A concert is the highlight of the season for a band, choir or orchestra. But it's also a lot of work: choosing repertoire, rehearsing, booking a venue, finding volunteers, and making sure everyone is on stage on time and in the right outfit. In this article you'll read how to prepare a concert step by step, from a year out to the day itself.
The countdown: from a year out to the day itself
A year to six months ahead
- Date and venue. Fix the date and book the venue, including time for the dress rehearsal and setup. A church with good acoustics or a local theater often works well, but popular venues are often booked a year ahead.
- Program. Choose the repertoire together with the conductor: suited to your level, your instrumentation and your audience.
- Budget and grants. Venue hire, soloists, sound and lighting, printing and sheet music. Apply for grants in time: deadlines are often months before the concert. Approach sponsors too.
- Soloists and guests. Ask soloists, guest musicians or another group now; their calendars fill up fast.
- Music licensing. Check whether your music license covers the concert.
Six to three months ahead
- Sheet music. Order missing scores in time, as delivery can take weeks. Make sure everyone has the right part, in the right version. Nothing wastes rehearsal time like hunting for the right part.
- Rehearsal plan. Count back from the concert date: which piece do you rehearse when? Start with the hardest pieces, and leave room for sectionals and an extra rehearsal if needed.
- Instrumentation. Check per section that every part is covered. Missing a second horn or a bass voice? Ask a stand-in now, so they can join a few rehearsals.
- Promotion plan. Decide how and when you'll announce the concert, and who handles the posters, the posts and ticket sales.
Three months to one month ahead
- Promotion and tickets. Start with posters, posts on social media and in the local paper, and open ticket sales.
- Attendance. Ask everyone to say whether they'll be at the last rehearsals and the concert, with a clear deadline. That way the conductor knows in time which players will be there. How to track it is covered in How to track rehearsal attendance in your band or choir.
- Run sheet. Make a run sheet with, for each time slot, what happens and who does it.
- Volunteers. Share out the tasks: tickets, bar, cloakroom, setup, packing up and sound.
- Dress code and seating. Agree on the concert outfit and draw the seating plan for the venue, including room for percussion and soloists.
The last two weeks
- Dress rehearsal. Hold the dress rehearsal in the venue, a week to a few days before the concert, as close to the concert as possible. More on that below.
- Final information. Send musicians one overview: call time, address, parking, outfit and what to bring, such as a music stand and a light.
Concert day
Follow the run sheet: setup, sound check, gathering, a moment for the conductor with the whole group, and then on stage. Assign one person to keep time and be the point of contact for the venue.
Afterward
Thank the musicians, volunteers and sponsors, share photos and recordings, and do a quick review: what went well, and what will you do differently next time? Add those points to the run sheet for the next concert right away.
The dress rehearsal: how to make the most of it
The dress rehearsal is your last chance to practice the concert as it will really be.
- In the venue. The acoustics of a church or theater are different from your rehearsal room. Dynamics and tempo often need adjusting.
- In the concert setup. Is everyone seated well, can everyone see the conductor, and are the stands out of the way?
- In the right order, without stopping. Play the program through as on the night itself, including the transitions. Note what needs work, and go over it briefly afterward.
- With announcements and walking on. Practice walking on and off, the announcements between pieces and the moments with soloists.
- With sound and lighting. Test the lights, the sound and any microphones for the presenter and soloists.
Three common ways to organize it all
1 A run sheet in Word or Excel
How to do it well: use the same template every year, with a tab for the countdown and one for concert day. List who's responsible for each task.
Where it falls short: the run sheet usually sits with one person. Changes don't reach everyone, and musicians rarely read it.
2 Email
How to do it well: send a few fixed messages at fixed moments: the rehearsal plan, a reminder two weeks before the concert, and the practical information in the last week.
Where it falls short: emails get buried, and anyone who misses a change turns up at the wrong time in the wrong place.
3 The WhatsApp group
How to do it well: use a separate group or a pinned message for the concert, and put key information in the group description.
Where it falls short: the information gets buried under all the other messages, and you don't know who has read it or who's coming.
| Overview | Reaches everyone | Know who's coming | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run sheet in Word/Excel | Yes, for whoever has it | No | No |
| Per message | Mostly | No | |
| WhatsApp group | No | Yes, if they read along | No |
Concert preparation checklist
- Date and venue booked, including the dress rehearsal and setup.
- Program chosen with the conductor, suited to level and instrumentation.
- Budget settled, with grants or sponsorship where possible.
- Soloists and guest musicians asked and confirmed.
- Music license checked.
- Rehearsal plan counted back from the concert date.
- Sheet music with everyone, in the right part and version.
- Instrumentation complete in every section, stand-ins arranged.
- Attendance requested for the last rehearsals and the concert.
- Run sheet made and shared.
- Volunteer tasks shared out.
- Promotion and ticket sales started.
- Dress rehearsal planned in the venue.
- Practical information sent to all musicians.
- Review afterward, added to the run sheet.
Preparing a concert in Orchesi
In Orchesi, you add the concert as an event in the calendar, with the run sheet as an attachment and the setlist linked to it. Members reply with a deadline, and anyone who hasn't replied gets a reminder automatically. Everyone finds the sheet music for their own part in the app. You invite guest musicians and stand-ins for that one concert, and members sign up themselves for tasks such as the bar, tickets and setup.
