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.

Vail's 2010 Summer Wedding Season

Our summer season has officially begun!

We started off last weekend with two weddings which were back to back, and have two more weddings this weekend.

While I generally try to post some photos and comments right after each wedding, discussing wedding music selections and details, June has been a pretty crazy month, and I haven't been around to do so.

I will however, be posting heavily this weekend and promise to get everything fully updated.

Welcome to our 2010 summer wedding season - we are very excited to meet so many of you, and participate in your upcoming weddings!

New You Tube account - VVSQT

Our new You Tube account name is VVSQT. We will use this station to play recorded selections from our repertoire in the very near future.

Right now there's a clip from a duo rehearsal of Simple Gifts - a piece one of our clients was thinking about using for her processional entrance.

While we've got most of our summer wedding season planned out, we have been busy keeping in touch with our clients as we prepare playlists and work out ceremony details for the upcoming season!

March 20, 2010

 

(Photo 3/20/2010 3:00 pm)

This afternoon, we played for a beautiful wedding at the Beaver Creek Chapel coordinated by JoAnn Moore of Mountains and Meadows.

Our prelude consisted a a couple of contemporary pieces mixed in with several classical pieces. We started off with Beethoven's 'Ode To Joy' from his ninth symphony, followed by Cohen/Buckley's 'Hallelujah', Bach's 'Ave Verum Corpus' - a slow and beautifully melodic piece, Enya's 'Only Time', an old Irish traditional 'Danny Boy' or 'Londonderry Air', Bach's 'Sheep May Safely Graze', Bach's 'Air', and we finished the prelude music with Bach's 'Arioso'.

Just prior to the processional, fellow musician Pat Hamilton beautifully performed a vocal and guitar solo of John Denver's 'Annie's Song'. She also performed several of the hymns throughout the ceremony.

The clergy, family members, and attendants all entered to Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', and then the bride entered to the old Elvis tune 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You'.

During the ceremony, as the bride and groom lit the unity candle, we quietly played Gounound's 'Ave Maria'.

As the couple were presented to their family and friends for the first time as a married couple, we performed 'Here Comes the Sun' a familiar Beatles tune for the recessional. We concluded with Handel's 'La Rejouissance', and finally Handel's 'Entrance of the Queen of Sheba'.

It was our pleasure to play for this wedding on a perfect Colorado March day!

March 6, 2010

We recently had the opportunity to play as a violin and cello duo for a beautifully intimate wedding at The Lodge at Vail.

The ceremony took place in the Wildflower Restaurant which was breathtaking with its natural light and simple elegance. This was the first time we've played in this venue, and we were thrilled at the perfect set-up. As we entered the dining room, we were ushered down some steps to an open area with hardwood floors and fantastic windows. We sat on a bench in the back of this area while the ceremony took place up in front of the windows.

We played a few prelude pieces including Handel's 'Bouree', Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring', and the 'Andante, and Allegro' from Handel's Water Music. We then played Pachebel's 'Canon' for the bridal procession. As the couple lit the unity candle and signed their marriage documents, we softly played Handel's 'Air' as the officiator read some beautiful verses.

As the ceremony concluded, we played Telemann's 'Presto', followed by Handel's 'La Rejouissance', and Bach's 'Gigue'.

We continued to play several pieces including, Bach's 'Arioso', Schubert's 'Andante', Bach's 'Sheep May Safely Graze', Handel's 'Largo', Beethoven's 'Minuet in G', Rhimsky-Korsakov's 'Scherazade', Telemann's 'Vivace', 'Simple Gifts', Bach's 'March in D', and Brahm's 'St. Anthony Chorale' as the cake was cut and during the toasts to the bride and groom's happy future together.

Ice Instruments

 

We had the chance to work today as a duo and try out the instruments in the Crystal Grotto in Beaver Creek. Tim Linhart has been the on-site ice scupltor for Beaver Creek since the late 1980's. He started to wonder about making instruments from ice and today we got to play them.

