new york wedding music

Wedding Music Tip #17

2009-11-06T19:43:00.001-05:00

Lighting. You might not think of lighting first and foremost when considering the musical aspects of your event, but sometimes light needs to be taken into consideration just as much as sound. Just as you want your guests to be able to hear the musicians, you want your musicians to be able to see their music and each other.

I was considering this somewhat neglected topic of event production recently when I performed with a classical guitarist for a wedding at a very intimate art gallery in Chelsea, where they seemed to believe the art work was best seen by candlelight and soft dimmers. I was silently grateful I had recently purchased a handful of stand lights from Guitar Center on 14th Street, and we were able to put them to immediate use. No one from the event space had warned me of the lighting situation, or the fact that the couple planned to exchange vows by little more than candlelight, and without our trusty stand lights we would have resembled a couple of octagenarians in need of new bifocals, straining to read the notes on the page. Stand lights are inexpensive but worth every penny. They can make a potentially painful situation quite beautiful, actually, and possibly even avoid an appointment with the opthamologist.

Wedding Music Tip #17: Consider your event space and what type of lighting you plan to use, especially for evening events. If you plan to marry by candlelight, let your musicians know in advance so they can come prepared with stand lights. Then they'll have absolutely no excuse at all for any wrong notes!

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Upcoming Performances: Tenth Anniversary Benefit for Voices in Unity

2009-11-06T18:57:00.001-05:00

Ten Strings violinist Eleni Yalanis and yours truly will be performing for the Tenth Anniversary Concert of Voices in Unity, the highly-acclaimed music ministry of Unity of New York on Monday, November 16 at the Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre at Symphony Space. Ten Strings last joined the Unity Voices, known for their spirited choreography and brightly-colored attire, for their 2008 Easter Extravaganza.

Special guests for the evening include Unity of New York's nationally-known vocal ensemble, Spiritus, fresh on the heels of their newly released recording. Appearances will also be made by dancers The Divine Gypsies, as well as surprise guest artists from the Broadway and recording communities. If past performances are any indication, this evening of powerful music sure to fill your soul and lift your Spirit!

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40/$30/$20; Members $34/$26/$17

For more information, visit Symphony Space

Off the Beaten Track: Katy Pfaffl

2009-11-06T18:26:00.004-05:00

Last month, the extraordinarily talented singer-songwriter Katy Pfaffl was in residency at New York City's The Living Room, and her show on October 13 featured her string quartet, consisting of Gene Back and Jessie Nelson on violins, Jeannie Oliver on viola and yours truly on cello, joining her for an intimate performance of a dozen or so devastating songs. Devastating, I mean, in a good way. Katy performs regularly around Manhattan and is expecting the release of her upcoming album early next year.

Here's a little video from our October 13 performance:

You can listen to Katy at www.myspace.com/katypfaffl

Upcoming Performances: 20th Anniversary Benefit for HIV Law Project

2009-10-25T19:52:00.005-04:00

Ten Strings will be performing at the HIV Law Project's 20th Anniversary Benefit! Silent auction, live music, cocktails and more! Come out and support a great cause in New York City.

ADVOCACY, ART, COMMUNITY & SPIRIT

Thursday, November 05, 2009

6:30 P.M.- 9:00 P.M.
Helen Mills Theater
137-139 West 26th Street, NYC

Special Guest Artists:
Tamami Aburakawa, piano and Alice Hamlet, violoncello

Honoring

The Honorable Tom Duane, Senator (NY)
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Heidemarie Kramer, PHD. M.D.
Horacio Marrero

Special Recognition

Terry McGovern, Advocate
Founder, HIV Law Project
Program Officer, Ford Foundation

Registration Required

RSVP by Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009.

Register online. It is easy, faster and secure. (Read our privacy policy).

To register by email, contact Michael S. Pankow at mpankow@hivlawproject.org. You may also contact him at 212 577 3001 ext. 231.

Advocacy, Art, Community & Spirit honors HIV Law Project's twenty years of steadfast service to disadvantaged and low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. We will also celebrate the intersection of advocacy, art, community and spirit through a riveting program, an exhibition and silent auction of fifteen works from contemporary modern artists, live music, and a unique opportunity to connect with social entrepreneurs, investors, civic minded leaders in business, finance and law, members of the judiciary and community advocates.

Off the Beaten Track: Il Bagatto

2009-10-23T15:19:00.003-04:00

This summer marked the inauguration of new and exciting music collaborations, but my favorite had to be Ten Strings Sunday afternoon string quartet performances on the sidewalk outside of the Lower East Side restaurant Il Bagatto. We would play Scott Joplin rags and jazz standards until it got too dark to read our music, at which point we'd move indoors for a delicious meal compliments of Il Bagatto's super fabulous owner, Juilio. Always generous with the wine, we would laugh and talk well into the night. We played through rain showers (with the aid of umbrellas) and one pretty scary wind storm. It's amazing what we'll do for a great plate of pasta.

