By Tyler Yanisch

Whether it’s a violinist creating the perfect atmosphere during a wedding ceremony or a child being taught how to play Beethoven on the piano, classical and jazz musicians are increasingly sought after for teaching and performing. It can often be difficult to find quality and affordable classical and jazz musicians, but Candid Brilliance Music is looking to simplify the process.

With headquarters in Whitewater, Candid Brilliance Music offers live musical performances, private lessons, and commissioning of original compositions via a network of classical and jazz musicians. Its website (www.cbmtest.creativecatgd.com) makes it very easy to choose the service customers want and then connect with a musician based on the instrument and genre of their choice.

The company has events scheduled in five different states and plan on eventually expanding its services to the entire Midwest. Charging by the hour for musicians, Candid Brilliance Music also offered corporate bookings and is on pace to book more than 75 weddings for the upcoming wedding season.

All of this has led to the company being financially stable so far, with a revenue base that is both cash flow and profit positive.

The early success of the company has been in large part due to Jocelyn Kopac, the founder and CEO of Candid Brilliance Music. Kopac, a 20-year-old student at UW-Whitewater, saw an opportunity to streamline the search for dependable musicians after experiencing frustrations first hand. After providing private lessons and performing for friends by herself for a period of time, Kopac soon had too many requests for her to handle alone. As a result, Candid Brilliance Music was launched in November 2014 with the goal of connecting clients with quality and affordable classical and jazz musicians.

As with any business, Candid Brilliance Music faces competition – mainly from independent musicians in this case. However, Kopac believes there are considerable benefits to using her company. Aside from the advantage of offering a number of different services, she highlights Candid Brilliance Music’s knowledge of the professional music industry and its guarantee to provide experienced and quality musicians at an affordable price.

One key word used by Kopac is “growth.” While Candid Brilliance Music has already recorded some success, Kopac and her associates have even bigger plans. With its own capital and the possible help of investors, the company plans to expand services through franchises throughout the Midwest.

Kopac said another goal is improving offerings for private lessons by developing a standardized curriculum that can be followed by all students, regardless of who the teacher is or where the student is located. This planned expansion of Candid Brilliance Music will come with increased costs, as well. Kopac said hiring of more sales representatives and increased spending on advertising and marketing will be essential. She believes that approach will lead to more events, more students and greater profit.

Candid Brilliance Music has been selected as a finalist in the 2016 Governors Business Plan Contest, which culminates June 7-8 in Madison at the Entrepreneurs’ Conference. Kopac said the contest is a “great opportunity” for the company. For more information on Candid Brilliance Music, visit www.candidbrilliancemusic.com.

Yanisch is a student in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication.