Plan Your Visit
Many voices, one sound. It might seem to be a given, but it takes a community, including our audience to create the chemistry that makes live performance so engaging.
When you come to your first Choral Society concert, we want you to have the optimal experience. We perform at several venues around Santa Barbara and they usually share a similar characteristic: great natural acoustics! This is key because The Choral Society is rarely amplified. Whether you’re attending an orchestral concert or one accompanied only by piano, we rehearse with the intention of being heard all the way to the back of the concert hall. So most of the seats are good ones, especially a bit further from the stage, where the sound from voices and instruments blend.
We perform at a variety of venues, and all are wheelchair accessible. Please refer to the venue websites for accessibility information, and contact us if you require special seating or request assistance.
A few of our venues, like the Lobero Theater, have architecture that obstructs the view in a few seats. If you have a friend in the chorus, find out what vocal part they sing so you can request a seat with a good view of him or her. The chorus has four main vocal parts. Facing the stage, the sopranos are the women on the left side, singing the highest parts. The basses and baritones are the men behind the sopranos, singing the lowest parts. The altos are the women on the right side, and sing the lower women’s parts. The tenors are the men behind the altos.
You’re not expected to dress up for Choral Society concerts in general, although some people do.
During our performance we expect that you not talk and do your best to not make other noise for the enjoyment of all and because we frequently record our concerts. Some of our venues allow refreshments inside; you can always bring candies to share with children, but do take off noisy wrappers ahead of time.
Photos and social posts are encouraged before and after the concert (tag #sbchoral). We ask you to mute your phone, but feel free to use it to take photos (without flash) and view The Choral Society web mobile program when available.
Please review the Health & Safety policies of the concert or event venue.
Feel free to applaud after a solo is sung, if it is not part of a solemn Mass or Requiem. Also do applaud at the end of each piece in the concert program. And of course, lots of clapping is encouraged at the end of the concert. If the concert is a collaboration with other arts groups, leaders from each organization will be called to the stage for a bow at the end of the performance. Applause is again welcomed. You can be sure we’ll be smiling behind our masks!
After the performance, as singers, musicians and soloists leave the venue, feel free to offer your thanks for their contribution to the event.