Music for Corporate Events

There is a vast array of corporate events where our music can be a valuable enhancement to the occasion:- product launches, board room dinners, client presentations, company family days, conferences, ........... the list is endless. There are few  rules about what kind of music should be played and when. The most important thing is to have the music that enhances the ambience of the event and adds to the impact and importance of the occasion.

Below are some notes on the characteristics of different kinds of music group, for you to consider in addition to your liking for their kind of music.

<String Quartet> ~ <Harp> ~ <Classical Guitar> ~ <Soprano> ~ <Folk & Ceilidh> ~ <Jazz> ~ <Organising the event>

STRING QUARTET OR FLUTE & STRING QUARTET

4	Repertoire	Baroque, classical, romantic, light, shows, films, light jazz
4	Ambience	Creates a civilised atmosphere, and enhances the 'class' of the event. Can also engender a relaxed and communicative atmosphere.
4	Appropriate venue size	Anything from a small hotel dining room to a hall in a stately home, marquee, or exhibition hall.
4	Appropriate audience  size	We have played for events with 2 guests, to 300 people
4	Amplification	None
4	Set up time	15 minutes
4	Playing outside	Yes, shelter from the elements needed.
	é back to top

HARP

4	Repertoire	Concert harp is Baroque, classical, romantic, light music. Occasionally with vocals, particularly with the Celtic Harp.
4	Ambience	Civilised atmosphere - mostly formal, or Palm Court, or Lounge music
4	Appropriate venue size	Hotel dining room, to conference hall
4	Appropriate audience  size	2 to 80 guests
4	Amplification	None
4	Set up time	30 minutes. Good access required
4	Playing outside	Sometimes, good  shelter from the elements essential.
	é back to top

CLASSICAL GUITAR

4	Repertoire	Baroque, classical, romantic,
4	Ambience	For the smaller and more intimate event
4	Appropriate venue size	Hotel dining and conference rooms
4	Appropriate audience  size	We have played for dinner parties of 2 guests, to 60 people
4	Amplification	None
4	Set up time	15 minutes
4	Playing outside	Yes, shelter from the elements needed, and good acoustics.
	é back to top

CEILIDH & BARN DANCES

4	Repertoire	Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, American, Scandinavian, Eastern European folk
4	Ambience	Where you want to get people together, interacting, getting to know each other and having a good time. We have played for the entertainment and bonding at sales conferences, to  annual employees get together.
4	Appropriate venue size	Hotel rooms with  40 guests, to a large conference venues with 350 dancers, marquees.
4	Appropriate audience  size	Music to listen to - any size. Ceilidh - 40 to 350
4	Amplification	Yes
4	Set up time	45 minutes
4	Playing outside	Normally, no, but can do with adequate shelter from the elements.
	é back to top

JAZZ BANDS

4	Repertoire	Any period of jazz from the 1920s to the present day, Dixieland, Swing, Rhythm & Blues, Blue Note, Jazz/ Fusion/ Funk, Latin Jazz & Bossa Nova
4	Ambience	Widely varying, from awareness creation at an exhibition, to an evening to remember at a sales promotion, from a relaxed, smoky ambience after an important dinner to a employee family day with a difference.
4	Appropriate venue size	Hotel bar to conference hall, exhibition hall or marquee.
4	Appropriate audience  size	Any number
4	Amplification	Yes
4	Set up time	30-45 minutes
4	Playing outside	Normally, no, but can do with adequate shelter from the elements.
	é back to top

Don't forget the influence of the venue on the success of your event. The acoustics of the venue and number of guests influence the kind of music group that is appropriate, and the location of the musicians who are playing un-amplified instruments [string quartets, harpists, etc]. [Jazz & Folk bands are normally amplified, and can artificially compensate for bad acoustics to some extent].

What a lot to think about while all you are really wanting to do is run your business profitably or make your product launch a success, and what's more, you quite possibly don't know a lot about the whole subject of live music in it's various genres and what is involved from the point of view of the musicians. There's also the whole history of the kind of music, be it Jazz, String Quartet or Ceilidh, all of which has a bearing on the music as you perceive it now. Music has been used to make an impact and 'sell' ideas and concepts right back to the days of Ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs and before, and has been the way to mark everything from product launch, to a merger, to a special bonding event between supplier and customer or within the workforce of an organisation. So if you fancy some bedtime reading around the subject, have a look at these articles on everything from Jazz to how or string quartets coped with the results of global warming to make sure that the special events that the bands have been hired for, happen, despite the weather. Have a mooch through some musical musings  about what it is like to be a string quartet or barn dance band musician and find out about the history of the thing you're about to commit your life to, your wedding. Then there is some light reading in the fantasies section that was all written late at night after a drink or two (hence title), but covers anything under the sun, from what is music about, the instruments of the orchestra, the on about the concepts of ceilidh and barn dance entertainment, the range of string quartet music, and how jazz has developed. Just about anything to do with music, parties and weddings that came to mind in the wee small hours. You can see what a strange mind I have! Then lastly, it struck me that it might be interesting for people to see the sort of events that our music groups have been hired for over the past few years. Remember, this is just a small random selection to give you an idea of the counties, towns where people hire live music for their important events. 

é back to top