Terms and Conditions

Access to and use of this website is provided by Philharmonia Limited (“Philharmonia”) subject to the following terms and conditions:

1. The Philharmonia’s Website Terms and Conditions as detailed below apply to all Philharmonia websites produced by Philharmonia Limited.

2. Use of this site constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions which takes effect on the date on which you first use the site. Philharmonia reserves the right to add to or change these terms and conditions at any time by posting changes on-line and it is your responsibility to refer to and comply with these terms on accessing the site. Your continued use of this site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions as modified. Use of this site also constitutes your acceptance of Philharmonia´s privacy policy which you should read before you use this site.

3. You acknowledge that all intellectual property rights, including copyright and database rights, in the Philharmonia website and its contents belong to or have been licensed to Philharmonia or are otherwise used by Philharmonia as permitted by applicable law.

4. In accessing the Philharmonia website you agree to access the contents solely for your own personal, non-commercial use. You are not permitted to copy, download, store in any medium (including any other website), distribute, transmit, broadcast, show in public, adapt or change in any way any part of the Philharmonia website for any other purpose without the prior written permission of Philharmonia or in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or other applicable law.

5. Links to the Philharmonia site are welcome but the Philharmonia disclaims all liability for any legal or other consequences (including for infringement of third party rights) of links made to the Philharmonia’s website.

6. Philharmonia provides the material published on its website on the basis that it makes no express or implied warranties in respect of the material. Philharmonia and the original providers of the material exclude to the fullest extent permitted by law all liability for any damages or losses and for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss of business, anticipated savings, revenues or profits or goodwill or reputation or special damages or loss arising from the publication of the material on the Philharmonia website.

7. Philharmonia is not responsible for the content of any material you encounter after leaving our site via a link in it or otherwise, and Philharmonia excludes to the fullest extent permitted by law all liability that may arise in respect of such material.

8. Philharmonia endeavours to ensure that all information and material on the website is correct and accurate but does not accept any liability for errors or omissions, neither does Philharmonia warrant that use of this site will be uninterrupted.

9. This site may be used only for lawful purposes and in a manner which does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of the site by, any third party. Philharmonia has the right to edit, refuse to post or remove any material submitted to or posted on the site. Philharmonia is not responsible for, neither does Philharmonia accept any liability for, any material posted on the site other than by Philharmonia. Any opinions, advice, statements, offers or other information expressed or made available by third parties on the Philharmonia site are those of the third party concerned. Philharmonia neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any such third-party material.

10. These terms and conditions are governed by and will be interpreted in accordance with English law and any disputes relating to these terms and conditions will be exclusively subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. The various provisions of these terms and conditions are severable and if any provision is held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction then such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the remaining provisions.

If these terms and conditions are not accepted in full, use of this website must be terminated immediately.

Trademarks:

The Philharmonia logo is a trademark of Philharmonia Limited registered in the UK and other countries. This mark may not be copied or used without permission.

Philharmonia Friend and Patron Membership Terms and Conditions

March 2025 version

When you purchase and/or renew a Friend or Patron membership you are entering into a contract with us, the Philharmonia Orchestra, under the following terms and conditions. These terms and conditions shall apply to all Memberships purchased, activated and/or renewed on or after 31 March 2025. 

For Memberships purchased or renewed before 31 March 2025, please refer to the terms and conditions set out here.

1. Definitions

‘Membership’ means any of the Philharmonia’s Membership packages which include Overture Friend, Concerto Friend, Symphony Friend, Concert Master’s Circle and Conductor’s Circle. 

‘Membership Period’ means the date from which you sign up to a Membership to the date on which your Membership expires or is terminated in accordance with these Terms, as set out in the Philharmonia Membership confirmation email. 

‘Philharmonia’ means Philharmonia Orchestra whose registered and principal trading address is 6 Chancel Street, London, SE1 0UX. Registered in England company number 00799297. Registered charity number 250277. VAT registration number GB 233202908. 

‘Terms’ means The Philharmonia Membership Terms and Conditions set out in this document.

2. Philharmonia Membership

If you are buying a Membership of the Philharmonia for your own use, as a gift for someone else or if you are making use of a Membership after it was bought for you, then you agree and accept that these terms and conditions apply to your purchase or use. If you do not agree and do not accept these terms and conditions you must not buy or make use of a Membership. 

