Terms and conditions | Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Anyone using the MSO’s website does so with an understanding and acceptance of the following conditions:

All information on this site is provided in good faith. The MSO has taken all reasonable measures to ensure the information contained herein is accurate and current. All ticket sales are subject to availability and at the discretion of the MSO.

No liability is accepted for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance upon material contained on this site and, by logging on, you will be deemed to have released and discharged the MSO from all liability which might arise.

The website provides links to other third party websites for your convenience and informational purposes only, and not for purposes of making any endorsement or recommendation thereof.

The MSO cannot control, takes no responsibility and does not make any warranty, express or implied, with respect to the content, privacy policy or practices of such linked websites.

The MSO is an Australian organisation and the prices displayed on this website, and in all publications – both online and print – are in Australian Dollars (AUD) only.

Tickets sold or issued by the MSO are subject to the Live Performance Australia (LPA) Ticketing Code of Practice (PDF) and to MSO Terms and Conditions of sale. Any person purchasing a ticket or attending an event agrees to abide by these terms and conditions. The LPA’s ‘Safe Tix Guide’ is also available here.

The MSO abides by the Privacy Act and the National Privacy Principles. The MSO respects the privacy of its patrons and strictly adheres to the principles of the Privacy Act 1988. You can view our full Privacy Policy or request a copy of this policy by writing to: MSO Privacy Officer, Reply Paid 9994, Melbourne VIC 3001.

Information submitted by the ticket buyer during the process of ticket booking may be shared with the venue for operational and contact tracing requirements in line with government regulations.

The MSO reserves the right to change any element of a performance or its sales structure, including but not limited to reserves and pricing, at any time and without notice.

Pricing for any MSO product, including but not limited to single tickets and subscription prices, are subject to demand based dynamic pricing. This may see prices increase or decrease at any time during an on sale period for any given product. These changes may occur without notice.

If the amount paid for a ticket is incorrect regardless of whether an error in price is posted on the MSO website or otherwise communicated to you, or you are able to order a ticket before its scheduled on-sale or presale date, or you are able to order a ticket that was not supposed to have been released for sale, the MSO reserves the right to cancel that ticket (or the order containing the ticket) and refund the total amount paid. If any such refund is paid the MSO will not be liable for any other direct, consequential or indirect loss associated with the original transaction. This policy will apply regardless of whether the transaction was a human error or malfunction of this website or other ticketing system.

The MSO reserves the right to record, broadcast, telecast or webcast any event.

If you are photographed, filmed or taped whilst attending a MSO performance, you consent to MSO or third parties appointed by MSO photographing, filming and taping you. MSO or third parties appointed by MSO can broadcast, publish, license and use any photographs, film, recordings and images of you without compensation. MSO, the third parties and anyone acquiring from them a right to use the material are not liable to you in any way for its use.

Ticketing Terms & Conditions

Tickets to MSO events are sold by the MSO Box Office and third parties including ticketing agents and venue box offices. Tickets purchased through third parties are subject to the terms and conditions outlined by those parties. No ticket sold through either the MSO or any authorised sellers is eligible for re-sale other than where explicitly approved by the MSO.

Tickets may not, without the prior written consent of MSO, be resold or offered for resale for more than 110% of the original ticket price (including via online auction sites or resale agents) either by the original purchaser or any subsequent bearer. MSO reserves the right to cancel any ticket sold or offered for resale in breach of this condition, without notice and without a refund, and the ticketholder may be refused entry into the event.

Attendees must also abide by the terms and conditions of the venue in which the performance is held. The MSO adopts the Live Performance Australia (LPA) Code of Practice for the Ticketing of Live Entertainment in Australia, available for download here.

Your agreement with MSO for the purchase of a ticket is governed by the laws of Victoria.

If you have any questions about these terms and conditions, please call us on (03) 9929 9600.

