Frequently asked questions

Ordinarily deposits are non-refundable, but in these very uncertain and difficult times, it is sadly quite possible that you may have to postpone or even cancel your booking due to the pandemic and ever changing guidelines and restrictions. I have had many weddings postponed from last year which is why this year is becoming so heavily booked up.

If you do need to postpone your date as a consequence of changing restrictions which prevent your wedding from going ahead or being limited to very small numbers, please don't worry as your deposit payment will be safe and I will do my best to accommodate your new date if at all possible. If I am unavailable however, I will suggest alternative dates as close as possible to the date you've requested, and if these are not suitable or your new date is unchangeable, I would return your deposit under such circumstances, and try my best to arrange an alternative pianist/entertainer for you. Due to the uncertainty of the present situation, I do not recommend paying in full for your wedding until you can be certain it can go ahead, as returning full payments is more difficult should it become necessary. 20% is all that is required to firmly secure dates.

I am based in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire, so bookings within a 50 mile radius of Hull will not incur any additional travel costs. I frequently travel across the North of England across Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northumberland and Lincolnshire, (usually within a 3 hour distance) though I am happy to travel anywhere in England, but there will be additional charges to cover the cost and time of travel. For long distances this may increase the price significantly. Travelling expenses are calculated on a rough basis of 40p per mile, so a 500 mile return journey (e.g. to London) would cost an extra £200. Where overnight accommodation is required, this will also need to be added to the total cost, unless you are able to arrange accommodation for me at your own expense.

Without question there are many very accomplished pianists across the country who provide a similar service, though not so many in the area in which I am based, but every pianist and entertainer has their own individual sound, style, personality and repertoire which will make some more suited to your specific requirements and preferences than others.

Most people book me purely on the strength and quality of my musical style, emotional feel, originality and extensive repertoire, so as a start I would recommend listening to some samples of my performance (just go to the home page!). I believe that my music speaks for itself. However, if you were looking for a purely classical pianist, I would not be the right choice as there are many who excel and specialise in this area where I do not. But many classical pianists cannot play without sheet music or perform their own interpretations of well known songs nor do they improvise in the way a jazz musician can, so where you prefer a variety of musical styles and a less formal performance, that's where my strengths lie. I have a classical foundation having taken the musical grades (to 7), so I can play with classical 'feel' and subtlety, but I am very much at home in the realm of jazz, shows, rock and blues and I learn almost everything by ear, interpretation and improvisation rather than from someone else's sheet music.

There are several other reasons besides the music itself:
   1) I also sing and play acoustic guitar so can offer lively vocal entertainment as well as background instrumental piano
   2) I take very few breaks if any, and often perform for 3 hour periods or longer, seamlessly linking many songs and instrumentals together
   3) Everything is played from memory or by ear, with music score or lyric sheets very rarely used
   4) Specific individual requests are accommodated and learnt, often interpreted as highly original instrumentals (e.g. please listen to 'Sweet child of mine', 'From this moment' or 'Unchained melody' from the player on the home page).
   5) A very high quality and very real sounding digital piano (Roland RD-700NX) and PA are provided at no extra cost where required

By no means! I am happy to perform at any type of event or venue, and frequently get booked for birthday, anniversary or Christmas parties, company functions, restaurants, pubs and many others. If you are particularly looking for live entertainment, please also visit my other website www.antoine.co

This depends on what is required, but a typical example for a wedding would be 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony, up to 2 hours during the drinks reception, and for the entire duration of the meal (following or leading up to the speeches etc).  For a function or other event, the standard charge includes up to 3 hours, but this time can be reduced or extended as necessary. Evening vocal entertainment is typically 2 hours with one short break, but again this can be tailored to meet your needs. Please see the packages page for more detail regarding prices or get in touch to discuss your specific requirements.

This is not a problem as I have a superb Roland RD-700NX digital piano which I can provide along with any necessary PA equipment for no extra charge. Although digital, this Roland piano is their most recent and really does sound absolutely amazing and every bit as good as an actual acoustic grand, though it doesn't look like one. If the venue piano is to be used, it is essential that it has been recently tuned and is in excellent working order, so if possible please check this with the venue in good time.

Simply get in touch via phone, email or the booking form with the details of when, where and what is required.  A deposit of 20% is usually required to secure the booking.

This varies considerably depending upon what is required and the type of occasion. Please contact me or see packages page for prices.

As soon as possible ideally, just to ensure that I am not already booked. However, I am usually happy to accept last minute bookings as long as I am available, but do already have many weddings booked up well in advance even for next year, so the earlier the better!

For piano performance, only enough space to accommodate a full length digital piano plus a speaker on a stand. Setup time is around 30 minutes. For evening vocal entertainment which includes piano, guitar and a full PA, more space is required, but not a huge area. Setup time is about 1 hour.

I am very happy to play requests if at all possible, particularly if they are from my repertoire lists. If there is a piece of music you would particularly like me to play which is not listed, I will endeavour to learn it as long as you let me know well in advance. Generally speaking I will be happy to learn up to 4 new songs or instrumentals as long as I am given enough notice.

Very much so - my repertoire covers a very wide range of musical styles and eras, so please have a browse through my repertoire lists to see exactly which songs and artists I play.  If there are any songs that you would particularly like me to learn, just let me know in advance and I'll do my best.

This is not a problem as long as there is suitable power (a 13amp socket is fine), and cover if rain is a likelihood. I can set up without cover but would need to dismantle quickly in the event of probable rain.

I have considerable experience playing hymns and there are many I know very well.  I am happy to learn unfamiliar ones as long as the music is available in some form, either sheet music or as audio.

Certainly!  But I would need to bring and set up the necessary mic and PA equipment so please let me know in advance.   However, singing unintrusively in the 'background' is not at all easy and I would always suggest that where you want background music (e.g. during the breakfast) it's best to stick with instrumental piano, but where you are looking for 'entertainment' which is more interactive and more directly engages the audience, then a vocal performance may be perfectly appropriate. Sometimes I get asked to sing during the actual ceremony, but in many cases I am asked to play specific song requests as piano instrumentals, so whatever you are looking for I am sure I can accommodate it!
As an 'evening' entertainer I have a very different style and song repertoire, accompanied by acoustic guitar or stage piano depending on the style of song.