Video footage of one of our impromptu, lazy summer afternoon performances:

Il Bagatto is a great to place to go for a glass of wine or bowl of gnocchi. You can find hours and directions on their website: www.ilbagattonyc.com

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #16

2009-10-23T13:42:00.006-04:00

Where do you find your wedding musicians?

In today's world of technology, the answer to that question is most likely: the internet. Unless you're fortunate enough to have a college pal or first cousin who happens to be a violinist, or trumpet player in a big band, or your new neighbor is a professional flutist (which might not be so fortunate at all--I shared an apartment once with a flutist, and let me tell you, when they get out the piccolo--run for your life!), then you probably have no idea where to start. Google becomes your best friend.

Google is an asset for everyone involved, whether you are the bride searching for a string quartet or the jazz trio hanging out a "For Hire" sign on their web page. What you may find daunting, while embarking on your online wedding planning, is the number of sites out there offering wedding services. For those of you residing in New York, here is a run-down of some of the more--and less--popular sites to help you find The One. Nope, not your spouse-to-be. That was the easy part. I'm talking about your wedding musicians!

If you google "new york wedding music"--which I did, for the sake of research--what comes up first time and time again is the directory of music services on New York Magazine's nuptial guide, New York Weddings. You'll find a list of musicians ranging from string trios and quartets to forty-piece orchestras. Vendors on this site will be experienced, tasteful and probably high end. You don't advertise in New York Magazine without spending a bob or two, and these vendors will surely be recouping some of that marketing investment in their wedding fees.

Another prominent site is WedAlert, which has many helpful tools and lists hundreds of local musicians. Vendors can choose between free and paying advertisement, so the sheer number of vendors on the site is astounding. It's a lot of information to sift through, and unfortunately the site is on the loud side graphically-speaking, which makes it hard to stare at the page for more than a minute without feeling like you're going into some sort of wedding hallucination sequence. Advertisers do have links to their own websites, so if a musician catches your eye, you can go ahead and click through to a page (hopefully) less visually jarring.

Gigmasters is perhaps the most popular site for finding musicians of any type. Its easy-to-use site is clean and straight-forward, and although musicians must pay to be on the site, the advertising fees are minimal so you will find a wide range of professionals to choose from. Gigmasters does collect a booking fee and you must pay a deposit upfront--something you may or may not have to do if negotiating with the musicians directly.

The Knot is a heavy in the wedding planning world, and you will find plenty of musicians listed in their vendor directory. Fees for advertising on theknot.com are on the hefty side, so you will not find as many area musicians listed as you might on another site, and like New York Magazine, vendors will no doubt pass on their advertising costs to their clients in terms of rates. Theknot.com is designed particularly well, combining ease-of-use and aesthetics to make the online process as pleasant as possible.

Weddingwire is a relatively new site, which offers free advertising spots for vendors and the ability to create a profile similar to Facebook. Vendors can upload photos, videos and connect with other vendors on the site, so you can perhaps find a string quartet through the cake baker of your choice. Designed for maximum cuteness. Weddingwire has recently partnered with Martha Stewart Weddings, so you can easily cross reference local wedding vendors.

And last but not least... Craigslist. Craigslist is a great place to find anything, from a used bike to a photographer for your wedding. Since the recession hit a few years ago, Craigslist has become inundated with vendors who are either students, recent graduates, or just plain amateurs, hawking their services along side the seasoned professionals, making it hard to discern what kind of product you will really be getting. Buyer beware. If you find a wedding vendor on Craiglist offering rates far below the norm, chances are this person is not a professional.

Wedding Tip #16: Perhaps the best way to find your wedding musicians is by word of mouth, inquiring for contact information for a band or trio you heard performing at a friend or relative's wedding. But if this is not an option, by all means use the internet. Just use it wisely!

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Off the Beaten Track: Sleepy Rebels

2009-10-23T11:58:00.005-04:00

I've been fortunate enough to perform with Anthology Strings and the very talented band Sleepy Rebels over the past year and on July 28 we played to a packed house at the Highline Ballroom. Sleepy Rebels have had commercial success with several of their songs, notably Unbelievable which was featured on a JCPenney commercial aired throughout the Oscars, and Magic Girl which played during an episode of ABC's Private Practice--and countless other ads ranging from Toyota to the 2008 Olympics. Because of the unprecedented popularity of their song Unbelievable, Sleepy Rebels garnered a relationship with JCPenney which led to, among other things, an invitation to perform at the Grand Opening of the first ever JCPenney store in Manhattan.

