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!

September 25, 2010 - Creekside Park in Beaver Creek

We had the opportunity to play for a lovely wedding this past weekend in the Creekside Park in Beaver Creek. It turned out to be a glorious fall day, and a fantastic venue. One of our very first performances as a quartet/trio was in this park many years ago. On that occasion however, it was pouring buckets of rain and our experience was markedly different.

This wedding was a little different than some of our previous weddings as all of the music we played was contemporary. The bride and groom had a couple of requests, and because they asked several months in advance, we were able to track down string versions of their requests for their ceremony.

We began our prelude with Iver's/Keane's 'Bygone Days', Webber's 'All I Ask of You', Ungar's 'Ashokan Farewell', Silvestri's 'Feather Theme', Denver's 'Annie's Song', Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida', and finished with The Beatles' 'Let it Be'.

We then began the processional music as the wedding party entered to an arrangement of 'Fix You' by Coldplay. The bride then entered to 'The Luckiest' by Ben Folds.

As the bride and groom were presented to the audience and began to recess, we played the Cure's 'Just Like Heaven', followed by Elvis' 'Can't Help Falling In Love', and finished up with Enya's 'Only Time'.

We had the pleasure of working again with CC Dick and her staff from the Colorado Wedding Company who really helped make the ceremony beautiful and flow flawlessly.

September 10, 2010 - Ten Mile Station, Breckenridge

 We had the opportunity last week to play at a new venue at the Ten Mile Station.  We traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado - a neighboring ski town for the mountaintop wedding.
The weather was beautiful and it was a great venue and ceremony - the staff was fantastic to work with, and they did a great job keeping everything running very smoothly.

Ceremony area

Our prelude consisted of  Bach's 'Sheep May Safely Graze', Delibes' 'Flower Song', Tartini's 'Cantabile', Handel's 'Andante & Allegro' from the Water Music, Handel's 'Largo', Telemann's 'Presto', and Schubert's 'Andante'.  

Guests visiting pre-ceremony

As the ceremony began, the groomsmen and officiant entered, followed by the mothers as we played Handel's 'Air' from the Water Music.  The bridesmaids, ring bearer, and flower girl entered to Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', and the bride entered to Pachebel's timeless 'Canon in D'.  

During the ceremony, the officiant read a tender letter from the bride and groom to their parents.  We then played 'O Mio Babbino Caro' by Puccini as flowers were brought from the back, and the bride and groom presented the flowers to their parents. 

We played Clark's 'Trumpet Voluntary' for the recessional, and then Handel's 'La Rejouissance', and Mozart's 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' as the guests began to exit and mingle and as photographs commenced.  

August 28, 2010 - The Westin Riverfront

 

This past weekend we played for a wedding at The Westin Riverfront in Avon.
As we arrived, we were thrilled that the musician tent had been moved to the terrace patio, giving us a better location for all our non-verbal communication, and also enhancing our line of vision.

As we traveled to the venue, some of our musicians drove through rain and we were worried about the weather, however it held out. We had cloudy skies, a couple of clashes of thunder, and even a rainbow at one point, but thankfully, no rain!

We performed for this wedding as a quartet, consisting of 2 violins, a viola, and a cello. We started off our prelude with Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", followed by "The Wedding" from Legends of the Fall, Bach's "Air", Tartini's "Cantabile", Bach's "Arisos", Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love", Delibes' "Flower Song", and Handel's "Largo".

As the processional began, the family members, flower girls, and maid of honor entered to Mouret's "Rondeau", and the bride entered to Pachebel's "Canon".

During the ceremony the pastor shared a meditation and prayer, and then we performed the traditional "Edelweiss" in memory of the bride's mother.

For the recessional, we played a piece that we've only played once before. While both the bride and groom knew beforehand what the recessional piece would be, their guests were very surprised as they realized that we were playing the theme from "Star Wars" as the bride and groom exited down the aisle.

Following the recessional we continued to play for the cocktail hour, mixing in several contemporary pieces in which included Denver's "Annie's Song", The Beatle's "Here Comes the Sun", The Cure's "Just Like Heaven", Enya's "Only Time", Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro", "Largo" from Vivalid's Winter, Groban's "You Raise Me Up", Handel's "La Rejouissance", Coldplay's "Viva La Vida", Handel's "Entrance of the Queen of Shba", Webber's "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera, Santori's "Time to Say Goodbye", Buckley/Cohen's "Hallelujah", Ivers/Keane's "Bygone Days", and finally Ungar's "Ashokan Farewell".

We find that we really enjoy playing for the cocktail hour after a ceremony as we love to have the interaction with the guests as they enjoy the music. One gentleman approached us and told us that "The Wedding" from Legends of the Fall was one of his favorite songs. He then asked us if we could possibly just loop playing that song for the rest of the evening. Another gentleman was chatting near us as we began to play "Viva La Vida". His eyes grew wide and he turned to us with a big smile and said, "Hey, this is Coldplay!".

August 21, 2010 - The Vail Chapel Back Lawn Area

This weekend we had the opportunity to play in a completely new venue. While we've played at the Vail Interfaith Chapel numerous times, this was the first time we'd ever played on the lawn behind the chapel next to the ministry house. It was a lovely location, especially with the river (which is fairly low at this time of the year) running right behind the wedding party providing a contrast to the backdrop. It was a beautiful day and venue for a great wedding.

