Monterey Symphony tickets are selling like 'crazy' this season.

It’s a great year for Monterey Symphony and its 2024/25 season during which five concerts—so far—have sold out.

“When it comes to audience engagement and excitement, this season is crazy,” says Nicola Reilly, the symphony's executive director, who's been with the symphony for 10 years now. She has overseen nine seasons so far and this is the 79th edition of wonderful programming.

The opening weekend in October, Love Letter to Hollywood, Vol. 2, completely sold out, as well as the event that just passed, Brahms Symphony No. 1. As for the Women's Night Out event on March 15, only five tickets are left (as of today, Feb. 25).

It’s not that things were bad last year, according to Reilly, but this year is special and the goal is to keep it consistent over future seasons.

“We have a lot of new people coming,” she says. “And many are coming back after the Covid era. It’s a wonderful energy and it's amazing to see.”

The April and May concerts are also selling well. There is an upcoming Beethoven Violin Concerto coming (March 15 and 16) with Simone Porter playing violin. On April 26 and 27, Haydn Cello Concerto will take place with MSO’s own Adelle-Akiko Kearns on cello, and on May 17 and 18 the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto will be played—Joyce Yang on piano and Reilly herself on violin. The music director and conductor for the concert is Jayce Ogren. 

Naturally, part of this year’s success is due in part to the money spent on marketing, but Reilly says that the main source of newcomers is word of mouth. “People learn that it’s a great date night or a relaxing afternoon when you can escape your everyday worries,” she says. 

Monterey Symphony is thriving in our small community, showing great interest in classical music among the Monterey County’s residents. Another secret recipe: “We treat people well,” Reilly says.