Side by Side offers a wide variety of musical services, ranging from solo piano to ensembles up to eight musicians. We have performed in steady engagements up to four nights a week, as well as for a large number of private events. We have experience entertaining for nearly every type of special event imaginable. Here is a list of our most common musical services. If you have a need for live music that doesn't fit into one of these descriptions, please contact us, and we'll see what we can do to accomodate you.

• Wedding Ceremonies (one, two or more musicians). We can provide both vocals and instrumental selections for your special day, as well as consutation with you regarding favorite musical numbers. We also work with you to "fine-tune" your ceremony to help you plan the musical selections and perform them in the order that works best for you and your wedding entourage during the processional, and the rest of the ceremony. We have vast experience with weddings of all ethnic/religious/secular types, and have even played for clients getting married in Las Vegas wedding chapels. If you prefer traditional music such as baroque pieces by Purcell, Bach, Vivaldi, Pachelbel, and others from that musical genre, no problem–we have conducted lavish ceremonies with string players, brass players, organists, and other musicians. John also plays organ in addition to piano. Karen has an outstanding classical voice and has sung many an aria for special occasions.
  
  
• Wedding Receptions (one, two, or more musicians). We have played countless wedding receptions for innumerable clients for the past twenty-five years or more. Whether your taste is for Jewish Horas, Irish jigs, Italian songs, Greek music, country line-dancing, high-energy rock, disco, hip-hop, or other styles (or a combination of these styles), we can provide what you wish. We are very experienced with wedding receptions, and often help the bride and groom plan these events, from the cake-cutting to throwing the bouquets, and other special activities. We have a large repertoire of numbers for these treasured moments in the reception. We also have experience working alongside DJ's, and can provide some DJ services of our own. We are live musicians first and foremost, and prefer live music over DJ services, but we are willing to "spin" some selections during our breaks to keep the energy going.
  
  
• Bar/BatMitzvahs (one, two, or more musicians). We both had vast experience in Chicago, playing for the Jewish circuit. John was raised in Skokie, Illinois, a very prominent Jewish community. John early on learned many of the Jewish traditional numbers commonly played at Jewish weddings and Bar/BatMitzvahs. He even played in a Klezmer band for a period. John and Karen have a significant repertoire of Horas and other Jewish favorites, to keep the parties going. While we don't claim to have the expertise of some DJ's at conducting games and contests for the kids, we do have some experience in that area, or if desired, we can work alongside a DJ who is more adept at conducting the games for the kids while we offer the bulk of the musical selections. Again, whatever your needs are, we will happily work with you to provide the best solution for your special day.
  
  
• Birthdays and Anniversaries (one, two or more musicians). This is another area where we both have extensive experience. We know musical favorites from many different decades, and often are asked to play songs that were popular when a couple was married. When playing for these events in the homes of our clients, we are careful not to be too loud or intrusive. We also learned long ago about being respectful to homeowners and their guests, and not be in their way, either when transporting our musical equipment, or during other times in the course of the event.
  
  
• Corporate Events (one, two or more musicians). We have played for every conceivable type of corporate event, from cocktail receptions at conventions to award ceremonies. Living in Chicago and Orlando, both for many years, has been a fruitful source of many convention bookings for us, since both those cities rank among the top three convention cities in the country. A special type of corporate event which we have performed for so many times is the company Christmas party (see below).
  
  
• Holiday Parties (one, two or more musicians). In our years of living in Chicago, as well as Orlando, we have played for countless Christmas parties. Some of these have been for well-known individuals, such as the Mayor of Chicago (see our "Clients" page). We know all the popular Christmas songs–both traditional and secular–and also have provided printed lyrics to clients for Christmas song "sing-a-longs". John is a wonderful pianist, who offers several personal interpretations of selections from the Nutcracker Suite, as well as many of the famous Vince Guaraldi numbers from the Christmas "Peanuts" special, such as "Linus and Lucy". Karen can sing beautiful traditional numbers like "O Holy Night", and even parts of the Messiah, or turn around and belt a fun rendition of "Jingle Bells" or "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree". We also have played for many New Year's Eve celebrations, and are very experienced at offering the appropriate musical numbers at the stroke of midnight, such as "Auld Lang Syne", "Celebration", "Hot Hot Hot", and other fun songs.
  
  
• Steady Engagements. Whether at a restaurant, hotel, or some other venue, we have had many a steady engagement over the years. If you are an owner of such a venue, or are in a position of booking or searching for live entertainment, we would love to speak with you. We can provide all equipment, and have much experience knowing what to play and at what volume level, to keep your customers happy. We especially love playing in venues with dance floors, and know all the common dance beats including Latin styles. We strongly prefer being a duo, when performing in a steady engagement.
  
  
• Concerts (one, two or more musicians). Whether at a church, a school, a retirement community, or just about anywhere, we have performed many a concert over the years. During these events, we are expected to entertain a group of people who are in attendance for the sole purpose of being entertained. This is not a background music situation, but rather an opportunity for us to give of our God-given gifts and hopefully elevate these attendees with the blessing of live music. These events call for extra preparation since we are there in a concert setting. We have presented concerts all over central Florida. Some examples include: Church on the Square at The Villages, First Methodist Church of Winter Park, First Presbyterian Church of Winter Park, University of Central Florida, Sandpiper Golf & Country Club, Lakeland FL, Daytona Beach Hilton (for the Symphony Guild of Daytona Beach), and many other retirement homes and corporate events. We will gladly speak with you regarding performing a concert for your church or organization. Although not a fixed rule, when doing concerts, our strong desire is to perform as a duo.
  
  
• Jazz Gigs (one, two or more musicians). Both of us love jazz music, and are always interested in speaking with you regarding jazz performances, whether at a jazz club (or club that features jazz from time to time), a church, or jazz festival. We can add musicians to provide a Dixieland sound, or more modern jazz style. We prefer jazz of the past over the "smooth" jazz so popular today, which often we don't consider to be really jazz. (We can provide that style as well, and know songs of Sade, Norah Jones, etc., but our preference is the great jazz classics of yesterday by artists such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Miles Davis, and so on).
  
  
• Solo Piano. Often, clients simply want quiet, pleasant solo piano music for their special occasions. Both of us have vast experience in this area. We have played in client's homes on their pianos, or have brought portable keyboards of our own (an extra fee will be required for this). We have electric keyboards that sound remarkably close (often better) than many of the acoustic pianos we have played. We both have experience playing solo piano in a variety of other settings as well, including shopping malls and hotel lobbies. We have even been hired to play solo piano (or solo electric keyboard) in art galleries and legal firms. Prices vary considerably for this service so please discuss your needs with us to get our availability and price.
  
  
• Church Services (one, two or more musicians). We both love performing in church, and often do it free of charge, to glorify God. Some churches pay their performers as a policy, and in those cases, we accept payment. But our main priority is to perform in church to give back what has been so abundantly given to us from above–not merely to make money.
  
  
• Other Musical Services. We provide some miscellaneous services such as limited teaching, coaching, musical transcription, and original music for certain applications, such as videos. John has extensive musical recording equipment and has provided soundtracks for infomercials, and other purposes. We both are available for recording sessions with others, when keyboard and vocal talent are required. John has also played for singers and instrumentalists in various auditions. Please discuss with us our availability for these services, since our schedules are often busy.