Frequently Asked Questions

• Tickets reported as lost, stolen, or exchanged may not be honored.
• No children under 5 allowed, except specified performances.
• Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and audible alerts. Photography and recording of any kind are strictly prohibited during performances.
• Tickets may be exchanged up to 24 hours prior to the performance for $5 per ticket (free for season ticket holders) plus any price difference.
• If a performance is canceled, you will be given the options of exchanging the value of your tickets to an upcoming Utah Symphony | Utah Opera performance or having a credit placed on your account.
• Tickets to all performances are available at a first come, first serve basis.
• Programs, artists, and dates are subject to change. NO REFUNDS.
• By attending a performance, you agree to follow the Covid-19 mitigation protocols in place. Details for individual performances may vary by venue and are found in the Performance Overview on the event’s information page on our website.

Abravanel Hall Ticket Office

123 West South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
801-533-NOTE (6683)

US|UO Box Office Hours
Monday through Friday: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Saturday WITH a scheduled performance: 2:00 PM – Showtime*
Sunday (Opera matinee): 2 hours prior to Showtime*

The USUO Box Office will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays without a scheduled performance.

*Showtime: The USUO box office will remain open through intermission for in-person assistance. USUO Box Office phone lines will redirect to voicemail after 6:00 PM.

For hours of operation during Holidays and Special Events, including our annual Messiah Sing-In, please call 801-533-NOTE(6683) for more information.

UTAH SYMPHONY | UTAH OPERA and ARTTIX are the only authorized ticket sellers for UTAH SYMPHONY | UTAH OPERA performances at Abravanel Hall, Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, and The Noorda. They are also the only authorized ticket sellers for DEER VALLEY® MUSIC FESTIVAL performances at Deer Valley Resort’s Snow Park Amphitheater and St. Mary’s Church in Park City. More details can be found here.

Single-concert ticket prices for Utah Symphony range from $15 – $95. Series subscribers save up to 25% off single-concert ticket prices and students save 50% most performances.

Single-performance ticket prices for Utah Opera range from $30 – $99. Series subscribers save up to 25% off single-performance ticket prices and students save 50% most performances.

Yes – there are a few options if you’re looking for discount tickets. If you purchase a season ticket package to Utah Symphony or Utah Opera, you’ll save up to 25% off standard ticket prices. Groups of 10 or more can save on tickets to the symphony or opera when they purchase through our group sales office. You can also get steeply discounted tickets to the symphony and opera if you’re a student.

We care about the health and safety of our staff, performers, and YOU. Our commitment is to to reopen safely and abide by state guidelines as we creatively find ways to serve our community through music during the Covid-19 recovery. As such, electronic tickets are encouraged in place of paper. Learn how to download and access your tickets through our mobile app here.

Where to sit really depends on a few things. The sightlines are best in the center of the theatre – either towards the front of the orchestra level or in the mezzanine. A lot of opera lovers enjoy sitting upstairs in the mezzanine because it’s easy to read the supertitles without missing any of the action on the stage and the sound balance is excellent. For many performances you can get opera tickets for as little as $29 and because the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre really isn’t that large, you’ll still have decent seats. Leg room in the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre is a luxury, so if you’re tall, choose an aisle seat. If you want an extra special experience, call the ticket office and ask for Box Seats – the seats where people sit to be seen. They’re not available online because they’re partially obstructed, but it’s guaranteed that you’ll feel super special sitting up front next to the stage.

Abravanel Hall is located on the corner of South Temple and West Temple. If you are riding TRAX, the Temple Square Station stops right in front of Abravanel Hall. There are multiple parking garages close to Abravanel Hall. See details here.

Recommended parking places for the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre are available on Utah Opera’s parking page. Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre is also accessible via public transportation.

If you’ve never been to the symphony before, you’re in for an experience you’ll never forget! You don’t need to know much about classical music to enjoy your visit. Just relax and enjoy the energy of live music.

