Matt Griffo

Matt made our entire evening extra special. We sang along, laughed, listened in amazement to his talented piano capabilities and more importantly watched while he encouraged our younger friends to play with him. The children sang along with his encouragement as well. Loved having him as part of our neighborhood caroling event.

If you want somebody to play background piano at your event, your getting a Mercedes when you might only need a boombox. This guy is terrific - yes he does great background stuff, but he is also a true entertainer and can lead sing alongs, do creative versions of any number, and he plays a mean ukulele.

Matt was the perfect addition to our daughter’s fourth birthday. He played with such joy and enthusiasm and totally leaned into her birthday theme. The kids were engaged the entire time and we had the best time. Can’t wait to have Matt back!

Matt took the time to really understand what I wanted for my ceremony. He went above and beyond with song suggestions and questions to learn my likes and dislikes. He took charge when he was at the event which elevated a ton of pressure off me. He was fun and engaging. I would HIGHLY recommend him for any event. He made my day truly special.

Everyone had a great time and really enjoyed the music.

Matt was an absolute pleasure to work with! His talent was on full display and he provided the perfect setting with his music for an engagement event. Nothing but extreme professionalism, and he provided the perfect ambience. All I requested was one or two songs, which he nailed and Iet the musician do what they do best! I would highly recommend anyone to hire Matt to create an unforgettable evening!

Matt got the entire group up and moving during our reception with his ukulele and piano playing. Everyone that attended was thoroughly entertained and said they really enjoyed the personal touch and music. Matt was professional the entire booking process and the day of the event. Highly recommend him to anyone looking to have music during a reception or work gathering.

We were incredibly pleased with the entertainment Matt provided for our ladies lunch. Matt is a talented singer and ukulele player and we thoroughly enjoyed the selections he chose to perform. More than happy, overjoyed, that he was available to play for us. Thanks Matt!

Wow the consummate professional- played ukulele during passed hors d oeuvres then nice piano music during dinner and later dance music. He called multiple times, asked about selections and put the hostess who tends to micro manage at ease putting a calming note to knowing we hired the right guy. He is funny, talented, and I wouldn’t hesitate to try this guy. We were an older crowd so it was subdued but view Matt’s site for all he is capable of. Everyone at the event would say the same great entertainment.

You're not hiring a piano player. Unless that's all you want. You're getting a guy who can get a crowd up and running and involved quickly. And he's versatile - ukulele and piano. Perfect for sing alongs.

We desired background music for our annual Senior Citizen Thanksgiving luncheon, and Matt was available. He communicate promptly and professionally, and we decided to give him a try. We are so happy we did; he arrived on time and dressed appropriately for our event. He played throughout the event, and his music was appreciated by all of our guests. Matt is talented, professional, played a wide variety of music, and easy to work with! We will definitely hire him again in the future!

Great event. Got there early and prepared for exactly what we asked for. Totally delivered and would absolutely use him again!!!

Matt was great to work. He had the perfect personality/energy and skill for our gala. He helped me get connected to an amazing saxophone player, and the two of them really enhanced our over all event. I would 100% recommend him or the pair. And I am already thinking of ways we can book them for our event again for next year!

Matt Griffo is an engaging, original entertainer who held the crowd in his hands! I produce a gig with a variety of odd asks of guest acts - co-MCing, speed-writing songs, spontaneous comedic collaboration - and Matt can do it all. He brought piano and ukulele, worked with a violinist, and added so much to the show.

Matt was an absolute joy to work with. Communicative, honest, responsible and TALENTED!!! He played a Luau I planned while the guests arrived and it was perfect. Great person and even better musician.

