Your list is empty.
Save musicians, entertainers, speakers, and services, and they’ll appear here.
Tara Buzash, Jazz and Classical Pianist
- Plainfield, NJ
- Pianist
- Travels up to 200 miles
- $200 and up
Overview
Tara Buzash on piano will make your event classy, upbeat, and memorable. Tara has delighted thousands of listeners at venues such as Ortlieb's Jazzhaus (Phila.), the Hilton Waldorf-Astoria (Manhattan), the Nassau Inn (Princeton, NJ), World Cafe Live (Phila.), and weddings and parties throughout the area. Princeton Symphony Orchestra Conductor Mark Laycock says, "She is a brilliant jazz pianist and composer," and Grammy-nominated composer Laurie Altman calls Tara's music "ingenious." She is well versed in many styles including jazz, Broadway, classical, Baroque, rock/pop, blues, gospel, hymns, Latin, Irish, Italian, Klezmer, and Christmas music!
1 Review
We couldn't have been more pleased with Tara. We had no request other than she provide beautiful music for our guests to enjoy as they celebrated my daughter's wedding. Tara's repertoire was wide and varied and she gave her own unique musicality to each selection. As a musician myself, I highly appreciated and enjoyed her style and gifts. You will not be disappointed if you invite her to play at your affair.
Pianist
Response from Tara Buzash, Jazz and Classical Pianist:
Why thank you Peter! It was my pleasure to play music for your daughter's wedding.
Booking Info
Price Range: $200 and up
Gig Length: 60 - 240 minutes
Languages: Chinese, English, Spanish
What to Expect
I will play very high quality piano music that will be perfect for your event. For parties and cocktail hours, I can play an upbeat mix of standard jazz, pop/rock, and Broadway. For wedding ceremonies or church services, I can play all of the traditional wedding favorites and many more classics and religious selections. And for holiday parties, I can play plenty of upbeat Christmas tunes and some Klezmer music!
I am good at making things swing -- I even get people dancing to just solo piano. But I also love to change it up with a slow, beautiful ballad.
If there is no piano at the venue, or if you need me to play outside, I can bring my own keyboard for an extra $50. It is a full-size Korg with very realistic grand piano sound. I also have a Roland amplifier and a 50-foot extension cord -- I am self-sufficient and will not need to use your DJ's equipment.
I have many years of experience with accompanying vocalists and can change key and tempo to suit their needs.
Please note that I don't sing, although I love to interact with people and I can take requests and help people have fun at the event.
I will wear black dressy clothing, look well groomed and professional and be in a good mood... I guarantee it. :)
About
Tara Buzash is a pianist, composer, educator, and businesswoman who thrives on hard work, who loves what she does, and who has a long list of accomplishments to demonstrate a standard of excellence in all areas of her work. Buzash is driven by her desire to serve as well as to lead, and to connect in a meaningful way with those around her.
Business
In 2008, Buzash and a colleague founded Sweet Harmony as a music duo serving New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia. Buzash later became the sole leader of the group, incorporated it in the state of New Jersey, and expanded to include a network of 40 musicians serving five states. The company has achieved a growth rate of 30% per year under Buzash's leadership. Sweet Harmony has won national sales awards on websites such as (link hidden) and (link hidden) and has been featured in local newspapers.
Among Sweet Harmony's clients are Douglas Elliman Real Estate (the nation's fourth largest real estate company); Hollywood movie star Tunde Adebimpe ("Rachel Getting Married," TV on the Radio); businessman George P. Reeth (Validus Holdings Ltd., Companion Property & Casualty Insurance Group); the New Jersey Small Business Development Center; Parkway Toyota of Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Campbell Soup Company; Lord Abbett; and Bachem Americas.
Piano Performance
Tara Buzash is that rare pianist who is truly versatile, as comfortable in Sunday afternoon classical ensembles as she is in late-night jazz jam sessions. Her 20 years of performing experience have taken her to The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in Washington, D.C.; Ortlieb's Jazzhaus and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia; the Waldorf, The Carlyle, and the National Arts Club in Manhattan; New Jersey's PNC Bank Arena; the Trenton, NJ Women in Jazz Festival; and the New Jersey Independent Music Festival among many others.
