You might have loved the music in Star Wars or Indiana Jones as much as the acting and special effects. You might find yourself humming The Four Seasons after seeing an advert for a bank. You might not know it, but you are a classical music lover! And there is nothing better than hearing and seeing it performed live.
You will be amazed at the clarity and power that a bunch of acoustic instruments can make in a concert hall. An expensive stereo cannot replicate it!
You will find it intriguing how the conductor can control 50 artists with a flick of a hand, a glance or a facial expression.
But you might be worried that you won't dress right, talk right, clap right, right?
This blog post is to show you that it's easy not to be embarrassed at your first classical music concert. Especially not on the Sunshine Coast, one of the most laid-back places, in a laid-back country.
Dress code: this is the Sunshine Coast, as long as you don't wear thongs or a singlet, you're fine. Actually, even thongs are ok for a warm daytime concert. Having said that, most people like to dress up a bit for a concert. You can never be over-dressed - the players will be wearing their best blacks - and most venues are air-conditioned.
Clapping rules: there is only one rule: if the piece of music has movements, don't clap between the movements. The program notes should tell you if the orchestra is playing more than one movement, and the conductor will make it obvious when it is time to clap (they turn around and bow).
Clap as loudly as you feel the orchestra deserves! And an orchestra likes nothing more than a standing ovation, even just from one person.
Chatting rules: obviously, don't talk during the music (you won't want to anyway, you'll be mesmerised!). Before and after the concert, if you are chatting to people who have been listening to classical music for a long time, just tell them that you're new here; they will be thrilled you came! The secret is this: classical music is such a huge and varied genre that has existed for hundreds of years, so there is no-one that knows everything about it (or even a decent fraction of it).
So come along, relax, and hum The Four Seasons in a corner if you don't want to talk to anyone.
