Following on from our performance at Light up a LIfe in Wolverhampton, the next day we were booked to play for a memorial service in Chesterfield.
Fortunately, as we live in the Cotswolds, Wolverhampton was essentially on the way to Chesterfield and so after the gig on Sunday we continued north and found ourselves a nice hotel in Matlock. Ok so to be fair it was a Premier Inn which is our usual hotel of choice when we are working. It’s a shame Premier Inn don’t give away points for frequent stays as we now seem to have been to various of the purple branded hotels pretty much in every corner of the country!
The following morning, after breakfast, we explored the local town of Matlock. This gave Anne-Marie a chance to visit lots of charity shops. And they turned out to have many lovely things in them. Jules procured a couple of rather splendid waistcoats and Anne-Marie added to her ever growing dress collection.
We then moved a few miles up the road to Bakewell. Predictably, Anne-Marie found some more charity shops and Jules insisted on stoping to eat a Bakewell Pudding….
Memorial Service – St Thomas Brampton
Of course the main reason why we were in the Peak District was to play at a memorial service just on the outskirts of Chesterfield. Arriving in good time, we were able to park right outside the church.
Heading inside the church we were made very welcome by the Reverend Alison Cox. As there was already a piano in place we decided to keep things simple by only bringing in the Cello.
The Music
JAM Duo were booked specifically to play a couple of pieces from ‘The Piano Guys’ Repertoire. The first piece was A Thousand Years by Christina Perri which we played after the opening prayer.
Later on in the service after some readings and the Eulogy we played Over the Rainbow, again the arrangement being by The Piano Guys.
The Piano Guys
The Piano Guys is an American musical group consisting of pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer Paul Anderson, and music producer Al van der Beek. Originating in Utah, they gained popularity through YouTube, where in 2011 they began posting piano and cello compositions combining classical, pop, film score and original music, showcased through elaborate or cinematic videos.
As of March 2020 the group had surpassed 2 billion views on their YouTube channel and had 6.7 million subscribers. Their first eight major-label studio albums, The Piano Guys, The Piano Guys 2, A Family Christmas, Wonders, Uncharted, Christmas Together, Limitless, and 10, each reached number one on Billboard Classical Albums or New Age Albums charts.
JAM Duo available for Memorial Services and Funerals
If you would like to discuss JAM Duo providing music for a memorial or funeral service then please do get in touch.
[…] JAM Duo have played for quite a few weddings in Derbyshire and the East Midlands. In fact only a week earlier we had been in Chesterfield where we were playing for a memorial service. […]