Live Music Experience for Corporate Events | Phil Mershon
Your events deserve more than a playlist.
The Problem
Most event planners treat music as an afterthought. A Spotify playlist before the doors open. A jazz trio tucked in the corner during cocktail hour. Background noise nobody remembers.
But music, when used with intention, does something a keynote speaker, a breakout session, or a perfectly designed agenda cannot do on its own. It moves people. It creates moments that bypass the rational mind and land somewhere deeper.
That is what a great live music experience for corporate events actually looks like. And it is what Phil Mershon has been designing for over twenty five years.
THIS IS NOT BACKGROUND MUSIC
Phil is an Oleg endorsed soprano saxophonist with over twenty five years of professional performance experience across jazz ensembles, worship bands, big bands, and studio sessions. He founded the jazz ensemble at Wheaton College and went on to earn an undergraduate degree in music. He has performed alongside notable artists in markets from Los Angeles to Chicago to Atlanta to Denver.
But his credentials as a musician are only part of the story.
Phil brings together a rare combination of backgrounds: worship pastor, corporate trainer, counselor, event designer, and business strategist. When he picks up his soprano saxophone at your event, he is not just performing. He is reading the room, responding to the moment, and designing an experience your attendees will carry with them long after they leave.
This is live music as experience design.
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE
At a large international corporate workshop, Phil was introduced after lunch by walking into the room playing his horn. In an instant, the energy of a long, full day session shifted. People sat up. They leaned in. The afternoon felt completely different from the morning.
At a wine tasting event, Phil listened as guests described what they were experiencing in their glass, then played their descriptions back to them on soprano saxophone, improvising in real time. One attendee said: “I have never heard wine like that before.”
At Social Media Week Lima, Phil performed from the back of the room while the emcee stood on stage with a plastic saxophone. The audience had no idea what was happening, until they did. It became the moment everyone talked about.
At Digital Wichita’s summer event, Phil laid down while playing saxophone to demonstrate how getting in a different position can open up new ideas. The audience leaned in from that moment forward.
These are not performance tricks. They are carefully designed moments, built on emotional intelligence, spontaneous improvisation, and a deep understanding of how live music shapes memory and connection.
HOW PHIL PARTNERS WITH YOUR EVENT
Every engagement is custom. Phil works with event organizers to identify where live music can do the most work, whether that means a single unforgettable moment or a musical thread woven throughout the entire experience.
Ways Phil can partner with you:
- Keynote integration: Phil performs as part of his own keynote, using live soprano saxophone to reinforce ideas, shift energy, and create audience moments that no slide deck could replicate.
- Solo performer: Available for openings, closings, program transitions, receptions, and retreat experiences, bringing spontaneous and intentional improvisation to each performance.
- Music strategist: Through his role with Level Up Music Productions, Phil consults with event teams on how to integrate live music across an entire event arc, not just a single set.
- Full band experience: For larger productions, Phil can coordinate a house band or live ensemble tailored to your event’s theme and audience.
CREDENTIALED, EXPERIENCED, AND READY
Phil Mershon is a professional saxophonist with over twenty five years of performance experience across jazz ensembles, worship bands, and big bands, working alongside notable artists in the LA, Chicago, San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando, and Denver music scenes. He founded the jazz ensemble at Wheaton College and earned an undergraduate degree in music. Influenced by jazz innovators including Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, and Kirk Whalum, Phil specializes in soprano saxophone and has been an Oleg endorsed performer for over twenty five years.
He is also the founder of Unforgettable Events, LLC, a fractional event strategy and experience design firm, and serves as a music strategist with Level Up Music Productions.