Two gents with guitar + mandolin
Saettele Studio, St. Louis - 1894

Concert Booking Info

Updated for 2025

Ken Lelen

609-306-8711 - mobile

609-730-9313 – office

PO Box 64 Titusville NJ 08560

www.KenLelen.blogspot.com

Kenneth.Lelen @ gmail.com

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This post addresses typical program, budget, logistics & publicity issues that concert hosts investigate when they're planning an event. 

Over the past 25 years I've found such matters can easily be covered in a 15-minute phone call. Nevertheless, some folks today are only willing to deal with such issues in a back-and-forth stream of texts and emails. Still, I'll always welcome a chance to talk directly with a concert host — the person I'm going to work with to deliver an event.

I perform concerts for a diverse group of small & medium-sized venues, including churches, arts & culture commissions, public libraries, life-care communities, acoustic music clubs, social, charitable & fraternal groups, community colleges and local senior centers. Each weighs a distinct mix of considerations as they assess program content, budget, logistics and publicity for an event.

Given the range of venues and events I work on, I find it difficult to set a one-price-fits-all fee for individual concerts. Instead, I tell prospective sponsors the fees I received in the last year were modest — ranging between $300 and $600 per concert and averaging $475.

Then I ask three questions: Which of my two dozen concert themes will suit your audience? What dates do you prefer? And what budget do you propose for this event?

Not surprisingly, when we reach the nitty-gritty of a booking call, every host wants to negotiate their fee, jockey back and forth on a preferred date, and discuss a concert theme that will please their audience – the folks I'm going to entertain. These are familiar pursuits for me as well.

        ADDITONAL BOOKING DETAILS

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Concerts offer ragtime, swing, jazz & pop music,

playing of vintage American acoustic guitars and

programs on historic, romantic, musical themes.

I request 6 ft table, one bottle water, staff intro.

I bring sound system, guitars + equipment cart.

I request 45-minute set-up and 30 min. re-pack.

I insist on NO cells, texts, videos during concert.

Concerts range from 60 to 90 mins w/o a break.

Adult & senior audience age range: 40-90 years.

I check that my audiences can all hear me, and

I inform them when we’re nearing concert’s end.

I do not sell merch, CDs, tee shirts or literature.

 

Always booking dates 2 - 18 months in advance.

I send hosts one-page Concert Letter or Voucher

to be signed by both parties with Invoice & W-9.

Also offer PR release, photo, poster & bookmark.

Payment of concert fee—expected at event.

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Please Note:

Ken Lelen is 2x vaccinated and 3x boosted for Covid-19,

maintains a current Certificate of Liability Insurance and

has N.J. Business Registration Certificate.

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© 2025 — Ken Lelen — All Rights Reserved

                    Performance Booking Info

                                                          Ken Lelen

                                                  PO Box 64 Titusville NJ 08560

                                                            609-306-8711

                                                      Kenneth.Lelen@gmail.com

                                                    www.KenLelen.blogspot.com

_________________________________________________________

 

     Music              Great American ragtime, swing, jazz favorites

                            American vintage acoustic steel-string guitars

                            Historic, romantic + musical Program Themes

     Venues           Libraries, senior communities, arts councils,

                            museums, music clubs, community soirées,

                            senior centers, service groups, social clubs.

    Concerts          Solo with vintage acoustic guitar + sound system

                            60-, 75- or 90-min events — without intermission 

                            Booking 2-18 months ahead - Perform 7 days/wk

                           

    Provides          Performance Agreement, Invoice, W-9 Form

                            Poster, bookmarks, countercard, PR release

                            Event dates at www.KenLelen.blogspot.com

    Dates/Fees      What dates, fee and terms do you propose?

                            What Program Theme is preferred for event?

                            Programs © Ken Lelen - no cells, video, text

    Requests          All Fees Paid @ Event - check, cash, Paypal

                            Power, 6-ft table, bottled water + host intro

                            Arrive 60 mins prior — allow setup + repack

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                                      © 2020 Kenneth Lelen - All Rights Reserved

Event logistics, publicity, contracts & fees

Updated for 2017 and 2018 concert seasons

I'm often asked about the logistics, publicity, contracts and performance fees for my concerts. Rather than let uncommunicated assumptions (your or mine) drive our booking discussions, here are the elements I offer, requests I make and the terms I negotiate.

"He who has the talent to instruct, amuse or entertain needs no
passport. All doors fly open at his touch."  —  From 1933 cover
of the "Old Ohio Moon" orchestration for the Hawaiian guitar by
Oahu Publg. Co., Cleveland, Ohio

Logistics
I bring four to six vintage acoustic guitars to every concert for an authentic sound. Ranging in age from 60 to 125 years, my guitars are precious period pieces and integral to every Vintage Music Concert.

