The Scottish Rite Auditorium
Getting to The Venue for our Classics Concerts
Located in downtown San Antonio, the First Baptist Church of San Antonio sits just north of the Tobin Center & garage. For more information about your visit, visit our FAQs.
The Scottish Rite Auditorium
308 Avenue E, San Antonio, TX, United States Directions
Parking Information
During our concert events taking place at the First Baptist Church of San Antonio, parking will be available in the open-air lots operated by the church. Parking attendants will take cash or cards.
Entrance Lobby
Venue Ceiling
Atrium at Intermission
Find Your Seats
2023-24 Seating Chart
- During our performances at First Baptist Church of San Antonio we will offer both ground level and balcony seating.
- The ground level has bench seating except along the back wall, and the balcony offers individual seats.
- There is an elevator to the balcony.
- PLEASE NOTE that there are no individually numbered seats anywhere at the First Baptist Church of San Antonio. For ticketed events at First Baptist Church of San Antonio, your ticket admits you to sit in your purchased section and row. The specific seat within the row will be determined on a first come basis except in the case of ADA Companion Seat tickets.
Enhance Your Experience
Free
Occasional, free pre-concert lectures are an opportunity for our concert ticket holders to learn more about the program, soloist, or conductors. View this season's concerts.
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Enjoy discounted prices and early access to seating at concerts. Learn More.
Donate
There are numerous benefits for various levels of giving including attending rehearsals, and access to the Unity Bridge Lounge area.
Individual Giving
Corporate Sponsorships
FAQs
Questions About Your Visit?
- Symphony orchestra events are NOT exclusive! There are no secret handshakes or special rituals to get in.
- They do generally start on time, so plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early to the concert hall. Be sure to factor in time to find parking and arrival to the venue entrance.
- If you already have your ticket, great! – an usher will ask you for it as you approach the inner doors to the concert hall. If not, ask, and the ushers will direct you to where you can purchase a ticket. It’s really as easy as going to a movie theater.
- Once you’re in the concert hall, find your seat and take a moment to look over the program book. Musicians will likely already be on stage warming up! This is also a good time to visit the restroom.
- Be sure to silence your cell phone before the concert starts. Then, just make yourself comfortable and enjoy the music.
- If there’s an “intermission” listed on the program page in the program book, that means there’ll be a 15-20 minute break in about the middle of the concert. Feel free to get up and stretch, leave your seat and visit the lobby. Intermission is a great time to talk over the music with your date or make some new friends! You’ll know intermission is about to end when ushers ring a bell or make an announcement in the lobby.
Most people will be wearing business clothes or slightly dressy casual clothes, but you’ll see everything from khakis to cocktail dresses. Some people enjoy dressing up and making a special night of it.
Most people will arrive about 30 minutes before a performance. The inside doors to the performance space will open at approximately 45 minutes before the concert. Most indoor venues, including The Scottish Rite Auditorium have a lobby and other spaces where people converse before the concert and at intermissions.
For the comfort of our artists and your fellow patrons, late seating takes place during the first pause in the program.
During the evening concerts there will be many times where the music leads to beautifully quite moments. Out of respect for the other ticket buyers, people should sit quietly through our evening performances when the music is being performed.
For our events at The Scottish Rite Auditorium, parking is very convenient and available on the st
Directions to parking
https://goo.gl/maps/zG8iMkdF2kUj54TT6
Performance times will vary. Classics Concerts are approximately 90 minutes plus an intermission, Family Concerts are shorter in consideration of young children and usually do not have an intermission, Field Trip concerts are approximately 40 minutes due to class schedules.
Please turn it off or to silent mode. The same goes for pagers and alarm watches. It’s a good idea to double-check in the few minutes before the concert begins, and again as intermission draws to a close. Better still, leave them at home if you can.
No food or beverage (other than water) is permitted in the performance space of First Baptist Church of San Antonio.
- At the beginning of the concert, a violinist designated as the concertmaster will come on stage and the audience will clap as a welcome in appreciation of the musicians.
- After the orchestra tunes, the conductor and possibly a soloist will come onstage. Everyone then claps to welcome them as well.
- When things quiet down, the performance begins. Enjoy!
- In classical music concerts, the audience does not usually applaud again until the end of each piece. But because many pieces have several parts or movements, it can sometimes seem a little tricky to know when to clap. Not sure when the piece is over? Wait and follow what the rest of the audience does.
- Sometimes, the more you are immersed in what’s going on with the performance, the less likely you may be to cough.
- Bring some lozenges with you and unwrap a few before the music begins.
- Visit the water fountain before the concert and at intermission.
- If you have to cough, try to wait for the end of a movement, or hide your cough in a loud passage of music.
- If you feel you may have a coughing fit, it’s perfectly acceptable to quietly exit the concert hall. Please don’t be embarrassed – the people around you will probably appreciate your concern about reducing sounds.
In short, to enjoy the music! A typical symphony orchestra concert features at least 20 different musical instruments, most of which have developed in their design over hundreds of years. When played by a seasoned professional, each instrument can produce a whole range of colors and timbres. Now put all those instruments together into a whole symphony orchestra, and the immense variety of sounds and colors is endless! Add to that the company of composers who mastered the art of putting these sounds together in convincing ways, and you are in for a real treat! Just go with an open mind – and open ears.
No problem! At most concerts, you will be offered a printed program book or a link that includes a list of works to be performed, information about each piece, and short biographies for each composer. If you are able to come 15-20 minutes early, skim through the program book as you wait for the concert to start, and you’ll be well on the way to knowing quite a bit! At some concerts, conductors will also share some tidbits and insights about particular works before they are performed.
Policies
For the enjoyment of attending performance events and supporting the San Antonio Philharmonic we list some policies below.
At our concerts in First Baptist Church of San Antonio, seating areas for patrons in wheelchairs (and their companions) are available on both the ground floor and, by elevator, the balcony level. We regret that ushers may not physically assist patrons wishing to transfer into theater seats.
No food or beverage (other than water) is permitted in the performance space of First Baptist Church of San Antonio.
- The venue, First Baptist Church of San Antonio, does not have a mask policy as of the time this page was constructed.
- San Antonio Philharmonic will monitor local health conditions and comply with local health authority mandates.
- Please stay home if:
- You are sick or have COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, a sore throat, chills, cough, congestion, nausea, or vomiting.
- You have been in close contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19 or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms within the past five days.
- You have been directed to self-isolate or quarantine by a health care provider or public health official.
Artists and repertoire are subject to change without notice.
For ticketed events at First Baptist Church of San Antonio, your ticket admits you to sit in your purchased section and row. The specific seat within the row will be determined on a first come basis except in the case of ADA Companion Seat tickets.
The venue may require a ticket holder to move to a different seat to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Patrons who purchase tickets via ThunderTix may exchange their tickets on that platform. They may also use ThunderTix to convert tickets purchased on that platform to donations. There are no refunds.
Cancellation policy: If for any reason an event is cancelled, best efforts will be made to reschedule. Tickets will be refunded, exchanged or converted to a donation in the event the San Antonio Philharmonic cancels an event.
For the comfort of our artists and your fellow patrons, late seating takes place during the first pause in the program.