Pianist for Parties, Sharon Planer
- Minneapolis, MN
- Pianist
- 9 Verified Bookings
Jilene T. said “I was looking for the right pianist to play live at a "Celebration of Life" gathering we were having for my mother in July. I connected with…”
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From sophisticated jazz to rock keyboard to elegant classical and new age piano styles, Cheri's flexibility means the music is custom-tailored to your own special occasion. Cheri easily handles requests and ably leads singalongs too. Her portable keyboards offer beautiful piano sounds with gorgeous string, harp, and brass sounds for a wedding ceremony, along with all the fun sounds of organ, clav, and synth for the irresistible and danceable hits of the 1960s through today. Or perhaps you prefer the jazzy tunes of Sinatra, Ella, or Michael Buble for your reception. Cheri's keyboard stylings will bring your event to life!
Cheri did a beautiful job, showed up early with more music than necessary, and played a surprisingly varied repertoire. She even played some Taylor Swift songs for my daughter to enjoy.
Cheri was a great fit for our Holiday Christmas Party, she came early to setup and had Christmas carol sheets for everyone to do some caroling. She had history details that she would speak to about songs that she was playing and brought a mic and speaker for guests and herself to sing. I would totally book her again for any party.
I hired Cheri Sykes to play at a Christmas caroling sing along. She had a great music list and coordinated and communicated well with me as to what I wanted the occasion to be. She was so easy to work with, responsive, the group loved her. Great musician, great entertainer, great voice. Played at perfect volume, everyone loved it. Would highly recommend her for any event.
She was perfect: Timely, pleasant, prepared and very skilled.
Response from Cheri Sykes, Keyboardist:
Tracey and Laurann: Thank you for the highly enjoyable opportunity! What a lovely Christmas gift of a concert to family and friends! I think you should make it a yearly tradition. Thanks again! Cheri
Cheri is an exceptional pianist with years of experience and unmatched talent. She took out time to meet with us, go over our song choices, and executed with honor during our ceremony. I am very proud of the work she did on our special day.
Our guests were raving about Cheri. Her music was upbeat and entertaining. She was professional and on-time. She was very flexible and open to playing essentially anything we wanted; her repertoire is vast! Can't say enough about her!
Cheri was great, and added such a nice touch to the evening. She arrived early and was very professional. She picked a great mix of tunes for background music-- just right for our age range. Many of our guests commented on how nice the music was!
Response from Cheri Sykes, Keyboardist:
Much appreciated!
A little misunderstanding for the gig timing, but once we got going it was a lot of fun! Thank you Cheri!
Cheri entertained our Ladies Tea event with a wonderful journey through the ages of ragtime, blues and boogie woogie. She plays and sings beautifully and we so enjoyed learning more about the music and how it changed through time.
Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 45 - 240 minutes
Languages: English
Insurance: $500,000 - Umbrella
I find I can fulfill most musical requests. If I am not familiar with a piece, I willingly learn it. I am flexible, and enjoying pleasing the client. My approach is that we are a team working to create a delightful experience for the guests. I am a good communicator prior to the event. I conduct myself professionally at all times. I am prompt. I follow-up after an engagement to make sure the client was satisfied. I am not over-bearing as an entertainer, but strive to be appropriate for the event. I am sensitive to sound-volume concerns. I do my best to "read the crowd", and provide music suitable to the sometimes-evolving nature of an event.
As a fulltime career musician, I am classically-trained, but also trained in jazz. My BA and Masters are in keyboard studies (I'm also skilled in classical organ). I am leader/arranger of the 5-piece r&b/jazz group, Wild Honey and the Locusts, which has performed on KARE-11's morning show. I'm a longtime professional party pianist, most notably at Garrison Keillor's Steinway piano for his events. I am astute in taking requests, playing by ear, and quickly transposing keys for a vocalist. I sight-read fluently. To delight any age group, I'm fluent in decades of popular music going back to 1900. My song list is extensive! As a thirty-year church musician, I have planned and played many weddings on piano and organ. I can assist with every musical aspect of both a secular or church wedding, including transcribing a favorite song from a recording, and locating vocalists or other instrumentalists. I bring both traditional and surprising musical suggestions for your ceremony. If there is a power outlet, I'm completely portable with my keyboard and amp, which are of first-rate quality and state-of-the-art. I take pride in thorough professionalism, satisfying the customer, and providing expert musicianship.
I require electricity.
