December 11, 2010 - The Westin

On December 11, 2010 we had the opportunity to play as a trio for a wedding ceremony at The Westin at the base of Beaver Creek.

We began the prelude music with Handel's 'La Rejouissance', Bach's 'My Heart Ever Faithful', the traditional 'Simple Gifts', Handel's 'Allegro' from the Water Music, Clarke's 'Trumpet Voluntary', the Beatles' 'Here Comes the Sun', Delibes' 'Flower Song', Schubert's 'Andante', 'Andante' from Handel's Water Music, Puccini's 'O Mio Babbino Caro', Vivaldi's 'Winter', Handel's 'Hornpipe', and Mozart's 'Romanza'.

As the wedding ceremony began, we played Bach's 'Air' as the family members and maid of honor entered.

The bride entered to Bach's 'Arioso', and during the candle lighting portion of the ceremony we played Cohen/Buckley's 'Hallelujah'.

As the couple was pronounced man and wife and exited down the aisle, we played Handel's 'Entrance of the Queen of Sheba', and Mouret's 'Rondeau'.

It was a lovely wedding and our pleasure to play for such a momentous occasion.

December 11, 2010 - Saddleridge Restaurant Wedding

This past weekend we had a violin duo which played for a wedding at Saddleridge Restaurant in Beaver Creek.
It was a beautiful venue, and this was our first time playing here!

The ceremony was held upstairs, and the wedding party actually ascended up the stairs rather than down. 

For this wedding a violin duo performed.  As we planned the playlist with the bride, she indicated that she didn't want much of the traditional wedding pre-ceremony music that was slow and solemn.  She wanted mainly lively and upbeat pieces.  

We began with Mozart's 'Menuetto', Bach's 'Gigue from Suite #3', 'March in D', Rondeau from Orchestral Suite #2'.  These were follwed by Gossec's 'Tambourin', Handel's 'La Rejouissance', Loeillet's 'Allegro', Mozart's 'Rondo alla Turca', Vivaldi's Danza Pastorale' from his Violin Concerto, Telemann's 'Vivace' and 'Presto'.  

The bridal party then ascended the steps to Bach's 'Air', and the bride entered to Pachelbel's 'Canon'. 

After the wedding ceremony ended, we played Clarke's 'Trumpet Voluntary' for the recessional, followed by Handel's 'Hornpipe' from the Water Music.  

Afterwards, we moved downstairs and played various selections during the cocktail hour.  

December 10, 2010 - Vail Interfaith Chapel wedding

We had the opportunity to play for a second wedding on December 10th - this one at the Vail Interfaith Chapel. The roads had iced over and there were many accidents and road closures... we counted ourselves lucky that we made it to the chapel!

While we play for many weddings and events, it is amazing how different each one is. Every now and then we hear part of a couple's romance story - this wedding was one of them.

As we worked together planning the music, the bride shared some of their story with us. This couple originally met in high school but later on went their separate ways. After many years their romance was rekindled, and their romance came to fruition last night as they were married.

When we began discussing the playlist with the bride, only one song mattered to her. She asked us to play whatever we would like to play for everything else. This was a complete shock to us, because we don't generally play what 'we' want, we play whatever our clients ask.

Apparently, the song 'Keeper of the Stars' by John Michael Montgomery had been this couple's song back in high school, and they wanted it to be part of their ceremony. So, we put together a custom strings arrangement of this piece and then put together a mix of classical and contemporary for their prelude music borrowing some of the pieces from the wedding we'd played for previously that day.

Our prelude consisted of Bach's 'My Heart Ever Faithful', Elvis' 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You', Silvestri's 'Feather Theme', Mozart's 'Menuetto' from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Delibes' 'Flower Song', Telemann's 'Presto', Horner's 'The Wedding', Puccini's 'O Mio Babbino Caro', and John Denver's 'Annie's Song'.

The wedding party entered to Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', and the bride entered to the traditional Wagner's 'Bridal March'.

