​​Marci L. Sahinoglu

 Beginning with my first interaction with Elaine, I was continually impressed by her warmth and professionalism. But most of all I was absolutely blown away by her talent. Hearing her sing is such a joy – her voice is clear and strong and beautiful. And making beautiful music appears effortless for Elaine. She sounds equally wonderful covering folk ballads as she does performing jazz classics as she did at our wedding. I know that our wedding was a delight due largely in part to the ambiance that Elaine helped create. Booking Elaine Dame for my wedding was honestly one of the smartest decisions I made and certainly the best investment. Years from now my husband and I may not remember the food we served or the flowers on the table, but I am sure that the memory of walking down the aisle to Elaine singing “Over the Rainbow” will stay with us. Thank you, Elaine, for making our wedding so beautiful and memorable.” 

 

Brian Di Bartolomeo and Matthew Saleski 
“Talent, beauty, professionalism, and.. magic! Elaine has a rare gift for connecting with people on all levels, including her music– that is the magic! We had the good fortune to meet Elaine at our dear friend Chris’ annual Christmas party years ago, swinging to her lovely voice. Years later, as my husband and I decided to get married, we looked no further than Elaine to set the mood for our special day on another friends’ farm in Michigan. We asked her to perform for both the ceremony and reception– two different experiences we wanted to create. Elaine met with us several times before the date to make sure everything was just right. She also recruited an amazing band–trumpet, keyboard, bass, and drums–to back it all up. She created a custom arrangement for our ceremony and allowed another friend of ours to perform “Just Breathe” with her. It was electric and gave everyone goosebumps. Later– she allowed me (the amateur) to perform with them with my Tenor Sax. What a thrill! From all the pictures throughout the day, everyone was smiling throughout. Elaine brought the music, the mood, and the joy to it all. Magic. We were so blessed to have had her perform for us, but even more to consider her a dear friend for life.” 

 

Christi and Massimo Gaido – Wedding Clients
“Elaine Dame is outstanding! She set the perfect mood for our wedding – from the background music during hor-‘d oeuvres to dancing after dinner. The music was fantastic and we received many compliments from our guests. I would recommend Elaine to anybody looking to add a level of class and elegance to their wedding.” 

 

Katherine and Alex Stone

“Everything was just wonderful. So many guests asked me where I found the absolutely spectacular singer and musicians. It was perfect for the audience (everyone from 15 through their 80s). I loved your music that was recorded but was so much more impressed when I heard it live. And while I wasn’t expecting people to dance, given that it was a small group of people, nonetheless you got people on the dance floor! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

 

Lindsay Clausen 
“Elaine Dame and her group were great. We got married on December 20th just as a huge snowstorm hit. Elaine made it to our event without any problems. She was also an amazing singer. She made our cocktail and dinner hour so special. I would highly recommend her. We received so many compliments on how great the music was.” 

 

Kari-Lynn O’Neil 
“Elaine was a pleasure to work with! My only complaint was that she had to stop! Seriously, the mood she set for our event, the little ‘At Last’ serenade after our ceremony was and will always be unforgettable.”  

 

April and John Gap 
“I have had the privilege of seeing Elaine perform in person many times…in fact, she was our singer at our wedding. Elaine is simply wonderful! She has an amazing voice. If you like jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, or Nat King Cole, you will love Elaine!” 

 

Chris Fill and Brian Hofman 
“A memorable high-class woman inside and out. Elaine came highly recommended by our wedding planner, SQN Events. She did not disappoint us and actually exceeded our expectations. We were able to visit her website and find several recent examples of her work and were blown away. She was easy to contact, responsive to our needs, and incredibly easy to work with. We had arranged for a family member to introduce us, and due to a last-minute change of plans, were in need of someone else to fill the spot. Elaine stepped up and not only offered to do the introduction for us, but she also sang a special song that we requested be sung as we walked into the room. Several guests commented on Elaine’s singing and class. She honored our guests’ special requests, which was appreciated. As we think back on our wedding day, we will always be thankful for Elaine’s stellar performance. Out of all of the vendors that we worked with, she was one of the top 2 for our special day.” 

 

Jill Mason-Terzakis 
“My husband and I hired Elaine Dame to sing at our wedding reception. Elaine has a beautiful voice, possesses great vocal and interpretative talents, is a lovely person, and conducts her business in the most professional manner. We loved her work so much that we also created a CD of several songs as a gift for our wedding guests – which was extremely well received.” 

​

Erica Cross-Milovich 
“I never formally thanked you for being the highlight of our wedding day. You truly made our wedding day so special…having you perform was honestly the one thing that I wanted. I can’t even begin to thank you for your voice, your smiles and your personality throughout the evening!” 

