planning your own tour

[saypiano]

I was wondering if it is possible to plan your own tour, of course as a classical piano player.

I always wondered how famous people got so many opportunities to travel and perform, and it must be because they planned it and set it up on their own.

Maybe I am wrong, but I can't seem to find any information on this anywhere...


Thanks,

VV

[Bob]

I remember hearing something about a person who spent half the year practicing and half the year performing. 

If it's an independent person, I would imagine they're spending at least half their time planning or promoting themselves and doing business end things.

The major people would have an agent or some place handling all that.

[lostinidlewonder]

It seems to me quite an ambitious approach to a concerting career to start touring immediately. Usually one starts out in their territory and then move out from there. If you can do it in a small hall you can do it in the world concert hall, it is a matter of sharpening the "performance sword" enough so you do not worry about the presentation of your music. Then you can focus all your attention to the marketing and promotion as Bob pointed out, this is THE most important part of managing a successful concert event.

Managing the money is very important also because in preparing major concerts you will often be out of pocket a few thousand dollars, so getting all the seats filled is your responsibility do not just hope that people will come. You will have to do a lot of free preview concerts in targeted places, advertising may include fliers, newspaper articles (get the local, state newspaper to do a story on you). Sometimes local radio stations have a section where they talk about events coming up in the area, see if you can't get yourself to talk on there and introduce yourself a local who is doing a piano concert (something which is a rare treat everywhere in the world). The real secret to marketing is your networking, get to know the right people, introduce yourself to members of local government, social groups, churches, schools, get to know your community, get to know concert hall managers well, give them free tickets to your event, give out free tickets and invitations to your piano concert events to as many VIPs you can think of, if they are impressed with your first concert they will spread the word and when you hit the location a 2nd time a lot more people will be ready to come and know about you.

Get to know the stage staff as well, lighting, sound technicians, stage manager etc. Be friendly with them and ask about their ideas on how the stage should be presented, perhaps even highlight ideas you would like them to try out as a matter of presentation for your concert. I remember asking them to change lighting colors to blue when I played a water piece etc, color to highlight mood of your playing. This is only one aspect I could rattle on forever. The thing is, the more of a friendship you build with the stage staff the better they will work for you, if you never talk to them and just let them do everything on their own you may not get what you like, you also miss out in understanding an important part of your concert preparation. Most famous concert pianists have managers to deal with all of this, they only have to play. To me this is rather impersonal but each to their own, famous concert pianists do hundreds of concerts a year.

Freelance concert pianists however need to know their craft more personally. They need to know the ins and outs of how a concert is prepared, managed and promoted. You have to become a lighting technician, stage decorator, sound manager, ticket seller, accountant, public relations, etc. You may not know everything but you know who can help you to get the answers and why this improves your concert event.

It is also very important that you have people working with you to help you with this project. It is a daunting and impossible task to do on your own. If I didn't have my family and friends support during concerting I think my task would be many many times more difficult (heart attack stress level work!)