The simple answer is: whatever you feel comfortable in. Most of the audience is comfortable in business, or business casual attire, but at the symphony you’ll see the whole spectrum of dress, from tuxedos to jeans and sneakers. If you’re celebrating, we’d love to see you dressed up to the nines!

Most symphony concerts start at 7:30 PM, but please check your tickets or our website to confirm the start time. We suggest you allow plenty of time for traffic and parking. Most of our audience likes to be in their seat by about ten minutes before the performance. That will give you some time to read the program notes and enjoy being in Abravanel Hall.

Most of our performances have late seating after the first piece or movement. If you do arrive late, you will wait in the lobby until a pause when the ushers can seat you. Don’t worry; there are video monitors and speakers in the lobby, so you won’t miss the concert. Read more here.

Most concerts are between an hour and a half to two hours long, including the intermission.

Things you should know

• How many pieces there are, and how many movements there are, so that you know when to clap. (See the next question) The pieces and movements will be in your program, or you can look it up beforehand on the website.
• If you are listening to a symphony or a concerto. If you’re listening to a symphony, it will be the whole orchestra, and there are usually four movements. If you’re listening to a concerto, there will be a soloist at the front of the stage next to the conductor, and there are usually three movements. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a concerto and a symphony on the same program.
• If you like what you hear, remember the composer’s name. You can look on our website for other concerts featuring the same composer, and that can be an easy way to start to familiarize yourself with classical music.
• Background on how and why the composer wrote the piece. For this, you can read the program notes for the concert. They are on our website on the concert page, or in your program. The program notes will give you an idea of which instruments will be playing, when the piece was written, and any fun anecdotes about the composer.

You’ll clap a few times throughout the night. First, we clap when the Concertmaster (first violin section leader) comes on stage to tune the orchestra. Next, we clap when the conductor and any guest artists walk on stage. If the piece has more than one movement, try to hold your applause until after the final movement of each piece. The pieces and movements are listed in your program, or you can look them up beforehand on our website. If you are unsure if it’s appropriate to clap, watch for the conductor to drop their arms.

At the end of a big piece, or at the end of the concert the audience might stand and cheer in addition to clapping. This is a standing ovation. Some places reserve a standing ovation for only the best artists on rare occasions, but at Abravanel Hall they happen pretty regularly. We think that it’s because a night at the symphony is such an exhilarating experience, you can’t help but stand and cheer.

To enjoy Opera, you’ll want to do a little homework. Utah Opera posts a lot of content about each opera production on our website, blog, and Facebook page. We even have videos and interviews available online on YouTube. Before attending the opera, it helps to read through the synopsis so that you can follow the action on the stage (but feel free not to read to the end if you want to be surprised at the ending!).

If there is any time when you can get dressed up in your finest, it’s at the opera. When you attend you’ll see people in ball gowns, tuxedos, and all variations of their Sunday best. Don’t feel like you have to dress up to fit in though – wear what feels comfortable to you. You will also see people wearing office and casual attire.

If you don’t want to miss our popular Opera Prelude introductory lecture, be at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre one hour before curtain. Otherwise, we recommend arriving at the theatre at least 30 minutes before the performance begins to give yourself plenty of time to pick up tickets, check out the theatre, and find your seats. Traffic downtown can be congested on the weekend, so be sure to give yourself enough time for traffic and parking. If you arrive late, you’ll be seated at an appropriate interval in the performances so as not to disturb other patrons.

On special occasions, the opera will be proceeded by a red carpet and photo-op. It’s an opportunity for you to get your picture taken by a professional photographer in your best evening wear, at a classy event. Generally the red carpet will be located outside of Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre as you approach the entrance. Utah Opera staff will be there to assist you. After having your photo taken, they will be posted to the Utah Opera Facebook page where you can tag yourself in the photos and share with your friends.