 

Tracy Adams 
“Elaine is the best and always wows the crowd! After a long love affair with Elaine as a singer, we decided to hire her to sing at our civil union celebration. It was a wonderful event, and hiring Elaine was probably the single best decision we made. She is an elegant, joyful singer whose singing is only outdone by her glorious personality. By the end of the evening, everyone was in love with her!” 

​

Scott Freberg 
“My wife and I were recently married. We planned a small wedding with just family and a couple of close friends, approx. 35 people. We wanted the wedding to be memorable and classy. I told my wife I would handle the music. Fortunately, I found Elaine Dame. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve received numerous compliments on a classy wedding with great music. I highly recommend Elaine and will use her services again. She’s a true professional.” 

​

Jim Palmich 
“Elaine Dame was nothing short of outstanding for our recent wedding. She gladly incorporated the songs we chose from her playlist with the other selections her trio deftly played. Never was the volume overbearing or intrusive. She even took requests from guests without cheapening the slickness of her performance. Elaine is adept at incorporating her band in her performances…never upstaging, but rather, complementing each other. Beyond her musical prowess, you will be hard-pressed to find a more professional musician in the Chicago-land area, in terms of logistics, set-up and coordinating with event planners. She is sincere in her craft and truly delivered a fantastic performance for our guests. If you are looking for a talented, diverse, and truly lights out jazz performer, look no further.” 

​

Carina Sokalski and Patrick Kassen 
“Thank you for making our wedding reception spectacular. Our guests were very complimentary about your performance – they loved it! I made for an incredible ambiance and we couldn’t have selected a better quartet! We also appreciate how professional and organized you were since the day we first met you.” 

​

Elizabeth and Sarah Dale 

“We never dreamed we would have live music at our wedding—that is until we met Elaine. She was a perfect choice, her band was superb, and working with her was the most stress-free part of our wedding planning. We knew we were in good hands with her experience, organization and great taste in music. And, we especially appreciated the care she took with our first dance—“That’s All.”We will always remember the music and radiant joy Elaine and her band brought to our special day.” 

 

Lisa and Paddy

“The Elaine Dame Trio were fabulous – they were EXACTLY what we were looking for. I had (and continue to have) many comments from guests about how spectacular they were. One guest said that she was eating her dinner and heard Norah Jones singing and wondered where Norah was (I had chosen “Come Away with Me”). We had a few musician friends in attendance, and they were VERY complimentary.” 

​

Nancy and Ed Segreti 
“Elaine Dame is fabulous in every way. She is an accomplished vocalist, a great entertainer and also a true business professional. She just simply ‘gets it.’ We were thrilled with Elaine and her Quartet and highly recommend them for sophisticated jazz.” 

​

Kara and Matt Schlagheck 
“My wife and I had the privilege of having Elaine Dame and her Quartet perform on our wedding night. The music, and her voice, truly made the night unforgettable. The talent and professionalism that she brought to our special night were beyond anything we expected. One of the most frequent comments we heard from our guests was, ‘Who is singing? She is amazing.’ Her style perfectly fit the intimate reception we held, but it is obvious that Elaine would have no problem on any stage, large or small. In the time leading up to the event, Elaine was up-front, knowledgeable, and thankful. We never pretended to be connoisseurs of music or jazz, so we left most of the evening in her hands. She came through beautifully. I would recommend her services for any occasion. If she can get my family to dance, she can do anything. I can’t say enough about her, and I look forward to seeing her perform in the future. Give her a look and you will not be disappointed.” 

​

From Rabbi Michael Schorin
“Elaine, just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed your performance at yesterday’s wedding. The combination of your voice, the songs selected and your first-rate musicians made for a wonderful backdrop to the occasion. 

​

Heather Meibach – Conference Services Manager for The University of Chicago Gleacher Center
“Elaine Dame is sensational! As a wedding and event planner, I knew I had to have her perform at my sister’s wedding. Elaine was the hit of the day, I received compliment after compliment about how wonderful Elaine’s music was. Elaine is talented, graceful, kind, professional, and elegant. Elaine executed my music requests perfectly, she acted as the MC and was so efficient, no one could take their eyes off of her. Elaine sang a breathtaking version of “What a Wonderful World” for my sister and father’s first dance, that brought tears to my father’s eyes, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Elaine also took a very special request that I had for her and did a gorgeous rendition of “Happy Birthday” for my 4-year-old cousin who shared her birthday with my sister’s wedding. Elaine’s music set the mood for the wedding, she provided tunes that were sentimental, beautiful, and clear; she simply created memories. I will be using Elaine Dame for all of my special events to come as there is nothing else like her in Chicago!” 

