Synthony has evolved from a one-off show in Auckland to a global phenomenon. Photo: Supplied
Lights, strings, action: Sythony started as a small, one-off show in Auckland nearly a decade ago. Today, it's selling out venues around the world.
There is something electric in the air.
It is a feeling, a movement, a beat.
It is called Synthony.
Born in New Zealand from a one-off idea back in 2016, Synthony has gone from an ambitious fusion of classical music and electronic dance hits to a global phenomenon, and it is not slowing down.
"From the first meeting, I thought this could be a global brand like Cirque du Soleil - if it can work in Auckland, why couldn't it work in New York, London and Perth, Milan and Singapore," says Synthony boss David Higgins.
"I could see that potential. The name, in itself, is magic ... it's genius, a merger between 'synergy' and 'symphony', it's a magic one-word brand.
"The show's a magic experience. It's a breathtaking collision of electronic dance music with full live orchestra, guest vocalists, and immersive visuals.
"Synthony is definitely on track to be a loved, global brand, born out of Auckland."
Higgins is the second owner of Synthony, which he bought in 2018, a year after the first show was held at the Auckland Town Hall. That show cost less than $20,000, and about 2500 people attended.
Synthony boss David Higgins. Photo: Photosport
He bought it within a few months of that first business meeting with original owners, David Elmsly, a New Zealand pilot, and his then-partner Erika Amoore, a DJ, music producer and accountant.
"I paid them well," Higgins tells The Detail.
"An accountant could argue it was worth nothing, there was nothing trademarked, it hadn't made money and it was a punt ... so some could say it had no value but I balanced that with where I could see it going and we ended up paying what I thought was a fair price and a bit of an earn out," he says.
Higgins is owner of Duco Events, which has a history in boxing and sports gigs.
Once he added Synthony to his portfolio, he moved it from the Town Hall to Spark Arena, then Auckland Domain - where 40 thousand attended this year - and took it on the road around the country, then overseas.
It quickly struck a chord.
This bold idea to bring orchestral gravitas to dancefloor bangers became a multi-city juggernaut, with sold-out venues and top performers asking to be a part of it.
"One of the attractive things about Synthony is it's brand-driven, rather than [based around] any one person," Higgins says. "We made an internal rule that there are no egos, there is no cult personality, there will be no one person in the lights ... it's a brand.
"We treat everyone equally. Synthony is the hero, and we give opportunities to younger talent and enthusiastic talent that might not otherwise get as many opportunities, and that way we can run shows wherever we want, whenever we want.
"We book local orchestras; we find local talent ... and this gives us huge freedom to go global."
He says the key to their global success has been creating a "top-quality" Synthony YouTube channel.
"We have been investing money in filming content live and creating nice videos ... and since we have been doing that, we have had booking enquiries from around the world. In the last year, we performed on the start line of Formula One Las Vegas, for example, we opened a resort in Greece, we have performed in Mexico ... and we are in talks for shows in London and a European tour.
"There are so many opportunities.
"They call it a 'J-curve' in business terms, where something builds for a long time, then there's a tipping point and it starts to take off ... and we are hoping we are on that J-curve and that it's about to blow up, globally."
Closer to home, he is about to launch Full Metal Orchestra at Spark Arena in Auckland next month. He says it is "a breathtaking collision of symphonic power and hard rock energy," and the show is already nearly sold out.
Then it is New York, Australia, France and Calgary.
And just who will be dancing up a storm, jiggling and sweating together in the audience?
While billed as a family event, Synthony is becoming increasingly popular with aged millennials, Gen X, and boomers, females in particular, who are booking babysitters and reliving their youth.
It is about nostalgia and the power of music to connect people. It is a movement.
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