The Chicago Tribune loves us for our "spectacular acoustics and sight lines." - No seat is farther than 45 feet from the stage, even in the balcony. Considered by many as one of Chicago’s best listening rooms.
Szold Hall is a flexible space where audiences can get up close and personal with their favorite dancers and troubadours. Szold Hall's capacity is 150 and all concerts are general admission seating.
We highly encourage and recommend taking public transportation to Old Town School (we are just a few short blocks away from the CTA Western Avenue Brown Line stop and a quick walk from the #49 Western Avenue bus route’s Wilson stop). If you are driving, there is an Old Town School lot and a City of Chicago lot on the east side of Lincoln Ave. right next to our campus, as well as street parking (mostly metered) in the neighborhood. If you are biking, there are bike racks in front of both our buildings.
All of your transportation and parking questions are answered here
There is a discount available for Old Town School Members. In addition to special member pricing, members have access to purchase tickets before they are on sale to the general public. Ensure you get your favorite seats and score a discount by becoming a member today.
Our box office, will call, front desk, and class registration are all conveniently located in the front lobbies of both the 4544 and 4545 N. Lincoln Avenue buildings.
Yes. However, you cannot utilize your gift certificate for online ticket purchases. To redeem your gift certificate for concerts, either stop by our front desk or call 773-728-6000. To purchase gift certificates visit oldtownschool.org/gift
On evenings with events, the box office is open an hour before showtime. Box office will remain open until the intermission of the concert.
The box office is open for in-person purchases during posted business hours, generally 10:00 AM - 8:30 PM (Monday - Thursday) and 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Friday - Sunday). Please call 773-728-6000 or live chat with customer service to check hours for the day of your visit.
We serve a variety of beer, wine, mixed drinks, pop, coffee, light snacks, and sweets. You may bring drinks bought at our café into the concert hall, but please do not place them on the railing if you are sitting in the balcony. You may not bring in your own food or beverages from outside the Old Town School.
There is a wide variety of excellent places to eat within walking distance of Old Town School sure to match every taste and budget.
Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce list of neighborhood restaurants
Our buildings and venues are accessible. We have a ramp at the back door of our 4544 N. Lincoln Avenue building located at 4527 N. Oakley Avenue. The front door of our building at 4545 N. Lincoln Avenue is accessible, and there is an elevator to get you to the concert hall on the second floor. If you would like accessible seating for a concert, please call us for tickets and mention your seating needs. We'll be happy to help you. If you require an Assistive Listening Device for a concert you are attending, please send a note to accessibility@oldtownschool.org.
Give us a call or live chat on our website, and we will do our best to assist!
Generally, the store is not open on weekend concert evenings but check the hours at musicstore.oldtownschool.org to be sure.
Yes. Old Town School shows usually start right on the money, so if you want to see that opening act, be sure to arrive on time!
For most of our shows in Maurer Hall, the seating is assigned, although occasionally there are general admission events. All shows in Szold Hall are general admission.
Maximum capacity of Maurer Hall is 430. Maximum capacity of Szold Hall is 170.
Most concerts are seated unless otherwise noted. Our seats are comfortable with upholstery and back support.
It depends on the show! Feel free to call or live chat our customer service team if you’d like to ask about a specific concert.
Yes! The majority of our shows are all-ages unless otherwise noted. If your child is over 6 months we request that they have their own ticket.
It depends, but oftentimes yes! If the artist brings merchandise to sell, it will be available for purchase.
Photos and videos are prohibited in our hall. If you are a photographer or looking to cover a specific show, please reach out to marketing@oldtownschool.org.
Tickets are required for all attendees except where noted. Tickets are required for children ages 6 months and older.
No refunds, no exchanges. Event date and time subject to change. Unauthorized or unlawful resale or attempted resale is grounds for seizure and cancellation without compensation. We are not responsible for tickets purchased from unauthorized sources. Tickets purchased from such sources may be lost, stolen or counterfeit, and, if so, are void. It is unlawful to reproduce this ticket in any form.
Holder agrees by use of this ticket, not to transmit or aid in transmitting any description, account, picture, or reproduction of the performance, exhibition, or event to which this ticket is issued.
Holder grants permission to the Old Town School of Folk Music and its designees to utilize holder’s image or likeness in connection with any live or recorded transmission or reproduction of such event.
The Old Town School of Folk Music reserves the right, without the refund of any portion of the ticket purchase price, to refuse admission to or eject any person whose conduct is deemed by management to be disorderly, who uses vulgar or abusive language, or who fails to comply with these or other management rules.
To ensure our concerts are enjoyable experiences for everyone, we'd like to remind you of a few do's and don'ts.
Please turn cell phones off. Please do not talk or make excessive noise during the performance. Please try to keep your little ones quiet; if necessary, please feel free to bring them out into the lobby for a break.
We do not allow cameras or recording devices in the concert halls. Our venues are smoke-free facilities. We do sell beer, wine, and soft drinks at our café. You're welcome to bring those beverages into the halls, but please don't set them on the railing upstairs and take your empties out with you. Thank you!
We are always here to help! Our customer service staff will do everything they can to make sure your experience at Old Town School is a great one.
Each concert has a specific policy and procedure related to cancellations, reschedules, and refunds. Please refer to the email you receive when a show is canceled, postponed, or rescheduled for deadlines and additional specifics.
If you have purchased tickets to a concert that has been rescheduled, your tickets will automatically be transferred to the new date. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled date and would like a refund issued to your credit card, please email us at customerservice@oldtownschool.org. For security purposes, we do not store your credit card information. Refunds, when available, are offered for a limited period of time. Refund deadlines will be included with your reschedule email.
If you have purchased tickets to a concert that has been canceled, your ticket purchase will be refunded automatically as a credit on your Old Town School account to be used for any future purchases at Old Town School. If you would like your refund issued to your credit card, please email us at customerservice@oldtownschool.org. Please note that each show has a unique refund date, deadline, and policy. Please refer to the email you receive about a cancellation.
If you would like to request that we book an artist, please email your suggestion to bookings@oldtownschool.org
If you are an artist interested in submitting materials for consideration, please email a URL to your home page to bookings@oldtownschool.org. We are no longer accepting unsolicited CDs and promotional packages. E-mail is checked daily, and we will contact you within a month or so if we have an opening that makes sense. If you wish to follow-up, e-mail is preferred (no phone calls please).
All concert related media inquiries should be directed to:
Nick Macri, Concert Marketing Manager
nmacri@oldtownschool.org
(email is preferred)
For General inquiries please visit our Press Room or Contact Us.