When renewing or purchasing a subscription, you may opt to pay in full or in instalments. Instalment payments are only available if you choose to pay by credit card. A $10 instalment plan fee will be charged in addition to the total subscription cost.

All donations and fees plus 25% of the remaining purchase are due at time of booking; the remainder will be deducted in equal instalments on the first Friday of the next three months.

A delay in meeting instalment payments may attract a $10 fee per delayed instalment.

Instalment plans must be paid in full prior to your first concert. If there is a delay in two or more of your payments we may be required to cancel your tickets.

If you need to discuss any of your upcoming instalment payments, please contact the MSO Box Office.

To book seating suitable to your access needs please contact the MSO Box Office to discuss the seating options.

Companion Cards are available for bookings. A valid Companion Card or copy thereof must be provided at the time of booking. Please contact the Box Office for further information.

If you purchase a wheelchair seat you are allocated a wheelchair bay in the venue, not a fixed seat, unless otherwise advised. Should you arrive without the need for a wheelchair and the box office is unable to find alternative seating and you may not be able to see the performance.

Attendance Policies

Attendees must abide by the terms and conditions of the venue in which the event is held. Please refer to the venues’ conditions of entry.

Use of cameras and other recording devices during the performance is strictly prohibited. Photographs may be taken before and after the performance and at interval, but not during the performance.

Mobile phones and any other electronics must be silenced with the screen dimmed or turned off for the duration of the performance. People using electronic devices other than to read a digital program during the performance may be removed.

If you are feeling unwell or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please do not attend the venue. Notify the MSO Box Office via email at boxoffice@mso.com.au, at least 3 hours prior to the concert, and we will arrange an exchange of your tickets.

You are responsible for behaving in a manner that does not interfere with the safety and enjoyment of others. You (and any children in your care) must not:

Behave in a manner which causes or may cause property damage or that threatens or may threaten the safety of performers, visitors, other audience members or any other person, including as a result of intoxication; or
Behave in a manner that unreasonably interferes with other audience members' enjoyment of the premises or Event, including using cameras, mobile phones, or other electronic devices.
For more information about children at MSO events, please click here.

You may be refused entry or be removed from and event (and venue) at the MSO or venue’s discretion. This includes if:

you fail to comply with these terms and conditions or any relevant venue requirements;
we have not received payment for your ticket or you are unable to produce a ticket, or supporting ID (eg. student card);
you are intoxicated, you behave in a threatening, disruptive or offensive manner or you do not follow safety directions; or
you unreasonably interfere with another guest’s enjoyment of the Event or venue or with our staff carrying out their functions.

If you are refused admission and you have in no way contributed to the circumstances of the refusal, we will refund your ticket if it was purchased in accordance with these terms and conditions. If you are refused admission or removed from an event, the MSO reserves the right to refuse entry to future MSO events

Adequate time must be allowed for the collection of tickets on arrival at the venue. The MSO does not accept responsibility for any delays that may be encountered at the Box Office prior to an event.

For the comfort and convenience of all patrons, latecomers can only be admitted into the auditorium at a suitable break in the performance and may be refused entry completely. Suitable breaks vary between performances and may not occur until the interval. If a suitable break prior to interval is identified, latecomers may not be seated in their ticketed seats, but in an area adjacent to an entrance, where minimal disruption will be caused to seated attendees. This is at the discretion of venue staff. Ticket refunds or exchanges are not available on the basis of late arrival.

We love seeing young people enjoying music at our concerts, and have a discounted child price available for children aged 2-17. These tickets are available for most MSO performances across A-D reserve until allocation exhausted, with some exclusions. Children aged 15 and under must be supervised by and seated with a ticketed adult.

Should you wish to attend performances (excluding Jams for Juniors) with an infant aged below two years, they may be accommodated on the parent or guardian’s lap at no cost and without a ticket. There are some special family events where this condition may be altered, if so this will be detailed on the event page of the performance. To verify if a performance is nominated as a family event or a special family event please contact our Box Office.