We were, in a word, psyched. The band--Jeremy, Erica and Bruce plus drummer Ethan and string quartet (Yippee!)--were set to play at the end of the day-long events which marked the advent of deep discount shopping in the way of the new JCPenney store at Herald Square. Rumored to be in attendance was the NYC mayor and other C-list celebrities.

I arrived at Herald Square early to find only the drummer and violist present. It was a rainy week, and the skies were dark and overcast--the kind of weather that looks as though the heavens might open up at any moment and dump an ark-worthy load of rain on man and beast alike.

"Where are we performing?" I asked.

The violist pointed to an outdoor catwalk between Broadway and Seventh Avenue where Ethan had already assembled his drum kit.

"Uh..." I noticed there was no cover to protect us from the elements. "What if it rains?"

No one seemed to be too clear on that point until it started drizzling, which quickly turned to a torrential downpour. A friendly fellow from the JCPenney event planning team rushed over and hustled us and our instruments into a trailer set up for the sub-level celebrities. I looked around. They do themselves well, at any rate. Catering was on the kitchen counters, champagne chilling in the fridge. Ethan munched on fruit while we waited for the rest of the band to arrive and word from the Powers That Be re our performance.

"Can we perform inside the store?" we pleaded, as members of the event team spoke enigmatically into headsets and popped their heads in and out of the trailer. Still raining cats and dogs. Finally, our friendly member of the team returned to tell us there was a flood watch in effect for several hours and it was too dangerous for us to perform on the catwalk as planned. And no, we couldn't perform inside the mall, for reasons not wholely explained.

We were, in a word, bummed. Must have shown on our faces because the event planner guiltily rummaged in his pockets and offered us a stash of JCPenney gift cards, which he produced like a rabbit from a top hat.

You can listen to Sleepy Rebels at www.myspace.com/sleepyrebels

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #15

2009-10-20T18:53:00.001-04:00

Ah...Long Island. Home of the Devils, celebrity summer haunts and a plethora of wedding venues.

Ten Strings is no stranger to Long Island weddings, be it the Woodbury Country Club or the beach at Montauk. In June, I was asked to join an ensemble performing for a wedding near Farmington. A wedding on a Friday afternoon in June. I feel it's necessary, in view of the following disastrous happenings, to stress this important detail.

The leader of the ensemble rented a zip car and suggested we leave Manhattan around 3 p.m. for the five o'clock ceremony. This gave us an hour and a half to arrive and set up, ample enough time given that mapquest estimated our travel time to be forty-five minutes. As the saying goes, "The best laid plans of mice and men...." Once we were on the road, the female voice eerily speaking through the GPS recalculated our travel time by a few hours. Three to be exact. As our fearless leader fielded frantic calls from the bride and searched blackberry travel apps for a shorter route, I had the sinking feeling we weren't going to make it in time to play the prelude music. Traffic was hell and the GPS lady kept cheerfully adding hours to our travel time.

The ensemble tried to stay positive, asserting that most of the wedding guests were almost surely stuck in the same hell-binding traffic, but we knew we were in for it when the bride called to say they were going ahead with the ceremony--they could wait for the musicians no longer. We were still--thanks to the helpful information provided by our friend stuck in the GPS system--thirty minutes away. We arrived in time to play the cocktail hour.

Wedding Tip #15: Never underestimate traffic on the L.I.E. during the summer, especially Friday afternoons. Vendors should allow two--if not three--times as much travel time as normal to avoid missing the show! After all, a wedding ceremony isn't a dress rehearsal.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #14

2009-10-16T18:10:00.001-04:00

Sheet Music....and it's ability to fly away.

This tip is really, in all honesty, for the vendor more than the bride and groom. But it's well worth mentioning for anyone involved in providing live music for special events, especially those events which mark the celebration of a (hopefully) one-time life occurrence.

Sheet music. We musicians all use it, whether it's an album full of wedding classics or the score to Rocky which the groom requested as recessional music. (Seriously. It has happened.) What we don't always use, and probably should, is a binder to keep all the music--preferably in the order it will be performed--for each event. I learned this the hard way at a wedding ceremony two weeks ago, a ceremony held at the New York Historical Society. In front of 250 guests, no less.

We were asked to perform a short portion of Handel's Water Music for the lighting of the unity candle. I prepared the music as usual, providing the string quartet with a photocopy of the portion of music we would be performing. We also--and here is the unfortunate part--had copies of music we would be playing later in the ceremony on our stands. A nice rendition of the Bob Dylan song Feel My Love to be exact. Came off very well in the ceremony, actually. But I digress.

