Adagio Djay Entertainment: DJs, Live Music, Uplighting

*We Never Forget Whose Day It Is*

Serving Minnesota and Western Wisconsin

Travel area: Within 300 miles See details

4.8

Praised by couples for:

DJ quality

Music selection

Unique party atmosphere

Angie did a great job! We met with her wedding week to share details on special songs such as first dance, grand march, and songs for walking down the aisle. We also shared some songs we liked and she filled in the rest for the dance and she did a fantastic job, the dance floor was popping all night.

Carrie C.

5.0

We used Adagio for our wedding and our DJ, James, was very professional and experienced. The music was a hit and he was very communicative and flexible!

Bailey S.

5.0

Jay Brian Kochendorfer

OWNER

Typically responds within 24h

AWARD WINNER (20X)

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

At Adagio Djay Entertainment our philosophy is to assist you in creating an atmosphere that will make all of your guests feel welcome and involved without making the DJ the focus of the reception. Although the music is an important part of setting that tone, we believe the focus should remain on the guests and the beautiful memories that are being created as they celebrate with you. We are known for our tasteful and subtle approach as well as our exceptional attention to detail and award winning customer service. We are highly recommended by the area’s best venues, wedding planners, and other professionals in the industry. We have been recognized as one of the Top 150 DJ’s in the Nation by Modern Bride Magazine as well as “Best DJ” by Minnesota Bride Magazine and we have been awarded The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame. We have over 37 years experience in the entertainment industry and we are committed to the highest level of service and care for each client. We accept a limited number of events per evening to ensure superior service at every reception. We offer flexible office hours, emergency back-up staff and service technicians, and a guarantee that your questions and correspondence will always be handled with the utmost care and urgency. Owner and DJ Jay Brian Kochendorfer can be described as action-oriented, passionate, and outgoing. He takes a subtle and tasteful approach to each event, ensuring that every couple is given top priority and service. The team of diverse, inclusive professionals organizes an with a couple to understand their taste and style. Knowing that each wedding is different, the team will pair you with an emcee that complements your vision best, guaranteeing a flawless night of entertainment. In an effort to simplify the overall wedding planning process for our clients our additional services include Ceremony Music and Amplification, DJ/Live Music options, Mood Lighting, Dance Instruction, Videography and Invitations. We take great pride in what we do and would truly appreciate the opportunity to be part of your special event. Adagio Djay Entertainment is a wedding DJ and live music company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota serving Minnesota and into Western Wisconsin.

LGBTQ+-owned Business

37+ years in business

Speaks English, Spanish

Large team (21+ members)

Details

Equipment

Sound Equipment

Music Genres

African

Arabic

Bollywood

Caribbean

Celtic

Classical

Country

Dance

Disco

EDM

Flamenco

Folk

Hip-Hop

Indian

Jazz

Klezmer

Latin

Mariachi

Persian

Polka

Pop

R&B

Rock

World Music

Music Services

MC Services

Recorded Music

Sound Equipment

Planning

Se Habla Español

Wedding Activities

Rehearsals & Parties

After Party

Wedding

After Party

Ceremony

Reception

Awards and Affiliations

20-Time 'Best of Weddings'

2026.2025.2024.+17 more.

Hall of Fame

Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.

Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding

Meet the team

Jay Brian Kochendorfer

Owner

7 Words that describe me: Action-oriented, passionate, motivated, charismatic, fun, outgoing and caring. Best advice I ever received: Do it right or don’t do it at all! Favorite part about being a DJ: Serving people and watching them enjoy themselves.

4.8

out of 5.0

678 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

Adagio Entertainment is widely praised for professional, communicative DJs who bring high energy and keep the dance floor packed. Couples liked the easy, customizable online planning portal and smooth execution of ceremony and reception music. A few minor technical hiccups or delayed guest requests were noted, but overall reviewers highly recommend them.