All attendees at Jams for Juniors events require a ticket.

For the safety and security of all patrons, prams and baby capsules of any descriptions cannot be taken into the auditorium. Aisles, stairways and stairwells must be kept clear at all times.

Please note, if a child is disrupting the enjoyment of the performance for others, we kindly ask that you take your child into the foyer area or viewing room (Hamer Hall and Costa Hall) to settle and re-enter at interval. If you’d like to ask about the suitability of an MSO evening or matinee concert for your child, please contact our Box Office.

Exchanges

MSO tickets may be exchanged to another performance within the same concert season, subject to availability, at least three hours before the original performance time. Seats comparable to those originally held cannot be guaranteed. Per ticket exchange fees apply (unless you are a subscriber, Gold Friends of the MSO member or Student member).

MSO tickets refer to tickets purchased through the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra directly. Tickets purchased through Ticketek or any of our venues (including Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Recital Centre, Robert Blackwood Hall or our regional touring venues) cannot be exchanged for MSO tickets.

Exchanges will be made based on the face value of the original ticket and the current pricing of the requested performance. Any variance in pricing will be payable by the ticket holder at the time of the exchange. Refunds of price variances are not available if exchanging into lower priced tickets.

To request an exchange, contact the MSO Box Office via phone or email. Requests outside of business hours will be responded to within the next business day.

Exchange requests must be received at least three hours prior to the performance start time and must be finalised within three business days of this date. Requests made outside of business hours will be responded to on the next business day.

If a request is not finalised within this time due to delayed response from the ticket buyer, the request will be void.

Exchanges cannot be requested once a performance has commenced or occurred.

Credit requests due to illness, require a medical certificate to be provided within three business days of the request before it can be finalised. If a medical certificate is not provided within this time the request will be void and the tickets will be considered used.

Credit requests must be received at least three hours prior to the performance start time and must be finalised within three business days of this date. Requests made outside of business hours will be responded to on the next business day.

Credit requests cannot be requested once a performance has commenced or occurred.

Credit requests attract a $15 per ticket fee, which will be deducted from the original value of the tickets (unless you are a subscriber, Gold Friends of the MSO member or Student member).

Exchanges, including credit requests, are subject to a $15 per ticket administration fee, which must be paid before the exchange can be finalised. MSO Subscribers, Gold Friends of the MSO members and Student members receive fee-free exchanges all year long.

There are no fees for exchanging tickets from cancelled or rescheduled performances, or performances where programming has changed. All exchanges may be subject to ticket price differences.

Fees & Charges

Unless otherwise stated, all MSO ticket and merchandise sales are subject to a transaction fee of $7 per transaction for online orders, phone orders and orders processed over the counter at the MSO Box Office, Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall, St Kilda Road level.

The MSO reserves the right to retain any fees charged to the extent permitted by law.

Tickets purchased through third parties may incur additional fees and charges at the discretion of those parties.

Exchanges, including credit requests, are subject to a $15 per ticket administration fee, which must be paid before the exchange can be finalised. MSO Subscribers receive fee-free exchanges all year long.

There are no fees for exchanging tickets from cancelled or rescheduled performances, or performances where programming has changed. All exchanges may be subject to ticket price differences.

Memberships

These terms & conditions apply to your membership of the Friends of the MSO program and take effect subject to the MSO Privacy Policy and any other terms and conditions that you accept, or by the terms of conditions of any other MSO products and services by which you are currently bound.

In these terms and conditions, the words “MSO”, “we”, “us”, “ours” and “our” refer to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Pty Ltd and the words “you” and “your” refer to the person who has indicated that they accept MSO’s terms of use when purchasing, or subscribing for, any current MSO product or service, including this Friends of MSO programme.

By purchasing a Friends of the MSO membership, you agree to the following terms.

Standard ticketing terms and conditions and applicable fees apply on all ticketing transactions.

