Where do I begin with a review for this guy? Not going with Chris is a mistake. Chris isn't here to do the bare minimum. Chris is here because he loves doing his job. What I see in Chris is a person who not only love his chosen field but is obsessed with quality and constantly bettering himself for both himself and his customers. He is extremely kind, likeable, and constantly surprising in such a good way. But lets discuss details! I met Chris after seeing his advertisements - I chose him within moments. Fortunate for us, he chose us back. Chris brings a wonderful combination of fingerstyle guitar talent as well as DJ skills. The guitar work was incredible and the videos don't do it justice. My guests loved every moment of it. On a personal level, Chris connected with me and my [wife] immediately. He invested personally, even going so far as to learn multiple songs from scratch (some without existing tabs), specifically for our wedding. He did so even when told it was not expected at all. In terms of DJ skills - I would not have ever guessed he was new. Chris immerses in the individual taste of the customer and delivers a seamless experience for the party. He even deviated when needed (after checking with us for permission) to give what he felt was the best touch to his set lists. It was a deeply personal set list and he honored that thoroughly. He managed to get a large crew of introverts on the dance floor in a way I feared was not possible. We didn't have a wedding planner. Chris let us lean on him heavily - talking with us about ceremony management, reception management, and even acted as our MC for the evening. He came with equipment and set ups for multiple locations and was clearly beyond prepared. Again. It's a mistake not going for Chris. Getting him for less than $10,000 is a steal. Chris delivered in a way I just was not expecting - and I cannot recommend him more. read more

Christopher Nicklin Guitar - Musicians Near Me

Trust me, just hire Chris!! My husband and I worked with Chris to play at our wedding ceremony. He is very easy going and it is a delight working with him! He has a vast list of songs that he knows by heart, and it was great to see a variety of music genres/artists we can select from. We had 2 calls with him: 1 during our initial booking, and then another a few weeks prior to finalize event details and timeline. In terms of equipment, he does provide a lapel microphone and wireless microphone - this was a huge plus as we were able to seamlessly work with him on providing the audio system for our ceremony. Many of our wedding guests RAVED about him afterwards, and truly thankful to have Nick at our morning ceremony to help create the fairytale vibe. He is a valuable vendor to have, and something about live music just adds to the vibe for every event. Thank you so much, Chris!! I highly recommend booking him for your wedding or other events!! read more

From the very beginning of our wedding planning journey, having a live guitarist was a must-have--and we were so lucky to have found Christopher. He was professional, punctual, and incredibly talented. Our guests enjoyed beautiful live music during the pre-ceremony and cocktail hour, which added so much to the atmosphere. I was a little bummed that our post-ceremony photos took longer than expected, which meant we didn't get to fully experience his performance. But with just a few minutes left in cocktail hour, Christopher played a custom arrangement of the song we had selected--and we got to sneak in a quick dance and truly take in the moment. I highly recommend him for your wedding or special event. read more

Chris was fantastic! We hired him for a corporate holiday event and couldn't be happier. Our CEO and Executives continued to praise Chris even after the event. Exceptional talent, great song selections, and very professional. He really made our event special. 5 stars!" read more

My husband and I planned our wedding reception/celebration/party in 3 months! At first we were thinking no live music, but I'm so glad we changed our minds! We were able to book Chris 1.5 months prior and he made it all so easy. We had a meeting with him prior to booking and added on his emcee services as well. I'm sure if you book him way in advance you can probably have discussion of custom playlists, but we were already so overwhelmed personally, we had Chris play whatever he has in his portfolio for the night. Overall, book him for your event! He is so nice, kind, and friendly with our guests. His music was wonderful and really helped liven the night. Thank you Chris! read more

Chris is the *perfect* wedding DJ and guitarist. He is so talented--there were so many moments while he was playing that we were just in disbelief that it was real. His acoustic guitar during the ceremony was truly beautiful, and during dinner it tied together the whole vibe, bringing it from romantic into the celebration. He's a great MC - we had many guests assume he was a close friend because of how personable he was and how well he seemed to know us. His DJ skills are top-notch, actually DJing and blending songs so that transitions seamlessly built on each other, and reading the room to play what people were in the mood for. Everyone was raving about him. We have friends who are not even engaged yet planning to snag him for their future weddings. Cannot recommend him highly enough! Thank you for your work making our day so perfect! read more

