Plan Your Visit
Welcome to Curtis Institute of Music and the world of classical music. If you are attending your first performance or are returning for another visit, you may want answers to some of the following frequently asked questions.
It is our top priority that we keep our community, including our audience members, as safe as possible when they are here at Curtis. Our current safety protocols can be found here.
Our goal is to make sure you have a great experience at every Curtis performance.
Need Assistance?
E-mail: tickets@curtis.edu
Phone: (215) 893-5252
Hours: Mon–Fri from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets
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Curtis events require tickets or advance registration. The type of performance and ticket/registration link can be found on individual event pages. Tickets can be ordered individually or as part of a subscription package.
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Investing in a season performance subscription at the Curtis Institute of Music means investing in future stars of the world stage.
We reward subscriber loyalty—with early access to reserve the best seats, discounts on tickets throughout the season, free ticket exchanges, and no fees.
Learn more about subscriber benefits at Curtis.
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Tickets are typically distributed electronically, or mailed within two weeks of placing an order. Tickets purchased less than a week in advance of a performance will be held at the Curtis Patron Services table at the venue beginning one hour prior to the performance.
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If you lose your subscription tickets, contact Curtis Patron Services at (215) 893-7902 or tickets@curtis.edu to arrange for replacement tickets at no cost. If you lose tickets purchased from the Kimmel Cultural Campus Box Office, please contact the organization directly.
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If you are unable to find someone else to use your tickets, please return your tickets to the Curtis Patron Services office or the Kimmel Cultural Campus box office with as much notice as possible, so we can offer your seats to others.
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The Curtis Institute of Music offers discounted student tickets to all Curtis Symphony Orchestra performances and Curtis Opera Theatre productions. Curtis Symphony Orchestra concerts: Tickets may be purchased at any time at the Kimmel Cultural Campus Box Office. Must present valid student ID; one ticket per person.
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Groups of ten or more are eligible for deep discounts to most Curtis Institute of Music performances! Contact Curtis Patron Services at (215) 893-7902 or e-mail tickets@curtis.edu to learn more.
Transportation and Parking
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The Kimmel Cultural Campus and venues on the Curtis campus are within a few blocks of the Broad Street Line (Walnut-Locust Station). The Philadelphia Film Center is near City Hall Station on both the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line.
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All Regional Rail lines stop at Suburban Station, where you can transfer to the nearby Broad Street Line at City Hall Station or walk ten to fifteen minutes to any of our venues.
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Routes C, 27, and 32 travel along Broad Street, and stop near the Kimmel Cultural Campus. Route 12 runs east-west along Locust and Walnut Streets; get off at 17th street to walk to Curtis venues or at Broad Street to attend events at the Philadelphia Film Center or the Kimmel Cultural Campus. The PHLASH stops at Broad and Walnut streets. Bus Routes C and 32, as well as PHLASH, are handicapped-accessible.
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The Philadelphia terminus of the line, at 15th-16th, is a block from Curtis venues. To attend Kimmel Cultural Campus or Philadelphia Film Center events, use the 12th-13th stop.
Parking
Curtis patrons may choose from multiple parking garages within a few blocks of the performance venue. Below you will find recommend parking options and you may also use the Philadelphia Parking Locator to find additional parking options.
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Field Concert Hall and Curtis Opera Studio are located in the main building at 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA. Search for parking
The Gould Rehearsal Hall is located in Lenfest Hall, 1616 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA. Search for parking
Latimer Garage
1510 Latimer St, Philadelphia, PA (between Locust and Spruce streets)
Cash-only. View Rates -
1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
- Liberty Garage at Liberty One
20 S. 16th Street (entrance off 17th street between Market and Chestnut streets)Philadelphia Film Center patrons can park for just $18 at the garage under Liberty Place, with entrances on both 16th and 17th, between Market and Chestnut streets. In order to receive this discount, you must park in the Liberty Place garage, and pick up a “chaser card” at the box office when you arrive at the theater to attend the performance. When used in combination with the parking facility’s own ticket, this chaser card will reduce the price of your parking to $18, for a period up to 12 hours. Please ask at the box office for detailed instructions on how to use the chaser card.
- Liberty Garage at Liberty One
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300 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
- Kimmel Cultural Campus Garage
The entrance to the Kimmel Cultural Campus Parking Garage is located just south of the Broad Street entrance to the building and can be accessed only by cars traveling south on Broad Street. Parking may be pre-purchased online by selecting the link above. Pre-paid parking is available most weekends and weekday evenings but may not be available on all performance dates.
- Kimmel Cultural Campus Garage
Seating
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Check your tickets for the seating section, door, and row. Ask the ushers if you are uncertain of where to go.
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Check your tickets for the seating section, door, and row. Ask the ushers if you are uncertain of where to go.
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Seating for alumni, student, family, and faculty recitals is general admission with advance registration. Doors usually open approximately 30 minutes before the performance, and then you may sit wherever you wish. Field Concert Hall holds 220 seats, and there are no bad seats in the house. When a piano is featured, the best seats are generally considered just left of center, towards the front, so you can see the piano keyboard. Enter through the door at 1726 Locust Street.
