Did you know, every year...
Our printed programs weighed the same as a 9-foot grand piano.
Put side-by-side, our programs would stretch from the Butler School to Barton Springs 3 times.
The money spent on paper alone for printed programs could buy 4,000 clarinet reeds.
33% of our programs were never used and went right into the recycling bin.
Those unused programs, put side-by-side, would stretch the height of the UT Tower 50 times.
We've Gone Paperless!
The Butler School is moving to online programs for most concerts
beginning in Fall 2024.
Paperless Programs:
- Are easier to read in a dark concert hall and allow people to change the size of the text.
- Allow us to make last-minute changes with no additional printing.
- Allow us to offer more material.
- Allows those streaming the concerts at home to access the same program our in-person audience has.
- Are less wasteful and better for the environment and the bottom line.
How it works
For most events, the concert program will be available right on event page on our web calendar. There are several ways you can prepare:
- Scan the QR code displayed at the entrance to the hall when you arrive for the concert.
- Access the program before you arrive by visiting music.utexas.edu/events and navigating to the event you are attending.
- If you prefer not to use a device, you can print the program from home before coming to a concert.
- You can access The University's guest wifi once in our building
- Please silence your device and dim your screen for the performance.
Black box events, such as opera productions and some other special events will continue to provide physical programs.
FAQ
Why Is Butler School moving to Paperless Programs?
We made the decision for a number of reasons. Digital programs are better for the environment, save money that can be better spent on our educational mission, and alleviate operational pressures that have compounded in the post-pandemic world of supply constraints and labor shortages. We also think the new digital programs are a better experience for our audiences. Printed programs are difficult to read in our dark halls. Moving the program to personalized devices allows for better readability and the ability to change text size. We know it's a big adjustment, but we believe the new programs will be better for everyone.
How do I access the Paperless Program?
A performance's program will appear right on the event page for that performance on our event calendar. You can easily access the program by scanning the QR code that will be posted at the entrance to the hall. Or you can save time, by going to music.utexas.edu/events and navigating to your event before you arrive. Then just keep the page open in your mobile browser, and you'll be ready for the concert when you arrive.
I have weak cellular signal in the halls
UT has wifi available to everyone who visits campus. Students, faculty and staff can access UT wifi, and guests of The University can access UT Guest wifi.
It is too difficult to navigate digital PDFs on my phone
We agree, PDFs are not a great experience. Our digital programs are not PDFs. They are fully native, interactive web pages that will automatically resize to fill the entire screen on your device, without having to do any swiping around the page to read. And we've replaced clunky PDF page thumbnails with accordion views that easily open and close with a single click.
I would really prefer a printed program
The school will not be able to provide printed versions of most programs, but if you'd prefer to stick with paper, you can print the program from our website, and bring it with you to the concert.
Are all events moving to paperless?
Most events are moving to digital programs, however opera productions and some occasional special events will still have printed programs.
What About Opera Productions?
Digital programs would be too distracting in a dark black-box theater, and we don't want programs to distract from our opera productions. Opera will continue to provide physical programs for each of its productions that take place in McCullough Theatre.