Common Questions

HOW DO I PURCHASE TICKETS?

  • Purchase tickets online at glcorchestra.org
  • By phone 231.487.0010; Monday-Friday from 9 AM – 3 PM
  • At the GLCO administrative office at 219 E. Lake Street (in downtown Petoskey)
  • In person at the concert venue starting two hours prior to the scheduled program

WHEN DO I ARRIVE?

Doors to the Great Lakes Center for the Arts open at 5:00 PM. Doors to the auditorium open ½ hour before the performance. You should plan to arrive no later than 10 minutes prior to a performance to give you the time to find your seat and get settled before the performance starts. Doors will close promptly at the start of the scheduled performance; if you arrive late, an usher will escort you to your seat at the an appropriate time. The average performance lasts approximately two hours, including a 15-minute intermission.

Often, GLCO concerts have a pre-concert talk in the Community Engagement Room of the GLCFA starting at 6:00 PM, which you are welcome to attend. Wine & beer will also be available for purchase before the concert.

WHAT IF I CAN’T USE MY TICKET?

All ticket sales are final and no refunds will be issued. In the event that you are unable to use your ticket:

  • Share. Reach out to family or friends that may want to attend, but do not have tickets yet.
  • Exchange. Contact us to exchange your tickets for another concert, based on availability (some fees may apply).
  • Donate. Tickets may be donated back to GLCO and are tax-deductible.

We do ask that you let us know that you will be unable to use your ticket by 2 PM on the day prior to the concert if you would like to switch your ticket to another performance.

HOW DO I RECEIVE MY TICKETS?

You can have your tickets sent to you via e-mail to print at home, to your e-mail inbox as e-tickets, or held at Will Call to pick up at the door.

If you’ve asked for your tickets to be held at Will Call, that means that you can pick up your tickets at the door starting at 5:00 PM for evening performances. Doors will also open at this time. Depending on the venue, there will be a table or window set up with a Will Call sign next to it.  Tickets purchased within one week of a concert will automatically be held at Will Call, unless you have them sent to your e-mail inbox.

WHAT ABOUT DISCOUNTS?

Student attendees age 18 and under are always FREE to all GLCO Concerts.

We currently have a veterans program as well, where free tickets are available to active military, veterans, & their spouses based on availability. Call our office at 231.487.0010 for more information.

CAN I BRING MY CHILD?

Children of all ages are welcomed as long as they are supervised by an adult. We will leave it to your discretion as to whether to bring your child, as you are best suited to judge your child’s attention span and behavior. In general, a full-length classical concert is not suitable for most children under 5 years of age.

In the event that your child starts crying or fidgeting, we would ask that you promptly remove your child from the auditorium and do not reenter until they have calmed down. Please alert the box office if you are planning on bringing a young child and we will try to accommodate you to be seated near an aisle so that you can easily move in and out of the auditorium.

For the younger children, we would encourage you to check out the FREE GLCO Little Waves program that is held at the Petoskey District Library and the Charlevoix Public Library, designed specifically for children ages 10 and under.

WHAT DO I WEAR?

Wear whatever makes you feel most comfortable! Business casual attire is appropriate – you probably won’t see anyone wearing sweatpants, but there’s no need to wear a suit and tie or a fancy dress. Men often wear casual slacks with a button-down shirt or sweater and jacket while others opt for jeans and a polo shirt. Some men even prefer wearing a suit. Attire for the ladies varies from dresses and skirts to pants and jeans. Regardless of your choice, we want you to feel comfortable enough to truly enjoy the performance.

On the note of etiquette, it’s traditional to hold your applause until the conductor turns to face the audience, which will be at the end of a piece of music. But if you feel moved to briefly applaud in between the movements that make up a piece of music, please feel free to do so. Once the conductor has turned around, the audience generally erupts into clapping, cheering and the occasional standing ovation!

WHAT IS A PRE-CONCERT TALK?

Our pre-concert talks by Music Director, Dr. Libor Ondras, have become an audience favorite. Come an hour before performance time to hear Libor’s dynamic dialogue about the music composition and history, and go behind the orchestra.  There is no additional reservation or ticket; seats are first come, first serve and it often turns into standing room only! Not all concerts have a pre-concert talk, check the event description or give us a call to be sure.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF GREAT LAKES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA & GREAT LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS?

The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra provides entertainment, education and inspiration for our northern Michigan communities.

Although we hold many season concerts at the beautiful Great Lakes Center for the Arts venue in Bay Harbor, our ticketing services and organizations are completely separate. Our orchestra brings powerful musical experiences to the region and we greatly appreciate our patrons and audience members.

OTHER INFORMATION

Please turn off and/or silence all electronics once in the concert hall; recording, video, or still photography is not permitted. Be considerate of your neighbor and try to limit excessive use of perfume or cologne, coughing, rustling of your program or excessive moving around in your seat while the orchestra is playing.

FOR CONCERTS HELD AT THE GREAT LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS

WHERE IS THE CENTER LOCATED AND WHERE CAN I PARK?

The Center is located at 800 Bay Harbor Drive, in Bay Harbor Michigan. The Bay Harbor community is just west of Petoskey on US 31. Parking for the Center is located in the GLCFA Main Parking Lot, with an overflow lot to the south.

Accommodations for handicapped parking are located in the front row, first four parking spaces of the Main Parking Lot. In addition, the Center’s porte-cochère may be utilized for easy drop-off at the main entrance to the building

ARE SPECIAL ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS AVAILABLE?

Many accessibility services are offered to ensure your concert experience is an enjoyable one:

  • Wheelchair accessible seating and companion seating are available at the time of ticket purchase. Please contact GLCO office to ensure wheelchair seating .
  • Hearing assistance headsets are available and can be checked out at the Box Office before a concert.
  • Elevator access is available for all levels at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts.
  • Please call the GLCO office at 231-487-0010 to discuss special requests at time of ticketing or before the event you are attending.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to send us an e-mail at in**@**********ra.org or call our office at 231.487.0010.

Eric Lawson

Assistant Concertmaster

Violinist, violist, conductor and professor Dr. Eric Lawson has had a varied career in performance and education. Past performances as a conductor, soloist and lecturer have taken him to Austria, Brazil, China, Germany, Romania and Scandinavia. Before returning to his home state of Michigan, he was based in North Dakota where, in addition to serving as a violin instructor at Bismarck State College, Jamestown College, and the University of Mary, he was also concertmaster of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and established the Bismarck-Mandan Youth Symphony. Other former academic appointments have included Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Central College in Pella, Iowa and the University of North Dakota where he founded the string program and the UND Chamber Orchestra.

Here in Michigan, Dr. Lawson as been very active with the Alpena Symphony Orchestra as its concertmaster, conductor and president of the board. He also performs with many other orchestras in Northern Michigan and participates in the Traverse Symphony as a first violinist, in the Gaylord Symphony as concertmaster and as assistant concertmaster in the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra.

And finally, in what has been one of the most important experiences of his life outside of music, he also served almost four years as an Alpena County Commissioner, representing Ossineke and Sanborn Townships. In addition to serving as chair of the Salary and Personnel Committee, he also served on the Airport, Ambulance, District Court, Circuit Court Management and Jail Committees. He also represented Alpena County in Gaylord with the Northern Michigan Regional Entity Substance Use Disorder Board and continues to serve on the Northeast Michigan Community Mental Health Board. Dr. Lawson resides in Ossineke with his wife and two children.