I have seen this group perform many times and I have hired them to perform. I love their…read morecreativity, the sounds, movement, and spirit of the group. They often include guest artists from around the world how often play instruments I have never seen or heard. It is always exciting and inspiring to experience The Guitars of Spain. I particularly enjoy it when they include dancers, adding to the theatrical experience.

Greetings! I…read moreattended a Volunteer opportunity in Lake Forest, IL where I met for the first time, Mr. Brian Fowler. Brian is the Director of 'NOWSTALGIA!!' and was hired by Lake Forest Place to entertain local folks with his singing for an hour music specific to a 'Summer' theme including 4th of July highlights. My first impression of Brian is his smile. It is genuine and constant. Refreshing... Second impression is Brian's energy. I'm sure Brian has performed for much larger audiences and yet given the small venue that that I was attending (less than 50 people), there was no missing his energy and fun attitude he shared with all of us. The audience's participation was welcomed as other cheered on. Brian brought back favorites songs we knew as kids and it was easy to see that everyone was comfortable to sing along. Who doesn't remember "This Land is your Land"? Seriously. Additionally, Brian's sound was perfect, not too loud nor too quiet. Not only does Brian possess a great singing voice, but he speaks well, as well! His microphone use was on point, no reverb or feedback. He uses a laptop to queue up his selections and took mere seconds between songs to hit start while he kept dialog going with the audience. No awkward pauses here! Lastly, all in all Brian did a fabulous one man show. I checked out his website and he offers quite a selection of options for entertainment needs including additional singers, back up bands, etc. It's all a matter of what's in your budget. With Brian's amazing background (check out his bio), the sky's the limit! So, if you are looking for an Entertainer who's in it because it's his passion and not just to pay bills on a part time basis I'd recommend you give Brian a call. Check out his website. There are plenty of pics and youtube video to view as well. Thanks Brian - I enjoyed your show! ~

So I was finally able to make it to the play and i was not disappointed!! The theater itself is an…read moreamazing building and the cast is really good, but I have to say Adrian Gonzalez is amazing. I had heard so many great reviews and raves bout him and I have to agree he is pretty awesome! Love! Valour! Compassion! is a great story and they do a great job of keeping the audience entertained! I will def. be seeing more of his shows in the near future!!

I just came back from their Spring Dance Concert, and it was unbelievable. What a stellar…read moreproduction! My daughter started dancing competitively, and after a horrible experience in Palos Heights, we came here because it was more local to us. My daughter has grown as a dancer in such a short time. She's learning technique, something that was missing from the other place. Everyone is on task and there's little horseplay in the classes. The instructors actually participate and demonstrate what is being taught. My daughter is always excited to go to class. Ms Marylee runs a great business and she cares about her dancers. She puts out a great product. Highly recommended! I'm proud to have my daughter go there.

Love the owner of the studio here. Marylee Sinopoli…read more Extremely dedicated to her students progress and brings in all styles of dance: Tap Ballet/Pointe Jazz Modern Hip Hop Music Dance Theatre Lyrical Ballroom Creative Movement Yoga (Yep, even yoga) And the list goes on, I've probably forgotten several other classes that are taught as well. There are two separate dance floors, so two classes can run at the same time with no interference. My Sister-in-law teaches tap here along with both my nieces that are dancing students and they love it! I got to peek in on one or two of their classes and it's amazing to see how much they've progressed. Along with all the wonderful dancing that goes on here there is also amazing art work displayed, all of it is completed by the owners mother. Great feel of unity here at the studio, which can be difficult to come by these days in most studios. Truly a positive place to come and learn to dance, at all ages. The owner, you can tell, has put great work, care and time into creating a huge success here at the Dance Gallery.

