When to applaud

Concert hall etiquette looks like a long list of rules. It is one rule: do not put sound or light between someone else and what they are listening to. Everything below follows from that.

Applause

Applaud when a whole work ends. A symphony or concerto is built from several movements with pauses of a few seconds between them. Those pauses belong to the piece, not to the audience.

How to tell it is over: watch the conductor. Arms down, shoulders released, turning to face the hall — that is the end. Hands still suspended in the air, even after fifteen seconds of silence, means not yet. For a recital, watch the player's hands and body the same way.

If you are unsure, wait half a second and join everyone else. Nobody notices the person who applauded late.

Audiences did applaud between movements historically; the current convention settled during the twentieth century. So if you get it wrong, it is not a disaster. Don't freeze — keep listening.

Applaud when the conductor and soloist walk on. Not during the tuning.

Applaud after the encores. If the applause holds, the orchestra will play more. Sustained clapping is how you ask.

Arriving late

You cannot walk in once the music has started. Staff will hold you outside, usually with a live screen of the stage, and seat you at the first break — after a piece or at the interval — normally at the back or wherever you can slip in.

That wait can be longer than you expect; a symphony runs forty minutes. Hence the twenty-minutes-early advice.

Coughing

If you genuinely cannot hold it, wait for a loud passage or a gap between movements. Bring a lozenge and unwrap it before the music starts. Foil crackling in a quiet passage carries further than the cough would have.

If you are properly ill, stay home. An evening of intermittent coughing ruins the concert for a whole row, yours included.

Phones

Silent is not enough — turn off vibration too, which is audible in quiet passages. A screen lighting up in a dark hall is extremely visible, even held low in your lap.

If you must be reachable, take an aisle seat, or come another night.

Photography and recording

Never during the performance. Shutter sounds, focus assist lamps and screen glow all intrude, and most halls prohibit it outright. Curtain calls are usually fine — follow the staff's cue, or everyone else's.

Children

Most halls set a minimum age or height for admission. It varies by venue and is often adjusted per performance, so check that performance's terms before buying.

Dedicated family concerts are a different proposition: shorter, with shorter pieces and a relaxed atmosphere, and good for adults too. We tag those as 亲子 / Family.

Everything else

Leaving before the end disrupts a whole row. Unless you truly must, stay.

Go light on fragrance. Concert seating is tight and a strong scent in an enclosed room is a burden on the person beside you.

Don't hum along. If you can hear it, so can the row in front.

👏…breathe out. You can clap now.

Related

• Your first concert
• Reading the programme