I also bring a good sound system. It includes speakers perched on tripods and high-quality microphones on stands — one for the voice, one for the guitar.

I perform 75- to 90-minute indoor concerts with a program theme and without an intermission. Seated theater-style, my audiences have ranged in size from 35 to 350 people. In the past 17 years these events have taken place morning, noon and night, weekdays and weekends, in the following variety of spaces:

  •  galleries, retail showrooms, classrooms, boardrooms, function rooms
  •  auditoriums, multi-purpose rooms, country club ballrooms, gymnasiums
  •  hallways, conference rooms, solariums, foyers, libraries, chamber rooms
  •  churches, basements, coffeehouses, lobbies, theaters, railway waiting room
  •  museums, living rooms, patios, bookstores, dining rooms, lounges, gardens

I need access to electric power, a six-foot-long conference table to display the guitars and one bottled water at room temperature. It takes 45 minutes to set up this equipment, tune up my guitars and address last-minute issues. I need a similar 45-minute period for pack-up after the concert.

I request a brief intro from my host. My concerts are intimate enough that I ask there are no cellphone calls, texting and videos at the event. Likewise, video or audio taping by hosts are prohibited without prior permission. I remain after a concert to answer any and all audience questions or discuss vintage music and vintage guitars.

Publicity
I can send hosts multiple copies of an 8½ x 11-in. color poster on card stock. Other publicity materials are available as well, including PDFs and Word® files of my posters, promotional postcards and bookmarks for libraries. I can also send press releases to concert sponsors for distribution to their local media.

My website — www.KenLelen.blogspot.com — has a current tour calendar, links to music videos, photos and background info on Vintage Music Concerts. These resources are useful to hosts as they plan their posters, invitations, press kits, sponsor materials and promotions.

Contracts and fees
I receive emails from folks who ask my fee but don't reveal a date, program or budget. Truth to tell, I don't have a one-size-fits-all fee for them. I work for a variety of venues, sponsors and facilities, and compensation for these events varies as well.

I usually ask what date, program, concert theme and budget are proposed. I'd like to know what kind of event I'm offered, how it fits my tour schedule, what logistic issues are present, and what concert themes are possible. As important to me are the scope of an event, expected audience, publicity plans and budget. 

Once we air the major issues, it's not a big step to discuss terms for logistics, publicity and fee. This process occurs in one or two phone calls, not in endless rivers of emails.

I perform upon receipt of my signed, one-page contract. It encapsulates event terms, conditions and fee we discussed. I will supply an invoice, W-9 form, voucher or P.O., and publicity materials. But I don't show up unless the contract is signed and I don't sing unless I'm handed a check at the event.

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©  2017  Kenneth  Lelen  —  All  Rights  Reserved

               

Now Booking for 2015 + 2016

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If you're ready to plan concerts or special events in the coming year, please call 609-730-9313. I sing great American jazz and swing, play vintage guitars and present shows with romantic, historic and musical concert themes. I can offer you an event that's memorable for your group and rewarding for you.

N.Y. Times, Princeton Packet, Augusta Chronicle, northjersey.com, WBUR radio and other media have praised my rapport with audiences and sponsors at hundreds of East Coast venues and events, including:

   •   public libraries — senior villages — museums — house concerts
   •   music and art centers — social clubs — antiques and crafts fairs
   •   receptions—for your volunteers, anniversary, patrons, directors

Audiences call my concerts "entertaining" and "educational," while sponsors call them "a hit with audiences" and "easy to promote."
 
You can visit Vintage Music Concerts for tour dates, concert themes, videos, etc., but to book your best date, call 609-730-931 now! 

I look forward to hearing from you. Until then, take care.

     Ken.
 
    Each year Vintage Music Concerts take me up & down the East Coast
    in as many as a dozen tours. In addition to frequent concerts across the
    MidAtlantic, this year's Concert Schedule offers four New England tours,
    one tour in western Pennsylvania and at least three Southeastern tours.
    It means I'll likely visit your area multiple times in 2015 and can offer you
    several dates we can schedule your concert or special event.

Please call 609-730-9313 to book a great concert. 
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                         © 2015 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Now Booking for 2012 ... and 2013
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Hello and Happy New Year!

Here's exciting news from Vintage Music Concerts.

As many folks know, I sing ragtime jazz and swing, play vintage acoustic guitars and tell amusing anecdotes at concerts. In the past decade these stories, intros and comments have evolved into several musical, romantic and historic themes.