The Friends of the MSO membership benefits and these terms & conditions may occasionally be changed, added to or removed. You should check these terms regularly. The amended terms will be posted here and take effect for your Friends of the MSO membership on and from the date on which they are posted.

Membership benefits and offers are subject to availability and are subject to change without notice. Details of all changes will be posted here and take effect for your Friends of the MSO membership on and from the date on which they are posted.

Whilst Membership benefits include offers of discounts and other offers from partner organisations, you agree that MSO is not responsible, and has no liability for any failure by any such partner to deliver any promised benefit or for any defect in, or failure of, any such benefit.

Your membership may be cancelled, and all benefits of membership revoked, by the MSO at our discretion if we have reason to believe the member is acting contrary to these Terms and Conditions or any other applicable terms of use between MSO and you.

By joining the MSO Membership program, you consent to being included in MSO marketing activities provided that your personal information will be used by MSO in accordance with the MSO Privacy Policy.

One membership card will be available per membership purchased.

An MSO Membership must be paid in full at the time of purchase.

MSO Memberships and all associated membership fees are non-refundable.

MSO Memberships cannot be exchanged for cash or any other goods and services.

MSO reserves the right to create new membership products at any time and to offer different packages of benefits and discounts to new customers at its sole discretion. New offers and discounts are not always available to existing Members.

Membership benefits are only redeemable upon the presentation of a valid membership card or when logged into a member account online.

Membership cards and membership benefits are non-transferable.

MSO does not accept liability for lost or stolen membership cards. You are responsible for any use that any other person makes of your membership card.

One card available per membership purchased.

Subject to the capacity and performance of fulfilment and delivery suppliers (including Australia Post) we will endeavour to make sure that welcome packs are delivered within three weeks of purchase to all metro Melbourne areas. Please allow four weeks for anything outside of metro Melbourne, and additional time for welcome packs purchased as part of the subscription renewal period.

Content and items within the welcome packs are subject to availability.

An Under 35s Memberships are available to those aged 18-35 years old at the time of purchase.

If purchasing a membership online, you may be contacted to provide a valid proof of age.

If you are purchasing your membership via our Box Office, either over the phone or in person, a valid proof of age card may be requested at the discretion of the MSO attendant. The MSO attendant’s decision as to whether the proof of age card is valid or acceptable is final.

Under 35 Member $35 tickets are available in B reserve and under and can only be purchased via the MSO Box Office or website. Up to two Under 35 tickets can be purchased per order and guests do not need to meet the requirements of the membership.

Tickets must be booked by 3pm the day of the performance or by 3pm the Friday before weekend performances.

Available performances can be viewed here.

Memberships may be purchased as a gift.

If an Under 35s membership is purchased as a gift, the intended recipient must be 35 years or under at the time of purchase and proof of age must be provided upon request.

If you purchase an Under 35s Membership for someone who is older, we will, at our sole discretion, either: (a) require you to pay the additional cost for an upgrade to an alternative membership level; or (b) cancel the membership.

Student memberships entitle full-time students to access discounted tickets to eligible concerts. Eligible concerts are subject to availability and may change with little or no notice. A limit of two student tickets per student for tickets in C reserve and under applies. Up to two Student tickets can be purchased per order and guests do not need to meet the requirements of the membership. Premium - B reserve are not included in this offer. Transaction fees apply.

Tickets must be booked by 3pm the day of the performance or by 3pm the Friday before weekend performances.

Student member tickets can only be purchased via the MSO and used by current students. A valid student ID or proof of enrolment may be requested upon entry for the student member. Student members do not attract exchange fees.

Student member discounts are cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

To sign up for a student membership (here) you must be 18 years or over and be able to prove your full-time student status (either a student ID or proof of enrolment). If you are under 18 years old, you are eligible for the MSO’s Child Price.

Merchandise

Whilst we work to dispatch merchandise as soon as possible, all delivery timelines are guides only and delivery dates may be subject to change.

