October 30, 2010 - Funeral Services - Olinger Hampden Chapel

Today our cellist is providing the music for a funeral at the Olinger Hampden Chapel in Denver.

Our cellist will play 15 minutes of prelude which will be a mix of religious and classical pieces, then a solo piece 'O Divine Redeemer' during the service, and will follow up the service with another 10-15 minutes of postlude.

Our condolences go out to the family in this time of sorrow.

October 23, 2010 - Vail Interfaith Chapel and The Lodge at Vail

We had the pleasure this afternoon and evening of playing for a wedding at the Vail Interfaith Chapel, and then for the reception at The Lodge at Vail.

We enjoyed working with this family as they have a great appreciation for classical music and the musical selections were very important to them.  They helped pick almost all of the music for the prelude and ceremony with just a few extra pieces added in for extra time/cushioning in case it was needed.

We began with Bach's "Air", Handel's "Allegro" from the Water Music,  Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro", Handel's "Largo", Vivaldi's "Autumn" from the Four Seasons, Schumann's "Traumerei", Bach's "Arioso", Lizt's "Liebstraum", Beethoven's "Pathetique", Schubert's "Andante", and we then finished up with Mozart's "Romanza".  


The wedding party entered to Handel's "Air" from the Water Music, and the bride entered to Vivaldi's "Winter" - a very appropriate piece as the mountains were just beginning to fill with snow outside.  


During the ceremony we were asked to play Franck's "Panis Angelicus", and Delibes' "Flower Music".


As the couple was presented to the audience, we played a new piece, Mendelssohn's "War march of the Priests" which despite the ominous title is a very stately and celebratory piece which worked great for the recessional.  We continued to play Handel's "La Rejouissance" from the Fireworks Music, and finally Tartini's "Cantabile".  

            

After the ceremony was finished, we headed to the Lodge at Vail to set up and play for the later reception.  Prior to dinner, we played as family members and guests greeted and mingled with each other over appetizers.    

 The reception and later dinner were held in the Cucina Rustica - one of the Lodge at Vail's onsite restaurants.      Contrasting with the purely classical genre of music played in the ceremony, the majority of the pieces we played for the reception were modern.

We began with Webber's "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera, followed by Cohen's "Hallelujah:, and Iver's "Bygone Days".  We threw in Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze", and then once again Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" as the bride's mother hadn't been at the chapel for the prelude and had missed it and requested that we play it again.  We then played John Denver's "Annie's Song", The Beatles' "I want to Hold Your Hand", Enya's "Only Time", and "The Wedding" from Legends of the Fall.
We headed back into the classical genre to play Bach's "My Heart Ever Faithful", then Groban's "You Raise Me Up", The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony", and Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love".  As our time was nearing the end, we finished up with Telemann's "Presto" - a very fun jaunty little piece, and finally, Santori's "Con Te Partiro" - also known as "Time to Say Goodbye".

It was a beautiful ceremony and reception which we were honored to play for.  

We are Growing!

We are pleased to announce that we are growing!  

While accomplished string players are fairly difficult to come across in the Vail Valley, we've recently made some new contacts and have a few more options to offer our clients in the upcoming future.  

We are now pleased to announce that we are now able to offer the addition of a harp and flute to our ensembles.  As such we have the following ensembles available: 

Soloists: Violin, Harp, Cello, Viola

Duos: 2 Violins, Violin & Cello, Violin & Harp, Cello & Harp, Flute & Cello, Flute & Harp

Trio: Violin Violin & Cello, Violin Cello & Harp, Violin Viola & Cello, Flute Cello Harp

Quartet: 2 Violins Viola & Cello, Flute Violin Viola Cello

We are very excited about these new additions and the new ensembles we are able to create with the addition of these instruments!

October 2, 2010 - The Mirabelle (Beaver Creek)

This weekend we had the opportunity to play at another new venue - The Mirabelle Restaurant at the base of Beaver Creek.

While we often play for weddings, we also play for many other events including corporate events, private parties and receptions, cocktail hours, and memorial services. It was our pleasure to play this weekend for a private anniversary dinner/surprise set up by the husband for his wife.

Our client booked a private room at The Mirabelle Restaurant, and asked us to provide music as they dined. The Mirabelle prepared a private room for the couple and we sat in an alcove off to the side (which nicely granted the couple their privacy). The lights were low, and we were playing as the couple walked in...lots of nice, romantic, schmaltzy stuff.

We played a mixture of contemporary and classical pieces for the hour and a half while they dined and enjoyed the evening. It was a beautiful evening with stars glittering the mountain skies, absolutely perfect for a romantic weekend get-a-way. We were thrilled to play a small part in this couples' evening - Wishing them many more years together!