Event Planning Process

Please review the full event booking process outlined below to learn how to secure an event date with the production office and submit necessary details. All events must go through the full process individually, even if already scheduled or discussed in a prior planning session.

Following the steps below in an expedient manner will help ensure staff members have sufficient time and availability to activate resources and support your event. Having issues submitting forms or understanding the deadlines? Reach out to the production staff as early as possible for a timely resolution.

As a reminder, student recital scheduling is handled through a different process at the start of each semester. Faculty should not attempt to schedule recitals on behalf of any student(s) during these planning windows.

If an event has not been confirmed prior to the opening of student recital scheduling, support and accommodated cannot be guaranteed. Once student recitals begin filling calendar openings, new requests for events from faculty may be denied by administration.

Current Deadlines

  • November 1, 2024
    Calendar scheduling CLOSES for all non-student events in Spring 2025.
  • November 15, 2024
    Deadline to submit marketing information for confirmed and scheduled events in Fall 2025.
  • February 14, 2025
    Deadline to submit guest artist proposals for the 2025 - 2026 production season.
  • March 14, 2025
    Calendar scheduling OPENS for all non-student events in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026.
  • March 28, 2025
    Calendar scheduling CLOSES for all non-student events in Fall 2025.
  • April 17, 2025
    Deadline to submit marketing information for confirmed and scheduled events in Fall 2025.

Please refer to the Dates & Deadlines page to view these deadlines in full context with other school activities. All deadlines have an end time of 4:30 p.m. CST on the given date unless otherwise indicated.

Event Planning Phases

To facilitate easier and more proactive planning, the process for scheduling events is broken down into the five phases listed below in chronological order. Not all phases apply to all events; please be sure to read each step carefully to determine if the information applies to you. Students may skip to Phase IV for their recital planning.

November

Initial planning meetings with ensemble directors, production staff, and school administrators take place in November of the prior academic year. These meetings establish the broad goals of the upcoming production season, including the quantity and types of performances by each of the school's major areas.

December & January

Leading up to the winter holiday, ensemble directors submit desired performance dates and dress rehearsals. The events manager then works out any conflicts and determines a preliminary equipment moving schedule.

February

The dates of large ensembles and opera productions for the next academic year are finalized. For events in the Union Theater, dates are submitted to LSU Auxiliary Services for approval.

No faculty, guest, or studio event planning allowed until ensemble and opera planning is complete.

No student event planning allowed until ensemble and opera planning is complete.

February

If you intend to invite a guest artist to campus to participate in any kind of event (performance, workshop/masterclass, etc.) use the Guest Artist Request Form to submit a full proposal for the guest's visit.

The proposal needs to include a budget estimate, pedagogical justification for the artist's visit, and the proposed semester for the visit.

Guest Artist Request Form

March

If your guest artist is approved by College administration, you will need to then submit the Music Payee Request Form to confirm the budget estimate for your guest artist's visit.

Music Payee Request Form

April

Union Theater reservations are usually confirmed by LSU Auxiliary Services around the beginning of April. Based on their responses, final adjustments are made to scheduling of large ensemble events in the theater as-needed.

February

If you intend to invite a guest artist to campus to participate in any kind of event (performance, workshop/masterclass, etc.) use the Guest Artist Request Form to submit a full proposal for the guest's visit.

The proposal needs to include a budget estimate, pedagogical justification for the artist's visit, and the proposed semester for the visit.

Guest Artist Request Form

March & April

If your guest artist is approved by College administration, you will need to then submit a Music Payee Request Form with a more detailed budget for your guest artist's visit.

Music Payee Request Form

Once guest artist approvals are completed, the calendar opens to scheduling for all guest and faculty recitals. Submit an Event Request form to secure a date and venue for your event.

Event Request Form

No student recital planning allowed until faculty, guest, or studio event planning is complete.

May / November

Submit the Marketing Information Form to give the Marketing Office the necessary information to begin planning promotions for your event.

  • For fall events, the Marketing Office collects information before the end of the prior spring semester.
  • For spring events, the Marketing Office collects information before the start of the winter holiday.

Marketing Information Form

*Failure to submit marketing information may result in loss of promotional support.

May / November

Submit the Marketing Information Form to give the Marketing Office the necessary information to begin planning promotions for your event.

  • For fall events, the Marketing Office collects information before the end of the prior spring semester.
  • For spring events, the Marketing Office collects information before the start of the winter holiday.

MARKETING INFORMATION FORM

*Failure to submit marketing information may result in loss of promotional support.

No student recital planning allowed until faculty, guest, or studio event planning is complete.

 

No changes or additions to events are permitted by this phase.

No changes or additions to events are permitted by this phase.

First Two Weeks of the Semester

Degree-required recitals are open for scheduling.

Third Week of the Semester

Non-degree recitals are open for scheduling.

One Month Prior to Your Event

Submit the Event Information Form to confirm production details and provide program information for your event.

Event Information Form

One Month Prior to Your Event

Submit the Event Information Form to confirm production details and provide program information for your event.

Event Information Form

Three Weeks Prior to Your Recital

Design your program using the school-provided template and then submit to the Music Programs Office for approval.

Program Template

 

Rescheduling, Venue Changes, & Cancellations

On rare occasions, it may become necessary to reschedule, modify, or cancel an event that has already been scheduled and possibly promoted to the general public. These situations can be elective or force majeure in nature. When a change does need to occur, it is important to follow the proper protocol in order to ensure that all stakeholders are informed and that the cancellation is handled professionally and efficiently.

