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!