Helena hired me to provide some holiday music for a party at her home in San Francisco. I’m a bit of a Christmas music junkie, so I of course was very excited about this opportunity. I led a sing-along with her talented friends that seemed to span a bunch of music genres. We started with some traditional Christmas Carols, and then transitioned to some Dave Brubeck and Vince Guaraldi (with some Adele and Kelly Clarkson mixed in as well). Helena is a pianist herself, and she had a beautiful digital piano which I very much enjoyed using.

Gigging at a customer’s home is a completely different experience than a typical wedding cocktail hour or dinner event. I’ve found that guests are more outgoing and more willing to approach me and ask for requests when in the comfort of a friend’s home. I need to think on my toes at these types of gigs, but it ends up being pretty rewarding when you can pull off a “top-40” tune that a guest really wanted to hear.

Many thanks to Helena for the opportunity to entertain her guests!