Search reviews

Carrie C

9/03/2026

Angie did a great job! We met with her wedding week to share details on special songs such as first dance, grand march, and songs for walking down the aisle. We also shared some so...

ngs we liked and she filled in the rest for the dance and she did a fantastic job, the dance floor was popping all night.

Bailey S

8/26/2026

We used Adagio for our wedding and our DJ, James, was very professional and experienced. The music was a hit and he was very communicative and flexible!

Any questions?

Emily C

8/25/2026

Jay was super easy to work with and so flexible when our plans would change. Faith, our DJ, was the absolute best. We had so many people come up to us to say she was the best weddi...

ng DJ they have had, she seamlessly blended crowd requests with our requests, and she read the crowd perfectly. Truly not a single complaint and we are so happy we hired Adagio DJ, Faith was absolutely perfect!!

Amy L

8/24/2026

DJ Berndt was a perfect match for us. He played a wide array of music including the list we sent him. He kept the energy high and took requests as well. We loved his tie that lit u...

p! He made our wedding so fun!

Steven C

8/24/2026

Grant made our wedding day unforgettable! From our very first meeting, he was incredibly professional, organized, and easy to work with. He took the time to understand what Sydney ...

and I wanted and went above and beyond to bring our vision to life. Grant's energy is contagious—he kept the vibe perfect all night and has this amazing ability to read the crowd and keep the dance floor packed! Whether it was introducing us as Mr. & Mrs. for the first time or keeping everyone dancing throughout the reception, he nailed every moment. The sound quality was exceptional, and his song selection hit the mark for all our guests. Even weeks later, friends are still talking about how much fun our wedding was. Grant is professional, entertaining, personable, and truly talented at what he does. We would 100% recommend him to anyone looking for a DJ who will make their event absolutely special. Thank you, Grant, for helping make our wedding day perfect!

Samantha K

8/04/2026

DJ Mel was absolutely wonderful. She asked questions, engaged with us, went above and beyond. She made our special request songs work out perfectly.

Drew V

7/29/2026

Allowed for us to totally customize everything. Create and provide a playlist. Also give them a vibe we were looking for. Also super open to us making last minute changes. They wer...

e great!

Rachael E

7/20/2026

It’s a shame this caps out at 5 stars, because DJ Richard deserves way more than that. We booked Adagio Entertainment to DJ our wedding with no specific DJ selection. Two weeks b...

efore the wedding, we got our DJ introduction, and we got DJ Richard. He communicated with us in a very timely, friendly, and professional manner. We talked through emails and phone calls, and he really cared about making sure he knew the vibe we wanted. He also made the night run so smoothly from announcing what’s next, to table dismissal for dinner. He went above and beyond in every way possible. My Dad and I had a specific vision for our father/daughter dance, and he completely, without any question as to why, went along with our shenanigans. DJ Richard kept the dance floor hopping the entire night. It was amazing! We had so many guests come up to us throughout the evening to tell us how amazing our DJ was. If you’re looking for a DJ to completely rock the night and take A LOAD of stress off your shoulders, DJ Richard is your guy! We also loved looking at DJ Richard and seeing him jam out with us on the dance floor. Again, he went ABOVE AND BEYOND! DJ Richard, thank you so much for everything! You truly are the best DJ we’ve ever had the honor of meeting!

Taylor C

7/13/2026

We had Isaiah as our DJ and he was great! Had wonderful energy, encouraged people on the dance floor and helped keep the vibe. I did notice a song or two from my do not play list ...

but at the time I didn’t care. Was a wonderful night!

Jenna B

7/01/2026

We hired Adagio for our wedding and the initial process was very professional and streamlined. We were matched with Isaiah who was so happy and lovely to work with. I had various a...

nnouncements I wanted him to make and he did all of them and never needed anything from me the day of. There was one mistake which I am unsure what happened but the song that was meant to be played for the bridal party processional did not play so it was silent but then the song for my entrance did play and there were no other audio issues the rest of the evening so I think it was likely a technical difficulty or maybe a miscommunication. The rest of the audio during the outdoor ceremony was great, the dinner music and dancing was perfect. Isaiah really was fun to work with and always looked like he was having a blast which made me happy.

