This is not going to be a good day to be an exec at Carnegie Hall. We can feel it in our bones. Why? Well, they have a policy that has pissed off a Park Slope mom by charging for a seat for a baby and, now, said mom is trying to rally the troops to get get them to change the policy. The mother says she was “forced to purchase tickets” for a baby sleeping on her chest in a carrier and she calls the policy “greedy and truly absurd.” The story, of course, comes from an email circulated by our dear friends at Park Slope Parents, where so many items of interest to the community-at-large originate. Here’s is the tale of ticket sorrow (and knowing the price of tickets at Carnegie Hall and other venues, this is not a minor cost):

Recently I brought my older daughter to one of the Carnegie Hall Family Concerts, bringing the new baby with us (sleeping on my chest in her carrier). I’ve brought my older daughter to many of these kids concerts over the past few years and always noticed, casually, that other moms brought babies there–I never assumed they’d been forced to purchase tickets for them, however. We’d 2 ordered tickets months in advance but–much to my surprise–they wouldn’t let us in with just the two tickets–they insisted I buy a separate full-price ticket for the baby (which–after a ten minute wait in line–I did, not having any other option and not wanting to upset my already teary-eyed older daughter further.)

To me this policy seems greedy and truly absurd–I think that maybe there were perhaps ten other infants in the audience so the financial gain for this policy couldn’t have been very significant. An infant cannot occupy a seat so making parents buy a ticket for the baby leaves empty seats which seems wasteful. Every other kids venue in the city I know of allows babies under 1 year in free–and some (like the circus, zoo, etc) let little ones up to 2 or even 3 in for free. At very least I’d expect Carnegie Hall–an institution with deep pockets–to have the same policy as the other kids venues in the city and allow babies in free for at least the first year. What was more upsetting is that this policy is not written anywhere I could find–not on the website, not in the family program’s brochures or flyers or “playbills”–not on the ticket–nowhere. If you order by phone they don’t tell you about the policy (they tell you about the returns and cancellations policy but this one is never mentioned).

We had also pre-purchased tickets for a different family concert in the Spring and when I bought the obligatory infant ticket for the concert I was attending, the ticket seller also advised me to buy the baby a ticket for the Spring concert as well–because if the concert were sold out we couldn’t
enter with just our two tickets–we’d need one for the baby again, of course. (Even though the baby would be on my lap, etc.)

The point of the family concerts and keeping ticket prices reasonable is so the entire family can attend–therefore the concerts aren’t limited to those who have a family member or paid babysitter to watch the kids out-of-age-range. Whereas age-specific concerts are one thing (and understandably babies wouldn’t be admitted), if you’re going to allow all ages–thereby opening up musical exposure to a wider audience–I think you should have a more reasonable policy towards babies–who may or may not absorb much from the experience at such as young age.

I wrote both the Carnegie Hall Box office and their public relations department saying that I felt it would be doing the right thing–in good will–to allow infants-in-arms / under-one-year babies in free. In my letter I mentioned that it was unjust to expect parents to buy their infants a ticket when the rule was not noted or publicized anywhere on their website or in their promotional materials, etc. I received no response–it’s been two weeks–so am doubtful they will respond at all.

For the heck of it I also sent a description of the situation to Fox 5’s Shame On You because it really seems pretty shameful to charge for infants. I’m betting this isn’t “news enough” for them to do anything about it, though.

Am posting here because…

A) am wondering if among the many musically-connected families reading this posting someone out there might know someone at Carnegie Hall. as a personal connection is often the best way to get “heard” so to speak.

B) perhaps there can be a small, grassroots effort here…Because my gut feeling was that other parents reading this might agree that charging for infants is absurd and seems quite greedy (looks bad press-wise), my thought was that some parents might be willing to do–as I’ve done–and write Carnegie Hall (email via their website, etc) to voice their objections to this ridiculous, unfair, and unpublicized policy. Hopefully, if enough parents write quick notes to Carnegie Hall they might reconsider this dumb policy. Thanks anyone out there who may want to help see this rule changed…

We’re going to go out on a limb here and bet this story is, uh, “picked up” elsewhere and that someone at Carnegie Hall has an epiphany. In fact, here’s a response which suggests where such enlightenment might arise:

I happen to work at a “competing” large performing arts center and can tell you that the general rule of thumb is that babies under 1 are free because they can go on laps.� In this climate and since family concerts are an audience most arts organizations want to woo, it seems short-sighted.� The decision is driven by the marketing department, not the PR department and I happen to know there is no marketing director currently there.�You could also try to contact David Wyeth who is one of the marketing managers.� �If you don’t get a response soon, you should copy your letter to Clive Gillison who is the executive director.� When you go to the top, you usually get an answer.� I’ve been on the receiving end of many similar customer letters and if you send them to customer service it generally sits long enough.� Also the fact that the policy wasn’t clear is an important thing for them to know.
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If you don’t get a satisfactory answer, I would suggest looking into other family concerts and events at other arts organizations.� Jazz at Lincoln Center, the New Victory Theater and the New York Philharmonic, just to name a few have excellent programs.� Plus BAM right in our own back yard is starting to do some interesting family programming.

All we can say is cold-hearted, greedy bureaucrats of Carnegie Hall: Admit the little ones of Park Slope in for free. Or else the consequences will be public shaming, online petitions and, perhaps, a boycott by some moneyed mommies and daddies. Capisce?
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