BEING A HOST
In principle, anyone can be a host: all you need is a piano in your home, and we can promise you a beautiful and unforgettable evening!
We try and make it as simple as possible to organise a "Besuch" in your home. So don't hesitate to get in touch with us by mail: HERE!
Part of our concept is to conceive for you a programme that we think fits you and your space, to surprise you and your guests. However, we are of course happy to hear if you have any particular requests for itesm in the programme or particular members of our ensemble.
Here is some information you will need to know as a host (this is a guideline and we are sometimes willing to bend some of the rules!):
1. The concert will normally last about an hour, sometimes a little longer, depending on the programme.
2. There is no agreed fee for the artists and of course no ticket sales. A retiring collection will be made for the artists. As a host, you will make sure that an appropriate hat or other container is prominently placed, and encourage your guests to give generously. The more generous you are, the more concerts we can do! Alternatively, you as a host may offer us a flat fee which we can negotiate in advance.
3. The programme and the artists will not be known in advance of the concert, but will be presented by the artists themselves.
4. Hosts may invite as many freinds and acquaintances as possible (providing they'll fit in your space!). If the hosts wish, members of "Besuch der Lieder" may also invite guests. Hosts will provide a tuned piano (NB: not an electric or electronic piano or keyboard!), and appropriate chairs, cushions, mattresses, hammocks, floor space, for the guests to enjoy the concert on.
5. The concerts are not advertised in the press, but the audience is purely made up of invited guests of the hosts and/or the members of "Besuch der Lieder".
6. The artists may wish to visit the space and get to know the hosts a while before the concert in order to provide the ideal programme for the space. We are happy to hear the hosts' wishes. The room should be available on the day of the concert for a pre-concert rehersal.
7. We forbid the performance of arias and other excerpts from operas, operettas or musicals. We also forbid the performance of works originally written for voice and orchestra, unless there is an artistically legitimate arrangement of that work for voice and piano. It is our core concept that we propagate the performance of works conceived for voice and piano.
8. If the hosts wish, they may provide food and drinks for the guests and the artists after the concert. The artists undertake to stay a while after the concert (schedules permitting!) to converse with the hosts and their guests.
9. Photography, sound and video recording, and the use of mobile phones during the concert is expressly forbidden.