Brianna G

6/23/2026

Adagio was great for our wedding! We did both the ceremony & reception option and everything went great. They have a portal that is very user friendly and detailed, not just for mu...

sic options but for information about the couple and for timeline of the wedding. Highly customizable, many music choices and the option to put your own requests in. I really, really love music and being able to have such a hand in customizing our day of playlist was great. Our DJ Viktoriya was very pleasant and professional - kept everything on time and when it came time for dancing, she turned it out! I was out on the dance floor every chance I got when I wasn't being pulled away for photos. Highly recommend!!

Caroline H

6/23/2026

DJ Richard did a great job of DJing our wedding! He had great energy and kept the dance floor fun. He was responsive and listened to and followed through on our hopes and desires f...

or our wedding dance. He ensured everything ran smoothly. We had a wonderful night! The online portal was easy to use and a great place to add our information, timeline, and song requests.

Maria W

6/03/2026

We had DJ Isaiah for our wedding and he was everything we could’ve hoped for from our wedding DJ!! The entire day from ceremony, to cocktail hour, to the dance floor went perfectly...

smooth, and the energy Isaiah brought was exactly what we were hoping for! Isaiah as well as all the other staff that worked with us along the way were all extremely helpful and open to including any ideas or requests that we had. We were extremely satisfied and would highly recommend!!

Jasmine M

6/02/2026

We had a great experience! We got compliments on the music played and our no-play list was followed to a T! our 2 Dj’s did a fabulous job!

Heather L

5/24/2026

DJ Richard was the absolute best! During our planning call he really listened to our requests and embraced our musical style. The day of he kept the party going and the dance floor...

was never empty!!

Megan L

4/20/2026

Our DJ Richard H. was great! I don’t think the dance floor was even close to being empty and he helped move along the evening with announcements etc. The vibe was exactly what we w...

anted!

Dominique D

2/05/2026

Our wedding DJ Faith was absolutely amazing! She read the room perfectly, kept the dance floor packed all night, and brought incredible energy to the entire celebration. From our f...

irst song to the last, the music was flawless and the party never stopped. We couldn’t have asked for a better DJ!

Devyn W

1/12/2026

Our DJ was amazing--They accommodated our specific playlist and added to it with crowd requests and really kept the dance floor going (Even though we're not party people, but for t...

hose who did like to dance). Played music for all ages as requested and did an absolutely fabulous job!

Victoria S

10/28/2025

Adagio DJ Entertainment is a joy to work with and are top tier in wedding entertainment and energy. We were fortunate to work with Jay and DJ Just for our special day - they did no...

t disappoint! There was open communication and regular check-ins through the planning process. They provided various planners to truly understand our vision and executed it perfectly! Our guest had nothing but glowing reviews on the music chosen, and the lighting. Do not miss your opportunity to work with the best! We cannot thank them enough!

Annie K

10/27/2025

we had a great experience at our wedding and loved the music!!

Jeffrey P

10/22/2025

We had the absolute privilege of having Adagio for our wedding. Joel was our dj and couldn’t have been a more perfect match for us. He was attentive, very responsive, and kept the ...

dance floor alive all night long. He blended everyone’s music taste perfectly. There was never a time that the dance floor was empty. He made sure to check in with us at different points to make sure everything was going the way we wanted. It was perfect from start to end. Huge thank you to Joel and Jay for everything y’all did. Highly recommend.

Shelby T

10/14/2025

Nate was an awesome DJ for our wedding night!! He kept the energy going all night long throughout our reception, and was a joy to work with. He was very kind and charismatic, and j...

ust nailed the vibe we were going for! Adagio as a whole was great throughout the planning process, and all of the planning forms we filled out were clear and easy to work through. Anna was great at answering all of our questions! 10000/10, would recommend these guys to anyone!

