How to Organize an International Concert Tour

An international concert tour can broaden, inspire and unify any musical group, from humble church choirs to renowned symphony orchestras. Traveling as a group can make a fabulous trip affordable to many people, and give you all a chance to share your music with the world.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Start planning at least a year in advance. You'll save money and have a better choice of destinations and venues. Poll your members about their interests before you start planning.
2. Form a tour committee of four to six people to choose a general destination and create a rough itinerary (see 418 Prepare an Itinerary and 373 Plan an Organizational Meeting). Consider how long you want to travel, how often you want to perform, what type of venues you want to perform in, how often you want to change lodgings and preferred mode of travel. (Most tours travel by bus, but trains or short-hop airlines are other options.) The tour committee's primary task is to choose the venues and confirm there's an audience at each stop to hear your group perform.
3. Submit your rough itinerary to at least two tour companies that specialize in musical tours. Ask each for a proposal that includes estimated costs and payment schedules, recommendations for lodging and concert venues, and an on-site guide who will travel with your group and be responsible for logistics. (Remember that nothing can be finalized until payments start coming in.) You may need to provide an estimated number of people, a demo recording and a photo of the group with your request for a proposal. Get references when you're checking out tour companies--and call them!
4. Use the proposals you receive as a basis for negotiations with the tour companies. Give the organizing committee the opportunity to preview the entire proposed contract; there may be hidden costs that aren't discovered until after a thorough read. When you're satisfied with an itinerary, the tour company and their references, sign a contract. Stay flexible--and keep negotiating-- to improve your itinerary. The bottom line is that the tour company--not just the itinerary--will make or break the trip.
5. Understand how the tour company will promote your concerts. After all, why travel around the world if nobody knows you're performing?
6. Build in enough free time so that members of your group can relax after performances. Plan no group activities on actual performance days to give members time to prepare without feeling rushed. Optional day trips on off-days are a good way to add rest and recreation. See 459 Plan the Perfect Day Abroad.

Tips & Warnings

• Small towns often provide friendly, appreciative audiences and interesting concert venues. Perhaps they won't be as glamorous as La Scala in Milan or the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, but they can be more fun.
• Choose a repertoire that's appropriate to your group and its venues. Some churches won't allow performance of secular literature, for example.
• See 417 Prepare a Vacation Countdown Checklist and 419 Pack for a Trip.
• Consider renting large instruments or other equipment locally. It can be less costly and troublesome than carting along your own. Be sure your contract specifies the quality of instruments you need and what the insurance policy covers.
• Make ample allowances for cultural differences when traveling abroad. Prepare for unforeseen adventures when dealing with language, facilities, food, methods of transportation and certainly local customs and expectations. See 431 Travel Abroad and 436 Plan a Trip to a Different Culture.