Lecture concerts programming and musician booking
Classical music combined with commentary and storytelling, built so that an audience new to the repertoire can follow it to the end.
Ensembles that suit this occasion
You do not need to decide this in advance. These are the ensembles most often chosen; in practice we settle it together after seeing the room, its acoustics and the seating.
| Ensemble | Players | Instruments | When it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piano trio | 3 players | Piano · violin · cello | The most widely used chamber combination. The piano holds the centre while the strings carry the line, giving a wide range of volume and colour — equally at home as reception music or as a performance in its own right. |
| Small ensemble | 2–6 players | Duo, trio, or mixed winds and strings | Instruments combined to suit the room, the budget and the occasion. Winds such as flute or clarinet brighten the colour; a string-led group keeps it quieter and more reflective. |
| String quartet | 4 players | 2 violins · viola · cello | The foundation of chamber music and the most formal of the small ensembles. It needs no piano, which makes it dependable for public ceremonies and outdoor occasions. |
Engagements
- Shinsegae and Lotte VIP lecture concerts
- Music direction for programmes with the Chung Mong-Koo Foundation
- Introductory concerts with commentary
- Cultural education programmes for companies and institutions
- Performances combining the arts and the humanities
Preparation timeline
Later enquiries are usually still possible. But the larger the ensemble, the harder it is to align players’ diaries, so the bigger the occasion the earlier it helps to ask.
D-60
Settle the character and the budget range
Decide how many guests and what the occasion is for. Coming to us at this stage means we can shape the ensemble and the budget together.
D-30
Confirm ensemble and repertoire
Repertoire and running times are placed against the order of proceedings. This is when musicians are confirmed.
D-14
Venue visit and sound
We check sightlines, power, whether a piano can be brought in, and how the room rings.
D-7
Cue sheet and rehearsal
We agree the cue sheet with your production team and fix the rehearsal.
On the day
On site
Set-up, sound check and running the performance itself.
How the budget is arrived at
There is no price list. Five things decide the cost. Give us the details of the occasion and we will give you a range first, then propose what is possible inside it.
- Number of players — By far the largest part of the cost.
- Playing time — Twenty minutes once is not the same as sixty minutes split in three.
- Rehearsal — Whether an on-site rehearsal is needed, and for how long.
- Travel and accommodation — Significant for engagements outside the capital region.
- Sound, staging, instruments — Piano hire and tuning, and whether sound equipment is included.
Questions about this kind of occasion
Most often the artistic director. Depending on the occasion we also bring in a specialist speaker or professional host.
That is the most common case. Rather than playing a work straight through, we play a short phrase, explain it, then perform the piece — which keeps first-time listeners with us to the end.
Lecture concertsIf you are planning one
The date, the venue and a rough guest count are enough to start. The instrumentation can wait.