The Department of Music at Royal Holloway hosts multiple concert series and performance opportunities for its students. From the Concert Series featuring international artists to the talents within our staff-led ensembles, to the popular Midweek Music hosted by our Choir, plus the Friday Pocket Concert series, there is something for everyone.
Nevertheless, we strongly encourage student initiative and for music ensembles to host their own individual music events on campus. This aspect of studying music at any level is such a vital element of a musician’s development, and it is paramount to host your own music event as a way of making your own mark on your university studies and preparing for what might be a viable job prospect after the degree.
As hosting your own music event can be a little daunting, we thought we would put together this helpful guide to organising music events at Royal Holloway.
You lead, direct or manage an ensemble based at Royal Holloway and have been rehearsing on some exciting repertoire for several weeks. You want to showcase all of your hard work and talent in a live music event. What should we consider first?
The first thing to consider is what you would like to showcase.
This may seem like an obvious aspect to consider; however, you would be surprised how many concerts or recitals have not considered this. What you want to showcase (i.e. the music or performers) can heavily impact on event timings, size of venue, layout of the space, who you can promote the event to, to the size or demographic of audience, so you need have a clear grasp of this before planning anything further.
Some basic questions to ask yourself is whether the event will be themed (e.g. all the music is based on the theme of the sea) or whether the event will feature a large central musical item or showcases lots of smaller items. If you do not have lots of music to perform, perhaps consider a lunchtime event or late-night gig?
After you have considered what you want to showcase, you have to consider when. This can make or break the event, so special consideration must be taken.
As a lively, campus university, events (music or otherwise) are constantly being hosted on a daily basis. Before deciding when you would like the event, check out the College’s event webpages to see what’s on. You could possibly organise an event at the same as another, at a different venue. However, if the audience being targeted is likely to be similar, this would be a no-go area.
As the Department of Music has a busy schedule, you will also have to bear in mind the student timetable. For instance, if there is a large orchestral or choral event taking place the same week (or even prior,) this will have a huge impact on your performers and their availability. Be willing to think outside-of-the-box. Perhaps a weekend event might suit?
Please note that events cannot be organised on campus during Term 3 or outside of term-time.
Helpful hint
If you are organising an event similar to the interests or speciality of one our staff members, do not forget to contact them with your idea. For instance, if you plan on organising a choral event, it would be courteous to contact the Choral Department outlining your plans. They may be able to help!