Concertino West Fall Festival Concert Information

Dear Concertino West, 
The first two months of GTCYS’ 2025–26 season have flown by!  Everyone on staff has enjoyed helping students develop musically, create new friendships, and grow as a community.  
We’re so excited to hear your musical progress at the Fall Festival concert at Orchestra Hall on Sunday, November 16, at 2:00pm. Find ticketing information here. 

Please carefully read instructions below on arrival, concert dress, and what to bring: 

CONCERTINO WEST CONCERT DAY INFO  

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 

Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis 

CONCERTINO WEST TIMELINE 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 

• 12:00pm: Arrive by this time and check in at Peavey Plaza Entrance. Follow signs to the Mezzanine to warm up. Please do not check in before 11:45am.  
• 12:30 – 12:55pm: Dress Rehearsal on stage.  
• 2:00pm: Concert begins: This performance will end at approximately 3:30pm. All students must stay for the entire performance. GTCYS will not facilitate early departures. There is no intermission. 

Attendance at the Fall Festival is mandatory for all GTCYS musicians. If you cannot attend due to illness or another emergency, complete an absence form.  

Students should come dressed in formal concert attire (New this year: all orchestras wear all black), as outlined in the Handbook. Do not wear any aerosol-based perfumes or colognes. Failure to follow the dress code may jeopardize students’ participation in the concert. 

Proof of entry: Please note that Orchestra Hall requires proof of entry upon arrival. GTCYS families will need to show Orchestra Hall staff your ticket or this message to enter the building.  

CONCERTINO WEST DIRECTIONS 

• Students in Concertino West must enter AND exit Orchestra Hall through the Peavey Plaza Entrance as shown:  

• Parents/guardians (except volunteers) are not allowed backstage and may not sit in the Hall during the dress rehearsals. 
• The lobby will be open for parents who want to wait. 
• After the concert, all students must go back to their warm-up rooms to retrieve their instruments before exiting.  
• Students must enter and exit Orchestra Hall through the same doors.  
• Please determine in advance where you will meet your family after the concert.  

Orchestra Hall is located at 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. 

• Click here for directions and parking information 
• Do not park in the Orchestra Hall loading dock, or you will be towed. 
• GTCYS highly recommends that families PARK then WALK to the Hall with their student instead of attempting a dangerous drop-off across traffic. 

WHAT TO BRING AND WHAT TO LEAVE AT HOME   

DO Bring: 

• Bring music folders and all music. Even if you normally read from your stand partner’s music, remember to bring your OWN music to the dress rehearsal and the concert. 
• Bring instruments and accessories (rock stops, extra strings, reeds, etc.).  
• Percussionists: bring your own mallets. GTCYS provides bells and a snare at Festival concerts.  
• Cellists and Bassists: You MUST bring rock stops  
• Water bottle. 
• Individually packaged nut-free snacks as desired. GTCYS is not providing snacks for this event.  
• Be sure all personal belongings are marked with students’ first and last name.  

DO NOT Bring: 

• Do NOT bring music stands (Orchestra Hall provides them.)  
• Do not bring valuable personal items which could get lost.  
• Absolutely no cell phones on stage. Please keep your phones in your cases in your warm-up area and do not bring them into the audience while listening to the other orchestras perform. Parent chaperones and GTCYS staff will confiscate student cell phones if they observe students using them during the concert. 

LIVESTREAM DETAILS  

Thanks to donor support, all three concerts will be livestreamed for free on GTCYS’ YouTube channel!   

The livestream will be posted on our YouTube channel after Fall Festival, though some pieces may be omitted due to copyright restrictions. Out of respect to your fellow audience members, please do not record the concert on your own device.   

INSTRUMENT & CLOTHING DRIVE  

Donate your gently used string instruments and concert clothes to Harmony, GTCYS’ barrier-free string instruction program serving over 100 students at two St. Paul schools!  

We are now accepting:     

• 1/4 size cellos and violins  
• Full size violins – suitable for intermediate to advanced players  
• Rosin and strings for all size violins and cellos  
• Black long-sleeved shirts in boys’ and girls’ sizes 6/8–14/16  
• Black pants in boys’ and girls’ sizes 6/8–14/16  

You can drop off instruments or clothing in Orchestra Hall’s lobby before each Fall Festival concert at the donation table. If donating clothing, please press and fold clothes in advance. Thank you! 

We can’t wait to make music with you at the Fall Festival!