Review Centre: Classical Soloists

"Highly highly recommend Athena, She was absolutely amazing for my wedding!! From her initial prompt correspondence all the way through to the day, she was just so professional, confident and really lovely. I did not have to worry about a thing and every guest commented on how amazing her performance was! She really was that special touch to welcome our guests at the beginning of our reception. Thank you so much again Athena"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Michael played at my wedding ceremony and was amazing!! He was able to play the songs I wanted for different parts of the ceremony and everything sounded beautiful. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Ho avuto il piacere di ascoltarlo durante una cena in ristorante argentino. Ho trovato la scaletta sofisticata ed elegante. Non invasiva non prevaricante quindi molto molto piacevole. Lo consiglio in molte situazioni perché é veramente un accompagnamento di stile e molto piacevole"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Sarah was amazing! She sang at my wedding ceremony in Alabama. During the booking process she was very quick to respond and accommodating to my requests. She was able to sing Ave Maria with the string quartet, which they had never met before and it went off flawlessly. Her voice is beautiful...I had so many guests tell me how great she was and asking how I found her. You will not be disappointed if you book her. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"You were fantastic didn’t expect the music would be this good thank you for amazing time will hire you again "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"She was magical. With her enchanting voice and her magic in caressing the harp, she accompanied our religious wedding leaving us speechless. Professional, kind, attentive and helpful! Thank you, from the heart!" – Sara Trewers, 24 March 2022, wedding in Tuscany, Italy"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We first heard of Pablo through our wedding planner and were attracted to the the idea of having a Spanish guitarist at our wedding. After viewing some of his material on YouTube we felt that he was talented and his style would suit the type of wedding we were trying to plan. We were able to chat with him via WhatsApp and we found this to be really helpful as he could any answer questions quickly without having to go through the wedding planner. We met Pablo in person for the 1st time in March 2019 3 months before our wedding and he was very nice & friendly and was happy to chat with us about the music we would like to be played, he offered some suggestions and gave his expert advice on what would work well for our ceremony. We were having a ceremony in Balcon de Europa and did not necessarily want hymns. He offered to learn any songs we would like as long as he would have enough time. The day of the wedding arrived and as I entered to walk up the aisle Pablo was playing the most beautiful music which immediately put me at ease, we had a beautiful ceremony and Pablo’s ideas for music fitted perfectly with this. He was dressed very nicely and looked very professional. We had also booked Pablo to play at our drinks reception after the ceremony and he created a fun relaxed atmosphere. He even played Metallica which I was delighted about! Many of the guests remarked on his talent and we were without doubt thrilled that we chose Pablo to be our musician for our special day. We would highly recommend him to anyone getting married and cannot praise him enough. We purchased some of his CDs and have been playing them since we got home and it brings back wonderful memories of our special day. –"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Michael is an incredibly talented musician. I’m so grateful he was available to play at my mother’s funeral celebration. I have received many compliments on the tribute to my mom - especially the violinist, Michael. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks to Nadia Violin. She played for our wedding and it was truly magical. The clarity and timing of everything was just perfect during and after the service - she played beautifully. We would not hesitate to book Nadia again in the future, she really helped make our day, a day to remember.’ Rebecca and Denn Smith"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"He is very timely and professional! Good on the strings and made the event extra special ."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Icon Strings were fantastic, they played for my wedding and made a special effort to wear blue, which was our colour choice on the day."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I hired Stephan pretty last minute to play at my wedding ceremony and during my cocktail hour after a family member bailed. I saw some videos of him on the Internet, and I pretty much knew at that moment that he would be perfect. Stephan was a real pleasure to deal with starting with the booking process. He was very responsive to my emails. His rates are very very reasonable as well, and that never hurts. He was kind enough to learn a song that he did not know because I was walking down the aisle to that song (Storybook Love from the Princess Bride). He did this for no charge. What an awesome and thoughtful gift! It is not often that a musician offers to do something like that. One vendor I had contacted after thinking Stephan might not be available actually told me that the song would be too difficult for him to learn. Lucky for me, everything worked out with Stephan's schedule. I recently watched my wedding video, and it occurred to me that I never talked to Stephan at my wedding to thank him for doing such a wonderful job. He played so beautifully, and the photographs of him playing at my wedding show just how passionate he is about music; it's visibly apparent. Stephan is very talented, and I recommend him with flying colors. I only wish I would have thanked him in person."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Floralyn was the epitome of professionalism on the day. She is an amazing talent. Her beautiful singing voice and harp playing were perfect for my husbands memorial service and she added greatly to the occasion. She is a lovely woman to deal with and is quick to respond to any queries. I have no hesitation in recommending her for any occasion. She deserves great success."

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:

"Omg Dave was absolutely fantastic. His music was just sensational and he’s also a really lovely guy. Really recommended!! (10 / 10)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: