Tag Archives: music

Does your shop need a bit of promotion?

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Many businesses now enjoy and thrive off shop promotion. Whether it’s opening the shop for the first time or your first year anniversary shop promotions can attract new customers and keep existing customers. It can also help increase sales which is probably the most positive factor of all businesses. Shop promotion entertainment can help with every of these aspects… if done properly. 

Shops always have the same monotonous music playing in the background so why not switch it up a bit and hire a DJ. The public will hear different music and will also experience first-hand a DJ playing live in a shop, now that’s not something you see every day. Get the DJ to play various styles of music to attract different types of customers but also make sure it suits your shop. Ig you have a unique boutique then trance music would not exactly match the surroundings. Your shop will have that wow factor compared to others around it so it is definitely worth a try! 

Street performers are a great idea to entice people of the street and into your shop. The performers will attract attention to the facade of the shop and can even hand out leaflets to the public. Once your street performer starts performing and letting everybody know about the shop, then how can the customers resist not going in for a little look. Various street performers could include stilt walkers, fire performers, dancers and even musicians. This is a very cost effective way to add excitement and positive chit chat around your shop.

 Food is well known to be the way to anybody’s heart. So why not have some sort of unique catering outside your shop to attract customers to your front doors. A few ideas which are very simple yet very effective include hiring a fish and chip van for the day. It could be packaged in a traditional box with your brand on it, so when your customers sit down to enjoy their food they are reminding on your company. During the summer months you could hire an ice cream van or cart and if they spend a certain amount in shop then on their exit they get an ice cream. It may be a simple idea but this can be very effective. To finish up, your shop just needs to be jazzed up a bit. Make it fun and intriguing and do your research. As I said before, don’t hire entertainment which doesn’t match your shops style. And shop around and hire local artists of possible, this will reflect very positively on your shop.

Famous classical music composers

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Find the best in Classical Music available for hire in the UK today. From solo performers to full orchestras, the performance of classical music repertoire demands a significant level of technical mastery on the part of the musician.

Classical music may not enjoy as much popularity as it used to in its golden age from 17th to the early 20th century. But it continues to impress and inspire, especially the works by the greatest composers of all times. Some of them may have lived hundreds of years ago but their masterpieces simply remain unsurpassed.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

German organist, composer, violist and violinist is widely regarded as one of the best classical composers of all times. Best known works by Bach include the Brandenburg Concertos, Air on the G String, Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Arioso, to mention only a few. 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Austrian composer impressed his contemporaries already as a child. At the age of 5, he mastered keyboard and violin, Some of most famous and most widely performed Mozart’s works include Requiem, Symphony No. 40, operas The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro, Piano Sonata No 16 in C Major, Symphony No. 25, Piano Concerto No. 21 and Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mov. 3 – Turkish March).

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

German composer and pianist was the most outstanding figure in the transition between Classical and Romantic periods, some of his best works including the 9th symphony were created after he became almost completely deaf. Other notable works by Beethoven include Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata), 5th Symphony, 6th Symphony, Bagatelle No. 25 (Für Elise) and Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op.73.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

The celebrated Italian composer is best known for his operas that remain popular to this day. Verdi established himself as the dominant figure of the 19th century Italian classical music. Verdi’s most famous operas besides Nabucco include La traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, Don Carlos, Othello and Falstaff.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Most famous Russian classical music composer wrote in a variety of genres. He composed symphonies, operas, concertos, chamber music, sacred choral music, overtures, suites and ballets. Some of his best known works include his three ballets The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and the Sleeping Beauty, Marche Slave, First Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Overture 1812, Symphony No. 6, Fantasy Overture (Romeo and Juliet), Serenade for Strings and opera Eugene Onegin. 

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Just like Mozart, Chopin was a very gifted child and established himself as one of the foremost Polish composers at a very young age. Some of his best known works include Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, Funeral March (Prelude in C minor), Minute Waltz (Waltz in D-flat major), Revolutionary Etude (Op.10, No.12) and Fantasie-Impromptu (Op. Posth. 66). 