Matt Griffo was an INCREDIBLE addition to our nonprofit's gala! He played ukulele during our cocktail hour and the guests loved him! He walked around and engaged and interacted with our guests, played amazingly, and we got so many fantastic comments about him. We'll definitely be booking him again for next year! On top of all that, he was so patient with me as I changed the schedule only a couple of days prior- his flexibility was so appreciated and it was great to know there was one less thing I needed to worry about leading up to the event. Matt was incredibly professional and showed up early, with all of his gear, knew how to set up, and performed for longer than requested. When you're planning an event there is so much to take care of and you're running around like crazy. Booking Matt meant that I didn't have to worry about any of that and I knew it was going to run smoothly and be taken care of. He spoke with me multiple times prior to the event and helped to strategize a set list that would create the atmosphere we were going for, and overall acted as a collaborator and not just entertainment. I'm so grateful that we booked him for this event. If you're wondering if Matt would be a good fit for your event, I would encourage you to reach out to him. He is very honest and will tell you up front what he can and can't do and make sure that you make the right decision. If you're considering him, just book him. You won't regret it.

Matt his a delightful artist that has more talent in his pinky than most. I initially booked Matt on a Monday for a show that Thursday and gave him a list of songs from today's top pop hits to perform (i.e. Adele, Beyonce, Lizzo). With it being uber-important that the show was seamless as it was in a virtual setting. Unfortunately, within the first few seconds on the call, Matt expressed his discomfort with the songs and rushed through them, oftentime, breaking character to go off in a tangent on how he did not know how to perform these.

To me, this took away the element of professionalism, seamlessness and the specialness I wanted the staff to feel, because it came off like a rehearsal versus a performance. I wish Matt would have expressed those concerns to me prior to the event and we could have selected songs that he was more comfortable with.

After he skipped through my requested songs, he eventually landed in familiar territory of songs that he has performed to over the years and that's where he EXCELLED and SHINED. He even performed longer than his agreed upon time, which was GREAT, but for me did not make up for the earlier parts of the performance.

Such a talented artist.

Matt was a true professional in every way, from the booking to arriving on time and prepared. He blended his music with our theme and my guests loved his performance. Nothing but high praise for this super nice guy!

The event was an adult SURPRISE Birthday Dinner Party for my 73-year-old wife. It was a first-class dressy affair in a private dining room at Gibson Steakhouse located in Rosemont Illinois. There were sixty attendees.
Matt Griffo provided outstanding piano-keyboard background music and made introductions and announcements before and during dinner. After dinner and while the birthday tune was still ringing in the guest’s ears, Matt had the house lights extinguished, played the Star Wars Theme, and magically transported the audience back through time. Matt choreographed the scene so, as the Star Wars Theme came to an end, theatrical spotlights came on, brightly lighting the front of the room, and we were in 1961. ELVIS, IN FULL ELVIS ATIRE, (actually The Windy City Elvis impersonator) started to sing. The audience was stunned, followed by screaming, applause, and dancing in the aisles. Matt Griffo KNOCKED THEIR SOCKS OFF!!

Matt did a great job. He played a variety of songs that set the mood perfectly.

Matt did a great job playing a variety of background music and really good covers during our cocktail party client event. He worked the room with his uke which was a nice touch. Would definitely recommend and use again.

This was the second time we had Matt perform at our luncheon. We had a luau theme and Matt played the ukulele. He is very engaging with the audience and everyone loved his performance! Thank you!

Matt was great from our very first conversation. We talked through what I was looking for and made me feel like he really wanted to help. He even learned the specific song that I was looking for! I highly recommend for your event needs.

I was blown away by Matt's energy, talent and enthusiasm for our event. It was a surprise party and he even helped improve the surprise at the time of the event by serving as a our decoy lookout! He blended in so effortlessly with our guests and the event that it was like having a very talented, extremely helpful family member at the event. Our guests were very impressed and he added so much to the mood and energy of event. I wasn't sure what to expect and he exceeded all of my expectations! We are going to plan more parties just to have him back! 10 out of 5 stars for sure!!!!

Matt was professional, personable, kind, and a very talented musician! We enjoyed having him play ukulele and sing at our family luau!

Matt provided a wonderful performance for our senior luncheon. He was very friendly and engaging with the audience. Our participants really enjoyed his show and told him he needs to come back again!

We had a great time. Matt was great. He knows his stuff and everyone had a blast. Would definitely recommend, and will absolutely invite him again to entertain. Easy 5 star evening. Thanks Matt.

Matt was very easy to work with from the beginning. He is a highly talented musician who plays a variety of music. He was very sociable with guests and everyone loved him! I would definitely recommend Matt and would have him again for another event.

