Review Centre: Pianists (Classical)

"I contacted Louise prior to our wedding which was held on the 26 August 2022 at St Mary at the Elms Church in Ipswich. I found Louise very helpful when it came to making arrangements, I planned to hold our reception at the Dove Inn, St Helens Street, Ipswich. One might think this was not a very posh venue for a wedding and one would be right. However, our Beckett family have had very close ties to the Dove Inn since the late 1800s. So, it is a very special place for us and has been a place we meet for birthdays and special evens as well as being a place to go for a quite drink etc. The wedding was held outside at the back of the pub, best described as a semi covered area with very large square canopies. I was surprised that Louise accepted the engagement as it was very apparent that Louise is a very experienced, professional, and celebrated pianist that you would be well suited at very high-class hotels and such events. Plus, she agreed to travel from Diss in Norfolk to play for us. I needed to make more than one last minute adjustments and I found Louise to be very versatile and she clearly understood what I was looking for. We agreed that she would play a mix of classical, light jazz and Frank Sinatra style of music, which Louise played to perfection. I had in the region of sixty-five guests. I originally agreed with Louise to play for two hours, expecting guests to switch off after that as there were no dancing facilities. Louise’s music was so infectiously pleasing to the ear that I asked her to play for another hour, because the atmosphere was electric and I did not want to lose that harmony that she was creating as the hour neared to the end, I begged her to play for another hour, which she agreed to. I have taken time to write this extended review because I am a person that wears my heart on my sleeve, and I am open and honest with everyone. Despite my brief to Louise, that I wanted her to feel like a guest and not just the pianist, I asked her to take regular breaks and participate in the ongoing buffet. I can honestly say that Louise played for four hours almost none stop. In my opinion this was way over the call of duty. I do however have one criticism of Louise if it can be called that. Louise I honestly believe that you should increase your fees. What you did for my wife and my guests was incredible. You made our day extra special, and your fees should be increased for the magical music and memories that you create. From the bottom of my heart thank you. Doug Beckett "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Adrian Sutcliffe has just been our MD for the past three months for Calendar Girls the musical He is highly qualified and has an excellent patient way of working to achieve the best out of people. He has worked with me previously on two other musicals and I would have no qualms in recommending him ? Ruth Corner "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"David played piano throughout a wedding service I recently attended and also throughout the meal in the evening. He played absolutely flawlessly the entire time and his talent helped make the day so magical. David was also an absolute pleasure to speak with throughout the day and was adored by so many of the other guests. I can’t recommend him highly enough."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Mark J played at our wedding ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast in Devon in June. He was absolutely superb! Very responsive and personable beforehand - nothing was too much trouble. He went above and beyond by liaising with the venue directly and learning a piece of music that wasn’t in his standard repertoire. The theme tune to My Neighbour Totoro is not something that is very well known in UK, but works very well on the piano and Mark J relished the opportunity to play it! He is very flexible and played in three different locations throughout the day, even setting up an electric piano outside for the drinks reception, which totally transformed the event. The music was brilliant and varied and we received lots of positive feedback from guests. I can’t recommend Mark J enough!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you for yesterday's performance. We really enjoyed your playing and found it a wonderful experience!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"From start to finish, Mark was absolutely incredible. We hired Mark to play at our wedding, alongside a choir that he had never performed with before, and his performance was amazing. He kept in touch with us throughout and helped us to work out what would work best for our ceremony. The result was fantastic and we had so many compliments about the music during our ceremony. We cannot recommend him enough, thank you Mark! Xx"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you, Simon, for making my birthday celebration at the Fowey Hall Hotel in March so special. An amazingly versatile pianist and such a nice man, you're the icing on the cake to any celebration!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We are so grateful that you were able to accompany us on our day, you truly were amazing and all guests commented on your talent."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Mark was sensational, we all had a fantastic time. He was really accommodating and played whatever that we had requested for...perfectly! He had me in tears walking down the aisle. Mark is professional and lovely, kept in touch regularly to finalise plans for the final day and everything went smoothly! Would highly recommend him!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Tom completely impressed us with his professionalism, he created the perfect ambience for our event."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Laura is a delightful professional and beyond talented. Her setup to play piano during our canapés was seamless and brought with it the perfect ambient tone that we were hoping for whilst our guests mingled. Laura's performance was truly special and exactly what we asked for. In a conversation before the day, we detailed what we would like and Laura delivered with a mix of classic and contemporary style pieces. Thank you Laura, we couldn't be happier!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Beautiful touch to our wedding day, Andrew was professional and a pleasure to deal with on the run up to our wedding and on the day, would 100% recommend him!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Elliot arrived promptly and played for one hour at our drinks reception. We gave him a list of all our favourite songs and tunes, which he played with great style, fluently moving from one melody to the next. He was also willing to accompany a hesitant singer, and then all of our party sang a song for a grand finale! We raised the roof! His willingness to accede to all our requests made it a great addition to our enjoyment of the evening! I know Elliot is also a versatile jazz artist. If the occasion came round again we would be more than happy to engage Elliot."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Mark, we both wanted to thank you so very much for playing at our wedding last Saturday. We were really pleased with all you played and thought you were so professional and perfect for our venue. We are looking forward to getting our video back so we can listen to what you played again as it did go by in such a blur!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I booked Alan to play at my recent birthday party. Alan has an extensive and varied repertoire. I was able to choose exactly what I wanted him to play and Alan built on my choices to provide a brilliant evening's entertainment, enjoyed by all. I would not hesitate to rebook or to recommend him to others. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: