Before you write to a musician for the holiday party, decide two things: whether your guests will be seated or on their feet for most of the evening, and how late the night runs. The headcount tells you less about the music than either.
A dinner where people want to talk usually needs one musician. A room where they stand and mingle suits strings, from a solo violin to a quartet; a night meant for dancing is a band's, and a long party with strong opinions about the songs is a DJ's. The next four sections each pair a size with a Metro Vancouver act that plays at that scale, and with what you'll need to settle with it as the host. If you're still choosing the date and the room, our guide to a team party for 20 to 60 starts there.
One musician for a dinner where people talk
When the evening is a seated dinner, one musician is often the right size: a voice and a guitar the tables can turn toward between courses. CocoLarosa is a folk singer-songwriter from Surrey, on acoustic guitar, whose site describes storytelling that moves "from intimate to explosive." Solo isn't only for small rooms, either. CocoLarosa can play "intimate events for a crowd of 30, as well as large scale events for hundreds of people."
CocoLarosa usually plays two 45-minute sets, which suits a dinner: one as people arrive and sit down, the second after the main course. What you provide is a performance area of at least 5 by 5 feet with access to an electrical outlet. The act brings its own PA and set-up takes 45 minutes, so if the first set starts at 6:30, keep that corner free from 5:45.
A room that mingles, and strings that grow with it
At a party where people stand with a drink and move from group to group, the music is something they pass on the way to the bar and drift back toward. Strings suit that room, and the ensemble grows one player at a time. Duo d'Amore's corporate-events page lists "solo violinists and cellists, string duos, string trios and quartets," so the number of players can follow the size of the room.
Then think about where they play. A violinist by the entrance or the bar reaches whoever passes, and in a room that mingles, that's most of the guests. Once you've picked a size, ask Duo d'Amore how much floor and how many chairs it needs, and give the music a spot where people already gather.
When the night is for dancing
If the plan is to move the tables back at ten and get people up, that's the night for a band. Famous Players Band's corporate-entertainment page lists four lead singers and a repertoire "spanning more than six decades, from smooth jazz to top 40 to rock anthems." At a work party, six decades of songs can reach a room that runs from someone in their first month to someone who remembers the office before the last move.
Before you plan the floor, ask Famous Players Band how much space and set-up time it needs. Choose the hour the dancing starts and make sure the tables can move by then. Then ask the venue how loud the room can get, and until what time, before you hire anyone.
For a band that can start quiet over dinner and open up later, read our Spotlight on SoulDriver.
At a work party, six decades of songs can reach a room that runs from someone in their first month to someone who remembers the office before the last move.
A DJ for the long hours and the requests
A DJ can carry a long evening and change course with the floor, which helps when half the team has opinions about the music. DJBjorn, based in Vancouver's West End, carries "enough audio equipment for a party of 20 or even a party of 50,000," according to its site. For a corporate holiday party, DJBjorn's packages often include "customized playlists, festive lighting, and interactive entertainment options," with a playlist built to balance "traditional holiday music with contemporary hits."
What's left for you to settle with a DJ is the mix. Say where you want the playlist to sit between those two, and whether requests are open all night or start after dinner. Ask what the interactive options involve before you say yes to them, since some rooms want a break from the dancing and others would rather keep going.
Two sizes in one evening
A holiday party often changes shape halfway through, and the music can change with it. CocoLarosa's usual two 45-minute sets add up to an hour and a half, enough for a dinner; if people stay until midnight, the hours after need someone too, and a DJ can pick up from the last song. The other pairing that follows the night is strings while people arrive, then a band once the tables move.
If you hire two, send each the other's name and the time of the hand-off, and ask the second act whether it can set up while the first is playing, so the room isn't left in silence as cables go down.
What to put in the first message
CocoLarosa asks for at least two weeks' notice, which for a party on Friday, December 4 means writing by Friday, November 20. A band or a quartet has more players' calendars to line up, so write to them first, by Monday, November 16. Whoever it goes to, a few lines get you a useful first answer:
- The date and the hours, and roughly how many people are coming.
- Whether most of the evening is a seated dinner or a room on its feet.
- The venue, and how much space you can give the music.
- Any second act you have in mind for later in the night.
If you're renting the room, ask the venue whether a music licence fee comes inside the rental or as a separate line on the estimate, since SOCAN says a venue may pass a share of that cost to whoever rents the space.
Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.
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