Where It All Began: The Moment That Changed Everything

In 2011, I attended a small piano recital at the Sydney Conservatorium, where a student performed an intimate concert of Final Fantasy music. I remember sitting there, shocked—not by the performance itself, but by the sheer fact that someone was playing non-classical music in a formal recital setting. I thought to myself… wait… you can do that?!

Coming from a classical background, I had spent years believing that piano performances had to be classical—Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, the usual. Deep down inside however, my real passion was playing pop culture music—video games, anime, film scores—but I had never considered that I could actually perform this music on stage.

At that moment, a tiny seed was planted somewhere in the very far back of my brain.

Fast-forward to 2017. I attended the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary orchestral concert, and this time, something inside me shifted completely. The sheer epic scale of hearing this music performed by a full orchestra, in a packed concert hall filled with thousands of passionate fans, was overwhelming.

Then, as the pianist started playing To Zanarkand—an absolute Final Fantasy classic, I sat there and thought to myself:

I want to do this. I’m GOING to do this. Actually… I’m better than this guy!

Fueled by this sudden, bold realization, I went home, researched the company that produced the concert, and emailed them immediately. I told them about myself, my love for this music, and even offered to send video auditions.

No response.

At first, I was disappointed. But then, I had an epiphany:

Why am I waiting for someone else to give me permission? That random pianist put on a solo concert six years ago… why can’t I do it now?

That single thought turned into and idea, which turned into an obsession.

And so, I set out to produce my own concert—despite having zero experience in event planning, marketing, or concert production.

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Jumping In Without a Clue – My First Self-Produced Concert

From that moment on, the idea of putting on my own concert completely possessed me. There was just one small problem…

I had absolutely no idea how to produce a concert.

❓ Where do you even start?
❓ Do you find the venue first? But how?
❓ How do you market it?
❓ Which pieces do you pick?
❓ How do you talk to sound & lighting technicians?
❓ How do you design posters?
❓ How do you price tickets?

I had zero experience with any of this, and on top of that, it had been 12 years since I last prepared for a formal solo performance. What if I wasn’t good enough? What if no one came?

When I finally built up the courage to tell my mum about my concert, her response was:

“Why would you want to waste all that money?”

Ouch. She didn’t believe in me—and honestly, at that point, I wasn’t even sure I believed in me either.

But I did it anyway.

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The Learning Curve (AKA: Everything That Went Wrong)

I booked a 600-seat venue (what was I thinking?!), and I had 9 months to figure everything out.

✔ Taught myself Photoshop and designed all my own marketing materials.
✔ Learned how to run Facebook ads (this was before Instagram ads took over and before TikTok even existed!)
✔ Secured sponsorships with clothing and jewellery brands in exchange for advertising in my concert program.
✔ Performed for free at conventions, gaming shops & pop culture stores to promote the concert.
✔ Hired a videographer and had a friend film promotional footage.
✔ Invited reviewers and press to cover the event.

The result? I sold 250 tickets in a 600-seat venue.

Financial result? I lost $4000.

The venue alone cost $10,000, and even though I covered most of it with ticket sales, I still took a loss. I had put everything into this concert—my time, my energy, my savings—and in the end, I hate to say it but my mum was right.

But instead of seeing it as a failure, I saw it as a learning experience.

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Round Two – Learning from My Mistakes

Instead of giving up, I decided to try again—but this time, I did it smarter.

🔹 Booked a 500-seat venue that suited my demographic better.
🔹 Chose a venue with staff that actively helped with marketing.
🔹 Sold tickets through Ticketmaster, which increased visibility & credibility.
🔹 Improved my Facebook ad strategy & engagement.
🔹 Used my press reviews & professional footage from the previous concert to build my brand and endorse the upcoming concert

The result? The concert sold out, not only did I make back the $4000 I lost, and I even turned a profit!

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Final Thoughts: Should You Produce Your Own Concert?

If you’ve ever dreamed of putting on your own show—DO IT. It’s terrifying, exhausting, and requires a ridiculous amount of work… but it’s also one of the most empowering things you’ll ever do as an artist.

I started with zero experience and lost money on my first concert, but by learning from my mistakes, I built a show that sold out and launched my career as a solo concert pianist.

No one is going to give you permission. You have to take it.

📌 Want to produce your own concert? Read my step-by-step guide here! 🎶

What kind of concert would YOU love to produce? Let me know—I’d love to hear your ideas! ✨