In May 2011, Buzash was one of eight young female jazz pianists from around the world chosen to participate in the 2011 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Emerging Artist Workshop, held at The Kennedy Center. Her unique solo performance of "Round Midnight" was praised by jazz legend Toshiko Akiyoshi as "fantastic."
In 2013, Buzash completed her Master's degree in Jazz Piano Performance at Rutgers University, where she was a Pee Wee Russell Jazz Scholarship winner. Her principal mentors at Rutgers were Stanley Cowell and Conrad Herwig. She has also studied with Kenny Barron, Charles Tolliver, Bill O'Connell, Ralph Peterson Jr., Connie Crothers, Laurie Altman, Bevan Manson, and John Harmon.
In addition to piano performance, Buzash has experience in various accompaniment settings. She has accompanied Broadway tap dancer Maurice Chestnut, musical theater at the Hopewell (NJ) Off-Broadstreet Theatre, and ballet classes taught by the American Ballet Theatre's retired principal ballerina, Susan Jaffe. Buzash has also worked with the world-class Manhattan vocalist Margaret Dorn. And, she often performs for church services of various denominations.
Buzash draws from this rich diversity of experiences and talents to inform her art. "It's all connected through what I feel," she says. "When I'm on stage playing for people, I'm sharing all that I am. I want the audience to come away feeling new and inspired, like they have just experienced something rare and special."
Composition / Songwriting
Buzash is the 2012 Grand Prize Winner of the New Jersey Arts Collective's annual graduate student composition contest. This contest required contestants to compose a piece of music based on an abstract painting of shapes. By imagining the shapes dancing, Buzash was able to construct music to connect the still forms to the movement of sound. Her music compositional ideas are called "ingenious" by Grammy-nominated composer/pianist Laurie Altman.
Buzash's compositions include jazz instrumentals, original songs, Christmas music, and modern jazz-influenced church solos and hymn settings. Her church solo sheet music is available for sale at (link hidden).
Teaching
Coming from a family of educators -- both of Buzash's parents received degrees in education and taught full-time -- Buzash learned the value of real teaching and learning. She has taught music since her graduation from college, and her teaching experience now includes private lessons, jazz ensemble coaching, jazz history lectures, and serving as director for summer jazz camps.
Her new teaching project, "Buzash Total Piano," prepares students to be the kind of pianist she is, at ease with any kind of music, and finding the joy and power of the piano as the expressive instrument.
Buzash is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and spent two years in mainland China teaching piano and jazz history in this language to young Chinese music students.
Community Service
In the community, Buzash is now bringing her dedication and talents to the non-profit Greater Princeton Steinway Society, where she serves on their Board of Directors. She spearheaded the Society's first jazz season in 2013-2014, choosing artists to perform for three jazz piano concerts, and organizing a jazz piano competition for high school students.
Buzash is also active in her church, accompanying the singers on piano and serving as Chair of the Advertising and Media Committee. She taught Sunday School for several years.
Hobbies
Out of the studio and out of the office, Buzash loves to dance ballet, run, swim, and do Pilates workouts.
Additional Booking Notes
I carry insurance on my keyboard equipment.
Services Offered
Past Booked Events
June 11, 2016 | Wedding Reception |
Set List
Here is a representative sample of thousands of songs I can play. If you have a special request, just ask!