Concert  Themes  –––––––––––––––––––––

      Legendary Loves             1926 - 1946

      A Fine Romance              1940 - 1956

      Tin Pan Icons                  1912 - 1935

      Ragtime Rascals              1912 - 1929

      Sunny Side Of Street       1930 - 1939

      Jazzman's Journey            1918 - 1935

      Big Band Idols                 1925 - 1955

      Juke-Joint Jivin'                1934 - 1945

      Folksong Boomers             1949 - 1968

      Vintage Guitars+Songs      20s-30s-40s

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

So, when you book one of my themed concerts, it's now easy to promote an event that's memorable for your group — and rewarding for you.

Last month program directors, excited about my Concert Themes, booked more than 45 concerts in 2012 and 2013. So I've opened additional tours in the MidAtlantic, New England, Southeast and Midwest to accommodate the venues' schedules — and my travel plans.

So grab a calendar and CALL 609-730-9313 NOW for your best date.

Thanks. I look forward to performing a special concert for your group.

~  Ken

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        © 2012 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

About Ken Lelen

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                                    Photo: Mike Nixon
Ken Lelen — vocals & vintage guitars

Vintage guitarist Ken Lelen sings ragtime, swing and jazz tunes from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, and pairs each song with a vintage guitar from the same era for an authentic sound. “Folks love these songs and they’re pleasantly surprised by the robust sound and classy appeal of my vintage guitars,” he says.

     Lelen's concerts are popular with diverse groups and sundry venues, including music and arts centers, churches, clubs, libraries, museums, retirement villages and on radio. He currently performs more than 100 concerts a year across the MidAtlantic, Southeast, New England and Midwest states.

     Each Vintage Music Concert is filled with clever lyrics, catchy tunes and amusing anecdotes about Drug Store Cowboys, Swing Shift Maisies, Stage Door Johnnies and Tin Pan Alley Artists. Given his affinity for the amiable tunes and beguiling sentiments of the American Songbook, his concerts are renown for upbeat acoustic renditions of ragtime, jazz and swing classics.

     A former journalist, Lelen has played acoustic, steel-stringed guitar for 48 years and brings to concerts several early 20th-Century guitars, including some previously owned by notable players. Whether built by Gibson, Harmony, Larson, Martin, Regal, Schmidt, Vega or Washburn, each makes music that's striking for its tone, character and sustain — without pick-ups, gizmos or gimmicks.

     Last year Vintage Music Concerts celebrated its 10th anniversary. In the past decade Lelen has learned that playing a concert is like making love to an audience. "Nowadays, when people ask me what do I do for a living, I say, 'I sing love songs. What do you do?' "

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© 2011 Ken Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Now Booking for 2011
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We've begun booking concerts for the 2011 season.
     In recent weeks begun hearing from program directors at libraries, retirement villages, JCCs, acoustic music clubs, recreation departments, churches, senior centers, arts centers, museums, theaters, social clubs and other venues. So we've begun scheduling 2011 concerts and tours for the Ken Lelen Combo across the East Coast.
     Our tours vary by routing, availability or planning cycle. But we regularly update the current Performance Schedule on this website, so event planners always have the latest info on booked concerts, open dates and regions served.
     Lest it go unsaid, I welcome calls at 609-730-9313. We can plan your concert, discuss a program or review dates to suit your schedule. We look forward to working with you and performing for your group, community or venue. Until then, take care.
     Thank you kindly.   Ken

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© 2010 Kenneth Lelen - All Rights Reserved

Photographs and written materials may not be reproduced without permission.

Tough times in the Great Recession

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© 2010 by Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

 

The Great Recession has cut into the number of events I book, the number of concerts I perform, when and if I'm paid for a performance, and the ways event planners and hosts work with entertainers. While most conduct themselves in a solid way, the past 18 months has been rife with less than professional working methods by some of the people who book concerts at venues and communities. 

 

As a result, this year I had to work extra hard to retain the 88 gigs I booked for 2010. Planned between the fall of 2009 and spring of 2010, I saw slippage in my confirmed concerts by mid-summer. It also was hard to get contracts signed and returned. By September I’d seen 12 cancellations by some of the 60 venues that had booked me for one or more events in 2010. 

 

Most cancellations are due to budget cuts at venues. In some cases a concert was booked prior to budget approval. Three months after a booking a program director cancels an event when they realize they don't have the money or their boss told them not to spend the money. 

 

It means less live music for audiences at East Coast venues. For guys like me it means a tougher time scheduling, booking and performing concerts.

 
Perturbing cancellations abound
The resident services person at Collington Life Care Center in Mitchellville, MD eliminated a fall concert two weeks before an event. Why? Her administrator had eliminated the community’s program budget for the balance of 2010.

Another cancellation was announced by a program person at Atria in Rye Brook, NY, who lacked budget approval. I was “accidentally booked,” the program host said. When she refused to reschedule a date or renegotiate terms, I learned she never had the authority to book a concert like mine in the first place.

