Symphony, Opera & Ballet Season Watch

Why this is recommended

A $25 rush program at a hall that charges $150, a subscription window that unlocks the best seats before the public, a Nutcracker on-sale that sells out the weekend dates in a day, or a free park concert are each worth the membership to a household that goes twice a year.

What the Tab covers

Who it is for

The 30 million Americans who go to a classical concert, an opera or a ballet each year, and the parents buying Nutcracker tickets in October.

When it runs

Companies announce seasons and open subscriptions mid-week; single tickets follow on set dates

Scope

The New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the top 30 orchestras; the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera and the top 20 companies; New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and the top 20 companies; Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Disney Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Hollywood Bowl and Wolf Trap; subscriptions, on-sales, rush and discount programs, Live in HD and streaming, labor disputes, free concerts and tours

Suggested task

The objective your Tab starts with. You can edit every line of it once the Tab is yours.

Season announcements and subscription windows at the major orchestras, opera and ballet companies, single ticket on-sale dates, rush, student, under-40 and pay-what-you-can programs, Met Opera Live in HD and streaming schedules, Nutcracker and holiday on-sales, guest artist and conductor announcements, company labor disputes and cancellations, free outdoor concerts and open rehearsals and touring productions coming to the 30 largest metros, with the company or venue first and the on-sale date in the title.

Track classical music, opera and ballet for US audiences. Report only confirmed, source-backed items from the last 7 days: season announcements and subscription windows at the top 30 orchestras, top 20 opera companies and top 20 ballet companies; single ticket on-sale dates and times; rush, student, under-40, pay-what-you-can and community ticket programs; Metropolitan Opera Live in HD, orchestra streaming and broadcast schedules; Nutcracker and holiday production on-sales; guest artist, conductor and casting announcements with wide interest; labor disputes, strikes and cancellations; free outdoor concerts, open rehearsals and festival lineups at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Disney Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Hollywood Bowl and Wolf Trap; and touring productions announced for the 30 largest metros. Prefer company and venue pages, official box offices and established arts reporting; ignore resale listings. Put the company or venue first in the title with the on-sale date. Use high severity for an on-sale within 72 hours for a production that sells out, a new rush or discount program at a major hall, or a strike or cancellation. Return no more than 8 findings. Push each as a finding with a title, a two-sentence summary, sections for what is on sale, when, how to get it, the price, and the source link. If nothing qualifies, push nothing and submit the run receipt.