It was a trip! It took a LONG time to get the instruments tuned as we had to apply the tension very slowly, but it was such an interesting experience. The violins and violas are actually suspended from the ceiling due to their weight.

 

The cello is cemented to the floor (with ice of course) and doesn't move at all.

 

As we are preparing for an upcoming wedding tomorrow, we whipped out our music and rehearsed there.

Tim was thrilled to hear his instruments as this is the first time they've been played since he scuplted them as string players are so difficult to find in our area.

We were thrilled at the opportunity and experience. Really - who else can say they've played 'ice instruments?'

February 20, 2010

Tonight we played as a full quartet for another beautiful wedding at the Beaver Creek Chapel in Beaver Creek. While we've had snow throughout the Valley for the past couple of days, the chapel was perfect inside. Deep red bunches roses (matching the bridesmaid's dresses) hung on each pew-contrasting with the gorgeous aisle runner. Lighted candles lit the steps to the chapel, and were also scattered throughout the chapel twinkling merrily in the subdued lighting.


This couple knew what they wanted in regards to their music selections, and we enjoyed learning a few new pieces for their ceremony.

Matching the weather outside, we started out playing the slow movement from Vivaldi's Four Seasons - 'Winter', and then launched into the 'Allegro' from the Spring movement. As the last prelude piece, we played Mozart's Brandenburg Concerto III.

For the ceremony, the family members and bridesmaids all entered to Pachebel's 'Canon', followed by a special piece we'd learned for the bridal procession, titled 'Appalachia Waltz,' written by Mark O'Connor.
During the unity candle lighting, we played another americana piece titled 'Ashokan Farewell' by Ungar.

Finally, as the couple was presented to the audience, we played Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida', followed by 'The Wedding' by Horner, from Legends of the Fall.

(Note - pause music at right hand side of page and click above on the titles Appalachia Waltz, Ashokan Farewell, and The Wedding to hear these pieces).

Beaver Creek Wedding - January 23, 2010

Today we played as a violin & cello duo for a beautiful wedding in the Beaver Creek Chapel. Our prelude went for about twenty minutes and consisted of the following pieces: Brahm's 'St. Anthony Chorale,' Bach's 'Sheep May Safely Graze,' Telemann's 'Presto,' Schubert's 'Andante,' Massenet's 'Meditation,' finishing with 'Be thou my vision,' a traditional Irish melody.

For the processional, the family members entered and the mothers lit the unity candles, and the bridesmaids entered while we played Pachebel's Canon in the background.

We then switched to Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' for the bridal entrance.

As a personal touch for the unity candle, the mother had requested that we play 'Annie's Song' by John Denver as the bride's name is Annie.

As the ceremony ended, we played Handel's 'La Rejouissance' as the happy couple were pronounced man and wife and walked back down the aisle together.

Beaver Creek Weddding ~ January 9, 2010

Today we played for our first wedding of 2010.
This was a destination wedding, coordinated by Lisa Vorce of "Oh, How Charming" of Santa Ana, California.

We began our prelude as the guests entered, with classical favorites, "Sheep May Safely Graze", "Pastorale", Handel's "Largo", Vivaldi's "Largo", and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring".

The parents and grandparents entered to "Ode to Joy", while the bridesmaids followed to an upbeat arrangement of the ever appropriate, "Edelweiss".

As a surprise, we were asked to keep everything classical until the bridal processional, which the bride had requested be The Beatle's "Norwegian Wood".

As the ceremony ended, after the bride and groom were presented to the audience, they enjoyed their first walk back down the aisle together to "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles.

As family and guests exited, we maintained played Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love", "La Rejouissance", Vivaldi's "Spring", and "Bygone Days".

Funeral Services for Tom D'Alessio

We were recently honored to be asked to play for the funeral services for long time Vail local, Tom D'Alessio.

While weddings are often planned out even a year in advance, funerals are often unexpected. As such, it can be very difficult for a grieving family to plan and pull everything together in just a few short days.

