Raleigh NC Symphony Entertainment

Nestled amidst the cultural tapestry of Raleigh, NC, the symphony emerges as a harmonic gem, offering unparalleled entertainment to discerning residents. The resplendent notes resonate through the city's vibrant soul, captivating enthusiasts with an auditory journey.

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In the heart of downtown, the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra orchestrates masterpieces, a symphonic rendezvous for aficionados seeking refined cultural encounters. The Raleigh, NC Symphony unfolds its melodic prowess, encapsulating classical opulence and contemporary cadence within its repertoire.

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Attendees revel in the auditory splendor, a testament to the orchestra's commitment to delivering excellent entertainment. From the staccato brilliance of strings to the resounding depths of brass, each performance unveils a spectrum of sonic finesse, enrapturing the senses of Raleigh's erudite denizens.

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Relaxation and Less Stress

Collaborating Cultural Organizations

The answer is given to us by the psychologist Nithcel Tapia Olivares, who delivers her arguments from both sides of the stage since she has also been a cellist and singer in the Coquimbo Philharmonic Orchestra, a group belonging to the Coquimbo Philharmonic Foundation and which has financing from the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage through its Support Program for Collaborating Cultural Organizations.

It Stimulates More Relaxation

“Music, in general, has effects on people, on an emotional level and a physical and biological level,” explains Nithcel, but he also states that classical music generates deeper changes: “It stimulates more relaxation, the reduction of stress, attention span, creative processes. So, classical music in itself has that effect more linked to calm, to tranquility, to relaxation; It even manages to relax or lower blood pressure, on a biological level, and allows us to sleep better.”

Driving Activates The Brain

These effects have to do with how orchestrated music is “constructed,” as opposed to a melody with lyrics. “Classical music has conduction; it has a construction that is always guided, a calmer resolution that leads the body to calm down,” says the professional, also explaining that “the tones lead to the exploration of certain emotions, For example, major keys have always been associated with the most pleasant, joyful emotions, and minor keys have always been associated more with the emotions of sadness.”

And what happens in the brain when faced with musical stimulation? “If we speak more biologically when the brain receives this music, it not only listens to it but also different areas are activated, such as the auditory cortex, the motor cortex, the prefrontal cortex, and the hippocampus. So many areas in the brain are activated that not only lead us to listen but also evoke memories, make us move, make us have sensations; So, the body responds completely to music,” explains Nithcel.

This brain stimulation also allows music to be used therapeutically. According to the professionals, it is used in some treatments to help people. “Music itself, as it also acts biologically, helps people carry out certain processes, and as it also activates memories, for example, it helps people with Alzheimer's to remember better. So, classical music itself has a transversal effect on people, where the common denominator of music would be stress relief and calm.”

How to Organize a Concert

The budget and sponsors

It would help if you kept in mind at all times the budget available for the concert. This way, you will always have a global view of where you can cut back if you have to put more resources into another game. It will serve as a roadmap throughout the organization of the concert and will help you in the post-concert analysis.

In addition, the budget is essential to be able to establish the price of the tickets (without overlooking the audience you are targeting, a factor that greatly influences the price you can set for your tickets): calculate your minimum attendance goal so that With the price of the ticket and the expected expenses, the concert is profitable. This point is called break even.

You don’t have to bear all the expenses. That’s why there are sponsors and other collaborators with whom you can reach beneficial agreements for both parties: normally, they will give you money, products, or services necessary for your event in exchange for advertising their brand. To help you find sponsors, we have written an article on how to find sponsors.

The artists (the booking)

Without an artist, there is no concert. Does your event revolve around the artist, or is the concert just another part of it? Is the concert an end in itself, or is it part of another objective, such as raising funds? These questions will help you see if you have to adapt the universe of your event to the chosen artist or, on the contrary, choose an artist that fits the universe of your event.

Contact the booking agency or the manager of the chosen artist and don’t forget to send all the information related to the concert: where it will take place, capacity, characteristics of the space, etc.

The target audience

Age, educational level, socioeconomic level, type of usual leisure… Knowing your audience well will make things much easier for you since you will be able to adapt to take advantage of the behavior of each group. Age is essential information since it will have a great impact on the permits you have to process (to sell alcohol, for example), the time of the event, etc. Never forget who you are organizing the concert for.

You can get more useful information about your concert attendees by including a form in the ticket-purchasing process.