When it was time to perform the music for the lighting of the unity candle, the first violinist managed to knock all of her music off the stand, scattering it in a hundred directions. After the dust settled and the air conditioning stopped blowing what remained of one of Handel's biggest hits about the room, I felt like I was looking at the pieces of my career all over the floor. The bride and groom waited patiently as the second violinist assisted in picking up all the parts and putting them more or less back on the music stand--with, mind you, all 250 guests staring at us as if they were witnessing one of the more complicated maneuvers of Cirque de Soleil. It took so long to retrieve the music that the officiant decided to move on to the next part of the ceremony. Not good.

Wedding Tip #14: So, as another string player kindly reminded me after hearing this horror story: Binders are the wedding musician's best friends. FYI.

Until the next wedding,

Alice, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #13

2008-05-08T23:23:00.001-04:00

So I guess it makes sense to make this Tip #13. Not always looked upon in a favorable light, that number thirteen. Our topic: What happens if you need to cancel your wedding ceremony?

I suppose this is not a completely alien concept, judging by the wedding insurance online sites which have sprung up recently--namely wedsafe.com--offering coverage against anything from severe weather to illness of a family member.

The one wedding I've played, or in fact DIDN'T play, was canceled due to...cold feet. That's gotta be the worst reason on the list. For everyone involved. I was asked to play with a pianist for the wedding of a close family friend in North Carolina. Still at Manhattan School of Music at the time, the wedding was taking place shortly after our exam period, so I literally had not found the time to book my plane ticket. Procrastination proved to work in my favor, because the weekend before the wedding, the bride decided she just couldn't do it.

The bride happened to be the daughter of one of my mom's oldest friends and her intended was her college beau--they had been together nearly six years by the time they were planning these nuptials. The wedding was the culmination of a year of planning, including numerous engagement parties, bridal showers and the groom's extended family traveling twenty hours from India. The bride and groom had a house full of newly-acquired china, crystal and silver and 250 guests planning to watch them exchange eternal vows before sitting down to a salmon-or-filet dinner.

And then a week before the big day, the bride backed out. Couldn't do it. Realized it was all wrong somehow. I don't know how it transpired, but on Monday I got a call from my mother: don't buy that last-minute plane ticket after all. Apparently the bride's mother and maid of honor phoned all 250 guests to break the bad news. I always wondered if they returned the wedding gifts.

Wedding Tip #13: Discuss with your vendors and wedding site what will happen if you have to cancel or postpone your event. Be sure you understand each vendor's payment policy in the event of cancellation.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #12

2008-04-20T12:05:00.000-04:00

Appropriate attire for the musicians. This seems to be a concern for some brides but not all--I've worked with couples who said they didn't give a flying rip what the musicians were wearing; others requested formal attire. In general, women wear concert black, meaning they're attired completely in black as if they're going to play a symphony concert. Back in the day, men used to wear tuxes, but currently a dark suit is more in vogue.

Inquiring what the musicians will be wearing always seemed like a pretentious question to me when I started my business (do they think we're going to show up in jeans and spandex, or what is it?), but after playing a few weddings with some musicians in New York, I realized it might be a valid fret.

I'm often called to perform with a violinist when her "regular" cellist is not available. The outfits she turns up in are outrageous. Picture Elvira (remember her?) as a violin-toting wedding musician. Nobody wants that in their pictures. She showed up for one wedding and cocktail hour we played at a hotel in Midtown wearing a get-up that I can only describe as several mismatched pieces of black clothing which didn't really cover everything. Then there is another musician with whom I've worked who appears to be always headed on a hiking trip immediately following the ceremony. I mean, she wears black, but it seems to be very casual and in desperate need of a little ironing. I think her shoes were black Timberlands.

So, I began to understand why brides ask what the musicians will be wearing. I no longer feel taken aback when this concern pops up but answer immediately and concisely.

Wedding Tip #12: Feel free to ask the musicians what they plan to wear to the event. Their answer should be along the lines of "concert black". If you want the musicians to be ultra formal, with the men in tuxedos, make that clear in your negotiations. Also, if you want the musicians more casually attired, let them know what you had in mind.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #11

2008-04-02T23:28:00.000-04:00

Outdoor weddings.

...Outdoor weddings and sound projection.

There's a reason people always recommend woodwind or brass instruments, particularly flutes, for outdoor weddings. It has to do with timbre, spectra of sound and acoustics and other things I cannot explain, but I gather the general idea is the same as placing winds and brass behind the strings in the orchestra. If they were in the front, you would never hear the strings. Bottom line: winds and brass are LOUD.

So, given that they're so loud, fairly safe choices for outdoor events would be the following in no particular order: solo flute, flute trio, brass quintet, woodwind quintet and flute with any other instrument (harp, cello, violin...).

But sometimes even the presence of a woodwind or brass instrument isn't enough to project in an outdoor setting. Take the wedding my flute trio played at Crest Hollow Country Club on Long Island two years ago. The wedding was outdoors, at the end of a sort of promenade, beside a body of water with a very noisy fountain.

