Encore Occasions Wins Irish Enterprise Award
Wedding Music Supplier is Awarded “Best Occasion Music Specialists” in the 2025 Irish Enterprise Awards
We’re so delighted to post our very first blog as the winners of an Irish Enterprise Award!
Providing live ceremony music for both wedding and funeral ceremonies in Ireland is something we love doing. Having been nominated for an Irish Enterprise Award in 2024, we underwent the research and judging phases and recently learned of our win. It’s genuinely so nice to be acknowledged for the work we do.
Encore Occasions is a small Irish business that I set up in 2007, when the plans for one of my International tours changed and I found myself with a full month of ’empty diary syndrome’. I had been touring with this particular show for quite a while, so with the solid work booked in, I had cleared my diary, didn’t audition for anything that clashed and turned down offers of concerts and shows in that period. Two weeks before I was due to travel, I received word from the Producers that the show budget had to be massively cut and that the Producer’s wife would be taking my place!
Theatre is a funny oul thing! Even with contracts signed, you can never quite rely on it! I remember once being told that “until you’re standing on that stage, taking your final bow, don’t believe it”. Such great advice! I was still only in my early 20’s, but I knew I was never going to let anyone else dictate whether I could earn a living or not. I took control and registered the name Encore Occasions and set about making my side-business of wedding music into something more sturdy and reliable.
Singer Naoise Stuart Kelly on Stage in Concert
Encore Occasions – Recipient of Irish Enterprise Award 2025
I had qualifications in music, of course, but went back to college to study both PR and Event Management and in 2009 filled my diary with over 90 wedding ceremonies. I had met so many fantastic musicians from my concert and theatre work, so I was really lucky to be able to call on them to collaborate with me on all the weddings. It’s because of them, I was able to create a business that became renowned for a really high standard of performances and importantly, we had the unique ability to offer a wide range of instrument combinations. We were most certainly trail-blazing in the wedding sphere at the time and I genuinely loved every minute of being part of so many love stories!
Roll on 10+ years, a few breaks here & there to our with other shows and have a family and Encore Occasions is now proud to be doing over 200 performances a year. I pinch myself when I think about that… That’s 200 performances, 200 venues, 200 clients, 200 consultations, 200 individualised folders of sheet-music, 200 microphones! Importantly, we have a core team of 30 musicians who play piano, violin, cello, flute, guitar, harp, whistles, pipes… etc. and each and every performance engages at least 1 of them, usually 2 or 3 and sometimes up to 10. I will always be grateful to them for all the hard work, preparations and amazing talent they are happy to share each and every time we get booked! I know I would not be able to do what I do (and to my fussy high standards) without them. Genuinely, Encore Occasions owes its whole existence to them!
Cue Oscar Speech Moment:
I’d like to accept this Irish Enterprise Award on behalf of all the musicians, without whom, I wouldn’t be here!
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