Four saxophones are loud enough to play without any electrical amplification. Therefore, all we require are four sturdy chairs without arms. One of our members is disabled so we need parking close to the venue and step-free access, including the area where we play.

We are completely self contained as we don't need any external amplification.

We need clear directions and information about parking. We also need step-free access to the venue as one of our members is disabled.

This is not part of the service we offer.

We played for a very special private party in the summer, with a set list picked entirely by the (80 year old!) birthday girl. We performed outdoors with the river Thames as our backdrop. The neighbours came over to thank us for the entertainment afterwards!

Steffy, the manager and tenor sax player of Cicada, is a huge fan of the classical saxophonist and broadcaster Jess Gillan. She also used to be a mega fan of The Fairer Sax, and all-female sax ensemble that inspired her playing when she was a teenager.

We all know each other through playing in multiple instrumental ensembles throughout London. Steffy had always wanted to start a quartet, and finally found the right people through these other ventures. She hand picked the best players and we started from there. We all love the challenge and thrill of small ensemble playing and get such a kick out of performing to a crowd.

We love playing outdoors when the weather is good - though this can be unpredictable! Indoors or out, we really buzz from the feedback from small or large crowds. Smiles when people recognise a well known tune, played in a unique way by a sax quartet; people moving their bodies and dancing along. That's what we do it all for!

Our usual set up is to play 2 x 45 minute sets, but we have also played for shorter or longer, so it depends what the client needs. So long as we can have a short break every 45 minutes or so to allow our lips to recover, we're happy to be flexible.

Yes, we love playing outside! If it rains though, that quickly becomes impractical (we know this from experience!) largely because our sheet music gets soaked and soggy and we can't turn the pages. So, good weather forecasts only for outdoor performances, please!

Clients absolutely can choose the pieces they prefer from our list, or equally we can choose it for them. We can also often accommodate special requests, but we would need a bit of notice for this. Sometimes we can find an existing quartet arrangement of a requested piece, in which case we just need enough time to practice it to performance standard. If a new arrangement is needed, we would require plenty of notice and an additional fee.

Previous customers have told us we made them smile and tap their feet, and that they loved hearing some of the old classics!