The event planner wanted us to play at the start of the promenade-walkway thingy for some reason--behind all the seats and practically a football field away from the designated altar space. We agreed, but generally we prefer to sit facing the guests and closer to the ceremony action for a variety of reasons: If our instruments are facing the guests, they are going to hear us better. If we're sitting near the ceremony action, the officiant, bride and groom can hear us, and it's usually the most advantageous spot visually.

The trio set up where directed and started the prelude music. It quickly became clear that we were facing more than the usual difficulties associated with the great outdoors. The fountain in the water beside us was--to be quite frank--loud as hell. Niagara Falls comes to mind. We continued to play, struggling to project our sound over the deafening gush of water. Once in awhile the flute would break the sound barrier with a very high note or two, but otherwise, it felt like we were a trio of pantomime artists. We contemplated asking the management to turn the fountain off for the ceremony, or whether or not they could set up microphones for us, but it was time to begin the processional before we spotted the event planner rushing from station to station in manner of tazmanian devil.

The bridesmaids proceeded without hitch, but when the bride entered, the guests stood--as is customary--and there was no way for us to see when she reached the altar area. We had to guestimate when it was time to cut off, coupled with backwards looks from a few guests indicating that she was in place and the music should halt.

Luckily the officiant wore a microphone so we could hear the ceremony from our position--all important when getting the cue for the recessional music to begin. The bride thanked the trio afterwards for our performance, but commented that it was hard to hear us. I'll say it was! We were seated miles from the action and competing with the adjacent thundering rapids! In this scenario, we needed to be placed closer to the guests and altar, and we probably needed to be amplified as well.

Wedding Tip #11: Consider the instruments you want when planning an outdoor wedding. Winds and brass work best for obvious reasons, but strings can play outdoors if they're seated close to the guests and ceremony action (preferably facing the guests). Classical guitar will most certainly NOT be heard outdoors unless amplified. Inquire at your venue if sound amplification can be set up for the ceremony musicians if they feel they will need it.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #10

2008-04-01T00:29:00.001-04:00

Outdoor Weddings

...Outdoor Weddings and Wind.

Okay. So wind should be less fearsome than rain, but you'd be surprised.

I know I was.

My string quartet played a wedding last spring at the Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows. I don't know if you've ever been to Terrace on the Park? It's near the big globe erected for the 1939 New York World's Fair which took place in Queens (of all places). If you've seen the movie 'Men in Black' you'll know what I'm talking about. The ceremony was held outdoors on a rooftop patio, which I believe they termed an "outdoor reception chapel area in a garden setting", but where I come from that's called a patio.

The views were pretty spectacular and it was a bright sunny day. The only teensy problem was that it was chilly and very, very windy. They call Chicago the Windy City, but I'm telling you: New York can compete. The quartet set up and, knowing we were playing outdoors, brought clothespins to attach our music to the stand. Unless you want sheet music swirling around like wedding confetti, you have to pin your music to the stand when you're playing outside.

Fair enough.

It was so windy that it quickly became apparent that we needn't worry so much about the music flying off as the actual music stands taking flight. It was practically a scene out of Mary Poppins. We continued with the prelude music but grabbed the legs of our stands with our feet and tried to hold them in place in a bi-ped sort of way. I was at a disadvantage performing this maneuver with my legs already wrapped around a cello. To make things even more amusing, the temperature seemed to be dropping by the minute. I found myself trying to time the chattering of my teeth to the movement of music at hand.

One thing I feel I should mention, and quite frankly, should probably be taken into consideration before booking an outdoor wedding at this particular site: it is VERY CLOSE to LaGuardia airport. So, not only were we hypothermic and fighting to keep our stands from flying off the deck like kites, but we also had to compete with the noise of jets roaring by left, right and center. They come very close and they are very loud. There were times when I couldn't hear the other string players and had to just assume we were all still on the same measure.

Finally, when it was time to begin the ceremony, the bridesmaids appeared in short, strapless gowns. I felt for them--they must have been absolutely freezing. The ceremony lasted all of ten minutes. I am not kidding. It was the shortest wedding ceremony I have ever witnessed. Not sure whether they planned that or decided to abbreviate things due to the wind and the temperature. The bridesmaids were starting to look a little like human ice cubes and the lips of our second violinist were turning a bluish tint, so I was thankful the ceremony was succinct.

Wedding Tip #10: Wind, as well as rain, can be an issue with outdoor weddings. Make sure your musicians plan to bring accessories to hold their music in place (ie clothespins).

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #9

2008-03-31T02:06:00.001-04:00

Outdoor weddings

...Outdoor Weddings and Rain.

What can I say. I have to admit that although outdoor weddings can be stunning events, they're a bit of a nightmare for the musicians. For starters, wedding vendors generally desire having as few elements as possible that are completely out of their control, and weather is a pretty big one. Possibly second only to colossal waves rocking a cruise ship event. Nothing like mother nature to remind one of one's human frailty.