Michael & UpBeat were EXACTLY what we needed for our wedding. Michael set up multiple phone calls…read morewith us before the wedding to go over details and understand what we wanted for our day. The band set up rehearsals just to practice our exact set list. We decided on Piano & Violin for the ceremony, with additional Piano for cocktail hour. The full band played a wonderful and creative 3 hour set during our reception. Upbeat set up all of our sound equipment and did a comprehensive sound check early that day. They even had a sound tech on their staff. Upbeat customized our wedding to our exact requests. They ensured to perfect our precessional, recessional, and prelude music. We requested contemporary love songs in which they rocked!! Our cocktail hour was perfect and the guests were complementing how talented the musicians were. Michael was our emcee for the nights events and ensured to follow my timeline to a T. He checked in multiple times with our wedding planner, as well as me and my husband. The 3-hour reception was full of energy, talent, and craftsmanship. Upbeat performed multiple medleys allowing songs to flow seamlessly into each other. The vocalists were top tier and were able to sing a wide variety of genres. The instrumentalists all played a critical role in the feel of the party! I 100% recommend adding the horn to your band! It made every song feel rich & full. Shout out to Reid Spears, piano & vocals, THE TALENT IS POURING OUT OF HIM. If you're thinking about a live band, DO IT. This band is worth every penny!!! We will forever be a fan of UpBeat! Maddy & Sean

After my sister had UpBeat at her wedding, it was a no-brainer that I would hire them for mine…read more Michael and the whole crew bring the kind of expertise, enthusiasm and energy that you want in a band. They have an extensive repertoire of music to choose from and are extremely accommodating to any requests outside of their lineup. Every phone call and email is extremely thorough so you know exactly what to expect and then some. If we had to do it all over again, we'd choose Upbeat in a heartbeat.

Absolutely made our ceremony and cocktail hour so special! 10/10 communication and experienceread more

I booked the String Theory Chamber Ensemble for my grandmother's funeral service. When booking they…read morewere very empathic and easy to work with. They are were able to bring a portable piano and their equipment. I was very happy with their performance. They played beautifully and really added a nice touch to the service

I've only been to one of their productions, and that was at the Aethaneum, so take this with a…read moregrain of salt. The production was good, definitely not very good or great. This company is a helpful launching pad for singers who are working to become full-time professional opera singers. My husband and I saw one of the Handel operas, and the singing, with the exception of the soprano lead, had a ways to go. The acting also wasn't so great - the performers seemed more focused on vocal tehnique. I'm a bit of an opera buff, but my husband isn't, and it was hard for him. Handel opera isn't especially approachable, so that might have been my poor judgment call. We both enjoy the Lyric much more (although he likes to get 40 winks there too). But the Lyric certainly has a larger budget for singers, sets, etc. This is not an inspired regional opera company, but a solid one.

I scored dress rehearsal tickets to a few of Chicago Opera Theater's upcoming shows. Last night, my…read moresister and I went to see La Clemenza di Tito. I'm no opera expert, but I can definitely appreciate it. The performance was beautiful. The music was unbelievably powerful and the interpretation somewhat modern (though I'm merely speculating). I'm a photographer, and I found myself in utter awe of the sets and of the lighting. Everything about it was so dramatic and full of contrast and just fit the performance to a T! The Harris theater itself is not at all what I expected. It's very modern, almost cold feeling, with very few embellishments or visual distractions one might expect from a theater. Not saying this is good or bad. Just is. In a sense, I suppose it helped keep the focus where it belongs: on the stage. Overall, a wonderful experiences. Can't wait until the next show!

Four violins, two violas, 2 cellos, and a string bass later, Sarah and I decided that this was the…read moreperfect blend for the acoustics at the Art Institute Modern Wing. Our repertoire was most classical waltzes and Puccini scores, mixed with some Mancini. Symphony Sounds pulled it all off, much to the delight of some more serious classical buffs in our audience. It was a true pleasure to work with Sarah. She even recorded my bridal march, Un Bel Di, during practice and sent it to me so I could get a sense of timing. All our communications were long distance, yet the music and ceremony were executed beautifully. I only wish I could have heard all of the pre and post music myself. My guests continue to rave about the music and how lovely it sounded.

I admit that I had to do a little considering before adding the 5th star…read more There was a problem at our wedding in late August but the owner did the best she could and the performance was great. Thus, there was never any consideration for giving a bad review. The question was whether to give the "perfect" score. Sometimes bad things occur beyond someone's control. They did the best they could do under the circumstances, including the owner offering more than I could conscientiously accept. They performed spectacularly, despite the owner probably believing she would be paid nothing for her performance and hard work. None of the audience ever even knew there was a problem. In mulling it over, that ability to actually turn lemons into lemonade shows more professionalism than simply doing so under the best conditions. The best parts were the quality of the performers, their choice of music, and the cheerfulness of the performance. Every one of our guests were throughly entranced by the music! I therefore enthusiastically recommend Symphony Sounds for your wedding or other event.