ABOUT | The Metropolitan Players

WE'RE MORE THAN A WEDDING BAND

WE'RE MEMORY-MAKERS, LOVE-LOVERS, PARTY-STARTERS, AND JOY-BRINGERS

The Metropolitan Players are a NYC-based wedding band collective, created by a husband and wife team, with a mission to help you make musical memories. Music is tied to memory, and shouldn’t be taken lightly when planning your wedding. People won’t remember your flowers, or the cake - they’ll remember how they felt. They’ll remember those moments on the dance floor with their loved ones, where the rest of the world melted away for a few hours. THAT’S why we do what we do. We want your guests to leave saying, “that was the best wedding we’ve ever been to.”

Drew & Erin Coles created The Metropolitan Players for their own wedding after they couldn’t find the perfect band. Not only did they create the The Met Players out of everything they wanted for themselves (so it’s pretty darn awesome), they truly care about making each and every wedding just as beautiful, successful, and fun as their own.

We specialize in weddings (because that’s how we started!), we have an impressive roster of talented musicians, we learn requests, we walk you through the musical process, and we’re unbelievably dedicated to making sure your wedding is unforgettable.

PJN Photography Allison and Alex Wedding

MEMORY-MAKERS

Do you want an unforgettable wedding your loved ones will talk about forever? That’s why we’re here. We’re the memory-makers. We pride ourselves in curating a song list that speaks to you and your guests, and that will keep you out on the dance floor all night. Our insanely talented musicians will play your requests at the caliber of the original artists - oftentimes better. Your guests will leave with unforgettable memories, and will be talking about your wedding for years to come. There’s a really good chance your family and friends will judge every other wedding against yours for the rest of time. Sorry, not sorry!

"It’s been months since our wedding, and we are still getting rave reviews of the band from our friends and family. Some claim it was the most fun wedding they’ve been to, and we owe that all to the amazing musical performance that kept the dance floor rocking the entire night! Our guests literally moved the dance floor two feet because of the epic dance party that occurred!"

Christa S, NJ

Memory-Makers

LOVE-LOVERS

Do you want to work with people who care about you, love you, and want your wedding day to be just as unique and special as you are? Co-founders Erin and Drew Coles started The Metropolitan Players for their own wedding when they couldn’t find a band they truly loved. They built the band and their business around everything they love and value - and treat every single couple with the same care and consideration they would expect for their own wedding. They love love a whole lot!

Erin and our dedicated wedding coordinators will be your trusted confidantes from moment one. They’ll answer all of your questions, help you customize your band, offer song suggestions, and make sure you feel totally comfortable. Drew musically directs the band, which means he’ll make sure the band sounds extra phenomenal playing all of your special requests.

"From the moment we first reached out to the band, Erin responded promptly with kindness, enthusiasm, and PERSONAL email responses. Erin truly made us feel like we weren't just a potential client but a friend who she truly cared about. We were the first of our friends to get married so we came with LOTS of questions not just about songs and playlists but about wedding logistics, timeline order, uplighting - you name it, Erin helped."

Emily & Bob H, NY

Love-Lovers

PARTY-STARTERS

Do you want your guests dancing from moment one, and screaming at the top of their lungs to your favorite songs? We’ve got you covered in so many ways!

We learn special requests, because we believe you should hear the music that is meaningful to you on your wedding day.
We allow you to customize the size and members of the band. You can leave the musician selection totally up to us, or you can send preferences for the vocalists you love most!
We play non-stop live music throughout the entire reception with our 8+ piece band packages. We stagger breaks for our musicians so the entire night flows smoothly.
We provide a coordinator who takes care of you and acts as the liaison between you, your venue, and the band the day of your wedding. They also run sound for the night! (Yes, our coordinators are in fact superheroes).

"Having a great band was a major priority for us - we love to dance and wanted to be on the dance floor the entire night. And that's exactly what happened! From cocktail hour to the first song of the night to the last song of the night, the Metropolitan Players sounded great and got everyone ready to party. Our friends and family could not stop dancing and telling us how great the band was. We could not recommend the Metropolitan Players more, and we're going to have to start crashing weddings they are playing at so we can dance more! Thanks for making our night perfect!"

Jamie & Kate, NY

Party-Starters

JOY-BRINGERS

Do you want the safety and security of working with a large, well-established, and experienced company with the care and consideration you’d get from a boutique business? With 500 weddings under our belts, a collective of professional musicians, and a kick-butt admin staff, we’ve got the size and experience to make sure your party goes off without a hitch!

But we also care about you, a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. We hold your hand through the entire process so you feel excited, comfortable, and happy - and so you don’t have to worry one little bit on your wedding day!

We’ll help you customize the band size, we’ll suggest music if you’re stuck, we’ll create a full timeline of your wedding day, and we’ll even make sure that your notoriously drunk uncle doesn’t sing his special rendition of “New York, New York,” at your wedding. You deserve to celebrate, to relax, and to have the best time - and we’re here to make sure that your wedding celebration is just as joyful as you’ve always imagined it would be.

"Should you hire the Metropolitan Players for your wedding? Yes you should. End of story. I am a musician myself, as were many of our guests, and I can tell you that everyone in the band is extremely talented, the sound was mixed beautifully and at just the right volume to enjoy it, and I have rarely seen a wedding band read a crowd as well as the Metropolitan Players. The band’s performance was stellar – not taking attention away from the event or hogging the spotlight, but also comfortable occasionally walking into/interacting with the crowd at appropriate moments to drive the energy higher. They struck a balance that is no small feat to achieve, while sounding recording studio quality, at the right volume.Thanks for an amazing event, Metropolitan Players!"

Ryan M, NY

Joy-Bringers

Drew and Erin Coles Husband and Wife Team

Meet Co-Founders DREW & ERIN

Drew and Erin Coles here! We're a husband and wife team, and we founded the Metropolitan Players after we couldn’t find the perfect band for our own wedding. We were inspired by our mutual passion for music, expertise in business, and a true love for everything a wedding represents. We love being part of the celebration that brings two families together, and with every new couple, the Met Player family grows and new musical memories are made! We can't wait to work with you!

Photo: Walker Wedding Group

DREW COLES, Founder & Music Director

He/Him/His

Drew is the Musical Director of The Metropolitan Players. He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator, and performs regularly on the New York City scene. Drew's wide range of musical knowledge and ability to cross stylistic boundaries make him a valuable asset, and he has shared the stage with jazz masters Wynton Marsalis, Jim Snidero and Mitch Frohman, among others. He was most recently seen on Good Morning America, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and iHeart Radio Live Sessions alongside pop singer/songwriter Erin Bowman.

Drew earned his Bachelors of Music in Music Business from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, his Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the Metropolitan College of New York, and his doctorate in Music & Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University .

In addition to the Metropolitan Players, Drew continues to use his expertise in studios, on stages, and in classrooms across New York City and along the East Coast.

Meet Our TEAM

Drew & Erin

Drew Coles

EVENT COORDINATOR

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Nesconset, New York

Current Home: Nesconset, New York

Favorite Food: Pasta

Something on Amanda's Bucket List:

Travel to Italy!

Favorite part of being a coordinator:

I love seeing how music can have such an impact on a couple and their loved ones, and how that plays a role in creating lifetime memories!

Coordinators