Melbourne Recital Centre Concerts

Complimentary cloakroom Our complimentary cloakroom is located on ground floor and staffed for the duration of the concert. For the safety and comfort of audience members, please ensure items A3 and larger in size (this includes bags, backpacks, laptops, briefcases, umbrellas, instruments) are cloaked prior to entering the venue. If you are unsure if your item/s require cloaking, please ask a member of our friendly Front of House team. Is MRC an all ages venue? Concerts at MRC are open to all ages, though some performances may carry age recommendations. What time do performances start? What happens if I am late? Please leave plenty of time for your arrival as performances at Melbourne Recital Centre commence at the advertised time on your ticket. We recommend arriving at least 25 minutes prior to the start time to ensure you have enough time to locate your seats and get comfortable. Our spaces feature unique acoustics that support unamplified performances. This means that if you arrive late, you may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. For some events, this may not be until interval. Is there a dress code? There is no formal dress code at Melbourne Recital Centre, although shoes must be worn at all times. If in doubt, smart casual is always a good choice. I am attending a classical music concert. When do I applaud? For some concerts, there are no expectations on when to applaud. Performers greatly value the applause of an audience, and it is never unappreciated. However, for symphony and chamber music performances, there are some generally accepted conventions on when to do so. If in doubt, wait to see when the rest of the audience applauds and follow their lead. Symphony: Just before the performance begins, all members of the Orchestra except the Concertmaster will be seated on stage. The Concertmaster is the violinist who sits in the first chair of the first row of the Orchestra. The audience will greet the Concertmaster with applause when he or she enters the stage. A few moments later, the Conductor will follow and the audience will applaud again. Should there be a soloist or soloists performing, they will enter with the Conductor and should also be applauded. Once the performance commences, you will notice that symphonic works are often composed of several movements or sections with short pauses between each movement. It is customary to sit quietly during these pauses and save your applause for the end of the final movement. Chamber: Like symphonies, chamber music pieces are often made up of several movements with short pauses between each movement. Audience members are encouraged to hold their applause until the end of the piece. Melbourne Recital Centre provides free program sheets for each performance, available from stewards in the foyer, which will outline the movements for each piece.

We encourage children of all ages to learn and discover more about music by attending our events. We also encourage parents and guardians to be aware of their childrens behavior whilst at the Centre and ensure that this doesnt negatively impact on others enjoyment of an event. Our Box Office can provide further support and advise on age suitability for each event. Unless advised on an events webpage, every person must have a valid entry ticket, regardless of age. A limited number of booster cushions are available from the cloakroom upon request for use within our building as long as they do not obstruct the view of people seated behind them.