Your concert experience

Whether enjoying a summer performance at the Sun Valley Pavilion or a winter concert at the Argyros Performing Arts Center, each distinct season is an experience all its own—admission free of course! Toggle the summer and winter buttons below to learn how to attend concerts in person for either season.

Choose your seating location

pavilion seating

The open-air Pavilion offers direct lines of sight to the stage and an unamplified, acoustic experience. Donors of $3,000 or more may reserve seats in advance, but free seats are always available to the public, beginning one hour before the concert. Line up for these (in the shade, by the bar, with chairs to ease the wait) on the East Terrace. If the line looks long, don’t give up! Unclaimed, reserved seats are released by 6:15 PM.

Bars open at 5:30 PM (one hour before the concert). Feel free to take your drink and snack to your seat, but please no outside food or beverages, glass containers, or coolers (or anything that might block an aisle or row).

Please do not take any photographs or record audio or video during the performance.

Click here to view a Pavilion map that shows important locations and descriptions of amenities and services.

lawn seating

Relax with friends as the sun sets, enjoy a picnic, and listen to beautiful music through a state-of-the-art sound system while watching the action on the Festival’s new, larger big screen. (Thank you to the Festival supporters who supported the campaign to upgrade the lawn experience this year!) The lawn experience accommodates all listening styles: serious aficionados tend to sit up front, picnickers congregate everywhere, and families with active children and dogs have room in the back.

Come early and reserve the perfect spot with a blanket (no tarps, please—not good for the grass). Or arrive just in time and make new friends as you find an empty spot.

  • The Welcome Center and Store (to the left of the main Pavilion entrance) is your exclusive source for everything you need to help make your concert experience memorable! Staff are available to greet you, answer questions, and provide tips on some of the most exciting things to look for at the concerts. Browse unique keepsakes, apparel, and useful items for picnicking on the Pavilion lawn. Looking for lost and found items? Find them here! All proceeds benefit the Festival’s education programs. Click here to learn more.
  • Low-back lawn chairs are a great idea. If a basketball could fit under it, your chair could obstruct others’ views. Lawn patrons in wheelchairs, or those who need high-back chairs, may use the dedicated space by the Paver Bar and along the row of houses near the Welcome Center and Store. If you have questions about appropriate use of your chairs, please see one of our Concert Services members.
  • Restrooms are located at the back of the lawn.
  • If your dog has plenty of energy, please consider sitting along the perimeter of the lawn to ensure everyone has a good experience.
  • Please keep all electronic devices quiet. Drones are prohibited on Sun Valley Resort property.
  • Help keep the lawn green—please recycle and throw away your trash and save or return your program book.

Attending winter concerts

people entering the Argyros

Admission is free but space is limited; reservations are required

Reservations for the public begin on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 9:00 a.m. (Mountain Time). Reserved seats are limited to two seats per household per program for a total of four for the Winter Season.

Intimate and emotional music up close and personal at the Argyros

Curated by Music Director Alasdair Neale, the performances will feature pianist Jon Kimura Parker and all-star Festival Orchestra string musicians highlighting beautiful chamber works by Brahms.

A unique concert experience

seating in venue

The Festival at the Argyros offers unique, more intimate seating for enjoying music during its Winter Season. Here’s what to expect:

  • Reserved seating: You will select your seating location when you make your reservations. There will be a variety of vantage points to choose from, all with great views of the stage.
  • An intimate experience: The concerts will offer the perfect setting for audience members to enjoy this beautiful music up close and personal, and perhaps even chat with a musician or two during intermission.

 

To offer the our audiences as much music as possible, two different programs will be offered, each performed twice:

  • Program A will be performed on March 6 & 8;
  • Program B will be performed on March 7 & 9;
  • one 20-minute intermission; and
  • wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase in the lobby before the performance and during the intermission.

As seating capacity is limited, the Festival will offer two seats per household per program for a total of four for the Winter Season, allowing as many patrons as possible to attend (for free, of course).

Additional events

Performing for local students

Festival musicians will be visiting area schools during the week of the Winter Season.