The Central Minnesota Wedding Association is a valuable asset to me as a wedding professional.

One of the highlights of my job as a solo musician is getting to meet with my engaged couples to plan their music. It puts me directly in touch with their wedding needs and wishes. I absolutely love getting to know them! On the day of their wedding I feel a wonderful connection to them and the special moments that their wedding day represents.

Even though I have this wonderful connection with my wedding couples, as a solo musician I miss the comradeship that those in traditional professional roles enjoy. This has led me to reach out to other professionals in the wedding business.

Being a member at Central MN Wedding Association has been fun, insightful and educational. Members of CMWA are accepted based on their business integrity, professionalism and commitment to excellence. At our meetings I have had the opportunity to get to know some of the best in the wedding profession! 

My favorite meeting of the year is the Wedding Panel where newlywed couples share their insights with members of the CMWA. The couples share what went wrong and what went right with their weddings and how their wedding professionals contributed to their wedding experiences. I always come away from this meeting with inspirational ideas on how to improve my services!

I am very proud of our Code of Ethics that each member pledges to follow.

Watch the video below to view first hand how CMWA has helped myself and others in our professional lives.

I am happy to have found a wonderful balance between my solo piano performances, interaction with my wedding couples, and networking with other wedding professionals!

The Birthday Lady's favorite music was from the Threepenny Opera. 

The family member that hired me to play piano music for this special 90th Birthday Party asked me to be sure and include the music from the Threepenny Opera as well as more opera music and also songs of George Gershwin and Hoagy Carmichael.

Well, the Gershwin and Carmichael music was easy enough to put together and I was able to add some other opera music into the mix, but I needed help finding piano music from the Threepenny Opera. "Mack the Knife' was the only song I had in my piano repertoire.

So I headed to my favorite resource, the Minneapolis Central Library-3rd floor Music Department!

When I visit the library looking for something in particular, I often come away with a lot more than I anticipated! I found a lovely publication of the music of Kurt Weill which included a number of his songs from the Threepenny Opera. I knew the Birthday Lady was going to love this! Then I found a fantastic book with songs of Hoagy Carmichael including quite a few new songs that I could add to my repertoire. I went home that afternoon very happy with my 'finds'!

The Birthday Lady loved my music and so did the guests! I went home from the party happy knowing that I had helped make the party special with my piano music.

When planning a dinner, what role do you want the music to have?

If your intent is to allow the guests to easily converse at their tables, live solo piano music could be the perfect solution! 

Beautiful background music will provide an elegant musical atmosphere. Make sure you hire a pianist that knows how to keep the volume at the appropriate level to allow conversation. The acoustics of a room can change throughout an event depending upon the guest activity. Your pianist should be mindful of this when controlling the music volume.

Also important is the musical quality of the piano.  Some venues have a grand piano on site. Make sure the venue has their piano on a regular tuning schedule. For best results the piano should be tuned just prior to your event. The expense of the tuning will likely be passed on to you. 

If your pianist brings their own portable piano, you will want them to provide a good quality instrument. Equally important are the speakers they use. A beautiful piano can sound awful when amplified through cheap quality speakers.

For best results, hire an experienced pianist with a good reputation! 

This weekend I performed after dinner music for an annual corporate event. The client that hired me explained that the last several years he has hired a band or DJ to provide after dinner music. The guests complained that the music was too loud and invasive. Since the guests only see each other once a year, they wanted the opportunity to visit with each other. I was delighted to be hired as their pianist. Many of the guests stopped by my piano and told me my music was the perfect touch!

I do not intend any offense to my band and DJ friends in the entertainment business. When you want to get your guests moving and on their feet there is nothing like a great band or DJ!  

If you are planning an event and would like to learn how my solo piano music can enhance the experience of you and your guests with a beautiful musical ambiance, I would love to hear from you!