While we had discussed playing 'Keeper of the Stars' as part of the processional, the bride and groom really wanted to be able to hear and enjoy this piece. We decided to use this piece for the unity candle. After the candles were lit, they spent a few moments with each other just listening to this song which was so important to them.

As the ceremony ended, we played Handel's 'La Rejouissance' for the recessional as they headed back down the aisle, followed by Handel's 'Hornpipe'.

While we don't normally blog about the flowers and decor of our venues, we wanted to give a shout out to Sweet Pea Designs who did the floral work for this wedding. They created one of the most exquisite arches we've ever seen. At approximately 6 1/2 feet, it was made with pine garlands, red berries, white orchids, flowers, and bows, and laced with white lights. It was absolutely breathtaking.

December 10, 2010 - Beaver Creek Chapel

We had the opportunity to play for a beautiful wedding ceremony on December 10, in the Beaver Creek Chapel.

Because this wedding began a little earlier in the day and it wasn't dark out yet, it was beautiful to see the snow gently floating down outside through the windows as a backdrop to the ceremony.

We began with 20 minutes of prelude which consisted of Bach's 'My heart ever faithful', Elvis' 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You', Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida', Mozart's 'Menuetto' from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'.

The mothers and family members were seated to John Denver's 'Annie's Song', and then the bridal procession entered to a custom arrangement of Keith Urban's 'Only You Can Love Me This Way'. The bride then entered to Pachebel's classic - 'Canon'.

After the couple was presented to their friends and family as husband and wife, we played Beethoven's 'Ode To Joy' as the exited down the aisle.

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".

July 24, 2010 The Vail Wedding Deck

Today we had the pleasure of performing for a wedding on top of Vail Mountain.

 

As I've mentioned previously, weather in Vail in the summertime can be very unpredictable. As I drove to Vail, the skies above the mountaintop looked fairly threatening, and I wasn't sure if we'd have to go to plan 'B' or not. By the time I got to the gondola to begin my mountain ascent - things had really cleared up and I asked myself what I'd even been worried about.

We got set up and were so grateful for the pop-up tent that had been provided for us as it was becoming rather hot.

Our prelude music selections carried a contemporary flair and included: Ivers' 'Bygone Days', Ungar's 'Ashokan Farewell', 'Edelweiss', Webber's 'All I Ask Of You', and Handel's 'Air', and 'Andante' from the Water Music.

Once the family members came down the path, we began the processional music. We played Denver's 'Annie's Song' as the groom and officiant took their places, followed by Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' for the flower girl, and finally, Clarke's 'Trumpet Voluntary' as the bride came over the knoll and down to the wedding deck.

The clouds moved back in and as the ceremony began, the wind picked up. There's always something beautiful about a veil blowing in the wind.

 

As the ceremony ended, the newly married couple headed back up the path together to Handel's 'Allegro' from the Water Music. As photos were taken and guests mingled, we played Elvis' 'Can’t help falling in love', 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'Good Day Sunshine', by the Beatles. Because the wind continued to pick up, we then packed up and headed back down the mountain.




Here's a photo at the base of Lionshead.

 

July 17, 2010 The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

If the weather cooperates, this is one of my favorite wedding venues. Even though we have to park up top and haul all of our equipment, the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are always absolutely breathtaking. The mountain backdrop against all of the flowers and gurgling fountains and light breezes add a magical quality to everything - especially a wedding.

Todays weather was perfect, and the wedding we played for was beautiful.

Here's a view from the top of the rock steps directly above the wedding area in the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.

We started out our prelude with Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" and "Arioso", and then went to "Andante" and "Allegro" from Handel's Water Music, followed Mozart's "Menuetto" from the Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Handel's "Largo" from Xerxes.

Just prior to the ceremony, we performed an Elvis cover tune of "Can't Help Falling in Love with You", and the processional began.

