When your Early Music Ensemble is looking to perform at festivals and concerts, understanding how promoters select artists can make a huge difference. This is why we organized this session with Festival directors who shared how they program their festivals, what they look for in an ensemble, and how musicians can successfully reach out to promoters. Here is what our ensembles learned!
The Selection Process: What Promoters Look For
One key takeaway from the session was that promoters are not just looking for technical excellence—they are looking for uniqueness. As Jochen Schäfsmeier (Händel Festspiele Göttingen) explained:
“It must be interesting in a way. I take it for granted that the ensembles are on a very high level, but I’m looking for something that isn’t easy to experience during the year here.”
For Concentus Moraviae Festival in Czech Republic, the selection process is closely tied to community engagement. For ensembles interested in reaching rural audiences, Eva Dittrichová explained that smaller towns can sometimes be more rewarding than big cities:
“One of our main goals is to bring the absolute best musicians into small towns and villages, so people don’t have to travel far to hear great music. In a village, people are more engaged. They don’t take music for granted the way city audiences sometimes do.”
Meanwhile, Jelle Dierickx (Concentus Moraviae & Flanders Festival Mechelen/Kempen) highlighted the importance of storytelling in concert programs:
“What is the story you want to tell? The audience doesn’t just want a list of nice pieces—they need a reason to care.”
How to Approach a Festival Promoter
Promoters receive hundreds of emails from ensembles, so standing out is essential. Here’s what they recommend:
🔹 Personalize your email – Jelle Dierickx stressed:
“Never start an email with ‘Dear’—always use the person’s name. If I see it’s sent to 200 people, I delete it immediately.”
🔹 Get to the point quickly – Jochen Schäfsmeier advised:
“After one or two sentences, I should already know why I should read any further. Make it clear why your ensemble is relevant to my festival.”
🔹 Include strong recordings – Jochen Schäfsmeier prefers live recordings:
“Live recordings show me how you will be on stage. But if you don’t have a good one, then send a studio recording—quality matters.”
🔹 Be persistent but not pushy – Jelle Dierickx encouraged ensembles not to be discouraged by silence:
“We get 300 emails a day. If you don’t get a reply, don’t take it personally—just follow up.”
Should You Have an Agent?
While some ensembles work with agents, most chamber ensembles do not—and that’s not necessarily a disadvantage. Jochen Schäfsmeier shared:
“The bigger the name, the more likely they have an agent. But most chamber ensembles don’t have one, and it’s not a problem as long as they handle their administration professionally.”
However, Jelle Dierickx pointed out that agents can help in specific situations:
“Agents can make international work easier—especially when dealing with different legal or tax systems.”
We have a whole article about this topic, click here to read it!
Final Advice: Be Professional, Creative, and Bold
The session closed with some final advice for ensembles:
✅ Think long-term – Programming decisions are often made two to three years in advance. Festivals in Germany, Belgium and Czech Republic, for example, start planning at least two years ahead.
✅ Be easy to communicate with – Timely responses and clear administration (like proper invoices) matter to promoters.
✅ Don’t be afraid to take risks – Festivals are becoming increasingly open to non-traditional concert formats and interdisciplinary collaborations. Jelle Dierickx shared:
“If you have a crazy idea—go for it. The worst that can happen is a ‘no.’ But if it works, you might create something unforgettable. We’ve done concerts in fitness halls, dance clubs, and even with hot air balloons as musical instruments!”
For young early music ensembles, the key takeaway from this session was clear: find your unique voice, tell a compelling story, and approach promoters with clarity and confidence. The right opportunity may be just one well-crafted email away!