Space, procedures, security, and technical elements

 

  • The concert venue: Regardless of whether you choose a hall or an outdoor venue, you must make sure what the space offers you and what you will have to obtain on your own (alcohol licenses, security, technical elements …) and that you check details such as cleanliness, whether or not it has a wardrobe, ventilation, if there is coverage, if it is accessible for people with reduced mobility… It is also important to look at whether there is easy access for trucks, etc., if the assembly requires it.
  • Procedures: Do not forget to check the procedures that you may have to carry out with the city council, the Treasury, the SGAE, the contracting procedures, insurance, and others related to the security of the event.
  • Security: We must look at this issue from two angles: what in English they call safety and what they call security. This includes, on the one hand, the conditions of the room, respect for capacity, fire measures, etc., and on the other hand, ensuring that dangerous objects are not introduced, security personnel both at the entrances and inside the premises, etc. Don’t forget that, depending on the type of event, you may also have to rely on the police or ambulances.
  • Technical elements: Make sure you have everything in order that the artists tell you they need in the technical rider. This includes everything related to sound, lights, backline …

Ticket sales (and more)

You have to set the prices (as we have seen, the budget, and knowing who your audience is will help you) but also decide when and where to put them on sale.

Nowadays, limiting yourself to physical ticket sales does not make sense, both for the preferences of the attendees and for the possibilities and flexibility that online sales offer you. Combine both forms according to your needs, collaborators, and public…

  • Online ticket sales: Within online sales, different possibilities do not have to be exclusive. We believe in the self-distribution model, and that is why it is what we offer: with this model, we give the organizer the technological tools so that they can be self-sufficient in the sale of their tickets, taking care of the marketing themselves (integrating their online ticket sales on your website or on a microsite that we provide free of charge). Thus, in addition, the end clients are yours, so the data is too. This does not mean that it is not interesting, depending on the case, and as a complement, to also use distribution platforms to reach customers that you cannot reach on your own. One thing doesn’t take away the other, but don’t give up all control!
  • Selling tickets at the box office: If you have tickets left to sell, or even during the entire sale, you can complete the online sale with physical sales: print a stack of tickets to sell or install a physical box office at the event location or in points of sale of your collaborators.
  • Cross-selling or cross-selling: With the Raleigh NC Symphony virtual locker, you can use the cross-selling function and sell merchandising, parking spaces, etc., online. At the same time, the ticket is sold, so attendees only have to pick up their purchase or use it on the day of the concert.

Access control

A critical moment in any concert is access to the venue (without forgetting access to the backstage and other restricted areas). There are several ways to do it:

  • Listing and clipping of entries: Traditional methods: the first is a paper list. If the person is on the list, they can enter; If it is not, no. It is a very cheap but very slow method and is only useful for almost private concerts, with a very small capacity. The second is keeping the matrix of the tickets if they are of the checkbook type or with a piece of it if it is of another type. This method is simple but not at all safe and does not allow you to have more control over how many pieces of paper you have cut out.
  • Access control app: With a slightly larger capacity and for more rigorous control, it is essential to scan the tickets. Suppose the capacity is not very large, and you do not need professional speed. In that case, Raleigh NC Symphony offers you a free app to control from your smartphone the tickets that you have sold through your Raleigh NC Symphony platform, but you can also import the barcodes of tickets sold by other means.
  • Professional access control readers: For more than 350 attendees, we recommend using professional readers. With the ones that Raleigh NC Symphonyoffers, you can do everything! Total security in any circumstance.

The image

 Do you have a website? It is the first place to publish all the information about your concert and start creating an image. It may be a good idea to have a specific website for your concert, in addition to putting the information on your global website. In this way, the universe of the concert will permeate the entire website and immerse the attendees in the atmosphere of the concert from the moment they purchase the ticket. Integrate your online ticket sales directly into your website so that the attendee does not have to leave this universe throughout the process! Do you have several events, and would you like to sell them all from your website without leaving it? Integrate a multi-event widget!

Don’t you have a website, or do you only have a global website? No problem! When you create your event in Raleigh NC Symphony, an exclusive microsite for your concert will automatically be generated, with the registration and payment widget already integrated.

Customize entries and emails to your image. For a complete experience, make the universe of your event present in all points of contact with attendees. Raleigh NC Symphonyoffers you several levels of customization to fit your budget, starting with free customizations that you can do yourself.

