FAQs
We can’t wait to see you at our next concert!
PASO does not have an official dress code, but you’ll see patrons wearing everything from jeans to cocktail dresses. Most guests opt for business attire or business casual. For Kennedy Center concerts, many people enjoy dressing up and making a special night of it. Others prefer to dress more casually. Generally, the only tuxedos you’ll see are on stage. Anything that makes you feel comfortable is appropriate. To ward off air conditioning chill, you might want to bring a sweater.
Yes! Arrive early. Thirty minutes is ideal. This gives you time to find your seat and read the concert program. At the Kennedy Center, if you are late, you will not be seated until the next piece starts or sometimes not until intermission. Patrons who leave the theater before or during a work will not be reseated until after the work is completed.
At the Kennedy Center, there is a “turn off, tune in” policy and electronic devices must be turned off. No photographing or recording is permitted. At other PASO concerts, for example, at the Embassy of Argentina, or other smaller venues, we ask that you turn off ringtones and beeping messages so as not to disturb other patrons. Photos are encouraged. We want you to have documented evidence of your enjoyment! Feel free to share your photos and video clips on social media and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
There is concert etiquette around clapping. In general, you clap when the concertmaster, or first violinist, appears onstage, then again when the conductor appears. If a piece has more than one movement, applaud only after the last movement. Don’t clap in between movements, even if there is silence. The conductor will signal the end of a piece by lowering fully his hands. However, PASO encourages you to clap when you are moved to do so! Maestro Buslje always says if you are clapping between movements, it is because you are enjoying the concert. It makes him and his musicians happy to hear your excitement.
It varies, but most of PASO’s concerts are around 90 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. Some concerts at the Embassy of Argentina or other smaller venues will be 75 minutes long and often without an intermission. Instead, there is a reception after the concert.
PASO prides itself on being an experience adults and children of all ages can enjoy. However, we ask you please to be respectful of others trying to enjoy the beautiful music along with you. If your child is very young and cannot sit still quietly for more than an hour, it is recommended that s/he not attend.
The concertmaster sits in the first chair of the first violins. She acts as leader of that section, but also plays a leadership role with the orchestra. The concertmaster is also the last orchestra musician to enter the stage before a concert. She cues the orchestra to tune before the conductor walks out on stage.