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Italian Baroque composer and violin virtuoso continues to be admired throughout the globe for his works, especially for his instrumental concertos for violin. His greatest masterpiece is a series of violin concertos called Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons). 

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

He is widely referred to as “the greatest Italian opera composer after Verdi” and “the last of Italy’s great opera composers”. His works – La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Il trittico and Turandot are indeed masterpieces and are among the most widely performed operas in the standard repertoire. The mentioned operas also contain a number of outstanding stand-alone arias including Mi chiamano Mimi, O soave fanciulla, Che gelida manina, E lucevan le stelle, Un bel di vedremo, O mio babbino caro and Nessun Dorma. 

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

German-born British composer is widely considered one of the greatest masters of the Baroque era and one of Britain’s foremost classical composers. His greatest works include the Messiah, Sarabande, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, to mention only a few. 

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Russian born French and then American composer, conductor and pianist is one of the most outstanding and influential 20th century composers. He was and still is admired worldwide for the novelty of his works which, however, also caused a great deal of controversy in his time. Stravinsky’s greatest works include The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring, A Soldier’s Tale, and The Song of the Nightingale, Mavra, Oedipus Rex, the Symphony in C and the Symphony in Three Movements

If you are having a very classy affair that demands the very best, or having a theatrical evening that needs a full orchestra to make your play even more dynamic then hiring our Classical music artists will be a very good decision on your part.

The beginnings of Opera…

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Find the best Opera singers and performers available for hire in the UK today. From solo artists to a large scale celebration of classical music. Enjoy the perfect assortment of arias from the world’s most famous operas such as Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Verdi’s “La Traviata” to perfectly complement your event.

Opera was born in Italy at the end of the 16th century. A group of Florentine musicians and intellectuals were fascinated by Ancient Greece and opposed to the excesses of Renaissance polyphonic music. They wanted to revive what was thought to be the simplicity of ancient tragedy. In the first operas (400 years ago), the intention was to make music subservient to the words. They were made up of successive recitatives with a small instrumental accompaniment, punctuated by musical interludes. After Florence and Rome, Venice rapidly became the centre of opera, where the first commercial opera house opened in 1637, thus making the art form accessible to a wider public. Opera soon spread throughout Europe, and in 1700 Naples, Vienna, Paris and London were major operatic centres.

In Italy, the voice remained predominant. The bel canto tradition went on, combined with opera buffa characters and themes. Examples are Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (1816), Bellini’s Norma (1831) or Donizetti’s The Love Potion, 1832). Giuseppe Verdi was the last great Italian composer of the 19th century. In a passionate and vigorous style, he wrote pieces which allied spectacular show and subtle emotions (La Traviata, 1853, Aïda, 1871).

The 20th century: the rise of individuals;
The beginning of the 20th century continued the trends of the late 19th. Puccini was the last great Italian composer, who wrote among others Tosca (1900), Madam Butterfly (1904) and Turandot (1926). Other famous operas of the time were Pelleas and Melisande by Debussy (1902), Salome by Strauss (1905), and The Cunning Little Vixen by Janacek (1924).

Later, individual works rather than general trends appeared. Alban Berg’s operas (Wozzeck, 1925, Lulu, 1937) contrasted with Kurt Weill’s works, inspired from jazz and other popular music (The Threepenny Opera, 1928). Benjamin Britten composed ‘traditional’ operas like Peter Grimes (1945), but also chamber operas.

The 21st century: a score still to be written…
Today, the operatic offer is more varied than ever. Staging and settings have become key elements of new productions. The great pieces of the repertoire are repeatedly reinterpreted and still very successful. They are presented next to new contemporary operas and earlier rediscovered works. In this way, opera is in permanent evolution, for the enjoyment of the widest public.

A brief history of the Harp…

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Find the best harpists available for hire in the UK today. The harp is known as the ‘instrument of the gods’ and dates back to ancient times. The magical ‘fairy tale’ sound of the harp will enchant any audience and it is capable of transforming a ‘run of the mill’ event, into an elegant, emotional experience. 

