Creating a Faculty-led Event

Event Policies, Procedures, Contract, and Staff Support

QUICK LINKS: EVENT CONTRACT | STAFF SUPPORT | FAQ

Take the First Step

These are the order of steps that will occur when your event is created. An event must be scheduled prior to filling out a contract.

Review online calendars for venue availability. If applicable, discuss with guest artists the date or dates that work best for all involved. (Note: This step does not apply for events or series that are scheduled during block-book calendar review meetings.)
Send an email to Nick Raffaele to request the date, time, and venue you would like for your event.
- Indicate in the email whether the event is a concert, lecture, workshop, master class, or other.
- Be sure to have alternative dates and venues in mind for your event in case of a conflict with another event previously scheduled.
- Only one hold per event may be scheduled at a time.
Nick will check the availability of your date, time, and venue, and he will reply to you to either confirm that you have a hold on those details or offer an alternative if there is a conflict.
Once you and Nick have agreed on the event date, time, and venue, you will be asked to fill out the event contract.

QUICK LINKS: EVENT CONTRACT | STAFF SUPPORT | FAQ

The Contract

Please do not fill out this contract until you have an approved HOLD on the date, time, and venue for your event. You will be asked to consider whether an alternative date, time, and venue is acceptable. This is only to allow staff to consider requesting a change if an unforeseen conflict arises.

The contract form is to be used for all events that are included in event listings on the MSU College of Music website, season brochure, and social media. This includes all student ensembles under the direction of faculty, faculty and guest recitals, major event series, and lectures or masterclasses. Any student-centered event that is to be scheduled and listed by the College must be sponsored and approved by a faculty member of the College.

Received an approved hold on a date, time, and venue for your event? Click the Event Contract button below!

Students wishing to reserve venue time for student recitals or other events should go to the Student Recital Policy and Forms page.

QUICK LINKS: EVENT CONTRACT | STAFF SUPPORT | FAQ

Staff Support and Policies

Admission Fee. Please note that most events that are actively promoted by the College are ticketed events that charge a fee. If you have questions about whether admission should not be charged for your event, please contact Michael Sundermann.

Staff Support. To better serve faculty needs and the transfer of necessary contractual details, every staff member listed below receives the details faculty provide on the contract form. Once your contract is signed and approved, the following staff contacts will work directly with you on the details of your event as indicated. You may contact them directly with questions.

Printed programs: Lynne Funk
Fairchild Theatre instrument and staging needs: Nick Raffaele
Cook Recital Hall, Hollander Hall, and Murray Hall instrument and staging needs: Chuck Roberts
Recording and sound reinforcement: Jen Shangraw
Video recording: Joanna Bosse
Promotion and marketing: Michael Sundermann
Keyboards: David Foster

For promotions, the Communications Office will review the contract and be in touch to confirm event details for online and printed promotions.

Requests for audio and/or video services will be reviewed after the full calendar is compiled. There is limited capacity for scheduling these services, including the technical capability for recording within specified venues.

The requestor will be responsible for all fees associated with the recording.
Events that are requested to be streamed live will be reviewed by a committee led by the Deans of the College. Requests directly to staff, if made, will be deferred to the committee.

Canceling or rescheduling an event after a contract is completed and an event has been promoted requires approval from the Deans Office. Please click here to submit an event cancellation form.

QUICK LINKS: EVENT CONTRACT | STAFF SUPPORT | FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of events require a contract?

Essentially, all events that utilize a space within the College of Music facilities require a contract. This includes all student ensemble events, faculty and guest recitals, and featured series such as Showcase, West Circle, Early Music, Cello Plus, and Jazz Spectacular.

Among which event venues am I able to choose?

Cook Recital Hall
Murray Hall
Hollander Hall
Fairchild Theatre
Alumni Chapel
Cobb Great Hall, Wharton
Demonstration Hall Ballroom

What events are ticketed, and do we always have to charge for tickets?

Ticketing and fees for patrons will be applied to most events, often with the exception of lectures and presentations, masterclasses, and workshops. While exceptions are sometimes made for performance events, admission fees are typically charged to help offset costs incurred by the College, including staff for the box office, stage crew, and front and back of house, publicity such as printed calendars and event listings, printed programs, piano tuning, and venue fees when applicable.

If I am the primary contact on an event contract, what are my responsibilities?

Working in advance with Recording Services to determine audio and video needs and requests to ensure that performers and technical staff are in agreement on details prior to the event. This includes topics such as sound reinforcement and microphones, and video projection.
Working in advance with Piano Technology staff on keyboard needs including piano, harpsichord, organ, etc.
Providing a description, theme and/or composers for the event that will be used in promotions.
Providing program content including repertoire, a complete list of performers (with proper spelling) and instrument, artist bios, head shots, and other details as needed.
Working in advance with lead facility staff regarding all staging and artist/instrument needs, including stage setup such as chairs, stands, risers, acoustic shells/shades, and lighting.
Collecting and coordinating agreements with guest artists, including tech-riders and contracts if needed.
Living composer approvals of any audio and/or video recording, live stream or broadcast. If the work has not previously been recorded, approval may come directly from the composer or the work’s publisher. This must be provided in writing to Michael Sundermnan.

How do I ensure that event programs are printed when I need them?

As early in the process as possible, lead faculty on an event should provide program content including repertoire, a complete list of performers (with proper spelling) and instrument, artist bios, head shots, and other details as needed. The more precise lead faculty can be with program details, the smoother the process will be to build and print event programs. Please see the College of Music Program Production page for details and review the Program Style Guide for information on program format standards. Note: concert programs will not be printed without final approval from the faculty member listed on the event contract.