Gavin M

10/12/2025

Richard did an amazing job as our wedding DJ. I was personally worried, as a person with very specific music tastes, that my vision would get lost when it came to the music played ...

at the wedding. But I didn't have to worry, as Richard really listened and was able to bring both my vision to life while also keeping the dancefloor hot. He was super flexible day-of in terms of timing changes we had to make due to an earlier reception than expected and had a ton of great suggestions that really brought our ceremony and reception to life. Also, over and above, he took videos that he shared with us of different fun moments on the dancefloor and ended the set with a surprise moment that brought all the remaining guests together in a way everybody thought was beautiful. Much recommended!!!

Kristen W

9/29/2025

Angie was INCREDIBLE – absolute pleasure to work with and a master of her craft who kept our dance floor FULL and hopping until the very end of the night. We knew we were in good h...

ands after the phone call we had with her a few days before the wedding – not only is she lovely, her professionalism and attention to detail allowed us to not worry about a single thing on the big day. We enlisted her help for a few surprises (surprise dances, sister’s proposal, etc.), she understood immediately what we were going for and executed everything perfectly. I cannot overstate how awesome her musical curation was. We would work with Angie again in a heartbeat, and recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a DJ !

Jennifer B

9/29/2025

We had DJ Miguel for our wedding and he was amazing!!! He was so professional and knew exactly how to set the vibe! We had an intercultural wedding and he meshed it together perfec...

tly. We couldn’t be happier with how it went!

Zack J

9/29/2025

I booked Adagio for my wedding a few weeks ago. Jay was very easy to work with in terms of planning and easy to get a hold of if changes needed to be made. Our DJ, Faith, was absol...

utely incredible and had the dance floor going the whole time.

Gehrig S

9/27/2025

We hired Adagio to be our DJ for our wedding and it was a great experience! Derick was so communicative, great to work with, and did a great job playing music at both our ceremony ...

& reception! We loved the online portal we used ahead of time to customize our wedding must-plays, organize what songs we wanted for the ceremony & beginning of reception, and keep track of all of our information. The only complaint we had was some of the guests requests took a while to get played. Overall, it was an amazing experience and we highly recommend Adagio for all your wedding DJ needs!

Sarah N

9/26/2025

We worked with Jay and Berndt for our wedding and the experience was wonderful. We primarily worked with Jay in the beginning to discuss cost, main details, etc and he was so infor...

mative, kind, and attentive. The planning site was easy to use and included lots of great information that we could communicate to our DJ. Berndt was our DJ for the wedding and he was awesome! I'm a big "soundtrack to your life" kind of person, so I had this vision in my head of how the day would go with all of the songs we chose and he nailed it. He brought great energy to the reception, kept to the schedule, checked in with us, and was kind to the kiddos who I'm sure gave him some odd song requests (lol). Highly highly recommend Adagio and specifically Berndt.

Maddie L

9/24/2025

We had a fantastic experience with Adagio and with our DJ, Richard, in particular! Jay from Adagio was kind, helpful, and easy to communicate with during the booking and planning p...

rocess. On the day of the wedding, Richard handled everything perfectly and did a great job reading the vibe of the crowd to know what to play next. My very favorite part of the entire day was Richard’s surprise last song for the reception (won’t share his secret sauce here so others can also be surprised)—it led to memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. He also sent me videos of our first and last dances after the wedding, which was absolutely incredible because we didn’t have a videographer and weren’t expecting to have any footage of those things. Truly went above and beyond and we can’t thank him or Adagio enough!!!

Anna D

9/23/2025

DJ Mel was fantastic. They did a nice job of pairing us with a DJ who was a great fit, and were able to accommodate our request to have a female DJ. The online portal was easy to u...

se and the communication was very clear throughout!

