Gold Standard Musicians
- St Louis, MO
- Classical Ensemble
- 40 Verified Bookings
Laura N. said “They were SO good, so professional, and exceptionally talented. We received lots of compliments for our wedding reception.”
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Looking for unique background music for your event? I perform light jazz instrumentals and smooth easy listening vocals to help create an elegant, warm atmosphere for private, special, and corporate events. My music is perfect for cocktail and dinner occasions; if you are looking for music that can provide the perfect backdrop for conversation and an enjoyable evening without impeding conversation, please explore the audio and video samples you will find on my profile.
She is an amazing talent and very professional.
Response from The Violinist Entertainer:
Thank you for your kind words, it was a pleasure to contribute to the beautiful atmosphere of your event!
Nikki is awesome! I received numerous compliments about her performance from the guest at our company holiday party. She played a mix of jazz and contemporary music. Will absolutely book again for future events!
Nikki made the evening fabulous. She is extremely talented and personable. She exceeded my expectations and delighted my guests. I highly recommend her. Her communication was prompt and accurate. She made our evening special and she was fun to have in my home
Response from The Violinist Entertainer:
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a delightful evening. Your gathering was just wonderful and it was such a treat to get to play your family’s beautiful violin. Thank you for your warm hospitality!
Nikki performed at the Butterfly House's Friday Night Flights event and I was totally blown away! She is so talented and very professional. She played and sang a wide range of songs. Our guests absolutely loved her! It was a joy working with her! I would highly recommend her and hope to work with her again in the future.
We were delighted with Nicki! She was excellent and out guests raved about her the entire event!
She is professional,really understands events and knew exactly where to set up and how to have the best experience!
She is so talented and exceeded our expectations! She made our event extra special and we definitely recommend her!
Just fabulous!!!!!
Price Range: $500 minimum
Gig Length: 60 - 180 minutes
Languages: English
Unions: Local 2-197 Musicians Ass'n St. Louis
My music is primarily for events where you need to set a certain elegant atmosphere, without being too distracting. You can expect to hear background music specifically curated to create an environment for conversation and enjoyment. I use fully orchestrated professional backing tracks to accompany my vocals and violin performance. My repertoire consists of well-known jazz standards and easy listening vocals from artists like Diana Krall, Dido, Norah Jones, and others. Volume is carefully monitored so that guests can enjoy the music while holding their conversations – I provide concert-quality entertainment, at a background music level.
If you’ve ever been to a cocktail or dinner event where you were counting down the minutes until you could say “Good night”, I feel your pain. Sometimes, in spite of the best food, drink, and conversation, an event can be missing…something. There’s an energy that the best get-togethers have – if you’ve ever been a part of an evening that you didn’t want to ever end, you understand exactly what I’m talking about.
My clients want their events to be wonderful and unforgettable; while I may not be able to help you with your canapes (although I am an AWESOME cook, and so modest about it!), my primary objective is to help you create a warm, welcoming environment that will delight your guests. I believe that my experiences allow me to provide your event with a unique flavor that may be a perfect fit. My antecedents are a little unconventional:
• I’m classically trained, but not a prodigy. Whereas many of my colleagues started playing the violin practically before they could eat solid food, I didn’t really begin taking formal lessons until I was a teenager. I was fortunate to receive scholarships for my high school education and studied violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy.
• I discovered I preferred rock and roll to the orchestra. I thought I would pursue a career as an orchestral violinist or soloist, so I worked towards a music performance degree at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, where the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra provided me with a scholarship and internship with the Operations Department of the Orchestra. However, after a summer in Italy performing with the Operafestival di Roma, I wanted to learn about performing outside of the world of classical music. I left the ivory tower and went to the school of hard knocks: I joined a rock/blues band and learned how to jam and eventually ended up working for a wedding entertainment company as a lead female vocalist.
• Some of the cool things I’ve done: violin and vocal performances on with Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines, performances with the Moody Blues, the multimedia extravaganza “Elvis Live”, The Black Eyed Peas (televised on ABC), Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Bernadette Peters, and Johnny Mathis.
• What exactly do I do? When I play for private, corporate, and special events, I perform as both violinist and vocalist, with a repertoire which includes light jazz instrumentals, and adult contemporary vocals (think artists like Norah Jones, Sade, or Diana Krall). I also specialize in providing elegant music for events within the yachting and private jet industries, with regular engagements at both the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and Yachts Miami Beach, and I’ve earned the nickname “The Yacht Violinist”.
My experiences give me a unique attitude towards performance; the violin is an exalted instrument of the concert hall, but I love taking it down the less conventional road. I’m passionate about providing unforgettable experiences for my audience.
I provide my own sound and lights for audiences up to 175; larger audiences will require sound company with lights and staging (stage plot available upon request)
At least two grounded 3-prong outlets must be available
No less than 5 x 7 feet of space is required for performance if there is no stage area.
April 20, 2024 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Cocktail Party |
March 30, 2022 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Nonprofit Event |
February 14, 2022 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm | Personal Occasion |
December 22, 2021 • 3:00pm - 10:00pm | Veiled Prophet Ball |
December 01, 2021 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Corporate Event |
December 01, 2021 • 5:00pm - 7:30pm | Solo - BAMSL |
November 13, 2021 • 7:30pm - 10:30pm | Donatellis Bistro |
November 13, 2021 • 1:00pm - 4:00pm | Private Event |
November 12, 2021 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Sunset Dinner - Chandler Hill |
August 07, 2020 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm | Dinner Party |
February 21, 2020 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
August 07, 2016 • 11:00am - 2:00pm | Bridal Shower |
I play jazzy violin standards, and easy listening vocals. "Standards" are songs that you may or may not recognize, but sound like the cocktail/dinner music you hear in the movies. "Easy Listening" songs are basically mid-tempo adult contemporary songs that may have been on the charts years ago, but still remain familiar to us. If there are specific songs you truly, truly don't want to hear, then just let me know. I may or may not have them in my current repertoire and you don't have to worry about them. Likewise, if there are songs that are special to you or your guests, let's talk about this and I will do my best to accommodate you. However, as a performer of background music, I don't believe it's necessary to "cherry pick" through a song list to shape the evening -- that's what you hired me for! You can be assured that every song that I include in my performance has been chosen for the energy and presence it brings to the event. One of the most important things I can do for your event is be attuned to the room and adjust my repertoire accordingly. Additionally, I'm happy to discuss genres with you prior to your event, if there's a certain theme you'd like to have for your evening.
Laura N. said “They were SO good, so professional, and exceptionally talented. We received lots of compliments for our wedding reception.”
Joann T. said “Michael was great - from start to finish. Great communication. Always very engaging and very nice to work with. Would highly recommend!”
Victor J. said “You were awesome. Thank you for that amazing performance it has to take a lot of energy and work to do what you do and thank you also for the time in…”
Janelle W. said “Clara was great to work with. I'd never used Gigsalad before, so I felt in over my head at first, but she kindly helped answer questions and re-sent…”