Vail Interfaith Chapel

This weekend we once again had an opportunity to play for a wedding at the Vail Interfaith Chapel.



When we arrived, a religious service was still underway and so the wedding was a bit delayed. Here are some of the flowers outside the chapel and some of the wedding party as they wait for the service to end.

(Photograph taken August 15, 2009 at 6:15 pm)

As we initially planned the music for this wedding, it became apparent that our clients wanted to use both classical and contemporary music. While there was some initial concern regarding the transition between the two genres, the pieces we used led into each other and transitioned very nicely.

Our prelude consisted of The Beatles' Yesterday, Ivers' Bygone Days, Cohen's Hallelujah, Webber's All I Ask of You, Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love, and Denver's Annie's Song.

For the processional, the family members entered to Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, the bridal party to Pachebel's Canon, and the bride to Wagner's traditional Wedding March . Finally Bach's Arioso was played for the lighting of the unity candle.

As the ceremony ended, we transitioned back to the contemporary genre as the couple exited the chapel to VivaLaVida by Coldplay, followed by Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles, Just Like Heaven by the Cure, Ungar's Ashokan Farewell by Ungar, and finally Enya's Only Time .

The planning and coordination of this wedding was done by a local business, Sassy Events, and they truly did an amazing job putting the chapel together in such a brief period of time.

It was an honor to play for such a beautiful wedding ~ Congratulations!

The Sonnenalp in Vail

Today we played for a wedding at the Sonnenalp in Vail. As can be seen in the picture, one of the (many) great things about this venue, is its riverside location. While breezes from the river refresh, the mature trees offer great shade for wedding guests.

Today's music was definitely different as instead of solely strings, our ensemble was actually a cello & flute duo. The flautist played the first part and the cellist played the bass part, as well as some of the first parts, second parts, and third parts. It was definitely a new twist.

The prelude included some of our standard pieces - Handel's 'Water Music', as well as 'Simple Gifts', 'Ballet' by Praetorius, and 'Maid of Mourne'. Just prior to the ceremony's commencement, we played a lilting traditional Irish melody - 'Be Thou My Vision'. As the processional began, the family members entered to 'Sheep May Safely Graze', the attendants to 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', and the bride to Pachebel's 'Canon'.
Following the exchange of vows, the couple walked down the aisle to 'Trumpet Voluntary', followed by Telemann's 'Presto', and Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'.

We then moved inside to the library where drinks were served and the guests relaxed and chatted while pictures were taken. There, we played several pieces by various artists, originally written as flute duets which we enjoyed trading the first and second parts back and forth. In addition to our classical pieces, we threw 'When You Wish Upon A Star', 'My Favorite Things', 'Unchained Melody', 'La Vie En Rose', 'My Romance', 'When I Fall in Love', and a tango titled 'La Paloma' into the mix.

As a courtesy to those planning future weddings, this photograph was taken at approximately 3:30 p.m. on August 8, 2009.

Vail's Memorial Park

As musicians, many of our performances involve the celebration of life's events. And while we play for many weddings - the beginning of a couple's life together, we also have opportunities to participate in memorial services to celebrate a life well lived.

Today we played for the memorial service of a long time Vail resident at the Vail Memorial Park. Against the mountain with the wildflowers, flagstone paths, and river gurgling by, nature too seemed to celebrate the life of this amazing woman.




It was an honor to be asked to share our music with those who came to celebrate the life of their loved one and pay their respects. It was especially an honor to play in such a beautiful venue. While our music was strictly classical, it seemed to bounce off of the rocks and cascade along with the water, joining the birds and the wind in nature's soothing lullaby.

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'.

The Ritz Carlton at Bachelor Gulch

We recently performed for a wedding at the Ritz Carlton in Bachelor Gulch. The weather definitely lent itself to the occasion with skies of blue, and a light breeze keeping it cool.

As we arrived to set up, we noted that The Ritz had made some great improvements to their wedding area. In a slightly new location, timber work frames the wedding area, a wood chip path strewn with rose petals serves as an aisle, and mountains provide a majestic backdrop. Very well done - breathtaking.