The harp is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. The earliest harps were developed from the hunting bow. The wall paintings of ancient Egyptian tombs dating from as early as 3000 B.C. show an instrument that closely resembles the hunter’s bow, without the pillar that we find in modern harps. 

The angled harp came to Egypt from Asia in about 1500 B.C. It was built from a hollow sound-box joined to a straight string-arm at an angle. The strings, possibly made of hair or plant fibre, were attached to the sound-box at one end and tied to the string-arm at the other. The strings were tuned by rotating the knots that held them. 

During the middle Ages the pillar was added to support the tension of extra strings. Stiffer string materials like copper and brass were used and these changes enabled the instrument to produce greater volume and a longer-sustaining tone. Paintings of these harps appear in many early manuscripts and their shapes hardly differ from those of the Celtic harps that are still played today. 

The earliest known depiction of a frame harp in the British Isles is on an eighth century stone cross. Music was an important part of life in ancient Ireland and the harp was an aristocratic instrument, played in the courts of kings and before the chiefs of clans. Harpers were required to be able to evoke three different emotions in their audience by their music: Laughter, tears and sleep. With the Anglicisation of the Irish nobility, the traditional harpers became minstrels and street musicians reciting poetry and singing folk songs to the accompaniment of their harps. 

The single action harp achieved great popularity throughout the rest of the 18th century as was evidenced in the French Court by Marie Antoinette; perhaps, the most famous player of this instrument. The harps of this period were magnificently decorated with relief carving, lavishly gilded and hand painted. Besides being musical instruments they were undoubtedly prized as object d’art when displayed in the gilded salons of the era. 

As music evolved it was also necessary for the harp, if it was to maintain its popularity, to move with the times. Instead of only being limited to eight major keys and five minor keys, it had become vitally important for the harp to be able to play in all keys. As a result of this need, Sebastian Erard obtained a patent in 1810 for the Double Action pedal harp. 

This ingenious invention revolutionized the harp and is still in use today. The harp has since continued to evolve and has had many significant improvements made to it over the past two centuries. In the late 1800’s Lyon and Healy, a Chicago based company which is still building harps today, began building harps in America with greatly strengthened frames and many important improvements to Erard’s double action mechanism. 

The 21st century holds great promise for continued popularity of the harp as is evidenced by the myriad festivals, conventions, societies, harp builders, music, performances and career opportunities available to harpists. 

From Medieval to Modern, from Classical to Jazz, from Acoustic to Electric. The harp is an instrument steeped in tradition yet open to change and for many it is more than a mere instrument, it is a calling.

The amazing sounds of a ‘steel pan’

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Amid the electronica of 20th Century music one new instrument stands out for its simplicity. The steel pan, possibly the only instrument made out of industrial waste, has become an icon of Trinidadian culture.

Steel pan bands to give your party a carnival atmosphere with a spicy blend of reggae, soca and other Caribbean styles. They can add their laid-back tropical style to any event for any age group, from garden parties to weddings and corporate functions. The bigger line ups include vocals, drums and bass and even provide a professional dancer to teach you to limbo! Whether the sun is shining or not a steel band will let you believe that you are on a Caribbean Island and your mood will instantly be lifted.

Hammered into the shiny metal surface is a series of dents. Each one creates a different note, subtly different from the ones around it, according to their position and size. The steel pan, often referred to incorrectly as a steel drum, emerged in the 1930s. Metal objects including car parts, paint pots, dustbins, oil drums and biscuit tins, were originally used as percussion instruments, but at some point they began to be tuned.

“It was a slow process, everyone got together and invented the steel pan by using pots and pans and testing them out,” says Sterling Betancourt, a ‘Trinidadian pan man’ who now lives in London.

The history of Trinidadian street music goes back centuries. The music has been keenly adopted by the pop world. The Hollies used the sound of the steel pan in their song Carrie Anne, Prince used it in his song New Position, and 70s jazz-fusion band Spyro Gyra incorporated the sound of steel in Morning Dance. It also sounds like holidays, and sunshine, which may explain some of its appeal.