Katherine M

9/23/2025

I had Morgan as my DJ for my wedding, and he was amazing! He was so so kind, so adaptable, and so upbeat. No one worried about going up for song requests. There was a minor issue w...

ith one of the speakers and he was quick to fix it without any more issues! So many people were seeing if they could have them DJ their future wedding. I am so grateful for him on such a big day!

Julie H

9/16/2025

AMAZING DJ for our wedding!!! We had DJ Derrick and he was the most professional, easy to talk to and wonderful DJ to work with! He was very detailed and really listened to our req...

uests and kept the dancefloor vibes and energy going all night! There was never a dead moment on the dancefloor! Highly recommend hiring Adagio Djay Entertainment and DJ Derrick for a fun and lit wedding!

Maxwell M

9/12/2025

We had an excellent experience with Adagio from the start. They were clear about our responsibilities with planning and setting them up with all of the information they needed, and...

they set us up with the absolute best DJ we’ve ever experienced - Isaiah. He was excellent from start to finish, hitting all of the queues of the ceremony perfectly, speaking and engaging the whole wedding during dinner, conducting things perfectly to our notes, and creating an absolutely memorable dance floor. We highly recommend adagio and Isaiah!

Allison R

8/21/2025

Incredible service!! From the beginning, communication was excellent! We had DJ Mel, and she was sooooo good! She listened to everything we said. We got so many compliments on our ...

dance floor. She handled dancer requests so well. Our ceremony music timing was elite! And she handled sound during our dinner perfectly. No grandparent sound complaints at all (which is a true accomplishment in my family!) Couldn't recommend them more!

Margaret P

8/16/2025

Adagio was wonderful! We had DJ Mel, who took lots of detailed info ahead of the wedding day so that she would know which songs we definitely wanted played, and when. She added som...

e of her own songs, which definitely kept things moving on the dance floor. We would highly recommend Adagio! They helped create just the vibe we were looking for.

Lindsey M

8/15/2025

Very easy to plan on their website, great people, made us feel comfortable the whole time. We knew we had to get Adagio after dancing to one of their DJs at a friends’ wedding. It ...

was the right choice.

Deanna O

8/13/2025

Super professional service from the start, and our DJ Joel did an awesome job setting the vibe for cocktail hour & dinner, then getting everyone up & moving. Mood lighting was real...

ly cool too!

Tyler H

8/09/2025

We really enjoyed our experience with Adagio, specifically DJ Dan. He did a great job of reading the room and providing a great time for all of our guests. The dance floor was full...

all night with a mix of music that fit our vibe perfectly.

Isaiah D

8/06/2025

Adagio was very professional in everything they did. They kept up with emails on things that weren’t set in stone yet, they asked clarification questions for things that may have b...

een overlooked and they made my wedding the best it could’ve been.

Kaylee F

7/27/2025

The general vibe was good throughout the reception, however, we made preferences to follow a created playlist and wanted to stick to that. With the money we paid for this DJ, we ex...

pected to get what we paid for, so this was a little disappointing.

Maria C

7/17/2025

I absolutely loved working with Adagio DJ! We had what we felt like was a mix of people for our wedding and our DJ, Preenon was fantastic. We felt like everything went smoothly due...

to his great ability to understand the guest vibe and play great tracks. Would recommend working with Preenon for sure. On the paperwork/cost side of things, it was worth the price for sure, due to it running so smoothy. Communicating with Adagio DJ was fast as well. We requested an additional hour of music, and they were prompt at responding to our request.

Kylie S

6/29/2025

Adagio provided awesome service! Their DJ Berndt did both my sister’s wedding and my own and he did not disappoint at either one!! They provided awesome communication and helped to...

turn our dreams into a reality! It wouldn’t have been as special if it were not for Adagio and DJ Berndt!

Emily K

6/20/2025

We absolutely loved working with Anna and the entire team from Adagio. From the beginning of the process, Jay offered tons of communication and support, and their online resources ...

were easy to navigate. Anna facilitated all the mic work so smoothly on the day of for ceremony and speeches, and there was never a lull on the dance floor! Great team, highly recommend :)

Grace H

5/14/2025

Adagio Djay Entertainment was very easy to work with and they made booking with them a breeze. Our DJ, Richard, was AMAZING! He is so friendly, professional, and easy to work with....