Chris is simply FANTASTIC. He's everything you want out of entertainment for your party. He's reliable, friendly, responsive, and above all, supremely talented. He was seriously the first one in and the last one out. A consummate professional. I highly recommend. read more

My husband and I hired Christopher to play for our morning wedding ceremony. He was very responsive and flexible! We had a brief zoom call to discuss the details and vision for the morning ceremony. He had a good variety of music in his list to pick from. During the ceremony, Christopher would walk around to play the guitar and our guests loved it! He is a really amazing musician. We did not have any issues and only good things to say about Christopher! read more

Chris is was wonderful to work with. Besides being talented he is flexible and a great communicator. He added such a level of class and elegance to our non conventional wedding. I would absolutely recommend Chris! read more

AMAZING. Do yourself a favor and just hire him! He was a highlight of not only cocktail hour, but our entire wedding. Our guests raved about him for days after and our wedding planner reached out promptly to hire him for her other couples. This style of guitar is difficult, and he is tremendously skilled at it. Flawless delivery and an absolute professional. He'll always wow your guests with his rendition of classic and modern songs! read more

Christopher Nicklin Guitar - Musicians Near Me

As a wedding planner, the most important things we look for in vendors we refer and work with are those that are professional, communicative, easy to work with, and those who are passionate and excel at what they do. Christopher is all of this and more! We had the opportunity to work with Christopher in 2023. Not only was he amazing as a musician, he was on top of everything on the day of and very flexible in working with us to ensure the wedding ceremony ran smoothly. He has an extensive repertoire and he would be the perfect addition if you are looking for live music for your event. We loved having Christopher as part of the team and can't wait to have him be part of more of our future events. Thank you Christopher! read more

Chris recently performed at a party at my home and he was wonderful. I received so many unsolicited compliments from my guests about the quality of his play and his song choices. He also interacted with my guests in a fun and appropriate way, which they really enjoyed. He was also very professional and responsive during the contract process and basically a dream to work with. read more

My wife and I came across Christopher Nicklin while he was playing at a local winery. We really enjoyed his relaxing, finger picking, familiar music, so we approached him about playing at our upcoming wedding. His rates were very reasonable and we hired him. Christopher gave us his song list and asked us to pick what to definitely play, and what to definitely not play, and what to play at various times of the wedding. At the wedding, Christopher showed up about an hour early to set up with plenty of time, bringing all his own equipment. He's entirely self-sufficient. He looked great, dressed in a black suit. He played during our wedding ceremony's beginning and ending, and in our cocktail hour or two. He drifted around the event playing guitar. Sounded great. All the guests were very complimentary. Highly recommend! I'm going to keep an eye on his event schedule - we enjoyed him so much that we'd like to find him playing again at some of the local wineries! Thanks Christopher! read more

Christopher Nicklin Guitar - Christopher playing at Mohi winery in Morgan Hill, California - Musicians Near Me

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Chris was the highlight of our wedding! Our guests couldn't stop complimenting him and he was all they could talk about for days afterwards. We had been looking for musicians for months and almost gave up because they were either too niche or too frustrating to communicate with. We knew Chris was the one as soon as we checked out his website and saw his videos. After our first meeting with him, we knew we wanted to lock him in. We're so lucky he was able to play for us. His music was beautiful and lively, and he provided such a warm and friendly presence. It felt like we had a friend, not just a vendor, at our wedding. A friend who is a musical whiz! read more

Christopher Nicklin Guitar - Musicians Near Me

Chris is a wonderfully talented professional guitar player! We have been very lucky to have Chris play several afternoons at our winery over the past two years. First and foremost, he plays beautiful renditions of current hits, creating a wonderful atmosphere for guests to enjoy their afternoon wine tasting. Additionally, I deeply appreciate that he is always on time, he brings all of his own equipment, he is a snazzy dresser (no matter the weather!), he is easy to get ahold of and communicates well - and he is generally a very nice person. I highly recommend working with Chris for your musical needs! read more

Christopher absolutely knocked it out of the park at our wedding -- everyone was talking about him. His extensive repertoire totally matched what he was looking for, his arrangements of all the popular songs are incredibly recognizable, beautiful, and fit in perfectly at our relaxed, outdoor wedding. As a businessman he was prepared, early, friendly and gave us a sense of ease and he's-totally-got-this on a busy, high-stakes day. He volunteered to learn a song or two if there were any we wanted ... but he already knew all the ones we wanted! We would hire him again in a heartbeat! read more