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Gould Rehearsal Hall is located on the second floor of Lenfest Hall at 1616 Locust Street. To access the building, ring the doorbell and you will be prompted to either head up the stairs or to the elevator toward the Hall.
Seating for all events in Gould is general admission with advance registration. Doors usually open approximately 30 minutes before the performance, and then you may sit wherever you wish. Gould holds approximately 125 seats and due to the intimate nature of the space, all seats are of equal quality.
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This black-box space holds approximately 110 seats and is configured differently for each performance. The Black Box Theater is wheelchair-accessible, however there is a wheel-chair lift and an elevator, and some travel down the hallways of our third floor. Advanced arrival time for those with accessibility needs is recommended to ensure a timely arrival before the performance.
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Check your tickets for the seating number and row. Ask the ushers if you are uncertain of where to go. The Philadelphia Film Center holds approximately 450 seats.
Accessibility
Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Philadelphia Film Center offer fully accessible seating. At Curtis, Field Concert Hall may be accessed by a lift to avoid stairs. Our performances in the Curtis Opera Studio have limited elevator access.
FAQs
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We suggest you plan to arrive fifteen to thirty minutes before the performance is scheduled to begin. This will give you time to find your seat, get settled, and read the program notes. Keep in mind that attendees who arrive late will be seated after the conclusion of the first work on the program.
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Curtis is a global community with people from all over the world visiting our campus on a daily basis. It is our top priority that we keep our community, including our audience members, as safe as possible when they are here at Curtis. Our current safety protocols can be found here.
Thank you for doing your part to ensure Curtis can continue to safely provide the world with outstanding live music!
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Curtis has no dress code. Your experience of the music is what’s important, so wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. You will find a range of attire in the audience from casual to suits and dresses. Many concertgoers wear business attire or casual business attire.
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There’s no need to know before you go. Discovering a great piece of music you’ve never heard before in a live performance can be a powerful experience. But if you want to study up, that’s fine, too. For your convenience, you’ll find helpful links on our orchestra and opera web pages. Close to the performance date, we post program notes for orchestra and opera performances.
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Yes…but. We invite audiences to take pictures at our Family Concerts. At all other performances, you should feel free to take pictures, selfies, and videos outside the performance space—in the lobby before and after the concert, and at intermission.
In most performances, though, taking pictures and videos can create major distractions for the musicians and audience members around you. As a result, no photography or recording of any kind is permitted during our operas, orchestra concerts, or recitals.
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By all means bring your phone, but please be prepared to turn it off—as well as any other electronic devices, such as beeping watches or pagers—before the performance begins. Be sure to do this again at the end of the intermission, after you have checked your e-mail, read the latest headlines, or texted your friends about the wonderful music you have been hearing.
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At Curtis venues—Field Concert Hall, Gould Rehearsal Hall, or the Curtis Opera Studio—no food or beverages are allowed. There are water fountains in the hallways.
On the Kimmel Cultural Campus, no food or beverages are permitted in Verizon Hall or the Perelman Theater. You may enjoy beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), snacks, and treats from the lobby bar before the performance or during intermission.
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There are two reasons for applause in a performance: to greet the performers and to show appreciation.
The audience applauds as the musicians come on the stage. Then the applause stops for a while, as the audience and the performers concentrate on the music. Many works have multiple movements—sections separated by a brief pause. Please hold your applause during these pauses and wait for the end of the larger work. You can keep track of the movements and pauses by looking in your program, where the movements are listed. When in doubt, wait for others before applauding.
Once the work has concluded, clap to your heart’s content! For great performances, feel free to stand as you applaud. If you clap enough, you might be treated to an encore.
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Children are welcome at Curtis performances, and are the primary audience for our Family Concerts, which are designed specifically for young children. For full-length orchestra concerts and operas, we encourage parents to consider a child’s developmental level and attention span before purchasing tickets.
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Once the music begins, we request that you avoid talking, whispering, humming, or moving personal belongings. This will ensure that the performers and your fellow patrons enjoy the full benefits of the performance.
If you must leave your seat while a performance is in progress, please proceed quickly and quietly to the nearest door or ask the nearest usher for assistance. (Note that if you leave during the performance, you will not be allowed back into the hall until an appropriate break in the program.)
Have a slight cold? If you’re worried you might cough during a quiet passage, feel free to bring cough drops with you. We recommend those wrapped in “quiet” paper. Have a couple of drops at the ready, rather than buried in your purse or pocket, so you can quickly and quietly make use of them!
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The Curtis Institute of Music is committed to honoring its performance schedule. Whenever possible, performances will proceed as scheduled despite weather conditions and traffic delays. It is rare for a performance to be canceled due to inclement weather, but if a show is canceled we will post information on our website and social media, as well as notify via email. We will make every effort to contact all affected ticket holders.
If the performance is still scheduled but inclement weather makes it impossible for you to attend, please contact the ticket services office at (215) 893-7902. Our audience services manager will help you consider all the options. Tickets are non-refundable.