Last September I played a wedding at Alba Vineyards in New Jersey near the Delaware River. I knew ahead of time that this was an outdoor event. The ensemble booked was a classical guitar & cello duo, and we had a good two hour drive from New York City, during which time it thundered, lightninged and rained. Experiencing the meaning of irony first-hand, I realized that I never discussed with the bride her back-up plan in case of inclement weather. Surely they would move the wedding indoors. Right?

As we got closer to Milford, the rain stopped, but the sky still looked like the thunder god Thor might descend at any moment with a lightning bolt in one hand. The guitarist and I found the ceremony set up under the vines...it appeared they planned to go on with the ceremony outside. Despite the wetness and potential for more torrential downpours. Hmm. I informed the guitarist that at the first drop of rain, we would make a mad dash with our instruments to his car, which was parked a few vines back from the ceremony site. We managed to get through the ceremony without the need to leg it to the car--the rain threatened to return but, like the resurrection of the Spice Girls, the threat was idle.

I have since added a rider to our contract requiring a back-up plan for outdoor events in case of inclement weather. Professional musicians have rather expensive instruments which really shouldn't be outside even on a good day. Rain and excessive heat or cold is like kryptonite to us.

Wedding Tip #9: If you're planning to get married outdoors, discuss with your musicians ahead of time what will happen in the event of rain. The last thing you want is for your ceremony musicians to refuse to perform because there is not adequate cover for their instruments in the case of inclement weather.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #8

2008-03-28T11:29:00.001-04:00

Are you conservative or radical?

No, this isn't about Election 2008. (Although I have noticed an alarming trend of mentioning favored candidates or political parties during the exchange of vows, between scripture readings...is it me or is that weird?) Some self-examination comes into play when choosing the selections for the wedding ceremony. I wish I could offer one of those self-illuminating quizzes so abundant on the internet these days which seems to be able to determine the inner workings of your personality and destiny based on your favorite color or whether or not you wear heels or sneakers most days, but a few simple questions should suffice: Do you want your wedding to portray a respect for the time-honored traditions of Wagner and Mendelssohn made popular by Queen Victoria? Or do you want to express your individuality with an arrangement of your favorite Foo Fighters song for string quartet?

If the latter is the case, you want to find musicians who have experience making arrangements for various ensembles. Not all wedding musicians are going to have someone on staff who can make arrangements from a soundtrack, mp3 clip or video game, for that matter. Yep, that's right. Video games. My string quartet played a wedding several years ago where the bride and groom asked to have the music from The Legend of Zelda arranged for the recessional. I guess nintendo was dear to their hearts. Or perhaps they met at GameStop.

Pop songs are probably the most common request as non-traditional ceremony music. I've played anything from Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" for the recessional to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" for the bridal entrance. Not every song request is going to work with the instrumentation you have chosen, so you will need to ask the musicians far in advance if the song(s) you want will work with the ensemble contracted for your event. Most musicians will also charge for special arrangements, so ask beforehand what the additional fees will be for a made-to-order ceremony score. Non-traditional requests require a bit more preparation on the musicians' part but can result in a very satisfying, unique backdrop to your all-important day.

Wedding Tip #8: Consider your personal style and how you want your ceremony to be remembered when choosing the concept for the ceremony music. If you want music selections which fall in the category of "Unusual", make sure your musicians can accommodate the preparation involved.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #7

2008-03-24T23:13:00.001-04:00

Should you tip the ceremony musicians who perform at your wedding? Is that really a question? OF COURSE you should tip the musicians!

I may be somewhat biased on this subject.

But seriously--if you feel the musicians braced and made an effort of a lifetime with their service, preparation and performance, by all means fatten their payment as you see fit. This is generally not expected, but, like a winning scratch-off lotto ticket, delightful when it occurs. Take for example a wedding my guitar-flute-cello trio recently performed at a club on Manhattan's East River. Although not contracted to do so, the trio agreed to arrive early to rehearse with their singers (family members of the bride) before the ceremony. The guitarist and I arrived super-early, just as the wedding director was lining up the wedding party to run a swift rehearsal. Discerning that their trial laps would probably be more productive with music rather than silence, and at the beckoning of the mother of the bride, the two of us whipped out our instruments to provide the processional/recessional accompaniment. Coupled with the additional rehearsal with their singers, this wedding would be an instance where a gratuity would not exactly be a freakish aberration.

But I digress. Whether or not we should have gotten a tip is not what I originally planned to expound on. At the aforementioned wedding, the point person for the musicians was the mother of the groom. We did not really discuss the logistics of payment beforehand, so when the ceremony came to an end it was up to me to go root out our payment. ASAP. Once the musicians pack up, they usually want to leave quickly. Think bats out of hell.

