Synthony rocks the world stage
Photo:
Supplied
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.
Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail
here
.
You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on
or following us on
.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scoop
12 minutes ago
- Scoop
Mānuka Phuel Synthony Festival To Return In March 2026
Press Release – Duco Touring Duco Touring has today announced the date for New Zealand's biggest one-day music event Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival, returning in 2026! The festival will take place on Saturday 21 March, 2026 and will return to Auckland Domain. The 2025 event had record-breaking attendance, with the headline act SYNTHONY performing to an impressive sold-out crowd of 40,000. The $1.8 million dollar production featured 2000 working personnel plus 316 artists and performers. Following a successful double-header event this weekend at Spark Arena, with 10,000 Kiwi's attending Mānuka Phuel FULL METAL ORCHESTRA and SYNTHONY ORIGINS, Duco Touring are excited to continue to bring high-quality experiences to New Zealanders year-round. Duco Touring Founder David Higgins commented: 'After a massive turnout in 2025, and an incredible atmosphere across this weekend's events, we knew we had to bring SYNTHONY Festival back to the Domain. In 2026, we're planning to scale up every aspect, from the stage production to the artist line-up. SYNTHONY Festival will continue to be a destination event for fans nationwide.' Described as 'an enduring success' and 'enjoyable for everyone' (NZ Herald) and 'a magical farewell to summer' (RNZ) following Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival 2025, punters can expect the same unparalleled festival experience, local and international artists, world-class immersive visuals, and some of the biggest dance tracks of all time reimagined. 'Following the roaring success of last year, we're proud to once again come on board as the headline sponsor for Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival 2026,' said Alex McDonald, Co-Creator of Mānuka Phuel. 'Our partnership with SYNTHONY across multiple events in 2025 has proved to be the perfect collision of energy, sound, and culture — and embodies everything Mānuka Phuel stands for. We're proud to return in 2025 to phuel what we believe is one of the most powerful and unmissable live music experiences Auckland has to offer.' Tātaki Auckland Unlimited's CE Nick Hill says: 'We're proud to support the return of Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival in 2026. Last year's event was a phenomenal success, drawing a record-breaking crowd and creating an unforgettable experience in the heart of Auckland. It's exactly the kind of world-class, homegrown event that showcases our region's energy, creativity and love of music. We're thrilled to invest in its future on behalf of Auckland Council and can't wait to see it light up the Domain once again.' The first, stellar line-up will be revealed in early August. Presale registration is open now, with presale and general on-sale mid August.


Scoop
42 minutes ago
- Scoop
Mānuka Phuel Synthony Festival To Return In March 2026
Duco Touring has today announced the date for New Zealand's biggest one-day music event Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival, returning in 2026! The festival will take place on Saturday 21 March, 2026 and will return to Auckland Domain. The 2025 event had record-breaking attendance, with the headline act SYNTHONY performing to an impressive sold-out crowd of 40,000. The $1.8 million dollar production featured 2000 working personnel plus 316 artists and performers. Following a successful double-header event this weekend at Spark Arena, with 10,000 Kiwi's attending Mānuka Phuel FULL METAL ORCHESTRA and SYNTHONY ORIGINS, Duco Touring are excited to continue to bring high-quality experiences to New Zealanders year-round. Duco Touring Founder David Higgins commented: 'After a massive turnout in 2025, and an incredible atmosphere across this weekend's events, we knew we had to bring SYNTHONY Festival back to the Domain. In 2026, we're planning to scale up every aspect, from the stage production to the artist line-up. SYNTHONY Festival will continue to be a destination event for fans nationwide.' Described as 'an enduring success' and 'enjoyable for everyone' (NZ Herald) and 'a magical farewell to summer' (RNZ) following Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival 2025, punters can expect the same unparalleled festival experience, local and international artists, world-class immersive visuals, and some of the biggest dance tracks of all time reimagined. 'Following the roaring success of last year, we're proud to once again come on board as the headline sponsor for Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival 2026,' said Alex McDonald, Co-Creator of Mānuka Phuel. 'Our partnership with SYNTHONY across multiple events in 2025 has proved to be the perfect collision of energy, sound, and culture — and embodies everything Mānuka Phuel stands for. We're proud to return in 2025 to phuel what we believe is one of the most powerful and unmissable live music experiences Auckland has to offer.' Tātaki Auckland Unlimited's CE Nick Hill says: 'We're proud to support the return of Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival in 2026. Last year's event was a phenomenal success, drawing a record-breaking crowd and creating an unforgettable experience in the heart of Auckland. It's exactly the kind of world-class, homegrown event that showcases our region's energy, creativity and love of music. We're thrilled to invest in its future on behalf of Auckland Council and can't wait to see it light up the Domain once again.' The first, stellar line-up will be revealed in early August. Presale registration is open now, with presale and general on-sale mid August.

RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
Worlds of Music 27 July, 2025
Paul Ubana Jones performing live in the Auckland studio for NZ Live. 1 July 2016. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. Ballaké Sissoko "Ma-Ma" FC Ballaké Sissoko Chamber Music No Format Dudley Benson hounds of love Kate Bush The Awakening Live Series Vol. 1 Adnan Joubran Signs of Madness (feat. Jorge Pardo) Adnan Joubran Borders Behind Harmonia Mundi Agnes Obel Riverside Agnes Obel Philharmonics PIAS Andy McKee Art Of Motion Andy McKee Dreamcatcher CandyRat Records Orchestre Laye Thiam Sanga Té Orchestre Laye Thiam Senegal 70 (Sonic Gems from the 70s) Analog Africa Adam Del Monte Neshemá (Tarantas) Adam Del Monte Mi Camino Flamenco . . . journey To a New World Tresona Multi Media Los Lobos La Pistola y el Corazón Los Lobos La Pistola y el Corazón Slash/Warner Music Paul Ubana Jones Mountain Song P U Jones Paul Ubana Jones Pagan Al Andalus Ensemble, Tarik Banzi & Julia Banzi Afghano Tarik Banzi & Julia Banzi Rough Guide to the Best Arabic Music You've Never Heard World Music Network