Weddings & Other Events

Hideki has years of experience playing at social events of all types, including weddings, parties, and corporate events. He is available both as a solo artist or with an ensemble; he performs regularly with other instruments, including violin, flute, another guitar, and voice. Larger ensembles are also available upon request.

Hideki has played in countless weddings, and understands the needs of the bride- and groom-to-be. He will be with you every step of the way, starting with the music selection. He is very flexible and easy to work with. He has a large repertoire to suit any taste, and he is open to special requests. Consultation, either in person or over the phone, is always included in the fee.

MUSIC SAMPLES

Classical: He specializes in music by Spanish and Latin American composers as well as music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The following pieces work particulartly well as ceremony music:

Air on the G String, Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude, Bach
Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel
Romance de los pinos, Federico Moreno-Torroba
La Catira, Antonio Lauro
I Vow to Thee My Country, Gustav Holst

Flamenco: Hideki has performed both solo and with dance troupes. An experienced accompanist, he was staff accompanist for the Spanish Dance Ensemble at UC Irvine for over 5 years. He was also shared the stage with the world-renowned Ballet Flamenco José Porcel dance company as palmista when they performed at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in 2005.

Sevillanas, Traditional
Tarantas, Traditional
Colombianas, Paco Peña

Latin American: He plays all kinds of Latin American music but is particularly familiar with tango, Andean, Argentinean folk, and bossa nova. He performs solo and with various groups.

Registro, Antonio Lauro
Milonga, Jorge Cardoso
Mazurka-Choro, Heitor Villa-Lobos

Celtic: He plays Celtic music finger-style on steel-string; mostly transcriptions of fiddle tunes and Scottish lute music.

Blind Mary, Turlough O’Carolan
Windsor Terrace, Traditional
My Darling Asleep, Traditional

TESTIMONIALS

Hideki was a wonderful compliment to our wedding ceremony. He was very pleasant to work with and very accomodating; even learning and performing a beautiful rendition of our special song for us as we walked down the aisle. Hideki is an extremely talented, personable and professional performer; he drew wonderful compliments and feedback from our guests.

-Betsy V, Sammamish, WA

We are still talking about Hideki's incredible Spanish Guitar playing echoing through the Oregon mountains as our daughter walked down the mountain path toward the altar, as Hideki softly & elegantly played the most Romantic Spanish Guitar wedding songs. Hideki's playing truly made the mountain setting seem like Heaven on earth. He is beyond merely talented. He is a virtuoso. His professionalism is untouchable. He is so warm and friendly that our family couldn't bear it unless he joined us at the Reception, and we made sure he was always with us. We HIGHLY recommend Hideki Yamaya. What a joy he is!!

-Judy C, Joseph, OR

Hideki was an absolute pleasure to work with for our wedding. He played solo guitar and lute during our ceremony and reception and became an integral part of the entire event. He gave us a wide range of styles with amazing nuance and I can't say enough about his professionalism and performance overall. We heard classical, flamenco, celtic, latin and the wonderful lute. Laid back but a very serious musician. Please check him out.

-Allen G, Woodinville, WA

Beautiful performance, sounded so lovely for a wedding. I would recommend to a friend. Professional, punctual and thoughtful. Thank you so much!

-Alyson T, Portland, OR

Hideki was great to work with. he was very professional and played beautiful music for our ceremony. A few days before the wedding we decided last minute we wanted someone to play guitar during dinner as well and he agreed to do it without any hassle. He helped make our evening stress-free and for that we owe him our gratitude. Hire Hideki!

-Logan H, Troutdale, OR

Hideki is a wonderfully talented musician. He was very flexible the day of and stayed calm throughout all the changes that an extremely rainy day brought. The music was magical and made our ceremony really special. If I was to get married again, I would certainly go with Hideki!

-Lucy Y, Portland, OR