Steve Christie

Steve Christie (BA Mus) is a versatile pianist, multi-instrumentalist and composer from the South of England. Formerly based in London, he trained as an assistant sound engineer at George Martin's Air Studios in the mid-90s, he then obtained a degree in music in 1998. After some years working as a sound engineer, and playing in bars and clubs (and one venue where the piano and pianist was suspended from the ceiling, 15 feet in the air!), he turned his sights towards playing live full-time, and became a professional musician in 2001.

His musical work has been diverse - from playing piano and writing orchestral arrangements for musicals, to being a member of Bournemouth-based "indie" band Betika in the 1990s (playing cello, glockenspiel and melodica, sometimes all at once!). Steve has played piano and bass in his own modern jazz group for 5 years, playing his own compositions, and as a composer he has been featured on the BBC with his 2003 cult comedy/retro-music album 'Children's Television Themes From A Parallel Dimension'. He also writes music for independant film, internet and sports programmes.

As an accompanist, Steve has played for cabaret shows in central London, solo singer recitals and choirs, and has assisted actor Peter Polycarpou for a 'Les Miserables' workshop. He has performed for many companies including Rolls Royce, Gillette, Chrysalis Music, Hilton Hotels, and Exxon Chemicals to name but a few, and regularly plays for private functions, at Art Galleries and product launches.
Steve has played both piano and pipe organ for literally hundreds of civil and church weddings for many years and has a wealth of experience which comes in very useful not only as a performer, but as an advisor for wedding music and entertainment. 

Music plays a major part in most people's lives, and it is an important ingredient for a successful wedding or event, to create the right mood and atmosphere. As part of his service, Steve is happy to discuss and give suggestions as to the type of music you may be looking for if you yourself are stuck for ideas.

For a ceremony, Steve can advise you on suitable music, or if you have specific requests, is more than capable of learning and working out a piano arrangement of any piece of music you require, which won't end up sounding too 'cheesy'!.  When playing for receptions, parties and banquets, Steve is able to change the course of his musical set by keeping a constant eye out for changes in clientelle, requests, changes in mood etc. With Steve, you will never get the same set twice. While he plays all the classic songs you will want to hear, he tries to bring something new and exciting into each performance. He can seamlessly run one song into another, resulting in a unique set (never the same set twice) that will have your customers either consciously or subconsciously playing "name that tune"! Each performance is geared towards your event, and can be specially tailored to suit the occasion. Even if it's soft background music you're after, it doesn't have to be dreary and banal, with Steve it will always be fun, interesting, and totally suited to the atmosphere that you want to create.

Steve can play any music you require for your ceremony, from traditional classical music to film soundtracks to pop, and if it's a piece of unfamiliar music, he can learn it for you either from sheet music, an mp3 or cd, or youtube link. If you would like it altered slightly - cut down, less busy, more busy(!) this is no problem, and once you have made a booking, you can ask for a demo of the pieces he will play in order to judge how they will sound on the day. This is particularly useful if you are "choreographing" your bridesmaids walk down the aisle, and want to know roughly how long the music will last. Steve can fit the music perfectly on the day anyway, so there will never be any awkward silences, or the music will never over run, leaving everyone stood like lemons waiting! For some help with choosing music for the ceremony, please go to the Ceremony music planning page HERE.

Once you have made a booking, you can supply Steve with a list of your favourite music (songs/artistes/styles) and he will then integrate this list into what he plays. He much prefers to work "on the fly" rather than having a designated list of music that may or may not fit the mood, so he doesn't follow a specific "set". This is great if you would just like to let him get on with it, or aren't sure what music you do want. Simply saying "cocktail piano", "rat pack" or "Love ballads" is fine, although 2 hours of similar sounding music, while pleasant in the background, can get a little tiring to listen to (and to play!) In order to uphold a good atmosphere, the most successful weddings Steve plays for, are when a broad range of musical styles are played, something for everyone, and this would be determined by the age-range and mood of the occasion, and all the while the music can still sit comfortably in the background, and won't be too overpowering (unless you want it to be, of course!). For an idea of the variety of music he plays, please see the (almost) complete repertoire page HERE. Think of the variation of music as a kind of ice-breaker, people will be recognizing the songs, or occasionally comment, or will ask their neighbour "what is it? I know this one..." etc. In the case of a static set of very "samey" music, this is less likely to happen.

For the drinks reception, the mood starts out "chilled" and then because gradually more upbeat, the same goes for the wedding breakfast. Precisely how upbeat Steve gets can be determined by you - he will always use his discretion when playing. For instance, he wouldn't suddenly break into "Great Balls Of Fire" in the middle of an event where the mood is quite relaxed! If you requested music like this, however, he would usually leave it until near the end, to leave people in the right mood for the evening's events...

If you would like to add an element of fun to your wedding breakfast, Steve can provide you with some medleys of either Beatles songs (absolutely any of them, even the more obscure), or TV themes (past and present, grown up and kids tv), which you can ask your tables to try and name as many of them as possible. This is a great Ice Breaker, and really livens things up and gets everyone talking. Each medley features approximately 15 songs or TV themes, and lasts about 5 minutes, so they can take place in between courses. Whoever is leading the day, be it the Master of Ceremonies, Best Man, or just someone with a loud voice and a gavel(!) can be in charge of reading out the answers, and instructing your guests on what will happen. So that people get used to the quiz, Steve can play a short selection of 2 or 3 tv themes strung together, before they start the quiz, in order for people's ears to adjust. If you are considering some ice breakers or games, these really do work well - please ask Steve for more information. A template Answer sheet is available.

Requests aren't a problem, if he has heard it he can play it. For formal occasions (wedding receptions etc) request forms can be distributed amongst guests and they can choose what he plays. Also, Steve is prepared to learn anything new or unusual if the need arises (there is no charge for learning new pieces to be played, although huge song lists of unfamiliar music may need to be pruned down as there are only so many hours in the day!) - please ask. Take a look at his repertoire of in excess of 3,000 pieces of music!

Be it pop, jazz, blues, classical, folk... even children's tv themes! - he can play absolutely anything you request!

Steve is a versatile performer who's unique musical stylings will help make your event a day to remember

If your venue has no power supply, a quiet, portable battery-driven power generator is available, which will generate up to 300 watts of power for up to 3 hours - enough to drive an electric piano and a small (but powerful) amplifier. Please email for more information.

Outdoor performances are not a problem, although a safe regulated power supply and a waterproof gazebo/marquee must be provided by the client or venue, preferably with a plastic undersheet. Alternatively, if there is no mains power available, a portable power generator is available - please see "Portable Pianist" above.

Sound Clips

Go to SOUND CLIPS to hear some samples of Steve's playing. Alternatively you can email for a FREE demo CD to be sent to you.


Steve would be happy to discuss your entertainment needs for any event. He offers reasonable rates and is available for bookings across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Contact Details

Steve Christie
tel: 07530 532767 or email: info@stevechristiemusic.com






















Steve can perform anywhere in the UK, including:

Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Surrey, Sussex, Somerset, Oxfordshire, Middlesex, Kent, Gloucestershire, Essex, Devon, Berkshire...