Cocktail Reception Harpist, The Blackstone Hotel, Chicago

The harp positioned at the midpoint of the Art Hall

The lighting is dramatic and effective!

The Blackstone is a magnificent hotel, and it is exciting to see it living its second life as an upscale boutique hotel! This is the second time I have played for cocktails in this space, and I have a few thoughts. It looks like the perfect sized space for a harp, but for some reason it is an extremely loud space.  The harp works well for the first third and the last third of the event, but it is completely a visual for the middle third (harpist slang for being seen and not heard!). Next time I will bring an amplifier, but that still doesn't usually fix the entire problem. If a space is loud, as the music gets louder people generally just start yelling over it to be heard and it is a overall upward spiral of noise. I do not know what the solution is. Certainly, it is lovely for the people getting off the elevator to be greeted by live music, and you catch them again as they wait to go to the ballroom level, so hopefully that is enough. This time, all of the other rooms off the Art Hall were open, so I got a few more pictures. The extra rooms REALLY vary in decor, take a look....

In some ways, these two pictures really say it all. The Blackstone Hotel is embracing its history in varied and ever changing ways. You'll want to stop in to see all of the areas you might find useful, and prepare to be delighted!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com