One vexing cancel came from Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington DC. In early June a recreation coordinator set a November date. In late June I got an email saying her manager's approval was expected. I sent a contract for the gig.

Two months passed without return of a signed contract or word from the rec person. So I sent three emails and left two voice-mail messages. A week later I finally received the following email message:

                    "I apologize about the delay. I had to wait on the 2011
                    budget to get approved. Unfortunately, there is no money
                    for additional programs such as the one we spoke about
                    [for] November. If you have any more questions please
                    feel free to call or e-mail me. Once again a [sic] apologize
                    for the inconvenience."

At least I got an answer, although I didn't "feel free to call or e-mail" her. Why? Few program people return voice mails or emails. I guess they think I will take the hint and go away. Others, I suspect, don't have the skills to navigate their voice mail machinery.

Unbusiness-like behavior
I found it fitting for me to cancel a concert if a program person displayed what I call "unbusiness-like behavior." Three recent examples come to mind.

Program managers at Brightview Assisted Living in East Norriton, PA, Mansion at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD, and Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville, MD booked a Vintage Music Concert and even signed my contract.

However, two months later each sent their own contract with new terms and conditions we had not discussed — and which I could not meet.

All three refused to discuss the mix-up (“Take it or leave it,” one said.). All three did not want to examine new, mutually agreeable terms.

In each case I thought something was fishy, but I'll never know the reason why they conduct their business this way. Frankly, I find it hard to work with people who operate like that.

Signed contracts were cancelled 
Two cancellations occurred after contracts were sent, signed and returned to me in a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Why? The program person at each site explained, “People changed their mind.”

One came from Colonnades retirement village in Charlottesville, VA. The other came from Maryland Masonic Homes in Cockeysville, MD. Neither person was willing to explain the cancellation, reschedule the event or renegotiate contract terms. Gasp!

Was it something I said or did? I'll never know. In my experience these cancels are caused by budget cuts, sloppy records, inept hosts and poorly balanced programs. All too often these cancels are the result of poor communications by program people and their colleagues.

It pisses me off when these people to act as if their text messages or emails are the same as talking to people. You know, like over a phone or in person. In case no one told you, they aren't.

But nowadays, when people want to cancel a contract with no human interaction or believable explanation, they just send an email. See, wasn't that easy?

One hand ignorant of other hand
Cancellations occur when one person is responsible for concert schedules and booking, while another is responsible for budgets. All too often, neither knows what the other does.

What's more, neither tells me who has the real authority, although it's usually the money person who is not on the property when my concerts occur. Sadly, I'm left to sort out their inconsistent stories and duplicitous actions.

That's what happened with the concert hosts and finance person at Concordia Haven Apartments in Cabot, PA. They played good cop/bad cop with me and the concert booking fell apart.

The concert team booked me, while the finance person, who managed the overall budget, did not return my payment inquiries. "I don't know how to get calls out of my voice mail," she told me when I finally reached her.

The result was a concert booking that fell apart. It was a waste of resources and human energy for both parties. In my view, it also damaged their credibility as business people and responsible adults.

Who's responsible here?
Ultimately, it may not matter if I have a signed contract to deliver a concert to a venue. If the responsible parties at a community want to ignore a contract they signed, forget it was received, or change the payment set-up, they just do it. I may still get a gig and the venue may still get a program, but no one seems to be responsible for their part in the endeavor.

After I inquired about a long-overdue contract made by a retirement village in Manchester, CT, the program person told me: "Not sure what became of the contract."

Likewise, the director of a New Jersey library once told me: "It's lost on my desk somewhere, but we've got you covered."

Performer cancellations
If a performer cancels an event, don't expect equivalency from the venue. In 11 years I've had dozens of concerts cancelled by venues at the last minute. What a pain.

In 11 years I've cancelled only one event at the last minute. In 2005 my infirm, 78-year-old mother went into hospice a few days before a concert I'd planned at Beaumont in Bryn Mawr, PA. Realizing the difficulties I'd have performing, I began calling to reschedule the event.

Mom died on the day of the concert, but the program person never returned any of more than a dozen calls I made. For all I know she thought I was a no-show and saw no reason to return any of my messages.

So many performers cancel at the last minute that program people say they've learned to expect cancellations. It comes with the territory, they say.

It doesn’t matter that I don’t work that way. I’m just one more old-timey song singer among many, they say. In my view, when such attitudes prevail at the venues, it only reinforces the nasty way things work out for both sides.

For the record
For the record I work with venues and hosts to deliver entertainment to their patrons, neighbors and residents. I don't work for them. We are partners — not employer and employee — in the business of entertaining audiences.

Apparently this view does not prevail at some of the communities and venues plying their way through the Great Recession. So, the best I may be able to say is, "Thanks for listening to my music."

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© 2010 by Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved