It’s been a few weeks and I feel like I’ve finally recovered from the craziness of the high season. First off, I’d like to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to my “Timeless” concert, which was the final instalment of my 2023 Travel By Sound Series. It was my most ambitious project to date, with a string orchestra and my band, plus several premieres of new music.
I don’t know if I can adequately describe the amount of work that went into producing and presenting this series, and this final concert in particular! I can say that planning began in March 2023, that I rounded up 11 business partners and sponsors, put up posters, created websites, payment portals, tickets, ad creative, social media campaigns, and press releases… on top of the regular “artistic” duties of hiring musicians, scheduling rehearsals, liaising with venues and of course, writing music and actually practicing it!
Probably the most stressful part of the whole process was worrying about how well the shows would be attended. If you’re an avid supporter of the arts, know that advance ticket sales are what allow artists like me to sleep at night and have the energy and focus to devote to my craft instead of worrying about imminent and disastrous failure. I did actually have another show (not in this series) get cancelled because of poor advance ticket sales… so the fear was real! And with so many supporters behind me, I felt obligated to deliver and succeed.
I will admit that in the weeks leading up to “Timeless,” I questioned whether I would try to pull off something of this magnitude again. In fact, I’m even quoted in an interview leading up to the show as saying that I would like to focus on smaller venues and house concerts in the near future.
Thankfully, “Timeless” turned out to be a smashing success:) The hall was nearly sold out. The general manager of Market Hall, Chad Hogan, called it “one of the most moving & successful shows I have ever seen from a local musician.” I’ve also received many personal notes from people in the audience, and ultimately, that’s what I do this for. It’s the personal connections that I can make with you that make it all seem worthwhile in the end. So much so that instead of going smaller next year… I may go bigger:)