Christopher was fantastic as our wedding musician! So so so happy we hired him. Christopher kept his cool amongst the chaos after we had various false starts of our wedding processional (due to the wedding party accidentally starting without the father of the bride). He managed to keep his music on cue. He played amazing acoustic guitar, with lots of modern popular songs that my wedding guests were delighted they recognized (taylor swift, cyndi lauper, etc). Christopher really classed up our event! He arrived early, and was willing to stay until the moment felt right. Super flexible. I can't tell you what a relief it was to have one less thing to worry about on our wedding day. You must hire Christopher! read more

Christopher was amazing. We found him via Yelp and hired him to play guitar at our outdoor wedding reception at Elliston Vineyards. He was easy and professional to work with. He arrived at venue on time, and he played wonderful classic/contemporary music. His music set the right mood for outdoor wedding reception, making our evening truly special. We would highly recommend him to perform at your next special event. Thank you, Christopher! read more

Christopher was amazing! He was on time to our ceremony, played incredible music, and was very professional. Our venue did not allow large speakers and Chris had his own little speaker and was able to set up in an area that did not require much space. During the initial stage of looking for a musician, my fiancee (which is now my wife) requested a song to be played during the recessional part of the ceremony. I asked around, but Christopher was the only one that took the initiative to find the score and learn it. That speaks volume! He played all of the requested music at the right time. Everything sounded beautiful and it was perfect. I couldn't ask for more. He was also easy to talk to and stayed a little bit longer than his hired time. Before going home, he made sure to say congratulations to each of us personally. I recommend him to anyone looking to hire a talented, professional, and easy to work with musician. Thank you, Christopher! read more

Christopher Nicklin Guitar - Christopher playing at our wedding - Musicians Near Me

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Chris is a phenomenal guitar teacher. I've been working with him for a couple months now and my progress has been amazing! I've been playing guitar for almost two decades, mostly self taught, but I have taken a few lessons from various teachers here and there. With other teachers progress was slow, and I couldn't really get the results I wanted. After my first lesson with Chris I could tell he was on another level. I went home and practiced and within two days I was breaking barriers I had been trying to break for MANY years. He has an eye for diagnosing problems and extensive knowledge of the mechanics of playing as well as music theory, not to mention he's just an overall kind, fun teacher to be around. I can't recommend him enough! read more

Impressive. My 17 yr old daughter had her first lesson with Christopher today (he likes parents to sit in, so I did and boy I'm glad for it!). He loves teaching and he's a natural at it. Within the hour he had brought the best out of my daughter's skills and taught her at least 6-7 new techniques. He's patient, compassionate, kind, eager to put others at ease, and yet very confident in how to guide the lesson so that she could master the material. Yes, he got her to master techniques with an effortless ease so that she can now go home and practice it into a memorized technique. There was plenty of correcting my daughter, but he did it was such grace, respect and authority it created a collaborative productive environment. Before trying a lesson with Christopher, she took lessons from three other guitar players that play gigs all the time, but are not teachers but claim to be teachers, and I interviewed at least 3 more in addition. It is obvious what amateurs they all were at teaching. If you want to try out a teacher who truly has your back and set you up for success to learn guitar correctly and have fun doing it, I highly recommend Christopher Nicklin. read more

Christopher played guitar at our wedding ceremony. He is extremely talented, kind, and even learned a song to help me surprise my husband! I would recommend Christopher to anyone; he truly made our ceremony feel so special. read more

Christopher played for us at a pre-wedding celebration party and did a wonderful job of fitting right in and providing varied and beautiful background music throughout the cocktail and dinner portion of the evening. He was very professional and arrived early to set up and be sure that the sound was set just right for the room. We would highly recommend him. read more

EXQUISITE! We hired Christopher Nicklin as our classical guitarist for a small intimate wedding ceremony and reception at Hakone Gardens in August 2021 and were so amazed and impressed with his music. He arrived early to walk the venue plan out where he would be playing during the ceremony and reception. He is an extremely talented guitarist and played romantic wedding songs as our guests arrived. We also had a special song request for the processional that was not listed in his repertoire, but he happened to already know it which was amazing! He also would have been willing to learn it if he didn't know it already. Overall, his music was the perfect match for our wedding and for Hakone Gardens. During the reception many of our guests (especially those with a musical background) commented on how extremely talented, skilled, and technical of a musician Christopher was. He is prompt, friendly, professional, an extremely talented classical guitarist and was a breeze to work with. If you are looking for a classical guitarist, look no further ... just hire him! read more

