Available in Brighton, Eastbourne, and Hastings
My Work as a Pianist Around Sussex
My name is Eugene Portman and a substantial amount of my work as a pianist comes from Sussex and the adjoining counties. Furthermore, I live in Horsham so venues in Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire are extremely easy for me to get to. The area provides a rich supply of venues which seems to be ever growing as more and more public buildings are being used for wedding ceremonies. This vast array of venues provides me with a constant source of work as a pianist for weddings and many other types of events. Couples looking for a place to have their wedding could easily be spoilt for choice in this wonderful area of the South East.
The wide array of venues in Sussex includes rural country houses to seafront hotels in coastal resorts such as Brighton, Eastbourne, and Hastings. Brighton is particularly rich in venues and I know a lot of musicians who live and perform in the city.
Here are some of the venues in Sussex where I have performed as a pianist:
- Upwaltham Barns, Upwaltham, Near Petworth GU28 0LX
- Hangleton Manor, Hangleton Valley Drive Hove BN3 8AN
- Hydro Hotel, Mount Road, Eastbourne, BN20 7HZ
- Lansdowne Place Hotel, Lansdowne Place, Brighton BN3 1HQ
- The Barn, Horsham, West Sussex
- Greensleeves, 19 Perryfield Road, Crawley RH11 8AA
- Meridian Hall (The), College Lane, East Grinstead RH19 3LT
- Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club Wych Cross, Nr Forest Row RH18 5JR
- Newick Park, Newick, Nr Lewes BN8 4SB
- The George, 98 High St Rye TN31 7JT
- Parham Park, Storrington, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 4HS
- The Hare and Hounds, 79-81 Portland Rd, Worthing BN11 1QG
The Music
Sussex has a thriving jazz scene and this has been a great source of work for me as a pianist. My specialty has always been jazz and I love playing the great jazz standards and music made famous by the ‘Rat Pack’. However, because I play for a lot of weddings, being able to jazz is not enough. In addition to jazz, I can play music from other genres including classical music, pop, rock, blues, Latin, and sing-a-long. This versatility means that I can provide various genres of music for every part of your wedding day.
The county hosts a large number of weddings, particularly around Eastbourne and Hastings. This means that musicians and good pianists are in high demand in the region.
Digital Pianos and the Grand Piano Shell
There are very few venues with pianos in Sussex, so a pianist would usually have to provide their own instrument. Digital pianos are an excellent option and there quality improves with each new model that comes out. In fact, the quality of a digital piano will usually surpass that of any piano at a venue. Digital pianos are also convenient as they can be easily moved from one location to another.
Digital pianos have really developed over the years and the Roland that I use has an incredible sound. A sound that would be very difficult to match with an accoustic piano or “real piano” as they are often called. As well as having a very good digital piano, I also have three amplification systems so that I can match the amplification to the venue and the environment. The smallest of these is my Mackie SM150 which is ideal if I don’t much room to perform in and I only need a small amount of amplification. The next one up is my LD Maui 5 which is an array system and it has a beautiful sound. This the one I usually use for weddings as it has ample volume and it makes the digital piano sound wonderful. The biggest of my three systems is an Aspen Pittman Space Station V3 which I usually use for busy pubs where I need plenty of power.
I provide a digital piano and amplification free of charge. This is especially useful as most of the venues in Sussex don’t have a piano and rely completely on pianists bringing their own instrument with them.
Although I am a big fan of digital pianos, there are times when something is needed that looks more like the real thing. I have the answer with my grand piano shell which looks great and conceals a Roland digital piano. The result is something that looks good and sounds great too. Please see the Grand Piano Shell page to find out more.
Me as a Sing-along Pianist in Sussex
There has been a recent demand for me as a sing-along pianist in the Sussex area. This is something that I never wanted to do, but I now really enjoy it. In fact, I absolutely love this sort of piano playing and I find that it suits all types of events, especially Cockney and Wartime themed events.
One venue that books me on a regular basis as a sing-along pianist, is the Hare and Hounds in Worthing. The Hare and Hounds is what people usually refer to as a proper pub and I always enjoy my visits here. What’s more is that the customers are all really up for singing and they take no encouragement to join in. Some of them even dress in typical Edwardian dress for the occasion, just like they used to on at the old time variety halls.
Please see sing-along page for more information. Alternatively, visit www.uksingalongpianist.co.uk and find out when I’m next performing live as a singalong pianist in the Sussex area.
Please visit my home page here.
Here are just a few towns in Sussex where you can hire me as a pianist:
Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Eastbourne, Hastings, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Horsham, Bexhill, Seaford, Rottingdean, Crowborough, Hailsham, Lewes, Uckfield, Newhaven, Burgess Hill, Sompting-Lancing, Haywards Heath, Chichester, Arundel, East Grinstead, Battle, Rye, Wadhurst, Forest Row, Westergate-Barnham-Yapton, Hurstpierpoint-Keymer, Selsey, Steyning-Upper Beeding, Southwater, Storrington, Midhurst, Billingshurst, East Wittering, Henfield, Pulborough, Cuckfield, Tangmere-Boxgrove, Bosham, Ashington, Petworth, Ringmer, Pevensey Bay, Newick, Robertsbridge, Horam, Northiam, Fairlight, Partridge Green, Birdham, Walberton, Findon, Fernhurst and Rudgwick.