You’ve decided to host a live piano performance for yourself or another pianist. Great! Live performances are a great way to showcase your craft, plus they give you the chance to perform for an audience.

Those that perform live find that they can advance their musical career, attract new fans, improve their presentation skills, and more. Some may even reach the point where they can charge for their live performance, therefore earning an income.

As appealing as a live performance is, however, many might not know where to start when organizing a live piano performance. And if not set-up correctly, that live performance can quickly go downhill.

One of the very first things you’re going to want to do is to begin to develop a program. Your program should be developed with your audience in mind. Know what will make your intended audience want to attend the performance. For example, if the performance is intended for those in a retirement community, you’ll want to research songs that would appeal to the elderly. Once you have an idea of what you’re going to play, you can start to rehearse.

Your next goal should be to find a venue. Try to find a location that is close to where your primary audience lives. Nobody is going to travel several hours away to see you unless you’re a well-known pianist! While considering potential spaces, think about if the room is large enough to accommodate how many people you anticipate coming to your performance. However, don’t go with too large of a location; you want the venue to look full, not empty!

If you’re planning on charging people to come to the performance, think about how you’re going to manage ticket sales before you begin advertising. For example, can you find a way to accept electronic payment, or are you only able to accept physical payment? You’ll also want to consider whether you want to hand out physical tickets or create an RSVP list. If you do physical tickets, make sure the name, date, and time of the performance are on the ticket.

If you want people to actually attend the performance, make sure to start advertising several months in advance. There are lots of creative ways to market events! Social media is a great way to reach a wide audience, but you shouldn’t overlook the value of hanging up posters at the venue or around town. If you have the skillset, you should consider creating a website that contains the full details of the event. Link to the website as often as possible.

There is quite a bit of thought that needs to go into setting up a venue. For example, not only do you need to know where your piano is going to go, but you’re also going to need to think about your sound and light system. In addition to those logistics, don’t forget to think about seating! Seating should be angled so that everyone can see the pianist unless the performance is taking place in a venue such as a pub.

On the day of the performance, make sure to get there extra early to set-up the venue. You’ll want to make sure that all sound is working and that everything is ready to go before the audience arrives. Nobody is going to want to wait around for the performance to start. So make sure the piano is there, you have your amplifier set-up, and the chairs are ready! Don’t forget to tape down any loose cords so that nobody gets hurt.

Depending on your needs, consider organizing help that can be available, whether it is greeting guests as they arrive or solving tech-related concerns. If you’re the pianist, you can’t be in multiple places at once! Finding people that are willing to help you set-up the performance ensures everything goes as smoothly as possible. You may also discover that people have specific skill sets that they’re willing to offer. That friend that specialists in graphic design might be the perfect person to design your programs!

When it comes to organizing a live performance, start planning several months in advance. Live performances are one of those things you won’t want to rush through at the last minute. Your audience will be able to tell if there was a lack of organization, which could harm your reputation as a pianist.

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