Go Gospel!!!

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Why not hire a Gospel Choir? These brilliant singers are united by their love of gospel music. We believe that Gospel music is for everyone. 

Gospel Choirs use a blend of close harmonies and ability to mix traditional gospel with jazz, soul, blues and Latin styles. They can be hired as small group’s right up to a big strong choir and full bands are available to hire. They bring their positive attitude and professionalism to every performance and can be hired for all occasions such as weddings, tours, church events, private functions or product launches. They can also arrange a favourite song for your wedding.

So how did Gospel music come about? Gospel music is a music genre in Christian music. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace. Gospel music usually has dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) with Christian lyrics. Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century, with roots in the black oral tradition. Hymns and sacred songs were repeated in a call and response fashion. Most of the churches relied on hand clapping and foot stomping as rhythmic accompaniment. Most of the singing was done a cappella. Gospel music publishing houses emerged. The advent of radio in the 1920s greatly increased the audience for gospel music. Following World War II, gospel music moved into major auditoriums, and gospel music concerts became quite elaborate.

Urban contemporary gospel (sometimes still marketed as “Black gospel” to help distinguish it from other forms of Christian music) is a subgenre of contemporary gospel music. Gospel blues is a blues-based form of gospel music (a combination of blues guitar and evangelistic lyrics). Southern gospel used all male, tenor-lead-baritone-bass quartet make-up. Progressive Southern gospel is an American music genre that has grown out of Southern gospel over the past couple of decades. Christian country music, sometimes referred to as country gospel music, is a subgenre of gospel music with country flair. It peaked in popularity in the middle 1990s.

We are sure that if you do decide to hire a ‘Gospel Choir’ it will be such an uplifting experience for anyone listening and is extremely easy on the ears.

Brazilian Carnival Dancers

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With the carnival fever fast approaching isn’t it better to hire these amazing dancers early? You wouldn’t want to be disappointed, after all Carnival dancers are the icing on the cake!

These gorgeous dancers will carry a feeling of elegance and prestige providing a very energetic performance with a modern twist featuring spectacular costumes and choreographed routines which will dazzle your guests getting everyone off their feet and onto the dance floor! The show will give the audience an authentic taste of the Latin & Brazilian dance experience including Samba, Salsa, Cha Cha, Lambada, Axe’ and much more!

Dancing to up tempo Latin & Brazilian songs as well as Latin pop and contemporary charts, be assured that these Brazilian Carnival Dancers will create an exciting party atmosphere!

You will deal with experienced artists who have been performing not only in the UK but all over the world. Their reputation has grown significantly over the years making them becoming the Capital’s leading show business dedicated to this kind dance.

Discover how you could indulge yourself and your guests with a dazzling and classy party entertainment! With many dancers available, the group can satisfy any request and cater for any budget, no matter how small or large!

Hire Brazilian Carnival Dancers to cater for Corporate, Galas, Weddings, Bar Mitzvah, Cocktails reception, Product launch, TV Commercials, Casinos, Theatre Production, Award ceremony, Themed Event, Office party, Fundraisers, Festivals, Venues and more.

You may need a Brazilian Carnival singer. As well as Carnival Dancers, it would be good to provide a Brazilian Carnival Singer who will entertain your audience singing up-tempo Latin & Brazilian songs in Portuguese, English and Spanish as well as Latin pop and top charts to quality backing tracks.

The singer can also perform a background music set featuring a classy repertoire of smooth Latin jazz and Brazilian bossa nova. This would be ideal for wedding reception or to delight your guest while dining. Please look on our Red Masque directory for more details.

Eurovision Party?

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Celebrate Eurovision with a Party Theme Night & tributes to Cliff, Lulu and Abba. A European Themed Event with French, Bavarian & Greek Bands & Music! 

Drag queens will definitely be a big hit on this occasion the louder the outfits the better. Don’t forget to hire your Abba Tribute acts or even a Lulu lookalike (hopefully she’ll sound alike too?) but it doesn’t matter if they can’t; as not many can sing at Eurovision!!! It’s all about taking part that matters right??