All orders, unless otherwise stated, are sent via standard post and tracking information may not be available. 

Merchandise will be posted to the shipping address nominated during purchase.  It is important to ensure that your shipping information is correct at the time of purchase.

Standard orders within Australia: please allow 10-14 working days from the date of the order, except where product listing indicates a different timeframe. Occasionally delivery may exceed these timelines for reasons outside of our control. Please contact our Box Office team if you need to follow up on an order. 

International orders: please allow 10-30 working days for delivery of merchandise items.

If the address provided is incorrect and the package is returned, you may be billed for the additional shipping charges in order for your delivery to reach you, as agreed by placing an order with us. We reserve the right to pass on applicable charges to you if you provide wrong address information. If we and our delivery partner have been unable to deliver your order due to your error or fault after 21 days or three attempts (whichever is sooner), we reserve the right to cancel your order. In these circumstances we will refund you the price of your order, less the delivery fees incurred by us.

Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts, items are occasionally damaged in transit. If you notice that an item is damaged when it is delivered to you, please contact our Box Office team within two days of delivery with clear digital photos showing the damage. We will advise you on the next steps. 

The type of resolution we offer will depend upon the circumstances. We may arrange to replace the product or provide you with a partial or full refund of the purchase amount.

We reserve the right to refuse a refund in cases where we deem damage to a product to be due to fair wear and tear, misuse, failure to use in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions or failure to take reasonable care.

Peace of mind returns and exchanges: If you change your mind or your order is not quite right, you may return it to us at your expense within 14 days of the date you received it using the return slip provided.

Items returned must be in ‘as-new’ condition. This means you have not used, damaged, washed or laundered any of the items. Please return items secured in their original packaging if possible. 

After we have received your item and confirmed it is in ‘as-new’ condition, we will issue you with an exchange or refund of the purchase price, less the initial delivery fees. If you have purchased an item using a free shipping offer and returned it because you have changed your mind, we will deduct the actual shipping cost to us from your refund. If we cannot be satisfied that you purchased the product from us then we will not accept your product for return. Additional delivery charges apply if you are requesting an exchange due to a change of mind.

Please note, for hygiene reasons some items are not eligible for exchange or refund except in line with consumer law.

Ticket Price Types

Concession pricing is available to purchase for most performances. Concessions must be Australian issued and valid at the time of booking. Full or partial refunds are not available if you become eligible for a concession after you have booked. Proof of concession must be provided at the time of booking. Proof of concession may be required to be provided to gain access to the venue or event if being admitted on a concession ticket. Failure or refusal to provide valid proof of concession may result in non-admittance.

Concessions are available in most reserves for means-tested Government issued concessions (including Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) White and Gold cards). Full-time students and anyone aged 18 or under are also eligible for concession rates. However, tickets to most performances are available through the MSO’s Student Membership program and Child Prices are also available.

Mob Tix are a special allocation of tickets that allows First Nations peoples both within and outside Australia access to a discounted rate to certain concerts.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from Australia are eligible, as well as Māori, Pasifika and First Nations people from other countries.

To book, simply select the Mob Tix price type. This price type is subject to availability. Booking fees and standard ticketing terms and conditions apply.

All mystery seat tickets are subject to the following conditions:

Tickets will be venue collect only
You won’t know your allocation until you collect your ticket
No reserve will be guaranteed
Seats are individual, if you book more than one you will not be sitting next to each other
Please remember this is not suitable for children who need supervision as seats are individual
Subject to availability

Some seats at film performances may be deemed to have a restricted view.

These seats may have an impeded view of the screen, by way of either the conductor, musicians, parts of the building, or other. These seats may also have an impeded view of the MSO musicians by the screen itself.

These seats may be available for purchase at a discounted price. By purchasing these seats you accept that you may have a restricted view of the screen or performance.