Matt was great at our house party. He had a good mix of songs and comedy. His ukulele act is on point.

Great hit with our friends

Great, professional and talented. Will book again!

Matt played for my mother in laws celebration of life and we could not have been more pleased. His did a mix of piano and the ukulele and it was a bit hit with everyone. We had so many compliments on the event! He made it upbeat and learned special songs we wanted for the service portion. I would definitely hire him again!

Matt fit the bill for the birthday party event we held. He played songs that connected with the guest of honor and other guests. Everyone thought the party was better with the live enterainer.

Matt was a pleasure to work with and did a great job. Thanks for keeping us entertained!

Matt was fantastic. Everyone was singing along and having a great time. He took all of our song requests and made it a fun, inviting atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Matt was excellent, his show was just what we needed for our party. His impromptu songs were hilarious. I will be recommending mad for future entertainment opportunities. Thanks again

We hired Matt for our June 19, 2021 backyard wedding. Matt was so fun to work with! He is personable, funny, and was very responsive over all forms of communication. He has great taste in music and was so knowledgeable that he even recommended albums and music that we enjoyed outside the scope of the wedding. Matt was excellent at reading our crowd and knew exactly when to switch it up to keep everyone enjoying themselves. Matt even went above and beyond working with some of our family friends to help broadcast the wedding on Zoom.

We hired Matt just a week and a half before our wedding! We originally were going to go without a DJ but realized that with all of the little details day-of we really needed someone to help with the ceremony music, cocktail hour, and MC-ing for the reception. Matt really came through for us right when we needed him and did not disappoint! We received compliments from multiple people on the music selection and our officiant even asked if we had a wedding coordinator (we did not) since everything went so smoothly. We attribute a lot of the "smoothness" to Matt and his ability to keep track of the schedule, when we were supposed to transition to dinner, and when toasts (we had a lot!) were supposed to happen. We couldn't be happier having Matt DJ/MC our wedding and highly recommend him! Thank you Matt!

Matt was really fantastic! Had a 50th birthday party at our house with 14 family members ranging from 6 - 85 years old. Everyone loved it!!! Super friendly and accommodating as well. Would highly recommend!!!

Matt performed for an anniversary work party for our non-profit organization. His performance was so wonderful. The participants had a blast and he was so flexible and accommodating. I would recommend him to anyone! Thanks Matt!!!

Matt had the whole group (20+) roaring with laughter when he played our virtual holiday event. The entire group thoroughly enjoyed his performance. We would have him back for another event any time!

Matt did an amazing job at our Murder Mystery Engagement Party! His music selection was on point, he played beautifully and he did a great job interacting with our guests. Would absolutely recommend using him for your event!

We hired Matt for a socially distanced neighborhood party, where we had friends in our driveway and several of our neighbors had friends in theirs.

Matt was easy to work with and possesses a great repertoire of songs. He was prepared to play to a large and spread out audience, yet gave our event an intimate ambiance.

By the end of the evening, everyone wanted his business card!!

I found Matt on gigsalad for my mother's celebration of life. He knocked it out of the park!! Was so kind and thoughtful throughout the process. Our guests were blown away. Thank you so much!!

Matt has a great voice and really plays well! Everyone at our party was so impressed with him that we would hire him again.

Matt was terrific for my husband’s physically distant 40th birthday party in our front yard. Our party of 5 had such a memorable time dancing to Matt and Layla on cello. The neighbors enjoyed the music too. Matt was also super easy to communicate with to ensure physical distancing. Thanks for a great time!

Perfect night with Matt.

Matt gets right in there with the party vibe. Played a hot Xmas piano alternating with funky ukulele. Perfect for our holiday party. Definitely going to use him again.

Matt was great for my mom's birthday party. And he was incredibly responsive and helpful during the planning.

Played the piano and sing at our private party. Came on time and very accommodating with request.

Matt was great at our Christmas party. Everyone enjoyed him and they especially loved getting up and singing with him.

