Rudolfi Artists
San Francisco, CA 94107
(map) Phone: (415)550-1872
Reviews for Rudolfi Artists
Peter Rudolfi was a little rude with me and I didn't want to work with him, but DH struck a deal with him for our wedding musicians. They turned out to be great musicians, but they were not very professional. We explained to them several times which song should be played for the wedding party processional, bride's processional and recessional, but they still didn't get it right. Their guitars were out of tune and they started having a loud conversation right in the middle of our ceremony. I don't recommend using Rudolfi Music Agency for your wedding.
My response to vendor's responses:
1. It was not their voices, but their guitars which were out of tune. Several musician friends were cringing at this and thought it was very unprofessional of them not to tune the guitars before-hand.
2. There was no friction between my husband and I - what is he talking about? I didn't like the way he spoke to me and I felt disrespected. I was planning to go elsewhere, but my husband thought it wasn't worth the time to search for someone else with the wedding so close. The fact that he wanted to charge us a "lesson" fee of $50 or $100 just to meet with the musicians before-hand was ridiculous. Especially because we did not require meeting with all 3 musicians, and we agreed to meet at the time and place most convenient for them. Every other musician we considered had a pre-wedding meeting built into their contract. Can you imagine hiring someone to play for your wedding without hearing them play? This is especially crucial for non-standard musicians, since I did not know any Mariachi songs which would be appropriate for a wedding processional.
3. I don't care if the musicians denied it, they did not play the songs we agreed upon. We had also agreed that they would begin playing the recessional the moment we kissed, but they actually took a very long time. My husband and I played it off by kissing for a VERY long time - which was fine in the end ( : But, again, not professional. Also, you cannot blame any of these things on a language barrier since my husband is fluent in Spanish.
4. Finally, we have all of this on tape and if anyone wants to see it you can email me. The loud talking along with my 76 year old mother turning around to sush them, the out of tune guitars, the late start for the recessional, the fact that they forgot the brides recessional and just re-played the bridal party recessional over again rather than changing the music for me. It's all on tape, and with multiple cameras too.
Vendor response to review
This client gave the performers a $150 gratuity at the conclusion of their performance. How credible then are her complaints about their performance listed in her review?
1) Not stated is that the ceremony music chosen was a Mariachi Trio, a style in which perfect pitch & intonation is never a hallmark, indeed its occasional absence is part of its character. These are not Conservatory graduates they are Folk musicians. Clients personally auditioned the players in great detail prior to the event and approved them.
2) Any perceived sales pressure from the music agent was due to the short 3 week window prior to
the event date, the July 4 holiday when Mariachis are in high demand. Bride making initial phone call showed no sense of urgency in this regard. I tried to protect these clients from going without the music they wanted. This was obviously misinterpreted by the bride but not by her husband-to-be who stepped in and finally did most of the transactions with me. Obviously this caused frictions between them of which I am now the unwitting victim.
3) The musicians categorically deny not playing everything requested and at the right time, or receiving any written directives on site as claimed. They did not talk or laugh during the ceremony; could it have been a guest?
4) Client also demanded a free specially scheduled audition in addition to Mp3 demos, photos and phone interview with the Trio leader. The agency respects the musicians time and typically charges clients for a special private audition. In this case because it was such an issue for them I paid the musicians myself, something 'your typical agent' never does.
Net result: a lot of work, miniscule commission and a negative review.
Read seven reviews of my agency on Yelp.com, all five Stars!
I have had only positive experiences with Peter Rudolfi. As a coordinator I want my events to run perfectly. Entertainment can be a challenging part of any event and managing expectations of both the artists and my clients can be a balancing act and Peter has always done a great job in making sure all parties are well taken care of, this makes my job so much easier. He often goes to the events personally to make sure that the entertainment runs smoothly... which is always so helpful. I highly recommend working with Rudolfi Artists and Peter... His insight and professionalism is a welcome part of planning any event! Another aspect of working with Peter is that often times working with a booking agent feels like sales and nothing else. I have never gotten that feeling from Peter at all. He always works with my budget and always finds a way to make it work so that my clients get what they want...
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