From Rehearsal Room to Road: Lessons from the Choir Leaders Who’ve Toured
From Rehearsal Room to Road: Lessons from the Choir Leaders Who’ve Toured
Last updated: Oct 1st, 2026
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For a choir, going on tour can be about far more than performing in a new venue. Done well, it can bring singers closer together, encourage musical ambition and create lasting memories. But for the choir leaders organising it, there is plenty to consider, from destinations and performance opportunities to budgets, accessibility and logistics.
That was the focus of a recent webinar hosted by travel operator Rayburn Tours in partnership with the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD), bringing together experienced choir leaders, musical directors and tour specialists to share practical advice on taking choirs on the road.
The panel featured Ruth Bowe of Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir, David Halford, Musical Director of The Kitchen Chorus Community Choir, and Jane Hobson, Musical Director of Coro Amici, alongside Rayburn Tours’ Senior Tour Consultant, Eleanor Harvey, and Operations Manager, Emily Thorpe.
Drawing on their experiences, the speakers shared 10 practical lessons for choir leaders planning their next tour.
1. Start with your singers, not the destination
Before choosing where to go, think about what will work for your choir, from group size and repertoire to budget, timing and the type of performance opportunities members are looking for.
As Rayburn Tours’ Senior Tour Consultant Eleanor Harvey puts it: “I think probably the first step is to look at the choir you’ve got in front of you.”
2. Give yourself time to plan
There is much more to a choir tour than booking transport and accommodation. Starting early gives you time to manage payments, fundraising, rehearsals and communication, while giving members more time to budget for the trip.
3. Don’t try to organise it alone
Sharing the workload can make a tour much more manageable, particularly for volunteer-led choirs. Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir drew on members’ skills in areas including marketing, social media, finance and logistics.
“There’s far too much planning and logistics for just one person to take a trip like this on. No one can do it on their own” says Ruth Bowe.
Choosing a Tour Operator
For some choirs, working with a tour operator can take some of the pressure off the planning process, particularly when there are multiple venues, transport arrangements and practical details to coordinate.
Jane Hobson, Musical Director of Coro Amici, shared her experience of working with a tour operator and the support it provided when organising the choir’s trip.
Clear information and deadlines are essential when organising a large group. For Jane Hobson, Musical Director of Coro Amici, regular reminders and clear systems help keep everyone on track.
“Keep repeating. You’ve got to keep repeating everything. Give deadlines,” she advises.
5. Build accessibility into the plan
Accessibility requirements are best discussed early, giving organisers more time to consider suitable accommodation, transport and venues.
Rayburn Tours Operations Manager Emily Thorpe says, “Getting that information to us as early as possible is the best advice I can give.”
6. Choose venues for the whole experience
Performance venues need to work both musically and practically, with factors such as staging, changing facilities, storage, accessibility and sound all worth considering.
Rayburn Tours works closely with individual venues to understand their requirements and identify opportunities to promote performances locally.
7. Don’t assume audiences will find you
A new venue does not automatically mean a full audience. Ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe experience, Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir used T-shirts, flyers and QR codes to promote its performances.
The publicity also helped raise the choir’s profile and generate interest from potential new members after the tour.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
For Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir, the Edinburgh Fringe offered the chance to perform in a completely different environment and reach new audiences. But with so much happening across the city during the festival, promoting the choir’s performances was an important part of making the experience a success.
Ruth Bowe shares more about why the choir chose the Edinburgh Fringe and what the experience meant for its members.
Travel can be an opportunity to build relationships rather than simply a way of getting from A to B.
For Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir, an eight-hour coach journey became part of the experience, with games, quizzes and activities helping members spend time together.
“That 8-hour coach journey there and back became part of the whole trip. It wasn’t just a means to an end,” says Ruth.
9. Give the whole choir a role
Not every member will be able to travel, so finding ways to involve those staying at home can help make the tour feel like a shared project.
David Halford, Musical Director of The Kitchen Chorus Community Choir, used a pre-tour concert to prepare the travelling singers, test the programme and involve members who were not travelling.
10. Think beyond the final performance
The benefits of touring can continue long after the choir returns home. For David, touring has strengthened relationships within The Kitchen Chorus whilst encouraging the choir to take on more ambitious repertoire.
“It has absolutely brought the choir closer together,” he says, “both socially and in sort of helping to drive improvement and taking on more challenging repertoire.”
The lasting impact of touring
The webinar’s strongest message was that a choir tour can have an impact well beyond the performances themselves.
For choir leaders, careful planning can help turn the practical challenges of touring into opportunities: bringing members together, introducing new repertoire, reaching new audiences and giving singers a shared experience outside the rehearsal room.
As Ruth Bowe put it, “We created memories and experiences for all the choir members that will live with them forever.”
Why Choose Rayburn Tours?
A choir tour is a significant undertaking, but with the right preparation and support, it can become much more than a trip to perform. It can be an opportunity to bring singers together, challenge the choir musically and create experiences that stay with members long after the final note.