Christopher is a TERRIFIC guitarist. He was so easy to work with and incredibly responsive. I reached out to him and heard back very quickly. We had a great conversation where I was able to share what we were looking for and he patiently answered all of my questions. The logistics component was a total breeze, which allowed me to focus on figuring out the right songs for the ceremony. He has an extensive song list with tons of great tunes and we were able to pick out songs that really had meaning to our relationship. As the groom, I only got to hear the processional and recessional, but I got rave reviews from guests filling in the pieces I was out of earshot for. We couldn't have been happier with Christopher and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him. read more

Christopher Nicklin is not only an exceptionally talented guitarist and musician, but also a huge inspiration in my process of learning guitar at WVC in San Jose. Poggers! Highly recommend. read more

Christopher Nicklin is such an amazing guitarist. He is punctual and super kind. He is also an amazing music theory instructor and has a voice of an angle. I highly recommend taking his guitar/music theory lessons! Thank you, Christopher! I look forward to hearing you play my wedding! :) read more

Chris has been teaching me guitar for several months now. Through his teaching and true passion for music, I have fallen in love with the instrument. Before meeting Chris, I had never picked up a guitar. Chris walked me through all the basic mechanics, pacing his teaching with how my abilities developed. He drives his lessons by what I want to learn. I may come in one week with the desire to learn a particular song. We will immediately sit down, find the tab, and start learning it. I have already learned several songs and am excited to continue pushing myself. One of the things that I love about his teaching style is his openness towards questions. Chris has a gift for translating complex music theory into an engaging conversation. He is able to break things down into understandable parts and show you how to express that in the way you play. Chris is one of the most talented, most passionate, and most genuine people I have met. These vibrant qualities come out not only in the way he teaches but the way he lives his life. Chris is not only my guitar teacher but a friend. I look forward to my guitar lesson each week. read more

Christopher is absolutely amazing. We hired him to play guitar at our wedding for the ceremony and cocktail hour. He was extremely professional and responsive through email. On the day of our wedding, he showed up early and brought his own amplification system- he set up quickly and played beautiful music through our event. Having him there made our day extra special. 10/10 would recommend him to others. read more

Christopher played for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour, and he was such a pleasure to work with and listen to! He was incredibly communicative, very helpful during the planning process, and a stellar performer. I highly recommend him for anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and talented musician. You don't want to hire just anyone, and I from day 1 Christopher made me feel totally at ease and in good hands. read more

We were introduced to Chris Nicklin by my younger sister. He is a classically trained guitarist and a wonderful musician. I love classical guitar and insisted that our wedding procession be from a live musician. Chris was still a student at the time but my fiance was very impressed with his professional attitude and compliance with our wishes. Chris coordinated well with our sound guy during the rehearsal and didn't require much of us while we were planning the rest of the wedding.   The rehearsal went well. We had the opportunity to hear a bit of what he would be playing for us and he picked up his cues quickly.  We had him sitting on the "stage" during the procession. There was a small alcove where he wasn't front and center, but could still be seen and heard. His music was very appropriate and set the tone for the wedding. It created an ambiance of class and beauty, which lent well to the mood we were trying to set, but stayed subtly in the background so not to distract from the event.   Overall it was a pleasure to work with Chris.  He helped make our special day a beautiful memory. read more

Christopher Nicklin Guitar - Musicians Near Me

We had our wedding a little more than a month ago and we are so glad that we found Christopher to play at our wedding! It was easy getting in touch with Christopher and talked to him about our visions for our wedding date. Our venue was in Capitola at a Bed and Breakfast called Monarch Cove Inn. And we found Chris through their preferred bands and artists list. Christopher is so nice and pleasant to talk during our conversation and he provided us with an extensive list of romantic love songs both classic and contemporary. Christopher gave us his pricing which is so reasonable for the kind of service he provides! Christopher showed up on time at our wedding and dressed up so nicely and appropriately for our kind of venue. He has a calm, friendly and pleasant presence. His music is so beautiful and suited our whole romantic, fun and family oriented atmosphere so well. He even played for my nieces to sing. Christopher is the best musician in our opinion and we are so thankful that we found Christopher! Thank you so much for being there and making our wedding a beautiful day! read more