CLASSICAL
Canon in D (Pachelbel)
Trumpet Tune (Purcell)
Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)
Prelude from "Te Deum" (Charpentier)
Arioso (Bach)
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach)
Adagio Cantabile ("Pathetique" Sonata, 2nd movement) (Beethoven)
Air on the G String (Bach)
Rondeau (Mouret)
Bridal Chorus (Wagner)
Ave Maria (Schubert)
Ode to Joy (Beethoven)
Entrance of the Queen of Sheba (Handel)
Wedding March (Mendelssohn)
Sheep May Safely Graze (Bach)
Selections from "The Water Music" (Handel)
La Rejouissance (Handel)
Wachet Auf (Bach)
Intermezzo (Mascagni)
Wedding Prayer (Dunlap)
A Little Night Music (Mozart)
The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
Hungarian Dance No. 5 (Brahms)
The Swan (Saint-Saens)
Clair de Lune (Debussy)
Gymnopedies No. 1 (Satie)
Theme from Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky)
Minuet from "Surprise Symphony" (Haydn)
Selections from "The Planets" (Holst)
CONTEMPORARY WEDDING MUSIC
Brian Crain (Butterfly Waltz, Moonrise)
Yiruma (River Flows in You, Maybe, Love Me)
Miranda Wong (elegant contemporary arrangements of traditional wedding pieces)
CHRISTIAN/CHURCH
The Prayer (Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli)
You Raise Me Up (Josh Groban)
On Eagle’s Wings (Michael Joncas)
The Lord’s Prayer (Malotte)
Pie Jesu
Celtic Alleluia
JAZZ
Standards performed by...
Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
Harry Connick Jr.
Diana Krall
Dave Brubeck
Mel Torme
Nat King Cole
Billie Holiday
POP/ROCK
Elton John
James Taylor
The Beatles
Billy Joel
Jimmy Buffett
The Allman Brothers
U2
Joni Mitchell
Bruce Springsteen
TOP 40
Alicia Keys
Jason Mraz
Beyonce
Coldplay
Train
Taylor Swift
Christina Perri
MOTOWN/R&B
Stevie Wonder
The Four Tops
The Temptations
Ray Charles
Diana Ross
Marvin Gaye
The Jackson 5
BROADWAY / SHOW TUNES
Cole Porter
The Gershwin brothers
Harold Arlen
Irving Berlin
Stephen Sondheim
Andrew Lloyd Webber
"Rent"
"Phantom of the Opera"
"Les Miserables"
"Cats"
"The Sound of Music"
"The Wizard of Oz"
"Fiddler on the Roof"
DISNEY
"Frozen"
"Aladdin"
"Beauty and the Beast"
"The Lion King"
"Pocahontas"
"The Little Mermaid"
IRISH/CELTIC
Sweet Rosie O'Grady (Nugent)
Killarney (Balfe)
O Danny Boy (Weatherly)
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (Ball)
The Galway Piper (Traditional)
Rory O'Moore (Traditional)
My Wild Irish Rose (Olcott)
Carolan's Welcome (O'Carolan)
ITALIAN
Arrivederci Roma (Sigman)
Carnival of Venice (Benedict)
Funiculi, Funicula (Denza)
Innamorata (Warren)
The Godfather Tarantella (Coppola)
La Vera Sorrentina (Traditional)
Mona Lisa (Livingston)
JEWISH
Siman Tov Umazel Tov
Erev Shel Shoshanim
Dodi Li
Hava Nagila
Sunrise, Sunset (from "Fiddler on the Roof")
RAGTIME
Scott Joplin
BLUES
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Eric Clapton
Robert Johnson
...and many, many more great songs!
Team
Tara Buzash | Piano/Keyboard |
Influences & Inspiration
Duke Ellington, Bruce Hornsby, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Scott Joplin, Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Elton John, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Marian McPartland, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron...
Similar Listings
-
Arnie Abrams
(13)Pianist
Freehold, NJ
Recent review: We had cancelled this a couple of weeks before the party date. Just assumed Arnie would have…
-
Paul Chamlin
(8)Pianist
New York City, NY
Recent review: really wonderful repertoire - Broadway and holiday
-
Johnny Herbert - Piano and Ukulele
(14)Pianist
Jersey City, NJ
Recent review: We had Johnny play during our cocktail hour of our corporate Hawaiian themed Christmas party.…
-
Alexandra Frederick
(2)Pianist
New York City, NY
Recent review: We hired Alexandra to provide music for our Christmas party last night. She was outstanding!…