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.

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.

Splendido at the Chateau in Beaver Creek

This weekend we played for a locals wedding at Splendido at the Chateau in Beaver Creek - one of the area's premier restaurants, and an amazing location for a fall outdoor wedding.

 

(Photo 9/26/09 @ 4:00 pm)

While fall weather can be unpredictable, it cooperated perfectly as the ceremony was held on the back patio, graced by sunshine and a gentle breeze, against a gorgeous backdrop of fall's changing colors.

 

(Photo 9/26/09 @ 4:00 pm)

We started our prelude off with Mozart's third "Brandenburg Concerto", Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", Liszt's "Liebestraume", Bach's "Air", and Corelli's "Pastorale".

The processional music included Handel's "Andante", and Pachebel's "Canon", and after a few words and a reading, we played a soft interlude from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons".
As the ceremony concluded, the bride and groom joyfully exited to Handel's "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba"

While several of the pieces played are popular wedding pieces, it was invigorating to play a few less commonly performed pieces including the Brandenburg, Pastorale, Liebestraume and Entrance for the Queen of Sheba - we were thrilled that they had been requested and that we could play for such a beautiful wedding!

Spruce Saddle - Beaver Creek

Today we are played for a local wedding at Spruce Saddle, at the top of Beaver Creek. One of the unique elements of this wedding is that the wedding party (including the bride) arrived via the chairlift.

As we began, we had a short window of prelude. In relation to the setting, the couple's musical choices were very fitting. We started with "Edelweiss", and then followed with Handel's "Air", "Andante", and "Allegro" from the Water Music.

The ceremony then began with the wedding party entering to Mozart's "Romanze" from Eine Kline Nacht Musik. The bride then exited the chairlift and entered to Pachebel's "Canon". After a beautiful ceremony, the couple walked back down the aisle to the Beatle's, "Here Comes The Sun". As guests mingled and photos were taken, we finished up with several postlude pieces.

This was a magnificent venue and a gorgeous day!

Beaver Creek Wedding

 

This past weekend we had another great wedding at the Beaver Creek Chapel. It seems like the chapel is always a gorgeous wedding venue, no matter the season.

As we walked into the chapel, the back doors which lead to a small deck were open and a light breeze blew through, scenting the room with aromas of the nearby creek, pines, and mountains.

Matching the beauty and the mountain ambiance, we started out our prelude with a less known piece titled 'Bygone Days', followed by a Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'. We then slid into a more classical stream with Corelli, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Haydn pieces.

As the processionals began, we played 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' as the parents and honored guests entered, followed by Pachebel's 'Canon' as the attendants entered. The bride followed, entering to Wagner's traditional 'Bridal March'.

As the unity candle was lit, we quietly played a selection from Bach's 'Arioso'. Finally, as this beautiful ceremony ended and the couple was pronounced man and wife for the first time, we played 'King William's March' by Clarke, followed by 'Trumpet Voluntary' - also by Clarke.
As the couple and their guests exited to the steps where bubbles were blown over them, we finished with Handel's 'La Rejouissance' and 'Hornpipe'.

Beaver Creek Chapel

 

Today we played for a wedding at the Beaver Creek Chapel. It was a perfect day to get married. Water rushed down the creek, the skies were swathed in a gauzy blue, breezes wafted the scents of blooming flowers through the air, and the couple was surrounded by those who love them - both present and in spirit.

As we recently added a few new pieces into our repertoire, we enjoyed including them in today's prelude and postlude music. Some of the additions included Bach's "Arioso" and "My heart ever Faithful." We also included the arrangement of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" which had been requested earlier this year as we liked how it turned out and wanted to use it again.

The bridal procession entered the chapel to Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," while the bride followed with Pachebel's "Canon".

As the ceremony ended, the couple exited with Handel's "Hornpipe." We then followed with several pieces including Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," Handel's "La Rejouissance," and the Beatle's "Here Comes The Sun."

We enjoyed being a small part of this couple's beautiful, perfect day.

Kicking off the season

We had an extraordinary wedding Saturday in the Beaver Creek Chapel.

The ceremony was multi-cultural and was conducted in two languages. It included a Spanish choral ensemble from Denver, which provided music throughout the service.
We played prelude as the guests arrived, and also during the Communion.
The post recessional music was fun as we had been asked to play upbeat, contemporary music. We were asked to play 'Viva la Vida,' by Coldplay, as well as some additional contemporary pieces by the Beatles and Elvis.
We loved working with this special couple who put so much thought into the music they wanted use to celebrate their special day, and were extremely grateful to Stacy Pisani of Alexan Events who made everything run seamlessly!