You know it’s time to begin when the lights dim and the audience starts applauding – for apparently no one (it’s for the conductor who is walking into the orchestra pit to lead the Utah Symphony). The overture will begin, the curtain will rise, and you’ll be transported to another time and place as the artists, costumes, and scenery bring the music to life. Hear something you love? Feel free to applaud. And the opera is your chance to yell “Bravo!” if you’re particularly moved. Typically an opera will have one or two intermissions, so you’ll have a chance to stretch your legs or thumb through the synopsis and articles included in your playbill.

Yes! All Utah Opera performances – even the ones that are in English – have English supertitles projected for the audience. That way, you’ll be able to follow along with all the action even if you don’t understand the foreign language.

• Just before the concert begins, a violinist will enter the stage while the orchestra is warming up. They’re not late! It’s the Concertmaster entering the hall to hall to lead the orchestra in tuning, and signal the beginning of the concert.
• The Utah Symphony is one of a handful of professional, full-time orchestras in the USA.
• Utah Symphony’s FREE education concerts and community outreach make up nearly a third of our total performances.
• Symphony: a piece of music with multiple sections called movements.
• Concerto: an instrumental solo with orchestral accompaniment.

Most Masterworks performances are preceded by a pre-concert lecture in the 1st Tier Room of Abravanel Hall. They start at 45 minutes prior to the performance and will give you some great insight into the performances that will be performed that evening.

If you are in the lobby on the main floor of Abravanel Hall, the Gift Shop, Coat Check, and Refreshment booth are all located on the south side of the lobby. The Ticket Office, Will-Call and the Restrooms are located down the west stairs. The First Tier Room is in the southwest corner of the first floor. If you need help, the ushers in the lobby can point you in the right direction.

Abravanel Hall is a concert hall in downtown Salt Lake City that is home to the Utah Symphony. Built in 1979, the hall is named for Maurice Abravanel, the long-time conductor of the Symphony and champion of classical music throughout Utah. Learn more about this architectural landmark here.

• Eating inside the concert hall is not allowed. If you need to unwrap a cough drop or similar item, please wait until the pause between movements, or until the piece has ended.
• Please refrain from the following activities while in the concert hall:
  • Talking during the performance. The acoustics in the hall are very sensitive. Talking and other sounds are audible to the musicians and other patrons. Please be respectful of others enjoying the performance.
  • Using phones during a performance. The screens can be distracting to other patrons.
  • Recording or photographing the performance

Kids 5 and older are welcome to attend any Utah Opera performance!

BUT, before you decide if this opera is right for your child, here are some things to consider:

Some operas contain mature, adult themes. We recommend you read through the synopsis on our website, and make sure the performance is appropriate for your child’s age or maturity level. If you still feel unsure, please contact our Patron Services team with any questions.

Operas can be pretty long. Parents know their children better than anyone, and you’ll have a good idea if your child is able to sit quietly through a program that lasts longer than an hour. Check up on the length of the opera and use your best judgement to evaluate that. Please help us teach our children to be respectful audience members.

Many operas are sung in a language other than English, so your child would greatly benefit by being able to read the English translation in the captions projected above the stage.

Opera is always more exciting when you know everything about it! Take some time to look up articles and videos about the production with your kids before you go. You can also find great resources in our online learning section including this list of things to know when you go to your first opera. Get familiar with the music and download a playlist and play it while you’re taking your kids to school in the morning.

Please also note: No babes in arms allowed in the theater.

Head to the Capitol Room, near the concessions in the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre to take part in an informal Q&A session with Christopher McBeth, Utah Opera’s Artistic Director. You’ll gain insights into the performance, meet some of the cast, and experience a great way to pass the time while the parking garages clear. When you’re leaving the performance, you might catch a few of the artists hanging out in the lobby. Finally, there are a few downtown restaurants that stay open late so stop by one of them for a drink or bite to eat.

The Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, was originally designed by the illustrious architect Gustave Albert Lansburgh. Opening in 1913, the building began as the Orpheum Theatre, a vaudeville house, and featured some of the “highest standard acts and greatest stars of the stage.” Learn more about this architectural gem here.