DANIEL EPHGRAVE, DIRECTOR AT SONORITÉ MUSIC When did the company start? Sonorité Music was officially launched in June 2021. Our members were freelance professional musicians and were poorly treated by some music agencies at the time, so we started our own collective. What do you offer nearlyweds? We offer a range of highly experienced musicians and ensembles for weddings, events, recitals and concerts across the UK. We're not an agency but an exclusive collective of highly sought-after freelancers. Our performers are the best in the business, so we let them be front and centre. Sonorité Music aims to bring these top musicians you hear in some of the UK's finest orchestras straight to your special day. We don’t hold auditions for our musicians, so our regular performers have been selected because of their esteemed reputation. Our setup enables us to offer various ensembles and combinations of instruments, from more traditional string ensembles to a saxophone quartet. We have several regular groups designed to suit a broad range of events, but we can contract our musicians individually or in duos and other arrangements when necessary and appropriate. What makes the business stand out? There are two halves to Sonorité Music. As well as providing top-class musicians for events, we also organise and present classical recitals and concerts, which means that you get the same musicians whether they’re playing at your wedding or in one of our high-profile recitals. Our repertoire is broad and thorough, featuring famous classical pieces and classical arrangements of pop songs, musical theatre medleys and much more. We use some of the UK's best arrangers, and all our arrangements are exclusive to Sonorité Music. You can find some selections of these to listen to on our website. We do not charge travel for any engagements within Hertfordshire or North London. What’s your favourite part of the job? I love having a varied freelance career. Each week is different, and I often have three completely different engagements in three days, like an orchestral concert, a west-end show and a wedding ceremony – it’s never boring! Playing for weddings is always a lovely experience because everybody is delighted all day! What part of weddings can you cater for? We predominantly provide musical services for ceremonies, drinks receptions, weddings breakfasts and general background music. We can also help find a band for your evening party or a DJ. Although we don’t offer these ourselves, we will happily arrange this for you. Check out: www.sonoritemusic.co.uk NIGEL HAMMOND, PIANIST AT NIGEL HAMMOND MUSIC When did the company start? I performed as a semi-pro musician in bands and solo piano for many years at weddings and events. I then started Nigel Hammond Music 2017 as a part-time business and was successful enough to go full-time in early 2019. I have continued to build on my success ever since. What do you offer nearlyweds? We offer a bespoke and friendly service to enhance couples’ special day with the magic of live piano music that’s tailored to their music taste and the vision for their wedding. I work with couples from the moment of booking until the special day. To help them through this process, I provide a music choices questionnaire and my repertoire of more than 500 wellknown songs and tunes that I have memorised and arranged for the piano. If the couple requests their favourite song not in my repertoire, I’m happy to arrange and perform most of the time with no extra fee. What makes the business stand out? My talent and beautiful fully mobile pianos make me stand out! I’m classically trained and naturally able to play music by ear and off by heart, which frees me up to put a lot of expression into the music and read the room to adjust what I play to fit the current mood. Reviews often comment on how diverse my playing is, and couples tell me they get lots of lovely feedback from their guests – I have more than 140 five-star reviews! I can perform if venues have a tuned acoustic piano, but I have two beautiful mobile upright white pianos if not. These are decorated with suitable flowers and sashes to match the wedding decor. All my equipment, including my pianos and speakers, is powered by a battery and connected wirelessly. So, I can set up anywhere from churches to stately homes and even in the middle of a field! What’s your favourite part of the job? The best part is the happy faces of newlyweds as I play my music and the smiles from guests of all ages in response to hearing tunes they recognise. I love helping through my music to enable the bridal procession to go smoothly and magically as I play a bespoke arrangement of the couple’s chosen song and adapt it to fit beautifully with the movements of the bridesmaids, flowergirls, page boys and the bride herself! I also love seeing the happy couple march out of the ceremony with everyone clapping and cheering while I add energy to that moment with their chosen song. What part of weddings can you cater for? I perform soothing, relaxing and joyful music for ceremonies, including the 30 minutes before while guests take their seats, an often lively set during drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts. I also sometimes perform for first dances and other stages of the day. Check out: www.nigelhammondmusic.com 50
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