As the family members and wedding party entered, we played Handel's "Air" from the Water Music, and then the bride'smaids entered to Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", followed by the bride to Pachebel's "Canon".

We played Schubert's "Ave Maria" for the unity candle, and "Con te Partiro" (Time to Say Goodbye) for the recessional. As a request from the bride, we ended with "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure.

July 16, 2010 The Westin Riverfront

This afternoon we played for a wedding at The Westin Riverfront in Avon, Colorado.
My favorite thing about this venue is the gorgeous backdrop of Beaver Creek mountain and the river. The Westin's staff is also always phenomenal to work with.

I have to say, lately, I've been seeing a lot of bridesmaids with "balls" of flowers. They can be worn almost like a bracelet and are so very cool looking. A couple of weeks ago we saw them with hot pink peonies, and today, they used red roses and were incredible.

Enough with the flowers and on to the music.
Today's wedding was a mix of classical and contemporary music and we pulled out several pieces that we really enjoy, but haven't played for a while.
We started out with a beautiful piece we've been using quite a bit lately. Bygone Day's by Ivers and Keane. It's got a Irish or Celtic lilt that really helps set the mood. We then played Vivaldi's "Winter", Webber's "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera, John Denver's "Annie's Song", Delibe's "Flower Duet", Handel's "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba," Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro", Ungar's "Ashokan Farewell", and finally Handel's "Largo".

The bridal party entered to Bach's "Arioso", a piece which blends very nicely into wedding favorite Pachebel's "Canon".

As the ceremony ended, the bridal party exited to The Beatle's "Here Comes The Sun", followed by Coldplay's "Viva La Vida", Cohen/Buckley's "Hallelujah", and Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love".

Beaver Creek Chapel July 10, 2010

We played for a wedding this evening at the Beaver Creek Chapel.
Honestly, we were so thrilled it was indoors. We've been having rain every afternoon for the month of July and nothing stresses us out more than worrying about what the weather will be like.

 

The wedding was beautiful and Molly, the bride was very involved with the musical selections.

Molly contacted us over a year ago to check our availability for today. When she booked us, she explained that she really wanted to walk down the aisle to Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring". I didn't think it would be a big issue and I began looking.

I learned however that the piece she wanted was from a ballet with 14 or so movements. Molly sent us a recording that she loved and I realized it was the "Simple Gifts" melody which wound through the music.

Long story short, we found several versions of Simple Gifts, recorded them and sent them for her to hear. Unfortunately, they fell short of the mark. Finally, we contacted a fellow musician who does custom arrangements, and she was able to put together an amazing arrangement for us!

As such, tonight we started our prelude with Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" playing the Serenade, Romanza, and Menuetto. From there we went into Vivaldi's "Winter" from the Four Seasons, and just as we were finishing Handel's "Largo", they told us they were ready to start the processional.

Because of the importance of this piece to Molly, everyone entered to "Appalachian Spring/Simple Gifts". It was beautiful and memorable.

As the ceremony ended, we played Handel's "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba" as the recessional and as the guests exited.

June 26, 2010 Donovan Pavilion

We played for a wedding on June 26 at the Donovan Pavilion.

We had the honor of accompanying the bride's uncle, vocalist Bob Hansen as he performed Schubert's "Ave Maria", and Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" during the ceremony.

 

As the guests were being seated, we played selections from Handel's "Water Music", Vivaldi's "Winter", Handel's "Largo", Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze", and "Arioso". The wedding party then entered to "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", and finally, the bride to Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary".

As soon as the bride's father was seated, Mr. Hansen performed "Ave Maria". Later on, just before the vows, we once again accompanied him as he performed "You Raise Me Up".

We played Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" for the recessional as the wedding party exited, and continued with Handel's "La Rejouissance" "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba", and "Hornpipe".

The Donovan also provided a beautiful backdrop with the river rushing along in the background, against the mountains covered in bright green spring time foliage.