References to ‘Membership’ refer to the annual subscription-based membership of the Philharmonia Friends and Patrons scheme. 

References to ‘you’ and ‘your’ in these terms and conditions refer to any person buying Membership for their own use or as a gift for someone else, or to any person making use of Membership that was bought for them.

3. Membership Benefits

The benefits included in your Membership will vary depending on the level of membership purchased. Membership benefits are set out at www.philharmonia.co.uk/website. We reserve the right to change the benefits included in your Membership. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you in advance of any changes. We may make minor changes to reflect any changes in relevant laws or to implement adjustments that will have no significant effect on your Membership benefits. 

The Philharmonia reserves the right to change Membership fee amounts although any such change to fees will not come into effect until the expiry of your current subscription term. 

Membership does not guarantee access to tickets and ticket limits may apply. Priority booking applies to events selected by the Philharmonia in its sole discretion. 

As a Friend or Patron, you will receive emails from the Philharmonia about upcoming concerts, events, and supporting the theatre. You may also receive season planners, brochures and selected communications by post. You can view details of our privacy policy online and change your contact preferences any time by contacting the box office or logging in via our website. 

Any benefits included in your Membership package that are provided by third parties will be subject to such third party terms and conditions. We are not responsible for, and do not accept any liability for, loss or damage suffered as a result of a fault, error or omission in the provision of such third party services.

4. Right to Reject Membership

We reserve the right to refuse any application for Membership. On receipt of your application we will, subject to your payment instructions, debit your card, bank your cheque or process the Direct Debit payment for the appropriate fee. However, our acceptance of your application for a Membership remains subject to approval by us. If for any reason we cannot accept your application, we will confirm that your account has been re-credited or refunded (if applicable). 

If we are unable to obtain payment authorisation from the issuer of your card or from your bank in the case of Direct Debit payments and a Membership has already been activated, we will be in contact to arrange alternative payment, to be made within 10 working days of our informing the purchaser. 

If we are unable to arrange alternative payment, we will require that you forfeit any benefits already received. 

5. Duration and Activation of Individual Membership

Membership duration is for one year from the month of purchase to the last day of the same month in the following year. For example, a membership purchased on 3 November 2025 will be valid until 30 November 2026, unless otherwise agreed at point of sale. 

The price of Membership will be quoted on our website and may be subject to change. 

Memberships purchased online, over the phone or via the Philharmonia Box Office are active with immediate effect. Memberships purchased by Direct Debit are active within one working day of the date the membership was purchased.  

You can upgrade your membership at any time during your membership period by contacting the Friends office. 

Membership correspondence will be communicated to you by email or, if you do not supply us with an email address, second-class post. Once processed, we will assume that you have received your confirmation email or letter. Please contact the Friends Office if you have not received it within 14 days of your Membership becoming active. 

6. Membership use

Memberships are for personal use only and are not intended for businesses or transferable to another person. In the event of Membership misuse, we reserve the right to terminate your Membership and you will not be entitled to any refund of fees upon termination. 

7. Gift Memberships

Membership can be purchased as a gift. Please contact the Philharmonia Team if you would like more information. Gift Aid provisions will not apply to gift memberships. 

8. Gift Aid and VAT

Membership fees are split between a benefit portion and a donation. These are as follows: 

  • Overture Friend:
    • £80 of which the full amount is the benefit portion  
  • Concerto Friend:
    • £250 of which £80 is the benefit portion and £170 is a voluntary donation 
  • Symphony Friend:
    • £600 of which £135 is the benefit portion and £465 is a voluntary donation 
  • Concert Master’s Circle:
    • £1,800 of which £340 is the benefit portion and £1460 is a voluntary donation
  • Conductor’s Circle:
    • £5,000 of which £350 is the benefit portion and £4650 is a voluntary donation 

The donation portion is a suggested amount to which Gift Aid provisions apply, but you may purchase the benefits separately if you prefer to not make a philanthropic donation. Alternatively, you may also choose to give the entire amount of your membership as a pure donation and with no complementary benefits expected in return, in which case the Philharmonia Orchestra would be able to claim Gift Aid on the entire amount, subject to the completion of a Gift Aid declaration. 