Christopher Nicklin Guitar - Musicians Near Me

I hired Christopher Nicklin to play acoustic guitar at my son's wedding in September 2021. He played beautifully! We could not have been more pleased with his performance. Christopher was a professional from the beginning of our correspondence over email to the end of the wedding. He was a good listener, showed up on time (a little early to get the lay of the land) and was very helpful at the rehearsal. As requested on the day of the wedding he played before, during and after the ceremony as well as during cocktail hour and dinner. His playing was heartfelt which fit so well where the wedding took place in a grove of trees at Saratoga Springs, CA. Magical! read more

Christopher played at our wedding last month and we were so impressed with his professionalism and skills. We received many compliments from guests saying that they enjoyed the live acoustic guitar performance and the songs that he played. He was helpful and quick to respond leading up to the wedding and made it easy for us to choose the right songs for the ceremony and cocktail hour. We would highly recommend him to any of our friends getting married in the bay area in the future. read more

Chris performed at our wedding and we couldn't have been any happier. Chris is a very friendly and professional guitar player. He arrived early and was prepared to perform before the ceremony commenced. His playing style was right on the money for our ceremony. His ability to read and play many different songs was quite impressive. My family of guitar players really enjoyed listening to him perform. Having Chris play at our wedding helped make a wonderful day that much more special. read more

Christopher played guitar during our wedding ceremony this past April and was amazing!!! He was so wonderful to work with and did a spectacular job. He was able to play multiple songs we had asked for that weren't from his original set list. He learned a few of the songs just weeks prior! And he ended up staying an extra hour and playing during our cocktail hour so that the guests could continue to hear and enjoy the music. We were beyond pleased with his services and would highly recommend him if you are looking for a guitarist!! read more

We were so happy we hired Christopher for our event. After reading his amazing five star reviews and chatting with him over the phone, we knew he was the one. Classical trained performer with a masters degree made him stand out from the rest. Christopher's selection of music brought the perfect ambience for our gathering. Several guests commented on his talent and I am certain future booking are in the works for him. I know we will be hiring Christopher again. read more

Christopher Nicklin is a phenomenal instructor. I played guitar (mostly strumming chords) as a kid, but had not picked my guitar up in 20 years. I decided that I'd like to begin playing again, and was clear in my mind that I really wanted to learn a solo-style (fingerstyle) for mostly pop music. I took a few online courses, but they lack the most important thing that an instructor provides - instant feedback. I searched for an instructor and wanted someone who had formal training in music theory/guitar, and who focused more on classical or fingerstyle. Christopher was a perfect match. During my first lesson, he listened to me play for a while, and then shocked me by saying that we need to focus on my right hand. I incorrectly thought the left hand was where all the problems were... (and that had challenges too!), but it was a great example of how he focuses on the full range of technique and the nuance in the music. He will coach you on body position, hand position, finger position, tone, loudness, and rhythm, rhythm, rhythm. His lessons are working sessions - we start with a song that I like, and begin working on that over the course of several lessons. Christopher patiently points out the big things that will result in improving the piece, and as we progress, he points out smaller refinements that make the piece "musical". In my case we've spent a lot of time on rhythm/groove, hand positions, and alternate fingerings that help with chord transitions. I'm currently working on a great song that has some really challenging bass/melody interactions - and every week, while i'm improving, Christopher goes just a little bit deeper into refinements that would never have occurred to me, and aren't necessarily captured in the sheet music, but that make the song sound better. I highly recommend Christopher as an instructor - he brings a wealth of experience from an academic and a professional performer's perspective, he is patient, and able to diagnose issues in my playing very quickly. He takes his role as an instructor very seriously, and takes great pleasure in seeing you improve. read more

We had Chris come up to Regale Winery & Vineyards to play at our Member's Harvest BBQ, and everyone enjoyed the music he played and we hope to have him up here again one weekend soon! read more

I highly recommend Christopher for your event. He arrived early, set up and played beautiful guitar music for three hours at our bridal shower. He is truly a professional and a very talented musician. read more