What if you put on a handbell concert, and no one came to see it? We’ve played in some programs of this sort that had small audiences. It can be bit discouraging, because most of us would prefer to be performing to a full house at Carnegie Hall (and earning 50% of the gate receipts, of course). Unfortunately, we as a musical community seem not to have built up the public image of handbells to the point where “build it and they will come” is the norm – yet!.
So… we have a fix for that! It’s our new “Concerts with No Audience”™ approach to life. We’d rather play than not, and on sunny days it’s at least as much fun to practice outside as in, or just to go somewhere else rather than stay in the same old rehearsal space at home. And the best thing is that we get to keep 100% – ALL – of what people pay for the tickets! 😀
We’ve sponsored a couple of these “Concerts with No Audience”™, and they’ve been a roaring success (especially when Harleys and well-loaded semihaulers pass by). There have been occasional cheers (from the kids playing ball in the street – when they score, of course). And we get the usual looks of puzzlement – What are they doing? How do they do that? – from people who see us. But the scenery is wonderful, because we get to choose where we go, and with eight-bell music, we can pop into practically any place and perform for people who aren’t there.
By the way, if you’d like to book us for a concert with audience, you can contact us at larryandcarla.com!
Concert with No Audience™ in Oakhurst, California
Concert with No Audience™ in Walnut Grove, California
