Ensembles · Concert Band

Concert band tours of Ireland and the UK

Perform in remarkable venues, share the stage with local musicians, and leave the planning to professional band musicians.

Start planning your tour
Conductor leading a concert band in performance

What a concert band tour with Upbeat looks like

A typical Upbeat concert band tour runs for five to seven nights and visits two or three cities, with a concert in each. We would rather give your band time to get to know a place than rush it through, so there is room for a workshop, an exchange with local musicians and a proper look around. Bands touring in summer can add a second, outdoor lunchtime performance.

5 to 7

nights

2 to 3

cities, unhurried

1 concert

in every city

From community halls to the great concert halls

Your band could perform anywhere from a community centre in a small town, where you really meet the people you are playing for, to some of the finest concert halls on these islands. Here are some of the places concert bands have performed with us.

Dublin

National Concert Hall, Christ Church Cathedral, St Patrick's Cathedral, Royal Irish Academy of Music

Belfast

Waterfront Hall

Edinburgh

St Giles' Cathedral, St Mary's Episcopal [confirm exact name]

Glasgow

George Square, Loch Lomond Shores

Pipe band performing in Scotland, one of the local groups concert bands share the stage with

Share the stage, and the music, with local musicians

We pair concert bands with local groups from different musical traditions, so a concert becomes a real exchange. Your band might share a programme with a choir, Irish traditional musicians or a pipe band, each hearing and learning from the other. Off stage, there is time to talk, swap stories and make friends.

Bands have performed alongside

Choirs · Irish traditional musicians · Pipe bands

Workshops with leading conductors, educators and performers

Our team have spent many years as performers and music educators, and that network opens doors to some of the best conductors, educators and performers in Ireland and the UK.

Develop your band's playing

Work on your own repertoire in a clinic or rehearsal with a leading conductor or educator, and take fresh ideas home to your band room.

Try something completely new

Step outside the concert band tradition with an introduction to local music, such as the pipes in Scotland or the bodhrán, the Irish frame drum, in Ireland.

Planned by professional band musicians

Upbeat's concert band tours are organised by Keith Kelly, working alongside the rest of the Upbeat team. Keith is one of the founders of the Irish Symphonic Wind Orchestra, has conducted a number of Irish concert bands, and spent many years as a performer and conductor with the Irish Defence Forces bands. He knows what a band needs from a venue, a rehearsal and a schedule, because he has been on both sides of the baton.

Meet the musicians behind Upbeat

Festivals for concert bands

Where concert bands tour

[Quote from a concert band director, once they have agreed to it being used]

Concert band tour questions

  • Every tour is costed individually, and four things make the biggest difference. Group size matters most: shared costs such as coaches and guides are spread across everyone, and groups of around 30 or more usually share them well. Timing matters too. School bands often travel outside peak season, and community bands travelling in summer can save by going in early June. Hotel standard and the number of nights make up the rest. Tell us about your band and we will put together a quote.

  • Most concert band tours are five to seven nights and visit two or three cities. We recommend spending longer in fewer places, so your band has time to really get to know each city and the people in it.

  • Usually one concert in each city, so two or three across the tour. Bands travelling in summer can add a second, outdoor lunchtime performance in a city.

  • School bands often travel outside the summer months, which helps keep costs down. Community bands usually travel in summer, and going in early June rather than July or August can make a real difference to the price.

  • Hotels across Ireland and the UK are generally of a very good standard, and we offer both 3-star and 4-star options. We will recommend hotels that suit your band's budget and itinerary.

Start planning your Upbeat tour today

Tell us about your group and where you'd like to perform. We'll shape the tour around your ensemble and handle the details, so you can focus on the music.

Start planning your tour