FAQ
Q: I love what you’re doing and want to help! How can I volunteer with Kaleidoscope?
A: We are always happy to hear from new people who would like to volunteer with us! Whether you’re still in school and looking for an internship, want to consider joining our board, or anything else, we’d love to hear from you. Volunteers are greatly appreciated at all levels and please email us for more info: contact@kco.la
Q: Why does Kaleidoscope perform without a conductor?
A: For the musicians, it’s a very special collaborative process where everyone can work in a democratic way with equal artistic involvement, rather than just having one person in charge. It’s often more challenging and requires more commitment from musicians, but our audiences often say they feel a unique connection to musicians and the music we perform, which we think is a natural extension of our process!
Q: How often do you rehearse and what is your rehearsal process like?
A: It depends on the music, but we generally rehearse each piece 6 or more times in the week leading up to performances, with musicians committing to 20+ hours of their time per program. We also offer many open-rehearsals to the public each season.
Q: All of your concerts are free. Why don’t you sell tickets like most orchestras?
A: We want our concerts to be open to everyone who wants to attend. We feel a responsibility to help develop future audiences and engage with people of all income levels. Some people wonder why many classical music audiences aren’t larger and more diverse, and we think the ticket price can be one of the biggest barriers.
Q: How do I know how much to donate?
A: Please give whatever you can! We have several different membership and sponsorship levels, depending on the impact you wish to make. For instance, a donation of $1,000 will sponsor the payment to a musician for one program.
Q: What does my donation support?
A: Some of our largest expenses are compensating musicians, venue rentals, instrument rentals, insurance, administrative costs. All money raised goes towards providing music at the highest level and serving the community, which includes premiering many new works and offering many free concerts at schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and other underserved parts of the community. Because Kaleidoscope is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, every dollar you donate is tax-deductible for you, and tax free for us!
Q: Can I take photos/videos on my smart phone during the concert?
A: We strongly recommend taking this time to unplug completely, and enjoy the concert experience without phones and other electronic devices. However, if you’re sitting in the back and can take photos/videos without making noise or distracting other audience members, that’s fine. If you do so, please consider tagging Kaleidoscope and friends at the concert, and share them on Facebook (@kaleidoscope.chamber.orchestra), Instagram (@kco_music), Twitter (@kco_music), and elsewhere. Please refrain from flash photography and remember to silence your phones, especially while we’re recording a concert!
Q: When is it OK to clap during a concert?
A: Some longer pieces have short pauses between the sections (movements), and traditionally people wait until the very end of the piece to clap. If you accidentally clap between movements, please don’t feel embarrassed or let that keep you from coming back. When someone claps at a ‘less traditional’ time, it let’s us know there’s someone new to classical music or who is hearing the piece for the very first time, which is a wonderful thing!
Q: Why do you perform so much new music?
A: We feel it’s vitally important to perform the great music of living composers, which is the most reflective of our time. If people didn’t play Mozart when his music was written, we might not be performing it today.
Q: What should I wear to a concert?
A: Something comfortable! Some people like to dress up for concerts but it's definitely not required.
Q: Do my children have to be a certain age to attend?
A: We love seeing families and children in the audience but we ask that you please make sure children are at a maturity level to be able to sit quietly without talking or disrupting others during the performance (usually ages 5 and up). We try to keep our concerts about an hour and if staying until the end is too long, we're happy to have you as long as you are comfortable. If you have a younger child that might not be mature enough to attend a concert, please get in touch with us to attend a rehearsal.