July 10, 2024 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Corporate Event |
July 01, 2024 • 2:00pm - 4:00pm | Birthday Party |
December 16, 2023 • 5:00pm - 6:30pm | Christmas Party |
December 02, 2023 • 1:30pm - 3:00pm | Christmas Party |
September 09, 2023 • 2:00pm - 2:15pm | Funeral/Memorial Service |
July 08, 2023 • 2:00pm - 4:00pm | Children’s Birthday Party |
February 25, 2023 • 3:00pm - 4:00pm | Funeral/Memorial Service |
December 17, 2021 • 6:30pm - 8:00pm | Christmas Party |
August 21, 2021 • 2:30pm - 4:00pm | Wedding Ceremony |
July 13, 2019 • 6:00pm - 7:00pm | Wedding Reception |
November 18, 2017 • 7:00pm - 10:00pm | Birthday (Adult) |
August 12, 2017 • 6:30pm - 9:30pm | Wedding Engagement |
November 14, 2015 | Wedding Ceremony |
November 16, 2013 | Luncheon/Tea |
Jazz Standards
A Child is Born--Thad Jones (Oscar Peterson)
A Night in Tunisia--Dizzy Gillespie
All of Me--Simone/Marks (Sinatra)
All the Things You Are—Hammerstein/Kern
Ain't Misbehavin'--Fats Waller
Anything Goes--Cole Porter (Sinatra)
April in Paris--Vernon Duke
At Last—Etta James/Gordon/Warren
Beautiful Love--Victor Young
Black Orpheus--Louis Bonfi
Blue Monk--Thelonius Monk
But Beautiful--Van Heusen/Burke
But Not For Me--Gershwin
Cheek to Cheek—Irving Berlin
Chelsea Bridge--Billy Strayhorn
Come Fly With Me--Cahn/Van Heusen (Sinatra)
Come Rain or Come Shine—Mercer/Arlen
Count Your Blessings--Irving Berlin (Diana Krall)
Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)--Jobim
Crystal Silence--Chick Corea
‘Deed I Do—Hirsch/Rose (Diana Krall)
Deep Purple--Peter de Rose
Desafinado--Jobim
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me--Duke Ellington
Don't Get Around Much Anymore--Duke Ellington
Doodlin'--Horace Silver
East of the Sun--Bowman (Diana Krall)
Embraceable You--George Gershwin
Exactly Like You—Fields/McHugh
Fly Me To the Moon—Bart Howard (Sinatra)
Four--Miles Davis
Gentle Rain--Louis Bonfi
Glory of Love--Billy Hill
Green Dolphin Street--Kaper/Washington
Have You Met Miss Jones--Rodgers/Hart
Hayburner--Count Basie
Have You Met Miss Jones--Rodgers/Hart
Hello, Young Lovers-Rodgers/Hammerstein
Here’s That Rainy Day--Van Heusen
Honeysuckle Rose---Fats Waller
How Deep is the Ocean—Berlin
How Insensitive--Jobim
How My Heart Sings--Bill Evans
I Can’t Get Started--Vernon Duke
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love--McHugh/Fields
I Concentrate on You—Cole Porter
I Could Write A Book--Rodgers/Hart
I Got It Bad--Ellington
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart--Ellington
I Mean You--Monk
I Wanna Be Loved--Johnny Green
I'm Beginning to See the Light--Duke Ellington
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter--Young/Ahlert
I’m in the Mood for Love—Fields/McHugh
In a Mellow Tone--Ellington
In a Mist--Beiderbeck
In a Sentimental Mood--Ellington
In Your Quiet Place--Keith Jarrett
Isn’t It Romantic?--Rodgers/Hart
Is You Is, Or Is You Ain’t--Austin/Jordan
It Could Only Happen With You--Jobim
It Don’t Mean a Thing--Ellington
It Had to be You--Kahn/Jones
It’s All Right With Me--Cole Porter
It’s a Raggy Waltz--Brubeck
I’ve Got the World on a String--Arlen (Sinatra)
I’ve Got You Under My Skin--Cole Porter (Frank Sinatra)
Jeepers Creepers--Harry Warren
Just in Time--Comden, Green, and Stein
Killer Joe--Benny Golson
Lament--Dave Brubeck
Laura--Raksin
Lazy River--Hoagy Carmichael/Sidney Arodin
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off--George Gershwin
Look of Love, The--Bacharach/David
Li'l Darlin'--Count Basie
Lush Life—Billy Strayhorn
Makin' Whoopee—Kahn/Donaldson
Manteca--Gillespie/Fuller/Gonzales
Misty—Erroll Garner
Moanin’–-Timmons (Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross)
Mood Indigo--Ellington
More Than You Know--Youmans
My Favorite Things--Richard Rodgers
My Foolish Heart--Washington/Young
My Funny Valentine--Rodgers/Hart
My Shining Hour--Arlen
Nice Work If You Can Get It--George Gershwin
Night and Day--Cole Porter
On the Sunny Side of the Street--Fields/McHugh
Our Love is Here to Stay--George Gershwin
One Note Samba--Jobim
Out of Nowhere--Green/Heyman
Over the Rainbow—Harold Arlen
Passion Dance--McCoy Tyner
Peace--Horace Silver
Pennies From Heaven--Johnston/Burke
Penthouse Serenade--Jason/Burton
Quiet Now--Denny Zeitlin
