- http://gmc.sonoma.edu
- The back of the Green Music Center, seen here, opens for a view of the main hall from lawn seating. It also projects sound acoustically, but speakers will provide added reinforcement.
Free concert tickets are always good, and free concert tickets to the Green Music Center’s opening weekend Sept. 30 at 2pm are very good. But there’s a catch—these tickets won’t actually get you into the main hall to watch the concert. They won’t get you seating at a table just outside the hall (which opens in the back to a terraced lawn), either. These free tickets are for lawn seating, which means sitting on the grass beyond the $25 table seats. But, hey, free is free, right?
The tickets are a gift from the Santa Rosa Symphony, performing Beethoven’s Consecration of the House, Ravel’s Bolero, Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto performed by SRS conductor laureate Jeffrey Kahane, and Copland’s Canticle of Freedom, featuring the 100-voice Symphony Honor Choir. The Symphony also commissioned an orchestral work, Sonoma Overture, by Petaluma composer Nolan Gasser. It’s worth going just to hear Kahane play Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto, let alone see it.
Yes, it will be visible from the nosebleed free seats, because, as the symphony points out, “Most of the lawn seating will not have a view of the stage; however, large outdoor screens and a state-of-the-art sound system will facilitate an exciting experience for all.” This means the pressure is on the camera crew and director to create an exciting experience for those 2,700 who are sure to gobble up the free seating. Even though it’s free, tickets are required (though they will be available at the gate, is still available). Presumably, seating on the lawn is first come, first served.
As of right now, there are still very good seats available at the $25 tables directly outside the hall. Those might be worth the price, too, but make sure your seats aren’t in the “half stage visible” section. For both the free and $25 lawn seats, patrons are invited to bring their own picnic, but not alcohol, to the concert. Box lunches, wine and beer will be available for purchase. For the free lawn seats, feel free to bring low chairs or blankets. Ever been to a concert at the Shoreline in Mountain View? It might be like that, but not built on a mound of old garbage. Check out the Santa Rosa Symphony’s website for details and tickets.
