Plan Your Visit

Sarasota Orchestra performs in several venues during the season. Venues addresses are printed on each ticket and also appear in order confirmation and reminder emails. Click here for more information about the location of all venues and where Sarasota Orchestra performs.

Complimentary self-parking is available for concerts at the Neel Performing Arts Center, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Neel Performing Arts Center. Valet parking is available at the Van Wezel for $10. For concerts at the Sarasota Opera House, complimentary valet service is available. Street parking and parking garages are within walking distance of the Sarasota Opera House.

We suggest you arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled concert start time to ensure you have enough time to locate your seat.

Performance length varies, but typically Masterworks, Pops and Great Escapes concerts run approximately 90-120 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission. Chamber, Great Escapes, and Discoveries concerts run approximately 60-75 minutes, typically without an intermission. Contact the Box Office for questions about a specific concert.

Business casual or dressy casual is the common concert attire, however there is no dress code – formal to casual is welcome. Sarasota Orchestra embraces our tagline: Come as you are. Leave different. Please be considerate of those in the audience who may have allergies and refrain from wearing scented products such as cologne or perfume.

In many classical works, especially symphonies and concerti, the conductor will pause briefly for about 10-15 seconds between movements. Since the early 1900’s, it is common for audiences to hold their applause during the short breaks in music, until the end of the entire piece. The conductor will signal when a piece is finished by putting his or her arms down and turning to the audience. You can check your program to know how many movements to expect. (Note: there are times when the audience is overcome with applause at the end of a particularly stirring movement. Most conductors do not object to the spontaneous appreciation.)

Photography, video and audio recording are prohibited during all Sarasota Orchestra concerts. Please be respectful of the musicians and fellow audience members and turn all electronic devices off during the concert.

Smoking and the use of electronic smoking devices are prohibited inside all Sarasota Orchestra concert venues.

Food and drink is prohibited inside all Sarasota Orchestra concert venues, unless otherwise noted.

Children may attend any Sarasota Orchestra concert as long as they have a ticket. It is generally recommended that children be able to sit quietly for the duration of the concert. We do not allow babies or toddlers, unless it is a family concert. All attendees must have their own seat. Symphony staff or ushers will ask parents to take disruptive children out of the hall.

Service animals that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks directly related to the person's disability are welcome to all Sarasota Orchestra concerts. 

Pets including emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals do not qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Sarasota Orchestra reserves the right to restrict admittance to animals that are not “trained to do work or perform tasks” per the ADA.