Rhapsody in Blue--George Gershwin
'Round Midnight--Thelonius Monk
Satin Doll--Ellington
Seems Like Old Times--Lombardo/Loeb
Send One Your Love--Stevie Wonder
Side By Side--Woods
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--Kerm/Harbach
Someone to Watch Over Me--Gershwin
Sophisticated Lady--Duke Ellington
Song For My Father--Horace Silver
Speak Low--Kurt Weill
Stardust—Parish/Carmichael
Steppin’ Out With My Baby--Berlin
Stormy Weather--Koehler/Arlen
Straight, No Chaser--Monk
Strange Meadowlark--Dave Brubeck
Stardust--Hoagy Carmichael
Stepping Out With My Baby--Irving Berlin
Stompin’ at the Savoy--Chick Webb
Summertime--George Gershwin
S’Wonderful--George Gershwin
Take the “A” Train--Ellington/Strayhorn
Teach Me Tonight--Sammy Cahn/Gene De Paul
Tenderly—Gross/Lawrence (Sarah Vaughan)
Thank You--Dave Brubeck
The Best is Yet to Come--Coleman/Leigh
The Glory of Love—Billy Hill
The Joint is Jumpin’--Fats Waller
The Look of Love—David/Bacharach
The Man I Love--George Gershwin
The Nearness of You--Washington/Carmichael
The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else--Isham Jones
The Song is You--Jerome Kern
There is No Greater Love--Jones/Symes
There Will Never Be Another You--Warren/Gordon
The Way You Look Tonight—Fields/Kern
They Can't Take That Away--George Gershwin
Things Ain't What They Used to Be--Duke Ellington
Time Remembered--Bill Evans
Triste--Jobim
Unforgettable—Irving Gordon
Very Early--Bill Evans
Watch What Happens--Legrand/Demy/Gimbel
Watermelon Man--Herbie Hancock
Wave--Jobim
Well, You Needn’t--Thelonius Monk
What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life—Bergman/Bergman/Legrand
Where or When--Rodgers and Hart
Witchcraft--Leigh/Coleman
You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To—Cole Porter
You Go to My Head--Gillespie/Coots
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby—Mercer/Warren
Classical
Adagio Cantabile--Beethoven
Aufschwung--Schumann
Claire de Lune—Debussy
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik--Mozart
Fantasie I--Mozart
Gypsy Rondo--Haydn
Impromptu No. 2--Schubert
Improvisation--MacDowell
Intermezzo--Brahms
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring--Bach
June--Tschaikowsky
In Evening Air--Copland
Elegie--Grieg
Largo--Handel
Liebestraum--Liszt
Meditation from Thais--Massenet
Moonlight Sonata--Beethoven
Nocturne--Chopin
Playera--Granados
Reverie--Debussy
Romance--Brahms
Romance--Rubenstein
Sheep Will Safely Graze--Bach
Sonatas—Mozart
Sonatas--Scarlatti
Song--MacDowell
Suite in D Minor--Handel
The Well-Tempered Clavier (selections)--Bach
Three Gymnopedies--Eric Satie
Three Preludes for Piano--Gershwin
Traumerie--Schumann
Valse--Chopin
New Age
All Creatures of Our God and King--Sykes
Beach Spring--Cheri Sykes
Children's Crusade--Sting
City of God—Dan Schutte
French Carol--Cheri Sykes
Friends--Elton John
Ghost--Indigo Girls
Gloria—David Haas
Hymne—Vangelis
Joy--George Winston
Kingsfold--Cheri Sykes
Lasst Uns Erfreuen-- Cheri Sykes
Linus and Lucy--Vince Giraldi
Little Flock--Cheri Sykes
My Bonnie Jean--Cheri Sykes
Pachelbel's Canon in D--George Winston
Tallis Canon
Thank You—Dave Brubeck
Theme from “Ice Castles”
The Velocity of Love—Suzanne Ciani
Valentine—Jim Brickman
Wedding Rain—Liz Story
Wedding Song—Paul Stookey
1960s
Day Tripper (Beatles)
Downtown (Petula Clark)
Drive My Car (Beatles)
Eight Days a Week (Beatles)
Fun, Fun, Fun (Beach Boys)
Get Back (Beatles)
Good Lovin’ (Young Rascals)
Green Onions (Booker T and the MG’s)
Heard It Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye)
House of the Rising Sun (The Animals)
I’m a Believer (The Monkees/Neal Diamond)
I Saw Her Standing There (Beatles)
Knock on Wood (Otis Redding)
Lady Madonna (Beatles)
Linus and Lucy (Vince Guaraldi)
Mama Don’t Me Not to Come (Three Dog Night)
Mercy Mercy Mercy (The Buckinghams)
Money (Beatles)
More Today Than Yesterday (Spiral Staircase)
Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett)
My Girl (The Temptations)
No Matter What (Badfinger)
O Darlin’ (Beatles)
Put a Little Love in Your Heart (Jackie DeShannon)
People Got to Be Free (Young Rascals)
Respect (Aretha Franklin)
She’s a Woman (Beatles)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours (Stevie Wonder)
