Concert Dress For Your Performance Tour

Topic: Performing Tours 

As the director of a performance group going on tour, one of the many decisions you need to make is what type of concert dress your group will wear. Often, this decision is a simple one since most organizations either own or have pre-determined concert attire. One goal of a unified concert look is to provide just that, a unified concert impression in which no one single person sticks out because of how he or she is dressed. Since most musical groups exist to provide harmony as a corporate and community effort, individualism is downplayed.

Several things can influence what one wears on a concert tour. Two primary issues, both of which go hand in hand, are function and impression. If you are a church choir, the primary function of one's attire is worship related. For some traditions, the liturgy dictates what one wears. For others, it does not really matter. If you are a non-church group, student group (youth or college), you most likely have formal wear of some sort. Since student groups change each year, one function this serves is to provide attire that can be duplicated easily year after year by incoming members. Another is to provide a professional appearance.

Remember, while you are on tour, space for luggage is limited and dressing rooms may not always be available at concert sites. Keeping all of this in mind, your group's regular concert dress may need to be simplified before going on tour. If your choir normally wears robes, you may consider purchasing lightweight and easy-to-pack robes. Also, if your formal dress is tuxedos for the men and long formal dresses for the women, these may not be practical to bring on tour. Depending on what type of concerts are being planned, you might consider having dark slacks and skirts and plain tops (the same color for everyone). This will still give your group a professional and formal look. Here are a few other suggestions that you may not have considered:

1. If your group will give midday performances, plan some type of informal concert dress (perhaps matching polo shirts with the group name and khakis.)
2. If your group is traveling to Europe during the winter or spring, churches can be very cold (as in stone cold!). Consider having choir robes that can be worn over warm clothes. For your informal dress, have sweatshirts or sweaters rather than polo shirts.
3. Just the opposite is true in the summer! If the choir is singing in a worship service—and needs the use of the organ, they will probably be in the choir loft, which can be very warm.
4. Anytime of year, high heels are not practical for women. The motorcoach can rarely load and unload directly in front of the concert site—and walking on cobblestone streets is treacherous enough without trying to do this on high heels!

Keith Cole is a Sales Representative for Witte Travel & Tours. Keith has over 15 years of choral conducting experience and has first-hand experience in taking his choirs on tour.

Contact Us to find out how Witte Travel & Tours can help you plan your Performance Tour.

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