Booking Us

Its always worth an enquiry - explore the possibilities with our Director - John!  director@andantechamberchoir.com 

• Your contact with andante will be with the Director, John Stone                   director@andantechamberchoir.com  

• andante does not normally charge a fee or expenses for presenting a charity concert in our locality. However, as a concert promoter, you are obliged to pay a Performing Rights Society (PRS) License, as the choir and/or consort is almost certain to include copyright music in its programme. Your venue may already hold a PRS Licence. If your venue is a church it may hold CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International) which may include PRS for Music Church Licence.                                       If not, andante can deal with a one-off PRS license for you, but you will need to pay the license fee. The cost is calculated on a sliding scale based on the number in the audience - John can advise you on the current figures, but they are not onerous!
• You may also have to consider costs associated with your chosen venue, staffing the event, publicity & printing, refreshments and other expenses.

HOW DO WE CHOOSE A DATE AND A VENUE?

• The choir and/or consort aims to perform a concert a month but takes July & August off and rarely gives concerts in January and February.  We already have 2024 choir concert dates booked in April, May, June, October and 2 in November - so it is unlikely we can commit to any further choir engagements in 2024. The Consort, however, may well be available.
• Due to demand for our choir services we often work a year or more ahead.
• Contact John to request that your concert is pencilled in for your chosen month. 

• The choir has found that Friday or Saturday evenings, or Sunday afternoons are popular with audiences.    Sunday afternoons seem particularly popular with elderly audiences, some of whom are less inclined to attend on dark evenings.   

• Choose your venue.  The choir sings best in reasonably large buildings - often churches - with resonant acoustics.  The Consort has a smaller number of performers, so are more easily accommodated in smaller venues.
• We just require an open, empty performing space. A power supply is useful if lighting is necessary. John can advise you on this and the choir has lighting available. Sometimes a chair for each singer/player is necessary - normally 32 singers and/or 5+ players. Obviously toilets on-site or close by are a necessity. And do let John know if it is a cold building!                                                                                                                                                                                
• Contact John to confirm venue is appropriate (John will want to visit the venue if it is one in which andante has not performed before).                                          
• Confirm your chosen date with your venue and confirm the booking for the choir with John.                                                                                              
• Find out if your venue holds an appropriate Performing Rights Licence (PRS/CCLI?) and advise John.  

• John can send you a poster by email for you to print and distribute - or provide you with necessary copy for a poster of your own design. Please note, it is not andante's job to find your audience!  
• Consider the implications for having tickets available in advance. Are tickets going to be available on the door?  
• Consider contacting the local press and other advertising; if you would like a photograph of andante to send with your article to the press, please ask John for electronic copy - many choices are available on our website.

• John will send you the programme (usually just a single sheet of A4 printed on both sides) by email for you to print or as copy for your own prepared programmes.
• Very often the choir will distribute the programmes to your audience as they arrive at the concert. We enjoy meeting with your audience before the concert.

• The choir would like access for layout and warm-up purposes up to two hours before the concert. Access to toilets is appreciated, as well as advice on the building - power points, movement of furniture, positioning of lighting, etc.  A cup of tea is always appreciated! Please work out where the choir can leave their coats & bags etc.
• Before the concert  please agree with John the arrangements for introductions/ vote of thanks/ raffles/ etc.

• Please give John the appropriate amount for Performing Rights in cash or cheque payable to "Andante Chamber Choir". 
• Please advise John as to how much money you raised for your chosen charity as soon as the figure is confirmed - the choir likes to know!  

• Was it successful? Would you like to do it again? Don't forget to book your next concert!