Spooky (Classics IV)
Stormy (Classics IV)
Summer in the City (Lovin’ Spoonful)
Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks)
Sweet Caroline (Neal Diamond)
Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)
Woolly Bully (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs)
We Gotta Get Out of this Place (The Animals)
You Really Got Me (The Kinks)
1970s
ABC (Jackson Five)
After the Love is Gone (Earth, Wind, and Fire)
Black Friday (Steely Dan)
Crocodile Rock (Elton John)
Doctor Wu (Steely Dan)
Evil Ways (Santana)
Fly Like An Eagle (Steve Miller)
Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder)
Honky Tonk Woman (Rolling Stones)
How Sweet It Is (James Taylor)
I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash)
I Feel the Earth Move (Carole King)
It’s Too Late (Carole King)
I’ll Be There (Jackson Five)
I Want You Back (Jackson Five)
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)
I Wish (Stevie Wonder)
Isn’t She Lovely (Stevie Wonder)
Josie (Steely Dan)
Let’s Stay Together (Al Green)
Kido Shuffle (Boz Scaggs)
Lola (The Kinkds)
Love Me Two Times (The Doors)
Lucretia MacEvil (Blood, Sweat, and Tears)
Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)
Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens)
New York State of Mind (Billy Joel)
Piano Man (Billy Joel)
Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry)
Popsicle Toes (Michael Franks)
Pretzel Logic (Steely Dan)
Rainbow Connection (Muppets)
Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number (Steely Dan)
Saturday in the Park (Chicago)
Shining Star (Earth, Wind, and Fire)
Shower the People (James Taylor)
Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple)
Spinning Wheel (Blood, Sweat, and Tears)
Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
Up on a Roof (James Taylor)
You Really Got Me (The Kinks)
You’re No Good (Linda Ronstadt)
Your Smiling Face (James Taylor)
You’re No Good (Linda Ronstadt)
1980s
And So It Goes (Billy Joel)
Biggest Part of Me (Ambrosia)
Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey)
Every Day (James Taylor)
Georgy Porgy (Toto)
Heart to Heart (Kenny Loggins)
Here and Now (Luther Vandross)
Higher Love (Steve Winwood)
I Keep Forgettin’ (Michael McDonald)
Jump (Van Halen)
Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers/Grove Washington Jr.)
Livin’ on a Prayer (Bon Jovi)
Look What You’ve Done to Me (Boz Scaggs)
Miss Sun (Boz Scaggs)
Message in the Bottle (Police)
Look What You’ve Done to Me (Boz Scaggs)
Piano in the Dark (Brenda Russell)
Send One Your Love (Stevie Wonder)
She’s Always a Woman (Billy Joel)
She’s Got a Way (Billy Joel)
Sweet Love (Anita Baker)
We’re In This Love Together (Al Jarreau)
1990s
Ain’t Gonna Let You Break My Heart (Bonnie Raitt)
Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John)
Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks)
I Feel Lucky (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
Something to Talk About (Bonnie Raitt)
When We Dance (Sting)
You’ll Be In My Heart (Phil Collins)
2000s
Bless the Broken Road (Rascal Flatts)
Don’t Know Why (Norah Jones)
Haven’t Met You Yet (Michael Buble)
Hey Soul Sister (Train)
Over My Head (the Fray)
Rolling in the Deep (Adele)
Smile (Uncle Kracker)
Stereo Hearts (Gym Class Heroes)
Steve McQueen (Sheryl Crow)
Tonight, Tonight (Hot Chelle Rae)
Venus Envy (Gino Vannelli)
Stevie Wonder, Sting, The Beatles, Steely Dan, Gino Vannelli, Oscar Peterson, Bruce Horsby, Fats Waller, George Winston, Diana Krall, Erroll Garner, Harry Connick Jr., Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin, early Chicago
Jilene T. said “I was looking for the right pianist to play live at a "Celebration of Life" gathering we were having for my mother in July. I connected with…”
Marnie R. said “Hired Felix and Fingers for my 40th birthday. Mike and Robert KILLED IT. Great banter, kept the energy up, incredible voices. They even played Let it…”
Maggie K. said “He was most professional and kind. He played at our Father's funeral, on the piano and did an amazing job. Our family and quests had kind comments…”
Kara K. said “We had Rock It Man for a company holiday party and it was a hit all around! Such a fun group to work with and absolutely incredible service & performances!”