Review Centre: Classical Soloists

"If you are considering booking Stephan DO IT! He is a true professional and extremely talented. Stephan was prompt with communication, let us know what to expect, and went above and beyond for our wedding. He surveyed in advance if we had any special requests; we asked if he would collaborate with our family member, who is a professional singer, to come up with a song for our first dance. They met and rehearsed ahead of time and preformed beautifully, and even had more songs as a surprise. Stephan has a wide repertoire and knows when to play slower songs and when to pick up the pace. We booked Stephan for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and partly into the reception. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him again."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Sat and I would like to say a huge thank you. You are a magnificent violinist. The sets you played were stunning. All the guests gave us lovely feedback too. Everyone thought you were amazing. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"He was awesome great skills had no problem at the event would love to do it again with him soon! Best performer I have ever booked!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for performing on Sunday, it was beautiful. You did us proud. Jackie would have loved it!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Booked for party with good communications ahead of time. Prompt arrival and set-up. Good selection of music which got the dancing and party started! Everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the music afterwards, with all ages joining in the dancing during party."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you very much for all you did to make Emily and Pats wedding so special. Your music in the church made such a difference as the organ is old. Your ability to be so adaptable and to even play the hymns as well was amazing and very much appreciated. The sound of the cello was perfect from the onset. You were extremely professional, arriving in good time to set up and just ‘getting on’ with the job if making a cold country church come to life with beautiful music."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks to Abigail for performing at our wedding!She made it even more special!Everything was exactly the way we wanted.If you wish to have that fairytale vibe you need Abigail.100% professional and very talented.I will truly recommend this nice lady ? All the best and bless you ❤️Sorina & Rikesh. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Even on a murky February morning (2005), the first performance in July of our new commission doesn’t seem too far away. Jane Roper tells us about the composer and the composition: Howard’s way If you ever get a chance to talk to Howard Haigh about composing, take it. He has a huge range of experience, good insights into the creative process, and he communicates his enthusiasm for his work so well, I guarantee you will be both enthralled and inspired. And now he's working for us! I thought you might like to read a bit of background to his career and to his current commission. Although Howard is happily settled up north in Lancaster he trained near us; a BA Performing Arts/Music at Middlesex Polytechnic was followed by a Masters in Music/Composition at the University of London. He studied composition with Brian Dennis and David Bedford; had tutorials with Michael Finissy, George Benjamin and John Cage, and studied flamenco guitar with Paco Pena, Juan Serrano, Manuel Granados and Titi Losada. We think of him principally as a Spanish guitarist, but he also studied mandolin, keyboards, percussion, harmonica and vocal techniques. He has written for most instrumental combinations, from solo guitar, small ensembles and string quartets to bands, girls’ choirs, large choruses, electronic scores and computer music. Howard combines composing with teaching throughout the north west. He has taught guitar at Lancaster University since 2000. He is a member of the English National Ballet's Education and Community Unit, and is engaged in outreach projects in schools throughout England. The nature of this work may range from musical accompanist to residencies in which he composes an original score for a short performance. He has done similar work for Ballet Rambert and the Royal Ballet. His work has been performed at the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall, Sadler's Wells (for the Queen) and the Purcell Room; and at festivals in Edinburgh, Brighton, Cheltenham and WOMAD. One of his great strengths is his ability to collaborate with people from a wide range of performing disciplines. I've found out that as well as working closely with singers, dancers, and actors, he has also worked with jugglers, comedians, strippers, a skiffle group, film makers and performance artists. No problem working with us then. And then add a massive list of theatre companies, musicals, community projects and commissions and it's no wonder he's always out when I call. In the 1980's Howard composed some extraordinary pieces using unusual instruments. Body Music used claps, stamps, clicks and slaps. This was followed by Kitchen Music. I bet you didn't know that Alan Titchmarsh played the saucepan in this on Pebble Mill. There was also a pre-Prom show on Radio 3 featuring unusual percussion prior to Evelyn Glennie's performance. But by the late '80s his explorations were focusing on vocal writing. Crouch End Festival Chorus gave him an exciting opportunity when they commissioned him in 1990. I heard them perform Saeta again in the Barbican last January. It was sensational. I can't even remember what the second half standard-repertoire piece was; I was still high on Howard's piece and wanted them to sing it again. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Michael did an amazing job! The music for our ceremony and cocktail hour was beautiful :) "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Livi was absolutely wonderful! We held our corporate celebration on the top floor of The Gherkin and she made the evening so special singing our favourite songs, we’ve already booked her again! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Choosing Stephan to play for our wedding was a no-brainer. The quality of his sound and musicianship, as well as the breadth of his repertoire, stood out as soon as we started exploring his website. His prices are also very reasonable. Most important, Stephan is very easy to work with. He responded to all of our emails punctually and was always helpful, flexible, and open to suggestion. He was amazing during our wedding ceremony and reception--all of our guests loved him, as he was so accommodating and took many spontaneous requests from the field! When one of our guests asked for a song he didn't know, he came back after his break and played it for her later! Stephan is awesome!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Antonio came to a party I organised for my brothers 40th birthday party in Spain. We are an Australian family and having the beautiful music for a special dance, drinks and meal made the event really really memorable. Antonio was easy to communicate with, flexible on dates and times, and most importantly a brilliant musician with a lovely presence at the evening. I am sure my family will be talking about that party for many many years to come. Johanna"

Reply by Antonio Guitarrista
That you very much dear friend. It was a very lovely evening with great company with beatiful family. Good bless you¡

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Paolo was fantastic at our private event — professional and talented. His music truly added something special to the occasion. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Roberto is a professional pianist, all the people attending the concert was happy to hear such beautiful music! "

Reply by Roberto - Pianist
Thank you very much!!

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Sarah sang Nella Fantasia for my mum - it was beautiful, haunting and something special. Perfect classical performance which enriched my final goodbye to someone as special as my mum and I will be forever grateful that I found her. Thank you Sarah for making that last moment a beautiful one D xx (10/10)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: