CURRENT HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR ATTENDANCE AT THE NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONCERTS, IMPLEMENTED SEPTEMBER 2022

Our priority at the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic is your health and safety. With this in mind, we have committed to following CDC guidelines.

No photo ID or proof of vaccination will be required but vaccinations are strongly encouraged for the health and safety of all in attendance.

All are requested to remain at home if they have been in contact with someone known or suspected to have been infected with COVID 19 within the past 10 days or if subject to a quarantine or isolation order.

Please use the hand sanitizers provided throughout the venue

Thank you in advance for your cooperation
The Trustees of the Philharmonic Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania

First and foremost, we want you to be comfortable. If you are more comfortable dressing casually, please do not hesitate to do so! You will see many people in the audience who dress up, but you will also see other people who are dressed quite casually. If you would like to see typical audience attire, we suggest you visit our photo gallery.

Every performance venue is handicapped accessible; however, only the Theater at Lackawanna College and the Kirby Center for the Creative Arts (Wyoming Seminary) have elevators. Patrons using wheel chairs in the FM Kirby Center and the Scranton Cultural Center are seated on the first floor. Rest assured that all venues have entrance ramps into the buildings. If you call the Philharmonic office in advance, we will be happy to provide you with assistance getting in and out of the concert hall. We can be reached at 570-270-4444.

Yes.

For the F. M. Kirby Center:

  • The new James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center has made parking much, much easier for Kirby Center patrons. The 752-space parking garage is easily accessible from South Washington Street and is only steps from the theater.
  • Genetti’s Hotel: (570-823-6152) located at Market Street & Pennsylvania Boulevard – 2 blocks from the Kirby Center.
  • Park & Lock East: (570-825-4411) located at East Market & North Washington Streets – 1 block from the Kirby Center.
  • Park & Lock North: (570-825-4411) located at 30 North Main Street – behind the Ramada Inn, across Public Square from the Kirby Center.
  • Park & Lock Central: (570-825-4411) located at 52 South Main Street – 3 blocks from the Kirby Center.

For the Theater at Lackawanna College:
There are two large parking lots adjacent to the theater entrance that are available to audience members without charge. In addition, there is plenty of street parking. Please be aware that there are no meter charges after 6:00 PM.

Kirby Center for the Creative Arts, Wyoming Seminary Upper School:
There are three parking lots available for audience members. The first option is to park at the lot adjacent to the Fine Arts building. There are two additional parking lots for your use on North Sprague Avenue. A smaller lot is available at the corner of Market St. and Sprague. A large lot is located at the end of Sprague, across from the Kingston Fire Hall.

Yes! Within one mile of each concert venue, there are some excellent restaurants. If you call the office and let us know what type of food you prefer, we would be delighted to recommend several restaurants. We can be reached at 570-270-4444.

Approximately two hours, including intermission.

Some orchestral works are broken into movements, which are like chapters of a book. Each movement is given a title (often in Italian, French or German) that indicates tempo and mood. If the work has movements it will be formatted like this in the program book:

  • Title of Musical Composition
  • Movement 1
  • Movement 2
  • Movement 3
  • Movement 4

The number of movements can be different for any piece of music, so we’d suggest that you count the number of movements before the music begins. Usually there is a slight pause in between movements and that is where some people might burst into applause—all by themselves! If that happens to you, don’t worry about it. It has happened to all of us at one time or another!

We think the Holiday and Pops concerts are kid-friendly. There is plenty of action and stimulus to entertain a young audience. The Masterworks concerts are up to your discretion. If your child is able to sit quietly, then please bring them.

Here are three things we’d like you to know when making the decision whether to bring your family or not:

1. We truly want your children with us. This is exactly how the next generation of audience members is cultivated and we are grateful for your help in fostering a love of music in your children. It’s OK if they fall asleep or if you need to leave a little early. Your intuition will be your best guide in creating a wonderful concert experience for them.

2. We are happy to make seating arrangements for your family. If you believe that aisle seats or seats towards the back of the concert hall will help, just call us at the Philharmonic office (570-270-4444) and we will be happy to accommodate you. Of course, we need to know in advance of the concert.

3. We suggest turning concert attendance into an event for your family. This will make the experience more fun and memorable. It may be as simple as going out for an ice cream cone or pizza after the concert. Words to the wise: if your child does not have a good experience attending a concert, please give them a rest before trying again. We do not want to turn music into a punishment!

Leave the driving to us!

Many of our patrons would prefer the convenience of taking bus transportation to the Masterworks concerts that are not located in their own city. The NEPA Philharmonic provides luxurious Martz bus transportation from Wilkes-Barre to the Theater at Lackawanna College and from Scranton to the F. M. Kirby for our Masterworks Series Performances. In Wilkes-Barre, the bus departs from the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance of the Genetti’s Hotel parking lot at 6:00PM and in Scranton, the bus leaves from the Vine Street parking lot at Lackawanna College, also at 6:00PM. This service allows our patrons to arrive at the theaters in time for Maestro Loh’s pre-concert lectures.

The cost is $5.00 per person, per concert with free parking in either lot.You can reserve your seats by calling the philharmonic office at 570-270-4444. Be advised that you must reserve your seat within 24 hours of departure time and this option is limited to 55 patrons.

Yes. Please arrive approximately 30 minutes prior to the concert to purchase tickets as the box office.