Our music for this wedding was strictly classical. We played Bach's 'Arioso', and Corelli's 'Pastorale' for the prelude. We were asked to play Haydn's 'Emperor's Hymn' (also known as Austria) just before the processional. This was a new piece which we hadn't previously played, but what a beautiful piece! We were happy to add it to our repertoire.

The wedding party entered to Bach's 'Air', and as the party was quite large, it was repeated several times with different variations each time. The bride entered to Pachebel's 'Canon'. The ceremony was conducted by family members and included a very interesting 'handfasting ceremony'. For the recessional, we played Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', followed by Handel's 'La Rejouissance'.

While we use many of the same pieces for different weddings, it is always interesting to see how differently they turn out musically. While we often use 'Jesu' as part of the processional, this may have been the first time we've used it as a recessional piece. We played it just a bit more quickly and brightly and it turned out great.

On a personal note, while we played for this beautiful wedding, my breath caught for a moment. Sometimes I forget what a privilege it is to live locally in the Vail Valley, and to be able to share my music. As I took in the vistas and scenery, I recognized once again how much I really love to live and play in the mountains, working with our clients, to help make their day into something they'll remember for forever.

Vail Interfaith Chapel & The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

On the last weekend in June, we had the opportunity to play for two beautiful weddings.

The first was in the Vail Interfaith Chapel. Joanne Moore of Meadow and Mountains was the wedding coordinator. She amazingly transformed the chapel with the runners, flowers, and swaths of material which were draped along the pews.

For our part, the music was strictly classical and we started off the prelude with Bach's "Air". We continued with Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", "Sheep May Safely Graze", and "Arioso". We then went into some of Handel's Water music because it led into the processional music. The attendants entered to Handel's "Air", and the bride to Pachebel's "Canon".

During the lighting of the unity candle, we played Liszt's "Liebstraum", and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" as the recessional. We finished with several celebratory pieces including Hornpipe, La Rejouisannce, Trumpet, Tune and Trumpet Voluntary.


The second wedding was in Vail's Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. While afternoon rain was on the forecast, the skies were blue and it ended up gorgeous, and rain free.

 

While we played several classical pieces by Bach, Handel, and Mozart, the wedding party entered to Pachebel's "Canon". This piece was great as the parties crossed the footbridge, entered from the back, and also descended from the steps. As Canon's counterpoint wraps and layers itself, this piece is ideal for seamless repetition.
In a non-traditional fun twist, the bride came down the steps to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun". Also, instead of a unity candle, the parents came together and planted seeds to Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze". We played Purcell's "Trumpet Tune" for the recessional and also ended with several celebratory pieces.

We truly enjoy the individuality of every wedding we play for, and love to see the couples with whom we've worked with for several months as everything they've planned for finally comes together.

Congratulations to both of these couples - we enjoyed playing for them!

Vail's Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Despite recent wet weather, Vail is absolutely breathtaking right now. I spent some time this week at a couple of different sites where we often play, and thought I'd showcase a couple of them.

 

This is the wedding area of the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Wedding parties often descend the stone steps (upper left) or cross the footbridge (to the center right), while their guests are seated on the patio. Surrounded by the fragrant garden flowers, we generally sit off to the far right, and along with trilling birds and the gently cascading waterfall, we whisk our clients and guests off to an enchanted, idyllic fairyland.

Following are additional garden photos

 

Footpath

 

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.

Summer wedding season begins

Today we officially began our summer wedding season. Summers in the Vail Valley are exquisite and the locals are familiar with the phrase, "come for the season, stay for the summers." That's how most locals end up living here year round - and we were excited to do a local wedding today. While the mountain tops retain some of their snow, all of the snow on the valley floor has melted, and spring flowers are now in bloom - everywhere it seems.

Red Sky Ranch was the site of today's wedding. It hosts one of the valley's newer golf courses, as well as an exclusive community. Today's ceremony was on the range next to the clubhouse, granting a gorgeous vista.

Despite the breathtaking views, the wind was very strong and we struggled to stay warm and keep our music (and stands) in place despite the 12+ music clips. Due to the weather, the guests came out just prior to the wedding party, and as such we didn't play much prelude.

