For orchestras

Concert venues for orchestras: space, platform and audience

A venue for an orchestra is a room with enough platform area for the line-up, access for instruments, power, tuning rooms and an audience that is already there. Amateur and community orchestras, chamber orchestras, youth and school orchestras, symphony orchestras of music schools and universities: the right venue depends more on the line-up than on the genre. We help you find it anywhere in Europe.

Which venue suits which line-up

Venue	Suits	Platform and equipment (rule of thumb)	What we look at
Concert hall, town hall	Symphony orchestras of 50 to 90, choir with orchestra	Platform from 100 square metres, risers, timpani and grand piano often in house	Hire fee, technical staff, access, tuning rooms, how well the hall fills
Town church with a large chancel	Chamber orchestras, symphony orchestras up to 60 with a sacred or classical programme	Chancel or platform from 60 square metres, medium reverberation	Access, heating, risers, sightlines, the parish's concert tradition
Baroque and abbey church, palace hall	Chamber orchestras, early music, string orchestras	Small platform, long reverberation or a dry hall	Listed-building rules, power for lights, harpsichord or grand piano
School hall, community centre, music school hall	Youth and school orchestras, chamber orchestras	Platform of 40 to 80 square metres, often risers and a grand piano	Low hire fee, audience through music school or school, joint concert possible
Spa gardens, bandstand, open air	Symphony and chamber orchestras in summer, light programme	Covered stage, power, shade	Weather, amplification, instruments in the sun, allocation by the spa administration
Joint concert with a local orchestra	All line-ups, especially on tour	As the host's venue, percussion and double basses from the partner	A joint work, the host's audience, rehearsal time on site

Platform sizes and reverberation are experience values, not measurements. Where details are missing, we say so.

What is different for orchestras compared with choirs

Logistics decide too

Double basses, timpani, harp and cellos need a trailer or a second coach, access up to the door and a level route onto the platform. A venue with 40 steps and no lift is out, however beautiful the hall. We ask about the get-in route with every suggestion.

Borrow large instruments on site

Timpani, percussion, double basses and harp are most likely provided by a local orchestra or music school, often as part of a joint concert. Concert halls hire out timpani and grand pianos for a fee. What the venue has does not need to travel.

The audience comes from the partner or the hall

A touring amateur orchestra does not fill a foreign hall on its own. A joint concert with a local orchestra, a spa concert or a slot in a concert series bring the audience with them. How that is planned is on the page Planning a concert tour.

A rehearsal phase before the concert

A rehearsal weekend in a music academy with a hall, sectional rooms and percussion brings the programme up to concert level. Which houses exist is on the page Rehearsal retreats.

What we ask about every venue for orchestras

Platform: measurements, risers, load capacity, room for percussion and harp, conductor's rostrum.
Access and get-in: approach up to the door, steps, lift, coach parking, set-up time.
Instruments in house: grand piano, timpani, percussion, harpsichord, with tuning date and hire fee.
Power and light: stand lights, sockets at the platform, house lighting.
Tuning rooms and dressing rooms: separate for wind and strings, heated.
Acoustics: reverberation, room shape, suitability for line-up and programme, as far as known.
Audience and cost model: concert tradition, series, partner, hire fee or collection.

Frequently asked questions from orchestras

Which venues suit an amateur orchestra?

Chamber orchestras of up to 25 players fit into town churches, palace halls and school halls. Symphony orchestras of 50 and more need a concert hall or a large church with a platform of at least ten by eight metres, room for percussion and double basses, power for stand lights and a get-in route for instruments.

How much platform space does a symphony orchestra need?

As a rule of thumb 1.5 to 2 square metres per string player, more for wind and brass, plus 15 to 20 square metres for percussion and harp. An orchestra of 60 needs around 100 to 120 square metres of platform, a chamber orchestra of 20 about 40.

Can an orchestra perform in a church?

Yes, in churches with a large chancel or platform, preferably with medium reverberation. Baroque churches with long reverberation suit chamber orchestras and early music, less so large romantic forces. More on the page Finding a church for your concert.

Who provides timpani, grand piano and double basses on site?

A joint concert with a local orchestra or music school is the easiest way to percussion, double basses and harp. Concert halls often provide timpani and a grand piano for a fee. We ask what the venue has and what you need to bring.

Describe your orchestra and programme

Line-up with numbers per section, programme, region, dates, what you bring and what you need on site. We'll get back to you with matching venues, usually within two working days.

Request venues