House Concerts
1. How does it work?
We agree on a date and time for the house concert.
You contact all your music loving family, friends and neighbours so that we have at least 20 or more people on the night of the concert.
I come to your house about 1-2 hours before the show to set up. All you need to do is set up the space with a stage area and chairs (your living room, kitchen, hall, etc- whichever is big enough for the audience). If you don't have enough chairs, borrow some from your neighbours or local church. Or even put out cushions for people to sit on. It will be cosy- but that's the nice thing about a house concert :-)!
2. Does it cost anything?
Yes and no. The concept of house concerts is that they work with donations from the audience. Some hosts set up a table by the door with a bowl and a sign on it, others prefer to go round with a hat and collect the donations personally. The suggested donation is 10-20€ per person.
3. How many people come to a house concert?
20 or more. It all depends on how many people you can fit into your house. If you live in a castle, I will happily play for a few hundred- but let me know beforehand so I can bring my amp :-).
4. I only have a small apartment- can I host a house concert anyway?
Of course you can- the cosier, the better! You would be surprised how many people you can fit into a small living room. Another option could be to rent a room at your local church, coffee house, art gallery, etc...
5. Is it a lot of work/ what do I have to do?
As soon as we have set the date and time, you can start contacting your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours-any music-loving people you may know. Send out emails, set up a Facebook group, etc...
6. What is the procedure on the evening itself?
Once you have set up the space with chairs, stools and cushions, a stage area, a small table where I can sell cds and a table by the door with a hat or bowl for donations, all you have to do is just sit back and relax and wait for everyone to arrive. I will usually get there 1-2 hours before the show.
7. Do I need to provide food and/or drinks?
That is entirely up to you, every host is different. A lot of hosts will make a pot luck out of it with every guest bringing something. Others put out nibbles and ask the guests to bring their own drinks. And some hosts actually do like to set up a buffet or cook a soup. Every house concert is different- make it your style :-).
8. I don't want strangers in my home.
That is absolutely understandable. It's your night- you ask whoever you like- your friends, family, neighbours, coworkers. Make it a special gift for Mother's Day, celebrate your birthday, etc...
If, however, you wouldn't mind letting other fans into your home to join the concert, I can post the date and area (never your address or private details) of the concert on my Facebook page and let fans know that if they live in that area and would like to attend, they can write me an email which I would then forward to you.
9. I have some more questions...
No problem- just drop me a line at
info@carolyn-walsh.com
10. Yeay- I would like to book a house concert!
Great! I look forward to hearing from you:
info@carolyn-walsh.com