The ceremony was beautiful and the bridal attendants entering to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, and the to bride to Pachebel's Canon. We were grateful for these selections as they are easier to memorize and we weren't able to turn our music pages without a long pause due to all of the clips needed because of the wind.

After the brief and windy ceremony, we played the Wedding March for the recessional, and then Hornpipe and a few other selections as the wedding party was whisked back up to the heated clubhouse via golf carts.

While mountain weddings can be gorgeous, we find that the weather can be very unpredictable. As such, flexibility and a large supply of music clips are a must!

Vail: Outdoor Wedding Tips

While outdoor weddings can be breathtakingly gorgeous, mountain weddings can also be extremely difficult due to the erratic summer weather. Following are a few tips and considerations for an outdoor wedding in the Vail area:

1. July is the rainiest month of the year. Plan on beautiful sunny mornings and afternoon showers. If you survive after 1:00 pm without getting wet - the heavens have smiled upon you. June and August are also iffy regarding afternoon showers, but not to the extent of July.
2. Cover your musicians! Unless you can predict the weather and guarantee no sweltering sun, no music whipping wind, afternoon rain, or hail storms, you should provide covering your musicians. Generally an over-sized umbrella or a pop up tent is sufficient. While thousands of dollars are spent in the creation of a perfect wedding, consider that one of the most focal parts of your wedding involves setting the mood with prelude, marching down the aisle, and the celebration of the union as a couple is presented for the first time. These moments beg for perfection. While the musical costs may be insignificant in comparison with the costs of the reception, dinners etc, consider that for such important life events, you want your musicians to be playing at their best, not worrying about a raindrop ruining their expensive instrument.
3. Make back up plans. While summer outdoor weddings are spectacular in the Vail Valley, make sure that you have a back up plan. If the weather threatens, consider that neither you nor your guests will really want to sit outside in freezing wind or rain for 30-60 minutes.
4. Call it early. If the weather does look threatening, make the call early. If moving the ceremony indoors is an option, make the decision early in the day so that your florist and other wedding service providers aren't scrambling at the last minute to make your venue spectacular. With so many other things to think about, a last minute change of venue can throw off timing, and add undue stress to such a momentous occasion.
5. Mountain top. Many of our clients choose to ride the gondola to the top of Vail Mountain to photograph the wedding party prior to the actual ceremony. While in theory a fantastic idea, be aware that summer storms move in quickly. As such, Vail is very pro-active in keeping their guests safe. If there is any chance of lightning, all access to and from the mountaintop will cease until the storm dissipates. In other words, you may get caught on top of the mountain for several hours.

Best wishes as you plan your upcoming wedding, and may all of your skies be blue!

Upcoming Wedding Season

While the ski season has officially ended and we are in the middle of 'mud season', we have been busy gearing up for our summer performances. We've been putting together contracts and putting together the final details for our upcoming weddings this summer. We are excited about the emergence of spring and have been enjoying the prospect of warmer weather. We are looking forward to a beautiful wedding season!

Vail Interfaith Chapel

As an ensemble, we attend several weddings each year. That said, it is amazing how different every single wedding actually is. Each is a reflection of the particular couple, of their cultures, tastes, and ultimately, them.

After spending time with our clients discussing musical preferences, genres, and their musical selections, it is always exciting to see how each wedding comes together.

This past weekend we played for a wedding at the Vail Interfaith Chapel which had a very interesting, fun twist.

While the ceremony was very traditional, an underlying motif also emerged. The prelude consisted of Handel's Water Music interlaced with various Beatles tunes. The family and attendants entered to Pachebel's Canon, and the bride entered to Wagner's 'Wedding March.' While this is a traditional wedding piece, this may have been only the second bride we've worked with to use this piece.

Upholding tradition, as the unity candles were lit, we accompanied the groom's mother as she beautifully sang Schubert's 'Ave Maria.'

As the ceremony concluded, the bride and groom exited the church to 'All You Need Is Love,' and we continued to play Beatles tunes as the guests exited and greeted the couple after wards.

It was great to see everything fall into place. We enjoyed the novelty of playing some not so traditional wedding music for this beautiful wedding.