Know Before You Go
Attending a CCS Concert
You’re Invited.
Cathedral Choral Society concerts are open to all and we welcome you to come as you are. Whether it’s your first choral concert or whether you are a long-time concert-goer, we invite you to enjoy the Cathedral and the music. It is our hope that we can greet you with a helpful smile and that you enjoy your experience with us!
At the Cathedral Choral Society, we aim to make our concerts accessible for those with special needs and/or physical handicaps. Should you require any special assistance or consideration, please reach out to us so that we can make the concert-going experience enjoyable. Whether that’s finding the best seat, or figuring out where the accessible entrances are, we’re happy to help.
For accessibility questions, please contact our Patron Experience Manager Gabriela Calderon at (202)537-5510.
There’s no dress code for a CCS concert and we want you to feel at home. For some, the majesty of the Cathedral inspires them to wear business attire; for others, being comfortable is a priority. Though you might feel out of place in shorts and flip-flops, we are happy to have you however you come.
Whenever you want. Seriously! Sometime in the last one hundred or so years it became the custom not to applaud between movements (large sections of music usually separated by a break with no music). That was never (usually) intended by the composers – nor do we ask that of our patrons. So, clap when and where you are so moved! If you don’t want to be alone in your enthusiasm, you can wait for others to applaud – or simply recruit a crowd to go along with you!
While the National Cathedral has been our home for nearly 80 years, we are nonetheless guests in the space, and we ask that our patrons show respect for the building and those that work so hard to make it a wonderful and inspiring place to visit. It is a spiritual space, and therefore we hope all visitors will be mindful of their fellow patrons’ experiences as well as their own.
Yes! We love seeing young people in our audience. Here are some tips to make the experience an enjoyable one:
- We ask that if your child becomes noisy during the performance that you simply remove him/her if possible as some may find the noise distracting. Also, we are often recording our performances for commercial release, and editing out extra noises is very difficult for our engineers.
- We have coloring books for sale at the entry to the concert (while supplies last).
- If you are looking for which concert might be more ‘kid-friendly’ than another, give us a call and we’ll help you decide.
- Pro-tip: seating in the North Transept provides not only a good side view of the chorus and conductor, it is also close to a doorway in case you need to make a quick escape. Ask your box office specialist today!
