Aside from the slight rustle of performers raising their instruments, the room is still. The audience waits with anticipation as Palo Alto High School band conductor Katie Gilchrist raises her hands. After a deep breath, she lets her arms fall, ushering in a choir of clarinets, saxophones and bassoons. When at last the music stops, the audience, moved to tears by the music, bursts into thunderous applause.

While the average audience member may be captivated by the performance, most do not realize how crucial their role is. Concerts require significant time and effort to organize, and yet the performers only represent half of the experience. Often, a concert experience is what you make of it, and that depends on audience participation and etiquette.

Elena Sharkova, the Artistic Director of the Cantabile Performance Choir, believes in the importance of audience preparation and engagement. For her, the audience isn’t just a static entity, but an active part of the concert experience.

“The audience is really the other half that makes the performance very special,” Sharkova said. “We performers feel the audience. We feel when the audience is engaged or when the audience is just there opening the bonbons.”

To do that, audience members must be willing to take an active role in contributing to the concert environment. Ceira Motoyama, a vocalist and sophomore at Lynbrook High School, thinks that being present at a concert is more than just showing up and sitting down.

As a concert planner, Sharkova is constantly coming up with new ways to engage the audience to make the concert experience more pleasant. 

“It’s something that’s always in my mind: ‘how can I erase the divide between the performer and the audience?’” Sharkova said. “Any folk song can go forever because nobody’s sitting there actually listening to it. Everybody’s singing — the music feeds itself.”

When the audience seems disengaged with the music, it can be disheartening for the performers, especially since many concerts are visual as well as auditory. Jessica Carlson, Cantabile’s Associate Conductor, suggests reading the program in advance so that people can remain focused during the performance. 

“Something that I struggle with is when you look out into the audience and everyone’s heads are down because they’re looking either at their phone or program during the music,” Carlson said. “If you just stare down, not only do you deprive yourself of the performance, but [you disrespect] the performers [who] see the heads down.”

According to Paly math teacher Alexander Dade, a frequent concert-goer with a wide range of musical tastes, concert etiquette plays a large role in not just respecting performers, but also other audience members at the venue. 

At the same time, good concert etiquette can create a positive impression on fellow attendees that lasts until long after the performance has concluded.

“Whether it’s somebody helping you out or just making a good connection, that can be as memorable as the concert itself,” Dade said. “While it’s not always make or break, [concert etiquette] can really enhance or detract from the experience.”

With many fans streaming in to see a concert, it is essential for concert attendees to be aware of other audience members and regulate their volume. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Senior Andrew Gonzalez recalls attending an Olivia Rodrigo concert where three girls were screaming during a quiet song.

“You could really hear it [the screaming] in the recording, which is pretty annoying,” Gonzalez said. “I understand you’re trying to have fun, but it kills the vibe for other people.” 

Beyond screaming and phone use, sophomore Katya Kuykendall finds it frustrating when taller people stand in front of shorter individuals or hold up fan signs that obstruct other’s views.

“If you’re in the nosebleeds and you have a sign, that’s fine because you’re in the nosebleeds; no one’s really gonna see it anyway,” Kuykendall said. “But if you’re [at the] front in general admission, you’re just blocking a ton of people.”

Junior Gabriela Suriani, a punk concert attendee, describes a common annoyance for audience members: smoking. Though smoking policies differ from venue to venue, it remains a persistent issue. 

“The polite thing to do is blow the smoke so it doesn’t hit people’s faces,” Suriani said. “I hate it when people don’t do that and blow the smoke forward or to the side… [because] it stinks up the place.” 

Many concert goers, like freshman Ashton Montgomery Dahl, dislike excessive phone use during performances. Recently, many concerts have adopted policies where phone use is forbidden to ease this problem. 

“It was actually a really engaging experience because everyone was there: present at the show instead of on their phone,” Dahl said. 

In contrast, some concertgoers go above and beyond to uphold concert etiquette, enriching the experience for those around them. As Suriani notes, good concert etiquette isn’t just about following rules or avoiding disruptions: it’s an active responsibility.

For classical music listeners, pet peeves often differ from those of more modern genres. While it may seem trivial, Monta Vista High School senior Kartik Patel is often frustrated by clapping between movements. 

“In general, different movements are written in such a way that they relate somehow and clapping in between disrupts the flow,” Patel said.

On the other hand, Motoyama acknowledges that those unfamiliar with concert traditions might make mistakes, and that frequent classical concert attendees should be accommodating.

“I don’t like it when people shush others for clapping in between movements,” Motoyama said. “It’s a bit pretentious and discourages people from attending classical concerts out of fear of ‘messing up.’”

Conductors are also starting to embrace this shift to accommodate new listeners. As concert culture becomes more relaxed, Dr. Yun Song Tay, conductor of the Golden State Youth Orchestra’s Senior Symphony, has seen long-standing customs evolve to better suit a new generation of listeners.

“For a long time, the classical music concert hall was almost like a religious sanctuary where rites are supposed to be performed in a certain way,” Tay said. “These rules and customs make newcomers feel awkward instead of welcomed. If my audience members … choose to hold back their applause between movements, that’s fine with me. If they enjoyed it so much that they felt compelled to applaud us, that’s great.”

For Kuykendall, concerts hold sentimental value, particularly because they offer a chance to connect with others. She maintains that everyone should experience a live concert at least once in their life.

Despite the reservations some people have about attending concerts, Dade believes that attending live performances is more important than ever. 

“[Music] takes on a new weight when you get to see it live,” Dade said. “It creates this sort of memory that’s centered around a love of music. … Being surrounded by people that have the same respect for music and for the same artist as you is incredibly powerful and a lot of fun.”