Overall we were really happy with Matt's work on our wedding. His additional musician posted some things on social media that were a bit rude about the venue and seemed a bit mocking. Also he did provide music for the cocktail hour even after we had declined it, but then asked for a partial payment for it even though we had told him we didn't want it--so that was odd. Other than that we had a lot of fun, he stuck to exactly what we wanted, and made sure the volume was perfect and that everyone had fun dancing! Super happy with his services.

Matt came to our Theater in Edison park to fill up four weekend show slots we had open last minute due to a cancellation. We had intended to book Matt anyway at some point and boy did this work out in our favor. People came out from 20 somethings to older people and everyone laughed and clapped along and got into it so fast.

He performed four shows with us over two weekends, and not only did he put on a fantastic, original show, but he even helped me on the first night as I got lost on how the tech should be set up and he stepped up and just handled it with a smile.

His crew are so talented as well. I can't possibly recommend him highly enough for your venue. I know he's done private events as well, and his ability to improvise songs catering to his surroundings is hands-down one of the most impressive parts of his full performance.

A-PLUS

-Tim Whitzell
Director, Black Box Comedy
The WIP Theater
Chicago, Illinois
TheWIPTheater.com

Matt and Marilynn provided exceptional music for both our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. They are both very talented musicians that can play a wide range of musical styles. Some of my favorites from our event...The Luckiest by Ben Folds, a wonderful version of George Winston's variation on Pachalbel's Canon , Hallelujah (originally by Leonard Cohen, but probably made more famous by Rufus Wainwright). Obviously, these songs were not really written for Piano and Cello, but Matt and Marilynn were able to put together really beautiful renditions. If you are a fan of the Piano Guys or Brooklyn Duo, this is a perfect group for your event. I received a lot of comments about how great the music was, and that was obviously thanks to them. Probably the best part about choosing them for our wedding was getting to work with them. Matt is extremely responsive and organized. He was very willing to learn new songs if given enough time, and basically to do whatever he could to provide the kind of music we wanted. I talked to him several times by phone and then met up in person to go over final details (he really pays attention to the details, which is great). By the time our wedding day rolled around, we had a ton to worry about, but music was not on that list. Due to some rain concerns, we had to make a game time decision whether or not to do the ceremony outside. I saw Matt and Marilynn not long before making that decision, and they put my mind at ease. They could be flexible and do whatever we needed. I think that is very important when determining who you want to work with for your wedding, as not everything will go exactly as planned. It's important to have people that can roll with things and get the job done. Matt and Marilynn certainly did that. We gave them a final decision, and they were set up, playing beautiful music from Chopin to Damien Rice as our guests arrived.

We've booked Matt Griffo for our show, Brass Chuckles Comedy many times, and couldn't be happier. Matt is consistently on time, organized, and gives our audience an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience. His musicians are talented and beautifully support his unique comedic music style. They have an easy and entertaining rapport that our audiences love. I recommend Matt and his musicians to anyone looking for a rewarding experience when it really matters.

Matt Griffo is above and beyond what you normally would see in entertainment. I've booked Matt a number of times for events and the results are 100% PERFECTION. Super talented and entertaining. Look no further!

We had matt perform for our dinner party of 20+ guests, and they loved every moment of his set! He did some fun covers, and hilarious originals and an interactive song that got everyone involved. Matt and his team of musicians showed up on time, looked great and the small sound system they travel with is great for an intimate or larger crowd. We are looking forward to the chance to hire him again.

Matt Griffo and his band have played a variety of live music at our annual fundraiser.
Our guests ranged from young artists to older patrons, and the band entertained them all. Matt is very personable and was happy to talk with everyone, even while he was playing piano.
The band played excellent cocktail music to start the evening and later created improvised songs that were personalized to the VIPs names. They loved it!
It made the event something everyone was talking about the next day.
I've hired them for a second year!

As the producer of The TOMFOOLERY Show, a comedy-based variety show, we pride ourselves on offering only the finest in clever and creative talent. We have been fortunate to have had Matt Griffo perform in several of our events over the past two years and the audiences continue to ask, "When is Matt Griffo coming back?" Matt always puts on an amazing show, combining his fine muscial ability with an amazingly quick wit! The combination makes for a most entertaining evening which has never failed to delight our audience! Tom Byelick ww.tomfooleryfunclub.com