For every concert tour, the Lycoming Tour Choir is fortunate to meet various host organizations. From tiny churches to town choir groups, from the televised Crystal Cathedral to Czech university student choirs, we look forward to meeting new friends with every tour.
For each concert location on our tour, we have a host organization. The host is usually a church in the United States. In Europe, the host is often a university choir or a town music group.
On U.S. tours, we spend one evening and one night in each location. We arrive at a church around 4:00 p.m. We then set up our risers in the sanctuary (or reception hall) and rehearse. The church prepares dinner for us around 6:00 p.m. Our concert is generally scheduled at 7:30 p.m. We then spend the night at the homes of host families from the congregation. The next morning, the host families bring us back to the church, where we board our bus and go to another concert destination.
In general, the host church or organization for a location on our U.S. tour is responsible for:
• Arranging a concert. The concert is held in the church or reception hall. The church may choose to defray expenses by having a goodwill offering at the concert's intermission.
• Providing dinner for our choir. Most often, this is a potluck that is thoughtfully provided by church members.
• Providing housing for our choir members (one night). Accommodations are usually in the homes of the host members. If the homes of host members are not available, we can pay for affordable hotel housing...but we prefer to stay with our hosts!
• A small honorarium. Our choir is comprised of talented students who are chosen for the choir based on talent and personality, not financial status. We strive to keep our tours affordable for every member. Therefore, to subsidize our bus expense and other expenses, we ask for a small honorarium from our host churches. Again, this can be provided by the church via a goodwill offering at the concert's intermission.
Please know that the above responsibilites are only guidelines, and we are open to discussing your particular church's situation with you. Please contact us if you are interested in more information about hosting a Lycoming Choir concert. We look forward to sharing our music with you!