​

Mara and Jason Martinez 
“Thank you so much for making our wedding day absolutely perfect. Your music was key to our ceremony, cocktail hour and first dance! We loved you and your team! We will absolutely be recommending your services. Hope to be at one of your shows very soon.” 

​

Max and Brittanie Jakubowich 
“Elaine and her trio provided the music for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. She was a pleasure to work with in the months leading up to the event and was a great help in determining what kind of music we wanted for the ceremony. Further, our guests loved the atmosphere Elaine created and the professionalism of the group! From the beginning, we knew that they would be the icing on the (wedding) cake and really put our wedding over the top!” 

​

Christian Leedy – Engagement Party Client
“Elaine, as part of a quartet, played an event for my family and it was flawless. She picks the right music to accent the mood of the night and alters that as the crowd dictates. She worked seamlessly with the restaurant and during a wedding week that made things extra easy on me. I would recommend Elaine and will gladly use her again.” 

​

Joe and Erica Little
“What can we say…we found Elaine and immediately fell in love with her – she is a definite true talent. Unmatched in every way imaginable. She belongs on the biggest stage and we had her for our wedding – Guests we’re so content in their surroundings because of her and her talented bandmates. Everyone stayed till the end and it made our event that much more special. Her voice is right up there with the best and her showmanship was so impressive – she even stayed later than warranted to help emcee some late-night prize giveaways and I can’t say enough about her – we feel like she’s a friend – a true friend – anybody would be lucky to have her perform. THE BEST!” 

​

Ellie and Matthew Anderson, Wedding
“Elaine is not only an incredible singer she is an incredible person. From start to finish she was an absolute delight to work with and we will be working with her for every event we possibly can in our future. She is incredibly talented and had the dance floor full for the entire evening, creating an extremely happy and fun vibe. In addition, Elaine always has the best musicians with her- one can’t miss the talent on the stage. She’s just excellent in every way and we love her!” 

​

Bradley Reid – 50th Anniversary Party
“We hired Elaine and her quartet to entertain at a 50th wedding anniversary for my parents. The band had to travel over 100 miles to the venue. They arrived early and set a very nice stage in the corner of the room. Elaine and her band played a very nice mixture of standards, took requests and engaged the audience. I can’t say enough about the quality of the sound – We had the luxury of some of the finest musicians in the country all to ourselves for the evening. Our guests were highly complimentary. Thanks, Elaine!” 

​

Frances Wiet and Randy Mueller – Wedding Clients
“Elaine came highly recommended for our wedding by family members who had attended parties where she performed. What a great steer for us! Randy and I both have musical backgrounds ourselves and music was an important feature to us for our wedding. Throughout the process of contracting Elaine to the night of our wedding, Elaine brought a tremendous range of repertoire, energy, professionalism, and flexibility. She and her band members are tremendous musicians and demonstrated quite a wide range of musical styles and capabilities going from classical selections for our ceremony to lively jazz selections for the reception. Our family loved her too and we had quite a number of people dancing. Elaine and her colleagues made the night sparkle.” 

​

Ken Duckmann and James Perez 
Elaine is incredible! She was so helpful in making our wedding reception warm, classy, and relaxing. With her guidance, the reception went without a hitch. We were working with a small venue and she was amazing at coordinating the logistics of our reception – from the introductions of our attendants to the cutting of the cake, and the start of our first dance. Very professional as well – Elaine was always VERY prompt with returning phone calls and emails. Most importantly, the music!! Elaine is a very talented musician and works with only the best! Thank you so much for making our wedding reception fantastic! Everyone really enjoyed your music! 

​

Lillyan Gonzalez, Event Coordinator, Riverfront Delta Hotel, NE
“I had the privilege to help Elaine when she was hired to sing at a wedding reception at my venue. She is not just a professional signer but a delight to work with. We started our communication before her arrival and as soon as I met her, I felt I had known her forever. Highly recommend The Elaine Dame Chicago Jazz Band.”

​

Drake and Kassidy Baumann, Wedding
“Thank you so much for traveling all this way to perform at our wedding. It is such an honor. You have been so professional and easy to work with. We thought the music would be the most stressful part, but you made it the easiest. Thank you again for being a part of our special day.” 

​

Kjerstin and Juan
“Elaine is not only an outstanding musician (like truly world-class), but she is also an outstanding human to work with! She is extremely thoughtful, communicative, and flexible, and her talent vocally (and with the flute!?) speaks for itself. She is phenomenal and anyone who gets the chance to work with her should consider themself lucky. Thank you!!!!!” 

​

Brianna Simmons-Tumminello

“Elaine provided us an AMAZING trio of musicians for our wedding this past October 2021. Correspondence with Elaine was great. She was always very responsive and professional. We would work with her again in a heartbeat. The musicians were amazing, prompt, and played every tune on our list and then some. Everyone loved them!”