Symphony Orchestras

Tune in to the music of professional symphony orchestras
By Lisa J. Jackson, Writer / Editor Business involvement with local symphony orchestras can be quite beneficial to a business owner. You can offer tickets to clients or employees while supporting your community. It is a great way to create good will and strengthen business ties with your neighborhood.

Offering any type of financial support to symphony music aids the orchestra hall as well as the professional and amateur musicians of all ages who have a passion for music. For a nominal expense you can purchase season tickets to have on hand for a visiting client, a particularly good customer, or to reward an employee. Options include:

1. Regional symphony orchestras can have adult or youth members, and focus on enhancing cultural development within the community on a regional scale.

2. A local community may have an amateur orchestra that offers either free or low-priced public concerts within the local area.

3. A youth symphony orchestra will feature young players. These orchestras generally have a set age range for their participants and have annual calls for auditions. They can be community or regionally focused.

Understand the composition of a full orchestra

Orchestras are generally set up in a standard seating arrangement. The layout for a full symphony orchestra will differ from a smaller or different type of orchestra, but understanding the semicircle seating of a symphony orchestra layout can add to your enjoyment of the musical experience.
Try:  The Symphony: An Interactive Guide offers a standard seating chart. By clicking on the numbered sections, you can read a description, history, and other details of the section and listen to the instruments discussed. New Music has a linked listing of orchestra sections and specific instruments to show their seating location.

Locate a professional symphony orchestra in your area

Symphony orchestras perform a variety of classical, experimental and modern compositions. Opera also is popular and typically has scheduled performances throughout the season.
Try:  Find orchestras by state among the member groups of the League of American Orchestras at MeetTheMusic.org. Musicalchairs.info has an alphabetical listing of orchestras and opera houses by city.

Buy symphony tickets for you, your clients, or your employees

You can find at least one professional symphony orchestra in most large cities along with several smaller chamber orchestras. You will find a variety in the types of music played, but most will include classical compositions. Season tickets will offer the best discount. Purchase tickets well in advance for special performances to avoid missing out on availability.
Try:  Online Seats offers tickets for symphony orchestras worldwide. Join an organization such as the League of American Orchestras to support American orchestras and keep abreast of orchestra events -- and ticket sales -- in your area.

• Become a symphony corporate sponsor. Donations are always welcome and are often a means of survival for a symphony hall. Sponsoring a large or small orchestra can be an effective way to promote your company name while helping support the community.
• Listen to national symphony orchestra performances over the radio and enjoy world-class music while driving or relaxing at home. Orchestra and radio station websites will list the scheduled air times and performances.