Performing at a wedding earlier this year
I love performing at weddings and I feel lucky to be part of a very special day in a couple's lives. I get to contribute in a way that can be quite visceral, that's what music can do, stop you in your tracks, take you back to a magical time and bring a tear to your eye, and make your heart beat that little bit faster.
I do as many wedding fairs as I can - I have almost always been told how delighted clients are to have found me (the joys of the internet...). Wedding fairs are hard graft - it is a full day's work and an important one in finding new clients. I admit I find them challenging as I have to play, talk to people and have the occasional break! It's quite a balancing act with 47 strings and 7 pedals to manage!
I used to get quite low at fairs especially when future brides and grooms walked straight past me and my beautiful harp, and I know that what I offer won't appeal to everyone. My strategy now is to enjoy my playing and anyone who is serious about my services will linger until I notice them as I'm so busy concentrating (that frown doesn't mean I'm grumpy!), or contact me after picking up a business card.
I am committed to improving my web presence during the coming months, and you probably won't find me on agency websites. There are some wonderful agents out there who do it seriously and very well, but I recently heard of an agent who took a fee of over 50%... We musicians have all been stung by agents who have collected their fee and been left high and dry when the client has cancelled.
So keep typing Rhian Evans Harpist Yorkshire (or a similar combination) into that search engine, and one day...