Please note if you would like to make your donation via CAF or via a charitable foundation and take up benefits, payment must be made separately by personal debit card, credit card, bank transfer or cheque for the benefit portion of your Membership. 

The benefit portion of the fee represents the cost of the benefit and is inclusive of VAT. There is no VAT on the donation portion. 

9. Price Information

We reserve the right to amend the price of Membership subscriptions. For Membership renewals, we will give you a minimum of 10 days’ notice in the event of any price changes. 

10. Renewals of Membership

We will contact you in the month before your Membership is due for renewal, detailing the expiry date of your current Membership and any further actions you may need to take to renew your Membership. 

11. Direct Debit Payments

Direct Debits are taken on the 20th of the month or nearest working day after. 

Direct Debit payment can be taken on a monthly or annual basis. 

If you cancel your Direct Debit before paying your annual membership fee in full and after you have enjoyed membership benefits, you must nevertheless pay for the benefits you have received to terminate your Membership with us. Philharmonia will return and refund any tickets purchased that had benefits associated with the Membership applied to them. This includes those purchased within the Membership’s priority booking period, and membership-related discounts. 

If there is any difficulty with collecting the Direct Debit payment the Philharmonia will be in touch to re-attempt payment collection. 

If there are two failed attempts at collection, the Philharmonia shall be entitled to cancel the Membership as well as any bookings or use of benefits made under the Membership in accordance with the Philharmonia general terms and conditions for tickets. 

If your Direct Debit payment is cancelled, we will contact you to arrange alternative payment. 

You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please notify us of any cancellation using the contact methods set out below. 

12. Conditions of Refunds of Membership

If you change your mind about becoming a Friend or Patron, you may request a refund if you notify the Friends Office in writing within 14 days of the date of purchase. Please note that any refund will be subject to deduction of the value of any benefits used within this period (e.g. discounts). 

If you have accessed any of the benefits associated with the Membership prior to cancellation or termination of your Membership, a refund of the fees paid will not be guaranteed. 

13. Cancellation of events

  • Holders of a Concerto Friend Membership and higher will have access to a programme of events organised by us. Attending some events may require a payment by you in addition to the annual Membership fee.
  • Ticketed events, included Open Rehearsals have a limited capacity (which will vary according to format) and therefore admission numbers may be limited and cannot be guaranteed.
  • We reserve the right to cancel or rearrange an organised event. In the event of cancellation or rescheduling of an event, the terms and conditions applicable to the purchase of tickets for such event will apply.
  • We do not accept liability for any irrecoverable costs incurred (e.g. travel) by you if we have to close or cancel an event due to unforeseen circumstances.

14. Data Protection

We will use your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Supporter Promise, which is available on our website at https://philharmonia.co.uk/privacy-policy-cookies/ and https://philharmonia.co.uk/all-policies/supporter-promise/. 

15. Philharmonia’s Right to Terminate for Breach

We shall have the right to terminate your Membership immediately and without repayment of your Membership subscription if you commit a material breach of these Membership terms and conditions that cannot be resolved (or, if you commit a material breach that is capable of resolution, you do not resolve it to our reasonable satisfaction within 14 days of us informing you about it). 

16. Queries and Complaints

If you have any queries or complaints please contact the Friends Office: 

Email: friends@philharmonia.co.uk 

Phone: (+44) 020 7921 3906 

Write to: Philharmonia Ltd, 6 Chancel Street, London SE1 0UX 

17. Amendments

We reserve the right to amend the terms and conditions of the Membership at any time. We will give members 14 days’ notice of any changes to these terms and conditions. 

18. General

Our acceptance of your application, purchase or your utilisation of the Membership benefits will bring into force a legally binding contract between us and you, and these Membership terms and conditions will form the basis of that contract through which we will deliver a service to you as a Friend or Patron. 

You agree that these Membership terms and conditions shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any dispute or matter arising in connection with them or the matters contemplated within them. 

These Membership terms and conditions and our Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us and supersede any previous agreement relating to the Membership. 

You agree that in becoming a Friend or Patron you do not rely on, and shall have no remedy in respect of, any statement, representation or understanding other than as expressly set out in these Membership terms and conditions.