f you......
a) have a living room or other space b) have 20 friends you can invite c) like music
..... you definitely have the ability to host a house concert!
A house concert is exactly what it sounds like....a concert in your home. It is cozy, intimate, and informal. You, as the host, agree to invite your friends/neighbors/coworkers and provide the space and snacks. I bring the music and the stories. Combined, it makes for quite the delightful and magical evening.
The concert is donation-based so there is no upfront cost to you. The schedule of the night is relaxed and can be varied depending on the location and host. Typically, the first 30-45 minutes are spent mingling, eating, and giving time for friends and neighbors to arrive and acclimate. Then I play for about an hour, a combination of original story and songs. Then we mingle some more. No two nights are exactly the same. Sometimes there is dinner beforehand, sometimes it's appetizers/snacks or maybe it's a potluck and everyone brings something. Children that can sit still for an hour are more than welcome (typically around ages 8-10). I've also had hosts bring in a babysitter to hang out in the basement with the kids for the night or had a neighbor watch all the children at a nearby house.
And the space doesn't necessarily have to be a living room. I've played in all shapes and sizes of living rooms, but I've also played in barns, backyards, coffeehouses, gallery spaces, and the very occasional Hard Rock. The only requirement for the "space" is that all attendees can be seated in the same space for the entirety of the performance. We can certainly get creative!
I would love to talk with you more about planning a house concert in your community. This year I'm planning two house concert tours, one this spring and then another this fall that will potentially take me across the country and into your neck of the woods?? But the rest of the year is fair game if you live in Virginia or on the east coast. Shoot me an email at amy@amycoxmusic.com and let's get scheming. :o)