An elective change is a decision made by the School of Music specific to a single event. These decisions should be reserved for extremely unusual circumstances; examples include sudden performer illness, travel disruptions for a guest artist, etc.

The sponsoring faculty member is responsible for initiating any conversations about rescheduling or canceling faculty recital, guest artist recital, or ensemble performance. The faculty member does NOT make any decision unilaterally; they must inform the following individuals together in writing, providing all necessary context and rationale(s) for why changes are needed. A discussion will then take place between all stakeholders and school administrators on how to best proceed.

  • Zachary Hazelwood, Director of Operations & Events Manager
  • William Kelley, Recording Engineer
  • Cullen Sadler, Marketing Coordinator
  • Leonce Clement, Creative Coordinator
  • James Byo, Director of the LSU School of Music

A force majeure change is the result of issues or emergencies beyond the control of the School of Music, and may not be limited to a single event. These situations may be affecting our buildings, the LSU campus, or city of Baton Rouge at-large; examples include extreme weather, utilities failure, or other safety-related issues.

In these types of situations, the College of Music & Dramatic Arts administrators and/or the LSU Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may direct that events be cancelled and our buildings closed to the public for a period of time, among other protective measures. If this occurs, any affected School of Music events are assumed to be cancelled.

The sponsoring faculty member does NOT need to take any direct action other than communicating with affected guest artists or performers. Communications to the public regarding force majeure cancellations are handled by the university directly.

 

Concert Programs

Programs are official University documents and, in addition to serving as a program for the recital, these documents are stored in archives to provide permanent records of School of Music activities and are used to confirm accreditation with the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). It is important that these documents be uniform and professional in appearance.

Overview

Programs for official LSU School of Music events, such as ensemble concerts, guest artist recitals, and faculty recitals, are produced by the Concert Programs team within the College of Music & Dramatic Arts Marketing Office.  Programs are provided in a hybrid physical and digital format. Up to four (4) pages of content may be included on a physical program; any excess or overflow content is published to the Program Notes webpage, with a QR code provided in the physical handout.

The event's sponsoring or primary faculty member is responsible for collecting program information and providing it to the team in a timely fashion. When collecting the information, faculty should be mindful of the following:

  • Aim for biographies between 75 to 150 words. To avoid any issues, we ask that you provide the biographies already trimmed to the appropriate length; the team does not necessarily know what is or is not important to mention.
  • Photos should always be provided for any guest artists, solo faculty members, or ensemble conductors.
  • All program and repertoire information must be provided in a clean and easy-to-understand format, and must be FINALIZED when sent.
  • Any supplemental information sent after program construction has started will NOT be included. The only exception to this rule is for emergency situations; e.g. replacing performers due to illness.
  • If the provided information exceeds what can be reasonably fit into four 8.5x5.5 pages, the Concert Programs team will communicate with the submitter regarding the balance of physical vs. digital content.

 

How To Submit

Program information is provided via the Event Information Form (located under Phase V, above) and must be submitted at least 15 business days (3 working weeks) in advance. Due to the time required for printing and folding, late submissions may result in a program being available only in a digital format. Please be aware of university or student holidays when planning your submission.

If you have questions or issues, contact the Concert Programs team at musicprograms@lsu.edu. 

 

Special Programs

In certain special circumstances, such as a concert featuring a Performing Arts Series (PAS) Guest Artist, a program may be allowed to exceed the normal page limit or require extra design elements not common to a typical program. To ensure consistent quality and manage production costs, Marketing Office and College administration will identify these unique events in advance during the summer planning period. Any new requests for programs larger than four (4) pages during the semester cannot be accommodated.

 

FAQ

Q1: What if I don't have a photo readily available for a guest artist?

A: Please contact the Concert Programs team as soon as possible. We may have resources to help obtain an appropriate photo or discuss alternative solutions to ensure a visually appealing program. In situations where we have photos for some artists, but not others, our formatting requirements generally require us to adhere to the "lowest common denominator."

 

Q2: Can I include additional content beyond the four-page limit, such as detailed composer notes?

A: Yes, this type of content is ideal for the digital Program Notes webpage. We will include a brief mention in the physical program and provide a QR code to direct interested audience members to the expanded online information.

 

Q3: My concert is rapidly approaching, and I'm worried I won't have all the information ready by the deadline. What should I do?

A: Timely communication can often prevent problems, or give us the time needed to make adjustments. The Concert Programs team will send you several reminders as we approach the deadline for your program to be produced. If there are issues with having the information ready, please communicate those to the team up front and as soon as possible.

 

Q4: Are there specific formatting requirements for submitting the program information?

A: For ease of use, a simple Word document or a similar plain text format is preferred. We kindly request you avoid sending PDFs or heavily designed documents to minimize the time it takes to format the program correctly.

Programs for degree-required student recitals are produced by the student, using an official template and style guide. These programs are then reviewed by the student's primary faculty member and the Concert Programs team for accuracy and formatting. It is the responsibility of the student to gather program information, fill out the template, and provide it to the team for review in a timely fashion.

Programs for non-required recitals are produced by the student, using an official template and style guide. These programs are not subject to review, although the student may contact the Concert Programs team if they have questions.

Download Student Recital Template

Download Recital Program Style Guide