your account, that credit must be used within the season it was credited; we are happy to clarify what concerts you can choose. If you do not use this credit by the end of the season, the funds will be considered a donation to the Kalamazoo Symphony and you will receive an acknowledgment letter for your tax-deductible contribution.
Exchange My Tickets: If you choose to move your tickets to another concert, there is a $3.00 exchange fee. Did you know that Symphony Subscribers can exchange tickets for free?
Please call the Symphony offices at 269.349.7759 to make a request.
Yes, you can bring your child to the Symphony. For most of our concerts, our audiences are expected to sit and enjoy the music quietly for the duration of the performance, just like a movie theater! We do encourage you to decide if this experience is right for your family.
Every person needs a ticket, even if your child plans to sit on your lap. We need to know the exact number of people in the concert hall so we do not exceed capacity.
There are also concerts specifically designed for families and children, like our Family Discovery Concerts or Patriotic Pops in Bronson Park. These are perfect for little ones who may not want to sit still and quiet, but love music!
If you have questions about which performances may be a good fit, you can reach out to our team.
For most performances, we offer discounts for children under 18 when purchased with an adult ticket.
Yes, college students are always welcome and encouraged to join us at concerts! Student tickets are available for most KSO concerts and are $10 (plus fees). Student tickets are available in person with a valid student ID. Student tickets are intended for enrolled college students. Please reach out to info@kalamazoosymphony.com to confirm if student tickets are available for a particular concert.
Learn more about our special ticket offers.
Venue and Arrival
We recommend arriving at least 30 minutes early to make the most out of your concert experience: find a parking spot, grab a drink, explore the lobby, ask any questions you may have, and get settled before the concert starts.
Pre-concert talks for Masterworks performances typically start at 6:30 p.m. Not all performance have a pre-concert talk.
Once the music begins, the ushers will not let you in until the first break. If you arrive after the break, you may be sitting in the lobby until intermission. This is common practice among orchestras all over the world to ensure the enjoyment of the majority of concert-goers who arrive and take their seats on time.
Opening doors in the middle of a performance can also be very distracting to musicians performing on the stage, and they’ve got a lot to concentrate on while creating the music you’ve come to experience! Believe it or not, you can hear and see many things from the stage to the back of the concert hall.
We ask that you plan accordingly to get the most out of your experience.
We want you to be comfortable! We see a wide variety of attire at Symphony concerts, from blue jeans to gowns. Your Symphony experience is what you would like it to be!
Downtown Kalamazoo offers several great options for dinner before coming to a KSO concert! From casual bar settings to more formal restaurants, there is a lot to choose from on the Downtown Kalamazoo website. These are a few other great options: The Ample Pantry, Bell’s Eccentric Café, Principle Food & Drink, Brick & Brine, or Old Burdick’s.
We strive to make all venues where the KSO offers concerts, both free community concerts and paid events, fully accessible to all. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact the KSO office at 269.349.7759.
Please feel free to explore our Venues index to learn more about the space you’ll be visiting.
To enhance guests’ safety, Miller Auditorium has adopted a best-practices policy consistent with those implemented at performing arts centers across the nation. Please note that when coming to Miller, bags and purses should be no larger than 4.5″ X 6.5″ or approximately the size of a small handbag or clutch purse. Anything larger than that may be subject to search, or you may be requested to return the bag to your vehicle. Backpacks of any kind are strictly prohibited.
We do not require masks or proof of vaccination to attend performances. Although masks are not required, the Symphony does encourage you to do what makes you the most comfortable at our performances.
What to Expect
Of course! A concert is a live event that’s an interaction between the audience and musicians – you don’t have to know anything to enjoy the experience of hearing a live orchestra. The beauty of a live symphony concert is that your experience will be different than the person sitting next to you – and that’s ok!
If you want to learn a bit more about the stories behind the music, we have options:
Program notes are a great way to introduce yourself to what you’ll hear on stage! These are available online and in your program book.
An hour before most Masterworks concerts, we host a Prelude Pre-concert talk so you can learn a little bit more about the artists and the music. Immediately after most Masterworks Series concerts, join us for AfterWORDS, an interactive discussion between the conductor, soloist(s), and audience. We are grateful to Wiser Financial Group for sponsoring these programs.
We love a Google search! Feel free to explore the music, artists, and stories on your own, and bring your own fun facts to your concert experience!
We love seeing photos of your Symphony experience! Please feel free to tag us in your photos and stories on Facebook or Instagram @kalamazoosymphony. The best photo ops are in the lobby, at intermission, and in the concert hall before the start of the performance. Please turn your flash off while in the concert hall.
Our musicians are amazing at what they do! To protect and respect the integrity of their work, as well the experience of people sitting around you, we do not permit video recording of our performances.
Once the concert starts, we ask that you silence your phone and tuck it away. Just like in a movie theater, that bright phone screen can be distracting to those around you. If you do need to check your phone during the concert, please turn the brightness all the way down or set your phone to dark mode.
Depending on the programming, a concert can last 60-120 minutes. To find out the time a specific concert ends, call our office at 269.349.7759.
Most people applaud a performer to express their awe and appreciation. So, whenever you feel moved, please applaud. When Beethoven composed his symphonies, it was common for audiences to cheer and clap.
Some symphony-goers still feel bound to an unwritten rule of applauding only at the end of the entire musical work, but we encourage you to react when you want to react. If you’re unsure, follow the lead of those around you!
We are here for you!
Please contact KSO staff to ask any questions you have about your concert experience. Feel free to leave a message if you call after hours, and someone will return your call on the next business day. At each concert, you can find us at the information table near the ticket office or catch a staff member wearing a nametag!
About the Music
The Kalamazoo Symphony has 80 contract musicians who play in four sections: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The instruments in each section are:
Strings | Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass
Woodwinds | Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, English horn
Brass |Trumpet, Trombone, French horn, Tuba
Percussion | Timpani, Harp (sometimes), Xylophone, and more!
Julian Kuerti is the Music Director for the Kalamazoo Symphony. In this role, he serves as our primary conductor and artistic leader, working with the team to program each season of music. The conductor helps keep the rhythm and leads the orchestra.
Symphony | A large-scale musical composition, usually with three or more movements.
Orchestra | A group of musicians with a variety of instruments, usually including strings.
Symphony Orchestra | Or, “Symphony” for short. An orchestra that has both the number of players and types of instruments required to play a symphony.
Philharmonic | Means “music-loving.” Philharmonic and symphony orchestras are essentially the same thing. The two terms can be used interchangeably and are often used to differentiate two orchestras in a similar geographic area. If we’re getting picky, the two terms could be used to differentiate the musical focus of an organization. Philharmonic orchestras may have more of a focus on classical music, while symphony orchestras may play a wider range of repertoire.
Concerto | A musical composition for solo instrument(s) accompanied by an orchestra.
Prelude | An introductory piece of music, most commonly an orchestral opening to an opera act or the first movement of a suite.
Overture | An orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, suite, play, oratorio, or other extended piece.
Symphony | An elaborate musical composition for a full orchestra, usually in three or four movements.
Suite | A set of instrumental compositions, originally in dance style, to be played in succession.