Eurovision parties can be as elaborate as you like, the weirder the costume the better you can even dress up as a lady even if you have a beard!! Just have fun and enjoy. Tribute acts or themed acts will be needed though taking you through the eras or Eurovision from when United Kingdom was popular to vote for, all the way to nowadays when United Kingdom is always at the bottom! Why not have your very own ‘voting system’ and put on your very own talent show; you could make it a ‘fantasy’ where United Kingdom always gets ‘Twelve Points’

If this has got you thinking then get planning.  At Red Masque entertainment directory we have so many entertainments that you can hire ready for your big party ahead. The right lighting would be very important to create the ambiance it deserves.  European food caterers and don’t forget ‘Fish n Chips’

A live band, a host, decorations that would be key to this colourful event and don’t forget your flags!!!!

Now sit back and enjoy your every own Eurovision

There’s no such thing as bad publicity

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Adding to the expanding list of controversial things Kanye West done in his career, he’s recently been reported to have told a disabled man to “stand up” at one of his concerts in Sydney!!!

But what can this self-proclaimed “god” teach us regular folk about being an entertainer that’s on the face of almost every news site going right now? Surely just that doing controversial things sells records?  

After thinking about the ridiculous concept that is Kanye West – a man who’s referred to himself as the “Steve Jobs of fashion” – here’s a list of 4 things he can teach you about being an entertainer

People love a villain

Just think of all of the times you’ve heard about Kanye West in the news and think about how many papers an article about him sells. Let’s take a look at his controversies throughout the years, shall we?

That Taylor Swift incident, hilarious outbursts on Twitter, ‘’George Bush doesn’t like black people”, calling himself Yeezus, marring Kim Kardashian, punching a paparazzo, several outbursts at members of the press and award organisations and now – apparently – heckling a disabled man.

And what’s the theme here? 

He sells papers, gets page views and gets people going – both those who love him, and those who hate him.

His persona isn’t just that of an egomaniacal idiot or “douche”, it’s a cynical, carefully honed personality that makes sure whenever he needs to sell some records or get in the press; journalists are hungry to write anything and everything about him.

So, we may not have Kanye West for hire at Red Masque entertainment directory but we may have a ‘celebrity lookalike’ or we may have some ‘comedians’ which could tell some rather controversial jokes that would really get your crowd talking; for the wrong reasons? Who cares? If they’re talking, that means you’ve made an impression…..right?

40th Birthday Ideas…

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I went to a very well organised 40th Birthday and it was the most enjoyable ‘Birthday bash’ I have been to in a long while. Why not give your loved one a birthday party to remember for years to come and here is a taster of what was on offer at this particular one:

This party was all arranged to ensure that guests never knew quite what was coming next: 

Just sixty minutes from London, Aynhoe Park offers a luxurious private home and embodies pure British eccentricity from top to toe. For Friday night, guests were treated to a sumptuous dinner and comic delights for entertainment.

When you hire Aynhoe Park, it essentially becomes your home. You can do as you please and there are fantastic events staff on hand to cater to your needs. It really is an incredible place. Acts were provided to be immersive, with no obvious staging required. Saturday night was the big party day and guests could move freely from room to room, never knowing what they were about to encounter. With no announcements necessary, the evening flowed beautifully and it was a fantastic idea to enhance the event.

The pop-up nature of the evening began with a superb pianist, who performed on the vintage piano as partygoers took in the experience; drinking their cocktails, sampling the canapés on display and marvelling at the Aynhoe Park experience and quirky nature of the event!

In a different area of Aynhoe Park; A Capella singing combined with a beatboxer more than delivered and really got the party started. Guests were whooping and cheering throughout, even calling out for an encore, which was duly respected!

And for a finale, what better act than the illuminating lights of a fire show. Performing in the orangery with the audience surrounding them, they managed to create a club-inspired atmosphere that was perfect to lead into the DJ who played across two different zones – his first set was commercial pop and dance floor fillers, before moving onto deep house music until 4am!