Admission is $10.00 per student. For every 20 student tickets purchased, you receive 1 free chaperone ticket.

Discovery Concerts take place in Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT, 06106.

You will not receive physical tickets. You will receive both a confirmation email and invoice which will state the number of seats you have purchased for the performance, as well as any disability seating requests. Ushers will seat you by school on the day of the concert.

In order to be able to offer this experience to the greatest number of students, seating is based on special needs and group volume; however, while an early submission will not yield better seats in the house, it will ensure that your entire group is able to attend.

Once your application has been processed by the Education Department, you will receive an email to confirm if the tickets requested are available. From there you will receive an invoice in the mail.

If you need to change ticket numbers, such change requests must be received by the HSO in writing (email is acceptable) no later than two (2) weeks prior to the concert. If you need to decrease ticket numbers less than two (2) weeks prior to the concert, you will not be refunded for the tickets that you are no longer using.

If you need to change ticket numbers, such change requests must be received by the HSO in writing (email is acceptable) no later than two (2) weeks prior to the concert. If you need to increase ticket numbers less than two (2) weeks prior to the concert, the HSO will fill that request if seats are available and send an invoice for the added cost to you, for which you will need to submit payment no later than the concert date.

No, you will not receive a refund or exchange if a student is absent.

If you must cancel your school’s attendance, such cancellation must be received by the HSO in writing (email is acceptable) no later than two (2) weeks prior to the concert. If you need to cancel less than two (2) weeks prior to the concert, you will not be refunded and will be held financially responsible for payment. If you apply for your tickets less than two (2) weeks prior to the concert, you are deemed confirmed at the time of submitting your application, and therefore, if you need to cancel, you will not be refunded and will be held financially responsible for payment.

The Teacher’s Guide will be sent to you at least one month before the scheduled performance.

Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before the performance is scheduled to begin. This will allow time to park the buses, walk to The Bushnell and be seated appropriately.

Each concert is approximately 50 minutes in length.

No. Cameras and recording devices are prohibited in the concert hall.

No. Food and beverages, including gum, are prohibited in the concert hall.

Please indicate this on the Program Registration form and be exact on their needs. We will ensure that the appropriate accommodations are made so that the students have an enjoyable and memorable experience.

You cannot stay in the hall after the performance has ended; however, if you would like to bring a packed lunch, we suggest going to Bushnell Park, located across the street, where you can eat outside and have a post-concert discussion with your students.

Yes. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra does not provide transportation to and from the performances at the Bushnell.

(Please create signs for your buses) Students are to disembark where their bus parks. Parking meters will be bagged or designated with a no-parking stake along neighboring streets: Trinity, Capitol, and Buckingham. Please make a mental note of where you are parked. For performances in Mortensen Hall, please enter the Bushnell complex through Mortensen Hall via Trinity Street or via the brick courtyard on Capitol Avenue. For performances in Belding Theater, please enter through the Belding Foyer at the far end of the brick courtyard (to the left of the Box Office entrance).

For buses with handicapped students, at a performance in Mortensen Hall, you should stop at the Trinity Street entrance, where the ramp is, and drop off only the special-needs individual(s), along with at least one chaperone. The bus should then proceed to one of the bagged meters and park, at which time the other students will walk to the theater. For performances in Belding Theater, buses with handicapped students should stop at the brick courtyard on Capitol Avenue at the center of the Bushnell complex and drop off only the special needs individual(s), along with at least one chaperone. Again, the bus should proceed to one of the bagged meters and park, at which time the other students will walk to the theater.

Please arrive at least 30 minutes early. Ushers will be posted outside the building. Let one of them know the name of your school. Once inside the theater, ushers will direct you to your seats.

Please remain seated at the end of the performance. An usher will come onstage following the applause to dismiss students by school. An orderly exit helps ensure safety and avoids delays.

1. All students, regardless of age, need an escort to leave the auditorium to use the restroom or for any other purpose. Ushers will not allow unattended students to exit without an adult escort.

2. Anyone leaving the auditorium during the concert will have to wait for an appropriate break in the program to re-enter. People re-entering may not always be able to go back to their original seats depending on the program and may be asked to take available seats in the back.

3. Groups arriving after the start of the concert will be seated at the discretion of the House Management.

4. No cameras, audio-video or other recording devices, cell phones, digital games, or music players should be brought to the concert. Use of any of these devices is prohibited in the hall.

5. A chaperone will be required to sit in the front row with any group seated on an upper level.

6. Please arrange children in a desired seating order prior to entering the building. Once seating load-in begins, students must quickly move straight across, down the rows. We cannot wait for certain classes to sit with each other, etc., as this causes traffic jams. Once a group is seated, teachers may move individual students within the section.

7. No one is allowed to sit on the floor or in the aisles at any time.

8. No hats may be worn inside the building.

9. No gum, food, or beverages allowed in the building.

10. Schools will be dismissed from the stage. Please stay seated until your school is called.

Please contact Timothy Brown, Manager of DEI Initiatives and Community Engagement at tbrown@hartfordsymphony.org.