I am going to Vienna this month. The main reason I am going is to attend the Dallas Symphony concert at the Musikverein on May 26th. My whole trip is booked, non-refundable, the works, NOW they tell me that the concert is sold out!!! I have called everyone I could think of to try and get tickets, but so far have not been successful. Does anyone have any ideas? Know any scalpers in Vienna? PLEASE HELP!

Don't panic!!!
Just like any big city, there are ticket agencies. Hit the street as soon as you get there.
Also, if you're staying in a hotel with a concierge, offer a reward, if s/he could find you tickets. Usually works for me.
Last chance would be to show up couple of hours before the performance, and just like anywhere else, you will find people selling tickets. (With this option you may be taking a chance, but being that this is not a rock concert, I doubt that somebody would try to sell fake tickets)
Again, don't panic, if you really want this bad enough, you will find that you will get it.
Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

Dear AAFrequentFlyer:
Thanks for your reassuring advice. I wish I could be as confident as you are about this. But I am taking your advice to heart and will not despair!

Don't despair. I suspect this concert is not sold out. For this and some other events tickets cannot be obtained through the Musikverein but through a sponsoring organization called Jeunesse (primarily for young people but tickets are available to everyone at a higher price). Their web site is jeunesse.at. It is a bit cumbersome but here is what to do.
Click on to the English version (upper right hand corner), then under schedule, then indicate Wien under both Federal province and location, and the date of your event. You will see that it says that tickets to that concert (and some others around that date) are not yet available for booking on line. If the concert were sold out it would say so (as is the case with some earlier events). So you can wait a day or two or three for booking on line. But it might be simpler to e-mail them ([email protected]) with your request. I have ordered tickets this way with a credit card, tickets to be picked up at the box office, and had very satisfactory results. Good luck with this; the concert program looks great!

You probably have discovered this already, but I clicked on to the jeunesse web site just now and the concert is listed as sold out. I'm so sorry for raising false hopes and trust that you can get a ticket though one of the other sources already mentioned.

Try the American Express office in Vienna...many "sold-out" events just mean that ticket brokers have purchased all the tickets!

Anne

Here's what I do when things are suppposedly "sold out." I call or e-mail the concierge of the hotewl where I am staying (assuming yours has one) and I refer to my upcoming reservation and then ask them to book tickets for me...all they can say is "no." They will have a MUCH GREATER interest in satisfying your needs than the American Express office. Let them charge it to your credit card.