More about your concert
Your evening with us doesn't have to start in the concert hall. Discover our introductory events around your concert visit - live or online.
To find out which concerts will feature accompanying events, please see the concert calendar.
Short introductions
Do you want to go to the concert well prepared? The short introduction will give you a brief and compact overview of the most important facts about the works being performed. This way you will still have the most important facts in your head when the music begins.
The short introduction starts 30 minutes before the concert and lasts fifteen minutes. It takes place in the concert foyer.
We offer a short introduction at the following concerts:
Gala concert Freundeskreis
Freundeskreis Concert
Introduction - fully prepared for the concert
Are you interested in music history and would like to find out more about the works we perform and their backgrounds? Then visit our introductions. Experienced musicologists provide a vivid, in-depth and multimedia introduction to the works and their historical context. Together we also discover new and surprising things - in both familiar and less familiar repertoire.
The introduction begins 45 minutes before the concert and lasts between 20 and 30 minutes. It takes place in the Kleine Tonhalle.
We offer an introduction at the following concerts:
Surprise - pre-concert with musicians from the ZHdK
Five times each season, Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) students provide a musical introduction to the concert.
These half-hour chamber music «pre-programmes» refer to the works performed at the concert itself.
The Suprise starts at 6.30 p.m at the Kleine Tonhalle. It will take place at the following concerts:
Prélude - Approaches to the contemporary
In the prelude, you will learn more about the evening programme, the rehearsal phase or the artists themselves in an entertaining conversation with composers or performers. Students from the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) will play matching chamber music.
The prelude begins at 6.30 pm in the Kleine Tonhalle and lasts one hour. It takes place at the following concerts:
Conclusion - encounters after the concert
Our artistic director Ilona Schmiel welcomes conductors, composers and other guests for a discussion after the concert. Join us, treat yourself to a drink and experience our artists immediately after the concert.
The after-concert drinks reception begins directly after each concert in the concert foyer and lasts approx. 30 minutes. After the following concerts there will be an after-concert talk:
Guided tours – a look behind the scenes
At our orchestra concerts you can regularly discover the history and architecture of the Tonhalle Zurich with your ticket.
Information on registration and other public and individual tours can be found here.
Intro – the Podcast
What moves artists shortly before a premiere? What personal connection do they have to the masterpieces of orchestral music? What are the goosebump moments in film music? In the podcast "Intro" with host and dramaturge Ulrike Thiele, musicians tell their stories.
On Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many other podcast platforms – and of course here on our website.
Live podcast - on the subject of Beethoven
Join us live when host and dramaturge Ulrike Thiele discusses Beethoven 2027 with guests from the world of music and academia.
The live podcast will take place on the following dates at 6.30 pm in the Kleine Tonhalle:
Programme booklets
You can find our digital programmes as PDF files at least one week before the concert on the relevant concert page or on this page.
For all orchestra concerts, printed programmes will be available on the evening of the concert, which you can purchase for CHF 5 at the box office or at the CD stand.
Our season ticket holders can still order a printed programme to be sent to their home. You can find all the relevant information here.
