London’s Wigmore Hall Launches £1 Ticket Scheme for Families

To make music education more accessible for families with children, the scheme has been applied to the Hall’s family concert series

In response to financial barriers, Wigmore Hall has introduced a subsidized ticket scheme — supporting families to purchase £1 tickets to its family events. It is designed for families who have been referred to Wigmore Hall through partner organizations, schools, or families on low incomes and/or in receipt of means-tested benefits, which include Universal Credit, Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Disability Support Allowance for Children (DSA). 

The scheme applies to concert series including For Crying Out Loud! for babies aged one and under; Chamber Tots music-making workshops for those aged one to five; plus Family Workshops and Family Concerts for children aged 5-11 and their parents or guardians.

To be eligible for the scheme, a referral from a partner organization must be provided, plus proof of a means-tested benefit, a similar program, or details of another circumstance for consideration.

Once a member of the £1 ticket program, tickets are available for purchase online, via phone, or in-person at the box office. In meeting the UK Family Arts Standards, Wigmore Hall caters to families in its inclusion of cloakrooms, baby changing facilities, and pram spaces for ease of access.

To apply to the scheme, this form may be completed and emailed to [email protected] with all relevant documents. For further information, click here.

“While Wigmore Hall's belief in the intrinsic value of music is unwavering and we continue to do what we do best — bringing the best of classical music performed by the finest musicians to the widest possible audience — we will be re-doubling our effort to introduce classical music to young people from the earliest possible age,” said Wigmore Hall’s artistic and executive director, John Gilhooly.

“We hope our new £1 ticket scheme for struggling families will be a signal to parents and teachers that it is never too early to start and that children's musical education needn’t be a victim of the cost of living crisis.”

The scheme was launched alongside Wigmore Hall’s 2023/24 season announcement which will also include a new series of low-stimulus concerts for neurodivergent audiences or those more comfortable in restful environments and in natural sunlight or low-lit areas.

Wigmore Hall’s upcoming season is set to be the largest set of classical music concerts in the UK — featuring over 500 concerts and 2,500 artists from around the world.