Although we didn't know Tom, we were touched by the life he led and the legacy he left for all of those who knew and loved him.

We played for these services as a trio, consisting of a violin, cello, and piano. A family member's sister flew in from Canada to offer her love and support. She is an accomplished vocalist and it was an honor to accompany her throughout the services.

We provided prelude and postlude music as well as music during the services and the communion. We accompanied Jennifer, the vocalist who beautifully sang "The Lord's Prayer", "Ave Maria", "On Eagle's Wings", and "Nella Fantasia". As Jennifer sang, the music extended into, and touched the hearts of those present.

We offer our condolences to the family and loved ones of this great man, and express our gratitude for the opportunity to play and contribute this celebration of Tom's great life.

October 10, 2009

Today marked our last summer wedding of the 2009 season. Our mountains are capped with snow, the golden leaves of the aspens are preparing to float away in the wind, and the air carries the definite nip of oncoming winter. Although it was beautiful outside today, we were grateful to be inside the Vail Interfaith Chapel and not battling the elements.(10/10/09 3:20 pm)

While we often play for destination weddings, today we played for a local couple's wedding. One of the exciting aspects of a local wedding lies in the knowledge that we may actually bump into our clients at some future point here in the valley.

We enjoyed this couple's musical selections as they not only chose their ceremony and processional music, but also their prelude and postlude pieces as well.

All of today's pieces were strictly classical and we began our prelude with Bach's Air, Handel's Air and Andante from Water Music, Corelli's Pastorale, Bach's Ave Verum Corpus, and Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze.

The wedding party entered to Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, and the bride entered to Handel's Largo - a gorgeous and not so commonly used processional piece.

The ceremony ended with a recessional from Handel's Allegro from The Water Music, and the wedding party and guests exited to Vivaldi's Spring from the Four Seasons, and Handel's La Rejouissance and Hornpipe.

We were honored to play for this beautiful local's wedding as well as each wedding and event we've played for this summer.

Thank you to all of our clients - we've enjoyed working with each and every one of you, and are looking forward to the 2010 summer wedding season!

The Ritz Carlton at Bachelor Gulch

I've been waiting to get some photos from the photographer prior to publishing this post, but I decided I couldn't wait.

With the advent of fall and as the snow begins to fly, we begin wrapping up our 2009 summer wedding season. It has been a great summer - slightly cooler and wetter than normal, but nonetheless beautiful. This year has been our busiest to date, and we’ve enjoyed all of the opportunities we’ve had to share our music in all of our venues.

This weekend we played at the Ritz Carlton at Bachelor Gulch. As we headed into this outdoor wedding, we were quite nervous and tentative as the weather forecast was approx. 47*, and we worried about being too cold to play. We had however, negotiated that if we played outside, heaters would be provided to offset the cold.

As we began our prelude, our violinists began with a couple of violin duets. We then moved into Corelli’s Pastorale, Handel’s Largo, and Bach’s Air.

Transitioning from the prelude to the ceremony music, we played Pachebel’s Canon as all of the family members and honored guests were seated, and then the Top Gun Anthem for the groom’s entrance. This was followed by Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring for the wedding attendants, and Wagner’s classic Bridal Chorus for the bridal processional.

During the ceremony The Ashokan Farewell was played as musical interlude, and Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons served as the recessional.

Moving back down to the patio for cocktails, we then played a mix of classical and contemporary pieces including, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Hallelujah, Bygone Days, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Annie’s Song, Airoso, Viva La Vida, Sheep May Safely Graze, O Mio Babbino Caro, My Heart Ever Faithful, Here comes the Sun, Sleeping Beauty Waltz, Ode to Joy, Liebestraume, Only Time, Brandenburg, The Flower Duet, and Edelweiss.

We were thrilled that the heaters worked out great at one point we were actually almost too warm!) and we were honored to play a small part in this beautiful wedding!