He takes his job seriously and made my wedding very fun! We ran into some issues with our cater being late and Richard jumped right in to make the gap of time seamless. Our guests didn’t even realize the food was late. I’d recommend Adagio Djay Entertainment and Richard to anyone!!! Thank you Richard, you were fantastic!! -The Hofer’s

Molly R

1/23/2025

Adagio stood out to us from the beginning with Jay’s positive and professional communication and their glowing community reviews. For every couple’s review you read, I’m sure there...

were hundreds of guest comments about how awesome the DJ was! We loved their online profile for building a playlist and Jay’s extensive team of DJs, knowing that we’d be matched with someone awesome who would enjoy playing our music for our special day. Speaking of… Anna knocked our reception out of the PARK! She was so fun and excited on our phone call talking about the playlist and our special dances. She even helped us with some special surprises including playing the Father of the Bride theme when our reception space was revealed, to playing a recording of my husband and I singing together from high school during dinner. Anna created a great balance between upbeat and slow songs, modern to oldies, and our dance floor was full the ENTIRE night! Her positive and professional attitude on top of her incredible skills absolutely made our reception the success that it was. Thank you, Anna!

Jake L

1/22/2025

Their attention to detail and ability to follow all guidance was top notch. Would gladly work with them again in a heartbeat

Mandy S

12/09/2024

We had the best night ever and it wouldn’t have been possible without our DJ! We had Derek and he was AMAZING!!! He was so nice, helped carry along our timeline even when we decide...

d to run a little earlier on things! He was able to read the room and the vibes and make wonderful choices of timing and songs! The dance floor never died once! There was always people dancing! We got many compliments on it being one of the greatest weddings they have ever been to! We cannot thank Derek enough for help making our wedding day one of the best days possible!

Olivia E

12/02/2024

Mel, our DJ, was GREAT!!! She played a variety of songs/genres including many songs we put on our wedding spotify playlist, and she accepted requests and played them immediately, w...

hich was awesome and helped our dance floor stay full all night long :) We were so happy with how the dance went and all of Mel's help announcing toasts, speeches, and getting the wedding party lined up for the grand march was excellent. She did a fantastic job!

Greg F

11/16/2024

Luke was our DJ through adajio and he was absolutely great, would give him 5/5. We had a small hiccup with communications with adagio a few weeks before the wedding which added a b...

it of stress, but in the end everything turned out ok. We did absolutely love the uplighting we got through adagio and thought they were a very fair price.

Emma L

10/18/2024

First things first, our DJ Berndt was AMAZING. He was on time, professional, did everything we asked, and really knew his audience (even down to doing live announcements of the Iow...

a State football game during dancing, iykyk). We struggled with putting a playlist together, but he filled in the blanks perfectly and caught onto our vibe SO FAST. I'm subtracting a star due to Jay, the owner of Adagio. During our wedding planning, we had two calls and he was VERY late to both of those calls. Trying to plan a wedding in between meetings at your full-time job is hard enough without vendors being late to pre-scheduled calls! Additionally, be aware that additional fees might get you - examine your contract closely before signing! There is an extra charge for requesting a specific DJ (that was fine with us, but be aware), and we also got charged an extra $200 two weeks before our wedding because the original contract didn't include set-up time for some reason. Overall though, I would say our DJ was worth the money, and probably even worth the hassle.

Service area & Contact info

Travel area: Within 300 miles

Additional charges may apply

(651) 437-3344

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Adagio Djay Entertainment: DJs, Live Music, Uplighting

Jay Brian Kochendorfer

Owner

Typically responds within 24h

Adagio Djay Entertainment: DJs, Live Music, Uplighting's photos

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Adagio Djay Entertainment: DJs, Live Music, Uplighting

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