Nine times out of ten, the doling out of payment for the musicians is delegated to one of the groomsmen. Tuxedo jackets are handy for keeping envelopes full of Benjamin Franklins. In this particular case, no groomsmen approached us with his hand to his pocket, so I went to look for my point person--the mother of the groom. The wedding party and guests moved to the adjoining room and I had to pick through the crowded cocktail hour to find the mother of the groom. Trust me: you do not want your wedding musicians going through the receiving line to shake your hand and ask for their check! It's an awkward moment for everyone, but unless planned beforehand, a detail easily overlooked.

Wedding Tip #7: Choose a family member or groomsman to be responsible for dispensing payments to vendors at the time of the service.
And make someone's day--tip the musicians!
(But only if you want to)

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #6

2008-03-14T14:22:00.001-04:00

When considering music for their wedding ceremony, one of the most common dilemmas Brides seem to ponder is the number of selections for their processional. The traditional wedding ceremony begins with the seating of the mothers, followed by a procession of attendants (sometimes bridesmaids alone, sometimes the bridesmaids and groomsmen as couples) and then, if she doesn't get cold feet and hop a bus to Vegas, the Bridal Entrance. Often I have performed for weddings where the Bride insisted we change music for each event. With the switching of music and a more-likely-than-not short aisle, this makes for a very choppy beginning indeed. Personally, I hate this arrangement and try to discourage it whenever possible, since our aim as ceremony musicians is to help facilitate the smoothness of the event, not reproduce some sort of disjointed musical slice-and-dice.

Second in popularity, and infinitely more do-able, is the two-selection combo. This means one piece of music is performed for both the seating of the mothers and the attendants, with a switch of music for the Bride. This is smoother, requires less turning of sheet music, and emphasizes the entrance of the Bride. The only glitch that I have seen in the aforementioned arrangement is when the Bride--perhaps excited, nervous or delirious--charges out of the gates like the odds-on favorite before the musicians actually had time to switch music. It's a great help if a wedding planner or the wedding director, or anyone else likely to remain cool-headed, is there to cue the Bride as to exactly when to proceed. It is best not to hurry these things.

Less often chosen, but working well if you are marrying in a small space and have a small wedding party, is the One Selection Fits All. A piece of music of considerable length, like Pachelbel's Canon (have you ever heard it in it's entirety? It goes on and on..and on...) or Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, or anything else that can be looped, can be performed for everyone who will be proceeding. This is definitely the smoothest--albeit less exciting--way to go. If you do indeed decide to go with a single selection for the processional, I suggest the Bride wait--count to ten in your head--after the last attendant to build suspense and emphasize the fact that something different, namely the entrance of the gal in white, is about to happen.

Wedding Tip #6: Consider the size of your event space and the number of attendants before deciding on the number of music selections for the processional. If you are unsure what would work best, ask your musicians what they feel provides the best ambiance from their experience.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #5

2008-03-13T23:18:00.001-04:00

Every contractor's nightmare is the No-Show. Out of roughly five million successful weddings (or thereabouts, a mere estimate), I have only had this happen twice--both times involving violinists. What's up with violinists? Anyway, the first offense was committed by a musician I hired for a wedding at the New York Seamen's Museum by South Street Seaport.

The ensemble booked for this wedding was a classical guitar, violin & cello trio, which ended up being a duo when the violinist got stuck in Saturday afternoon traffic and completely missed the ceremony. The guitarist and I had to think on our feet and change the music around a bit, but it worked in the end, and the couple--so distracted by everything else going on around them--had not actually noticed the missing musician until I found them afterwards to explain. I planned to fall on my knees, beg their forgiveness, pray to the gods of matrimony and promise to do whatever they wished, so long as they didn't have a Hissy Fit, and please let them still pay the two of us who showed up...The bridal couple did pay us, complimenting the music, and I gave them back the violinist's portion, seeing as how she let us all down. I thanked them profusely for being so, well, cool--they were awfully good about it.

The second offense was committed by a different musician, although also a violinist. The configuration for this event was a string trio consisting of two violins + cello. The wedding was to take place at Chelsea Piers, and I emailed directions and a map to the two violinists a week before the event. The sending of the map-containing email is the salient point here, as the second violinist (we designated him second when he didn't actually show up) claimed he did not receive directions. Apparently there was another wedding going on at roughly the same time in another event space at Chelsea Piers, and he unpacked and was about to join the wrong string ensemble, like some sort of bizarre wedding-crashing ceremony musician, when it dawned on him he wasn't in the right place. Meanwhile, the first violinist (you can claim the role of first when you turn up on time) and I played the entire ceremony as a duo. We also had to play the cocktail hour. As a duo. Luckily, the *first* violinist was a great player and a had a huge sound, so the wedding party seemed to be pleased with the result, and got to keep some of their cash, owing to the fact there only being two of us to pay. Once again, I was prepared to offer them a kidney--or anything else they might need--but the bride and groom seemed unphased and praised the music nonetheless.

