Horn player Tom Allen is about to graduate from the Australian National Academy of Music - an elite training ground for future performers.
But his three years at the academy have been spent in its temporary home at Melbourne's Abbotsford Convent, where space is at a premium.
The academy was housed at the South Melbourne Town Hall for decades, until the roof of the historic building collapsed in 2018.
Students training to play with the world's top orchestras need dedicated space, similar to the nation's elite athletes, Allen said.
"We put a lot of emphasis on sport here but I think music can stand alongside that," he told AAP.
"And when this is finished, I think we'll show what classical music is capable of."
The $125 million town hall redevelopment has been funded by the federal government and local council, with $35 million in philanthropic donations.
As the rebuild nears completion, the academy has called on the Victorian government to provide $10 million for theatre and external lighting, as well as performance instruments.
It's not the first time the institution has asked the state for funding: it first approached the Victorian government back in 2019 with little success, according to project director Nick Bailey.
"It's annoying that the state government won't come to the party given the success the academy has had finding funding elsewhere," he told AAP.
The latest request comes ahead of the Victorian election on November 28.
The government and opposition have been contacted for comment.
"I think we all know that there's a budget hole and I think that so-called secondary commitments have been put on the back burner," Greens candidate Sonya Semmens told AAP.
"And I think that's just the wrong decision."
Bailey estimates the town hall could host 400 shows each year, revitalising South Melbourne by bringing trade to local businesses and making the area safer at night.
With two main performance spaces of 400 and 150 seats, it will also meet a shortage of smaller performance venues in the city, which can be hired for events such as the Comedy Festival.
