Welcome a musician into your home or community as a volunteer host for the Canada-wide Home Routes concert tours.
Home Routes is a non-profit organization that connects rising folk artists from around the world with rural communities through a shared passion for music. During each Home Routes tour, artists perform in various rural communities across Canada, with each show hosted by a local community member.
“It is about enriching your life with culture and sharing it with your community,” said Leonard Podolak, Home Routes executive director.
Home Routes is currently seeking Manitobans to host a tour for the upcoming season starting in September. The last full tour in Manitoba took place in 2019 before being interrupted by the pandemic.
As a host, you will welcome six different artists into your home or community, providing them with a performance venue, overnight accommodations, and breakfast. The venue can be your home or a communal space such as a church or arena, as long as it can accommodate at least 30 audience members.
“You are contributing to the development of an artist’s career,” said Podolak. ”It is an amazing opportunity to get together and share and uncover Canadian culture.”
Shows are scheduled once a month in September, October, November, March, April, and May, featuring different performers each time. As a host, you will need to promote the concert in your community by creating posters and engaging the public. You will also be responsible for selling concert tickets and presenting the ticket proceeds to the artists.
Previous hosts from across the country have expressed the benefits of participating in the tour.
“We have had the privilege of meeting interesting and highly skilled musicians through Home Routes. Learning about how these musicians live and make a living is humbling. The beauty of music pulls us together as Canadians and as lovers of music across the globe,” said a host from Baldur.
Podolak encourages you to collaborate with others in the community if you wish to host only one artist. As long as a concert stop can be maintained, multiple hosts are welcome to participate.
“It is an exciting experience being a host because you are meeting somebody who has travelled around the world. So, take this opportunity to get involved and shape the face of a musician’s career.”
Applying to become a host is simple—just fill out a form online at www.homeroutes.ca, and a member of the Home Routes team will contact you.
