What is a House Concert?

A House Concert is the best way to impress your friends with your good taste in music! It is also the most viable way for folk music and musicians to survive! By hosting, you are supporting the arts and keeping the folk tradtions alive and thriving.

How Do I Host a House Concert?
It's realitively easy! Just invite 25 or more friends, family, neighbors to a concert at your home.
Gather chairs, patio furniture, or ask your guest to bring a camp chair with them. Arrange the seating in concert style. Cozy is good!

I Don't Think I Have Enough Room or
I Don't Know if I Can Get 25 People Over
Especially if It's a Weeknight?

No problem!  We can plan on Dinner and Song instead. It's a similar idea, but even more casual and perfect for week nights where folks can't stay out late.


How Much Does It Cost?
Typically the host assigns someone to the door to collect $10/person or simply place a jar in a high traffic area with a sign that reads:

$10 Suggested Donation
kids FREE!
All proceeds go to the musicans
Thanks!

It is important to let you guest know ahead of time that a donation is suggested. 

How Do I Prepare My Guest To Know What to Expect?
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What if I Do Not Want to "Charge" My Friends?
Alternatively, you can pay a flat fee. It is important to let your guest know that CDs, Tshirts, Coffee Mugs, Soaps, Songbooks, and many other fun items will be available to remember the special evening.

How Long Does the Concert Last?
Normally, I play a 45 minute set. Then I take a break to enjoy refreshments and sell CDs. After a 15 minute intermission, I come back and play more Shannon Wurst hits!


Additional Resources:
www.concertsinyourhome.com


Ok, I'm In. Now What?

First, let's decide on a date and time. Send an Email with a date in mind so you can get the invites going.


SOUNDS LIKE TOO MUCH....
Then maybe Dinner and Song would be a better fit: midweek music, food, and rejuvenation.

Dinner and Song Description:

Brief, relaxing dinner gatherings that feature music and conversation with a traveling artist. The host gathers 6-10 attendees for a low-effort dinner, followed by a short, unplugged concert in the living room. Attendees donate $5-10 each for the artist and also have the opportunity to purchase CDs after the performance.

The host provides dinner and overnight lodging (guest room, etc.)  for the artist. The artist delivers a personal, up-close performance for the lucky guests, as well as good vibes and points of conversation for the evening.

Dinner and Song is perfect for you if:

  1. you love the idea of house concerts but feel your space or number of friends is too small.
  2. you’d like to have dinner parties but need a “Wow!” reason to do it.
  3. you’d like to support traveling musicians and see them perform in a special environment - your house.

These events are designed to minimize setup and preparation, so that you can have a wonderful, low-stress event on a weeknight - lasting only 90 minutes from start to finish.

More reasons for Dinner & Song:

  1. You’re a host that has struggled with attendance numbers, and could benefit from “going small” for a while. Imagine turning people away for a change! Take a few months to rebuild interest with DNS before trying another full-sized house concert.
  2. You’re a host that would be interested in doing more events if they didn’t take as much effort as the typical house concert. Dinner & Song would allow you to stretch yourself a bit in terms of genre, and possibly use it to “audition” artists for your bigger events. For example, there are a few artists I love, but I’ve not hosted them because I didn’t think I could gather 30 people for their style of music.
  3. Burnout: You’ve been tempted to take a break from house concerts for a while, but can’t stand the thought of not doing music in your home. DNS events allow you to lighten the load, try something new, and keep the music and good karma flowing.

Timing: Approximately 90 minutes
Dinner = 35 minutes
Transition = 5 minutes
Concert = 35 minutes
Wrap up= 15 minutes

I recommend dinner before the music when possible, for the following reasons:

  1. If someone arrives late, it’s better to be late for the food than the performance.
  2. Dinner provides a built-in opportunity for introductions and “how are yous” that might interrupt the performance.
  3. Dinner builds anticipation for the performance.
  4. Guests could be truly hungry when they arrive, and snacks or appetizers can add more effort and distractions from the music.

Are you in?