Q. My event planner tells me.... this size orchestra is “too big” for the room.
A: We can fit in a space against the wall 20’x12’. If your event planner, hotel caterer (or anyone) tries to dissuade you from hiring the music you want
please talk to us. If your are hiring another band talk to that band leader. It is YOU that is hiring the band that YOU want for your event.
Q. My event planner tells me.... this size orchestra is “too big” for the number of invited guests.
A. As far as number of guests versus number of musicians, remember first, it’s YOU that knows what entertainment you want for your event. We recently were hired to perform for a party that had 20 guests total. We also played corperate events for over 1000 people. Compared to a DJ, true, we have more people on stage, but we are much lower in volume, but we are never “too big” for any party.
Q. My event planner tells me.... this size orchestra is “too big” ask them to play with less musicians.
A. WE ARE A 10 PIECE ORCHESTRA. Our arrangements are custom made. Many are transcribed from the original recordings (at considerable time and expense). Our arrangements were written for our orchestra size and instrumentation.
If we were The Guy Lombardo or Glenn Miller Orchestra, the question of reducing the size of the Orchestra would NEVER be asked.
Think of your music as an “entity”. The Beatles, for example were four musicians. They didn’t leave Ringo (the Drummer) at home, and perform with less because the room was small or there are fewer guests. Nor did they add more musicians to perform in a large arena for thousands.
Remember, as your guests leave, they will never comment on how much fun they had because the room was set up in perfect proportions but they will remember, for a long time, the entertainment and the human element of guests, performers and host.
Q: I do not know if our entertainment budget can allow us to spend this much.
A: Experts usually state, “the band makes the party” or “give your guests good food, drinks and a very good band and cut corners elsewhere.”
There are many “orchestras” that will perform with whatever number of musicians you (or your party planner) may think you need (usually up to whatever your pocketbook will bear). They use very simple “arrangements” or "none at all" to be so flexible in size. Their entire performance tends to all sound the same and many offer little or no excitement.
Although we have 10 people to pay after our performance, we are the same price as some much-respected 4 or 5 piece “wedding bands.” There are cheaper bands (and some are worth it). Additionally, there are more expensive orchestras (sometimes at only a fraction of our size).
Our focus is to entertain and make people happy, at a cost to cover our payroll and expenses.
Q: Will everyone like this music?
A: Well…there is no one universal taste in music (or anything else). However, having done hundreds of events over the years, we are extremely well received and recommended by the vast majority of guests and clients. As the evening progresses, the audience will enjoy a variety of musical styles. This is much more interesting and entertaining to the average party guest.
We hear some interesting comments over and over such as:
“Big Band music is not our favorite but we stayed to the very end, danced and had so much fun”
or
“It was so refreshing to have a band that was not so loud. We could actually carry on a conversation in the same room; how refreshing and different from the typical wedding band”.
We feel our entertainment factor, energy level, sincerity and respect for your guests transcends musical taste.
Q: Will the younger people dance to this music?
A: Absolutely. Of course, anyone can dance a “slow dance” to our ballads and while many people refer to our up-tempo tunes as “swing” most people we observe dancing are not “swing dancers” but they sure are dancing and having fun. We are the first choice for several “young people’s” balls year after year after year. We regularly perform for college graduation balls. Many times, we hear from young brides who are attempting to persuade their parents to hire us for their wedding (rather than vice versa).
At a very prestigious fund raiser in Milwaukee, we were hired two years in a row, and shared the event with a DJ. The third year, and for the last five years, they have rehired us and eliminated the disc jockey. We were informed it was specifically the younger people who did not want the disc jockey, only our orchestra for the entire evening. Sure enough, the party is still as great as in previous years.
The very few times anyone has requested us to play more modern music it was in each case someone over 70 years old (amazing but true).
If you are still not convinced, we recommend you hire a disc jockey to perform after the orchestra to cover the more modern styles of music (we find this popular in many areas we perform).
Q: Should I hire an orchestra solely through a video?
A: Possibly, yes. Remember, however a video cannot capture adequately the energy or tenderness of a performance. Be cautious of videos in general. Pay attention to reputation and see a band live whenever possible. We have a video presentation that was not “slickly” produced in a studio. We use actual footage from a theatre show to give you a more honest representation of us actually entertaining at a party.
We also invite you to view the band LIVE on YouTube. This is a link to one of 5 videos. None of these videos were professional produced. All were forwarded to us by the general public. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRPkOQDCPn0
Although we have dabbled with the more commercial video presentations, the resulting product has always seemed somewhat cold and incomplete. Our productions, while not as “glitzy” as some, does offer an honest glimpse of our unique style. This “style” is really the essence of what you are hiring.
We are aware of many stories of clients who have hired orchestras through videos only to find a very different orchestra showing up at their party (sometimes with disastrous results). Some of these “orchestras” were assembled to only produce a video. The leader then calls musicians that happen to be available (even though they may have never played with any of the other musicians on the job, let alone rehearsed with them) and this becomes the instant “orchestra” for your party.
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