 

We performed for this wedding as a trio consisting of two violins and a cello. This was an almost strictly classical event with the exception of "Bygone Days" the first piece we played. Following "Bygone Days", we played Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze", Vivaldi's "Spring", Bach's "Arioso", Mozart's "Eine Kleine", Schubert's "Andante", Franck's "Panis Angelicus", Schumann's "Liebstraum", Delibes' "Flower Song", Handel's "Largo", followed by Handel's "Water Music".

The wedding party entered to Pachebel's "Canon" and the bride to Vivaldi's "Winter" from the Four Seasons.

During the ceremony we played Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" for the lighting of the unity candle.

We played Handel's "La Rejouissance" for the recessional, followed by "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba", and finally "Hornpipe".

Here's a view from the parking area as the guests crossed the back lawn of the chapel.

 

I was amazed at how many chairs they were actually able to get into the area!

 

August 14, 2010 The Westin Riverfront

 

Another gorgeous Colorado day! We had the opportunity to play once again for a wedding at the Westin Riverfront in Avon this past weekend. As always, everything was beautiful and flowed so well thanks to the excellent staff at the Westin.

We started our prelude with Vivaldi's "Winter", Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze", Cohen/Bckley's "Hallelujah", Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", Handel's Largo, Denver's "Annie's Song", Handel's "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba", Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love", Bach's "Air", and finished the prelude with Webber's "All I Ask of You".

We played Ivers/Keane's "Bygone Days" for the processional as the family members and bridemaids entered, followed by Pachebel's "Canon" as the bride was escorted in by her parents.

As the ceremony finished the couple's recessional was a recorded piece played by the DJ which worked out great as they segued into the cocktail hour.

August 13, 2010 - Relay For Life, Brush Creek Pavilion Park

For the past several years, The Vail Valley String Quartet & Trio has had an opportunity to participate in a very special community event/fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Each year a "Relay for Life" walk is conducted and we've been able to offer our music as part of this special evening for the Luminary Ceremony as candles are lit in memory of those who have fallen victim to the ugly disease of cancer and as survivors are named.

This year's Relay for Life was held at the Brush Creek Park in Eagle.

 

As we arrived, it was dusk and we began to play as the sun was setting. Due to some complications, they started late and asked us just to play whatever we could while some bugs were worked out. We were happy to do so as our playlist was comprised of mostly solemn pieces, and so we paged through our folders and picked out some of our favorites which weren't very sedate. We played Denver's "Annie's Song", the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun", Buckley/Cohen's "Hallelujah", Delibe's "Flower Song", and Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro".

As they began the Luminary Ceremony, we went back to our playlist and began with Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus", Vivaldi's "Winter" from the Four Seasons, Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", Handel's "Largo" and Ivers/Keane's "Bygone Days".

As we finished, the DJ requested that we play Vivaldi's "Spring" from the Four Seasons as he lined up the music for the rest of the evening.

It was our honor to be asked once again to play for such a special evening.

July 31, 2010 - Allie's Cabin

Our second wedding for the day was also in Beaver Creek, but at a new venue for us. Located just 10 minutes up the Beaver Creek Mountain lies Allie's Cabin - a picturesque cabin in the woods with incredible panoramic vistas of the valley.

 

It was a perfect venue for a summer day wedding and it was our pleasure to play there.

 

 

We began our prelude with Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", Tartini's "Cantabile", Delibes' "Flower Song", Handel's "Largo", Bach's "My Heart Ever Faithful", Handel's "Andante", "Allegro", and "Air", Bach's "Air", Mozart's "Menuetto" from the Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Bach's "Arioso", Telemann's "Presto", Puccini's "O mio Babbino Caro", Vivaldi's "Winter" from the Four Seasons, and finally the "Feather Theme" from Forrest Gump - a special request by the bride and groom.

As the ceremony started, the groom, groomsmen and the bridesmaids entered in to Pachebel's "Canon", followed by the bride who entered to Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Edelweiss".

For the recessional, we played "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay, and then the chairs were all cleared away on the deck and we began to play the cocktail music.

Following are the pieces we played for the cocktail music, as photos were taken and guests mingled.
Denver's "Annie's Song", The Beatle's "Here Comes the Sun", Groban's "You Raise Me Up", Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love", Handel's "La Rejouissance", Handel's "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba", Webber's "All I Ask of YOu", Santori's "Time to Say Goodbye", Vivaldi's "Spring", Enya's "Only Time", Bucklye/Cohen's "Hallelujah", Ivers/Kean's "Bygone Days" and Ungar's "Ashokan Farewell".

July 31st The Beaver Creek Chapel

 

July 31st was a gorgeously perfect Colorado summer day, and we had the opportunity to play for two separate weddings that day.

The first wedding of the day was at the Beaver Creek Chapel which is always a great venue.

Our prelude included the following pieces:
Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze", "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", "My Heart Ever Faithful", "Air", and "Arioso", Tartini's "Cantabile", Delibes' "Flower Song", Handel's "Largo", "Andante" and "Allegro".

The parents of the bride and groom and honored family members entered to Handel's "Air" from the Water Music, followed by the bridal attendants entering to Handel's "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba", followed by a beautiful bride who entered to Pachebel's "Canon".

After a great ceremony, the couple exited back down the aisle while we played Vivaldi's "Spring" from the Four Seasons as their recessional.

We followed the recessional with Handel's "Hornpipe" and "La Rejouissance".