June 25 - The Westin

This past Friday we had the opportunity to play for a very unique wedding at the Westin.
In fact, the wedding wasn't unique in that anything out of the ordinary was planned, and I was amazed at the beauty of the backdrop at The Westin.

We've learned however that sometimes things just don't go according to plans. As we arrived to the venue, a storm was moving in from the east (generally storms come from the west) - the wind was whipping like crazy, and after a few moments there were a few drops of rain and lightening was seen. Due to the expense of our instruments, (and because of the metal strings and parts,) we aren't able to play outdoors in such weather.

We met with the wedding coordinator, and she mentioned that they weren't planning on sending the guests out into the weather, so we relocated into the downstairs foyer and played our prelude music from there.

It was finally decided that they would try to brave the elements, and so we set up under an umbrella on the back patio.
The ceremony was beautiful, and the family members and wedding party entered to Pachebel's "Canon". The bride then chose Wagner's Traditional "Bridal Chorus" as she entered.

It truly was a breathtaking sight to take in the backdrop of Beaver Creek mountain, with the river rushing along right behind the bride and groom.

 

We played Mendelsohn's "Wedding March" as the bride and groom's recessional. We continued with a few other pieces, and then relocated (yes again) to a spot underneath the eaves so that we weren't in the middle of the patio.

Unbeknownst to us, on the deck right above us, a party was in full swing. Apparently they had a live rock band who had been gracious enough to hold off until the ceremony concluded. As we began to play during the cocktails and photos, the band above us decided that they'd waited long enough, and also began to play. After fighting through several songs, we realized that instead of providing something elegant and beautiful, the cacophony of the two groups (ours and the rock band)was really, well - cacaphonous. It was finally determined that it would sound better if we stopped, and so we packed up.

The Westin did a great job in dealing with the weather and music situations, however we felt very bad that we weren't able to play Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" a piece which was very special to the bride and groom which they had requested.

Here is a photo of the flowers and the table settings for the dinner which followed.

 

June 19 2010

We kicked off our 2010 Summer Wedding Season on June 19th with two back to back weddings.

Our first wedding was in the Beaver Creek Chapel which was beautifully decorated with big bright balls of peony flowers inside.

 

We arrived a little bit early so that we could spend some time rehearsing with a vocalist and pianist.
After a quick rehearsal, we began to play prelude as the guests entered and were seated.

As the processional began, we played "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" as honored family members were seated, and the bridesmaids, flower girls, and ring bearers entered.

The bride entered to "Canon" and we continued to play for half a minute longer as she reached the end of the aisle.

During the ceremony, we had the opportunity to perform a new piece with a vocalist - a friend of the bride and groom, accompanied by the groom's mother on the piano. We performed a beautiful song titled, "Beloved" - a Christian composition as performed by Kari Jobe.

As the ceremony concluded, we played Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" as the recessional. We then followed up with a few other pieces while the guests exited, and then we sprinted to our next venue at the Eagle River Presbyterian Church.

 

I have to share a little background regarding the next wedding.
Back in 2005, our violinst Cindy and I were acquainted through a friend. As we spoke and were thrilled to find someone else to play with, Cindy mentioned that her daughter Whitney played violin as well. We all got together to meet each other and have some fun playing...and shortly thereafter, The Vail Valley String Quartet was formed. Whitney performed with us for our first season, and has subbed whenever we've needed her in the summer time.

This wedding was very special to us, as it was Whitney's wedding.
She chose several of her old favorites for her prelude music, including Handel's "Water Music", Vivaldi's "Winter",
Corelli's "Pastorale", and Bach's "Air". Just before the ceremony, we were asked to play O'Connor's "Appalachian Waltz". Whitney chose Ungar's americana sounding "Ashokan Farewell" as her processional music, and she then entered to "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring".

During the ceremony, Whitney's brother and sister sang "Lucky" by Jason Mraz, and we played Ivers and Keane's "Bygone Days" during the unity candle.

As the ceremony ended, we played Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" as the recessional piece.