Diffusion

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter … It’s time to make people talk! Create a conversation around what attendees at your event like most: the music of the artists you present! And communicate clearly about your concert: time, place, price, ticket purchasing process, how to get there, etc. Establish a social media strategy so that your communication has an impact and great reach.

If you activate the “Share on social networks” option, those who buy your tickets with Raleigh NC Symphony will see on the purchase confirmation screen the buttons that allow them to easily share on social networks that they are going to attend your concert, which gives you visibility.

Finally, don’t rule out traditional methods such as creating and distributing flyers or the possibilities that the press gives you if you manage to arouse their interest!

Promotions

Create as many promotional codes as you want and send them to specific people or communicate them to the general public!

You can also implement an early bird pricing strategy, depending on the proximity of the concert date.

Loyalty

People who have attended one of your concerts could be interested in future concerts by the same artist or band or by others. Don’t miss the opportunity, and keep in touch! Sending a thank you email after the event is a good idea to start maintaining a relationship.

Include a form in the purchasing process to get to know your attendees better and know what they might be interested in and what they might not be interested in; include a box for them to indicate if they want to receive information about your events and send them exclusive offers to build loyalty.…

The Technical Requirements

Regardless of the type of music, the genre, the style… after having the product prepared and starting the project of doing a concert, The way in which the musical message is going to reach the public must be considered. In this aspect, the technical requirements are very important.

When the above is clear, everything is recorded in a document called Technical Pilot or technical guide ( tech Rider ), which must contain everything related to audio, lighting, stage, logistics, work equipment, and infrastructure.

Technical pilot (Tech Rider)

Stage plot:  it is the layout or map of the distribution of the elements of the stage, and it is customary to make one that reports on sound and includes the distribution of instruments, monitors, tables, chairs, and electrical points, and it is also customary to make another with a similar layout separate for the lights.

Input patch list: is the list of microphones and channels and the sends that each one will have to processors. It also includes the type of bases and monitors. While the Stage plot is logistical, the input list is the guide for the sound engineers. Roadie: includes production and scene managers, lighting managers, those in charge of setting up the instruments on stage, pyrotechnicians, and security guards, among others.

Crew list: The work team involved in the development of the show that is recommended to be listed in a list specifying their function and identification. It is also related to the person who fulfills the function of testing the instruments and setting them up.

Roaming list: mentions the type of accommodation requirements for collaborators for musicians.

Flying list: Refers to the list where the needs of air transport and its characteristics are related. In the case where the movements are not by air, a section is created where the transport required by land is listed.

In a concert, no matter how small or complex it may be, there are no rules when it comes to putting on a good show; the key is communication between all the people involved from the administrative, logistical, and musical aspects.

Backline: includes the technical requirements for musicians on stage, bass amplifiers, guitar amplifiers, pedalboards, electrical outlets, extension cords necessary for electrical power, instruments such as drums, and instrument stands. Lecterns, tables, chairs.

Frontline: Refers to what is known by the acronym “PA” ( Public Address System ), which includes the specification of everything required to direct the sound to the public. So the line that separates the backline from the frontline begins with the microphones, the polarity required in each of them, the mixing console, having clarity about how many channels are needed, what type of dynamic or timing processor functions are needed. , what type of monitoring and the sound field is required for spectators or amplification in general.

The difference from hearing live

And these emotions become more or less intense depending on the place and how we listen to the music. In the words of Nithcel: “Sometimes we can listen to music and do other things at the same time, like walking or working, but when we go to see a play, for example, or see an orchestra, we are in that environment exclusively watching and listening.” what they are presenting to us. This situation leads the brain to pay more attention to that situation, which increases if, for example, we are going to see a person we know or if we like that work. In short, our emotions become more intense.”

And what happens when the roles are reversed? How intense are the emotions of a musician when they play their instrument in front of an audience? At this point, the professional also answers from her experience on stage, emphasizing the importance of the process prior to any presentation.

“The process of playing an instrument is not only that you like music, but it also comes from a whole process of learning, motivation, perseverance, trial and error. Maybe from falling and getting up, from rehearsing over and over again, then, it’s also like the point where we say I finally made it. So there emerges this pleasure, in the case of people who are not afraid to present their musical skills to other people: a feeling of achievement when it is recognized that you have done well.