Student memberships entitle full-time students to access discounted tickets to eligible concerts. Eligible concerts are subject to availability and may change with little or no notice. A limit of two student tickets per student for tickets in C reserve and under applies. Premium - B reserve are not included in this offer. Transaction fees apply.

Discount Offers

Once you have purchased a valid subscription for any given season you will be considered to be a subscriber of that season. As a subscriber you will be entitled to many different discounts and rewards. Your 10% off single tickets discount can be applied on top of all external, broadly advertised discount offering to the general public. i.e if the general public offer is given 15% you will be eligible for 25%. In the case where discounts are offered to a limited group subscribers will not be eligible for these discounts or to apply their 10% on top of these discounts.

Please note that performances that are not presented or ticketed by the MSO will not qualify for our usual subscriber benefits, exchanges and refunds. For further information, please contact our Box Office on (03) 9929 9600.

When the MSO bundles a selection of concerts together outside of standard subscription offerings (known as a package or set series), the purchaser agrees to the following terms and conditions:

The minimum number of concerts stipulated in the offering must be selected and purchased to validate the offer.
The instalment plan payment method is not available to those purchasing this type of offer. If for any reason you are able to select this payment method, including by error on the part of the MSO, you will be contacted to make full payment arrangements prior to your tickets being made available.
All ticket sales are final and non-refundable.
Exchanges for these tickets are available at a cost of $15 per ticket, and must be relinquished at the MSO box office no later than 3 hours prior to the concert in order to be valid for exchange. The value of the individual ticket will be applied pro rata. For example, if you purchase a bundle which includes 3 concerts for $150 and later wish to exchange one concert for another you will receive the value of the purchased ticket pro rata, i.e. $50. This $50 credit can be put towards the face value of another concert. Please note that this applies to any exchange, including exchanges into concerts included in the original bundle.

Bonus Concerts are available for purchase alongside a set series subscription package. The offer is available to A Reserve tickets only, per number of subscription seats purchased.

The specific bonus concert available is dependent on the subscription package purchased, as outlined in the season brochure or on the MSO website.

Exchanging a bonus concert ticket will attract additional charges to cover the cost to the standard/subscriber discount ticket price.

Share the Love is available to current season subscribers. The concerts available to this scheme are determined by MSO.

Share the Love tickets cannot be exchanged into other concerts. Two tickets are available per package type held by a subscriber. Additional Share the Love tickets will be cancelled if booked by a customer.

Tickets must be redeemed by the dates specified. The offer will not be extended unless otherwise advised.

Competition Terms & Conditions

Entry is limited to all residents of Australia over the age of 18 years.

The officers, management and employees (or immediate family of an officer, manager or employee) of MSO are not eligible to enter.

The prizes are final, not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or traded. Any unused portion of the prize is not redeemable in cash or in kind.

All entries are deemed to be received at the time of receipt by the MSO, NOT the time of transmission by the entrant.

The entrant releases from and indemnifies the Promoter against all liability, cost, loss or expense arising out of the entrant’s participation in the Promotion, or breach of these terms and conditions, including (but not limited to) loss of income, personal injury and damage to property and whether direct or consequential, foreseeable, due to some negligent act or omission or otherwise.

The Promoter is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, either caused by the entrant or for any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilised in this competition, or for any technical error, or any combination thereof that may occur in the course of the administration of this competition including any omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line or telephone, mobile or satellite network failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to or alteration of entries.

No responsibility is accepted for any variation in the value of the prize. Any portion of the prize unused will be forfeited.

No responsibility is accepted for late, lost or misdirected entries.

The Promoter is the MSO.

If for any reason this competition is not capable of running as planned subject to written directions from Lottery Regulatory Bodies, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of the Promoter which corrupt or affect the administration security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this competition, the Promoter reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual, who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the competition. The Promoter assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to, or alteration of, entries. The Promoter is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry to be received by the Promoter on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this competition.