How to Host a House Concert

Bringing The Music Home: Hosting a House Concert is Easy

House concerts make up a good percentage of my concert schedule, particularly in areas of the country I don't tour frequently. Many of these folks do this as a special event when I come to town, for others it is a regular monthly occurrence.

House concerts work best for solo artists or small acoustic combos - jazz, folk, classical music in particular are well suited for creating a miniature Carnegie Hall in your living room. You get the beautiful nuances of voices and strings, up close and personal.

A group of thoroughly entertained friends and neighbors at a house concert near Denver CO. This concert came together only 2 weeks in advance, and the hosts were the talk of the neighborhood for the uniquely wonderful experience they provided. Andrew is joined by frequent tour partner Sean Kelly on upright bass.

If the idea of having an intimate performance in your home to share with 25 to 75 like-minded music fans appeals to you, then please consider becoming yet another vital link in the web that supports this spiritually rich but financially marginal vocation of mine alive! (And if you think a dozen people on a weeknight more to your style, check out our "Songs in the Parlor" concept.) House concerts are often underwritten all or in part by the host or sponsor(s) in combination with admission donations from attendees.

Presenting a house concert is pretty easy! Once we arrange a date, the rest falls into place simply. You need to figure how many people you can comfortably fit, where you can procure sufficient seating (borrowing a few folding chairs from your church is common), and get emails, flyers or postcards out to interested friends, coworkers, and/or folks at other local folk/acoustic venues.

For your comfort and security, we only post contact info (and not your address) on the online calendar and in any paper mailings, so that folks will have to contact you to make reservations, and so you can keep track of everyone who is coming to your home.

At a Glance - Keys to Success

• Get an audience interested in advance and in the seats at the show. We have some great flyers and handouts to help make that easy, or you can make and send your own invitations by postcard, Evite, email lists, etc.
• Plan ahead for details like parking, house and bathroom access, seating, refreshments, and admission donation collection
• Provide an attractive performance and listening setting; the right lighting and ambience can bring the warmth and magic of Carnegie Hall to your living room
• Make sure in addition to being a good host you can enjoy the show yourself, instead of running around like a maniac tending to details while everyone else is enjoying the show!

The night of the show, you may want to have some refreshments ready or specify Bring-your-Own if you prefer. Welcome your guests as they come in and point their way to the admission donation jar and refreshments. Consider introducing the artist and letting your audience know that it is a listening performance ("cell phones on stun, please"). Allow for socializing before and after the show and on the intermission, and perhaps encourage them to check out the CDs.

This concert was hosted in a lakeshore house in central MI, starting just as the sun set on the frozen surface.

Then at the end of the night, folks thank you for a wonderful time, ask to find out when you're doing it again(!) and say good night. A few minutes of tidying up and rearranging the furniture and voila, back to your own house!

Andrew performs "One More Year (A Farmer's Prayer)" at the Concerts in the Cabin house concert series in Evansville IN (Video by Art Woodard)

If you or someone you know might be interested in presenting a house concert, please email us or call 540/338-3233. You can check particular available tour dates we are trying to fill in most areas of the U.S.

I am very grateful to those folks who decide to present these intimate concerts within the comforts of their home. We can arrange anything from a formal concert to a "pot luck" style gathering followed by a performance.

So thanks in advance for helping out - we'll have fun! (To find house concerts to attend and support in your area, visit www.houseconcerts.com)

An example of how a little well-placed stage lighting can turn your great room into a mini-theatre. This house concert was held near Round Top, TX.