Wedding Tip #5: Inquire with the wedding musicians about their strategy in the event of a no-show player. If there is enough time, the musicians should be prepared to call a substitute. If there is not enough time to get a replacement, ask if they'll be able to arrange things so the show can go on, even with a player missing.

Experienced musicians should be able to pull the music together so that even the bride and groom do not notice a missing player--only the beautiful music.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #4

2008-03-12T16:17:00.001-04:00

In early December my flute quartet (that's flute, violin, viola and cello) played for a wedding in the Skylight Ballroom at the Puck Building. Downtown Manhattan, near NYU. It's a cool loft space, and the wedding couple's event team had put together a chic look of high tables with bar stools, various sized ottomans which seemed to work equally as tables and chairs and millions of candles. Designers probably have a name for this like "posh" or similar.

What the event team had not incorporated into their look was the four chairs the quartet required for performance. They were not told about it, they said. They couldn't help, they said. Alrighty. We needed to be playing in roughly ten minutes, so something had to be done and fast. The ottomans were too low to the ground (absurdly designed for hobbits) and the bar stools were far too high, especially for playing cello. I heard some talk of sawing off the legs of a few bar stools and decided to find building maintenance to see if they could produce four folding chairs. I mean, the Puck Building is a big place. You can't tell me there aren't four chairs hanging around there somewhere.

The front desk was equally unhelpful, sighting that those renting the space should provide chairs. They couldn't part with four chairs under any condition. I begged; I pleaded. The Lord of the Chairs finally gave in and told me I could take one of their desk chairs to the ballroom. That's all they had to give. I wheeled my treasure into the elevator and up we went. At least there would be one normal-sized chair for me (playing cello) and if all else failed, which seemed very likely at this point, the others could stand and play.

By the time I pushed and shoved the desk chair to our set-up area, the other musicians had arrived, and I had the ghastly task of explaining to them there were no chairs. It wasn't my fault, I said. Would they be okay...standing? The flutist suggested they just haul over three stools and blend in with the rest of the decor. They were okay sitting on bar stools. Thank the Lord! We proceeded to play the event sitting on one desk chair (with rollers--very hard to control while playing cello) and three very tall stools.

Wedding Tip #4: Don't forget to arrange for the correct number and size (!) chairs the musicians may need for performance purposes. In addition, most musicians require chairs without arms.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tip #3

2008-03-11T14:19:00.001-04:00

Several weeks ago I flew to North Carolina to play for a wedding of a family friend. As it happens, an old high school pal of mine from the North Carolina School of the Arts recently moved back to Charlotte, so we were able to collaborate for this event as a classical guitar and cello duo. The wedding was a nice church affair, complete with the usual attendants and two flower girls. Two young flower girls. Remember that point, for it quickly became significant at this particular wedding.

When we arrived at the church for set-up, the flowers stood out as their beauty radiated from the altar--calla lilies both large and mini--kudos to their florist! All seemed to proceed in a normal manner at the opening of the ceremony, however it quickly became clear that Flower Girl No.1 planned to make an exhibition of herself in a rather public way. She giggled. She moaned. She cried. She took off her shoes and threw them at the nearest guests. The officiant decided to treat this side-show with a good amount of disregard and a side order of denial, and the family followed suit. Result: no one did anything about it, and she continued with the distracting behavior until the finish.

What does this have to do with wedding music, you ask? Here's the connecting fiber: as the guitarist and I were about to play a soft rendition of "The Gift of Love" for the lighting of the unity candle, Flower Girl No.1 decided to loose off a new round of moans and wails, so that I seriously doubt anyone actually heard a note we were playing. Obviously, no one was prepared for the spectacular showcase of Flower Girl No.1---paralysis seemed to take hold during her extravaganza.

Wedding Tip #3: Designate a close friend or family member to be responsible for retrieving errant children if things take a turn towards the chaotic during the ceremony.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com

Wedding Music Tips #1 and #2

2008-03-09T19:17:00.001-04:00

Yesterday my string quartet played a wedding at Our Lady of the Rosary in downtown Manhattan. It was, as you know if you were in the vicinity of New York, extremely rainy and windy. The kind of day you want to crawl into bed and not come out until Monday morning. However. We had a wedding to play and so forward we marched.

The four of us duly arrived at the church where there seemed to be some confusion about the placement of the string quartet. The priest said we were expected to play from the balcony--however, there was no way we would be able to see the proceedings and take cues from that vantage point. Bird's-eye view may work well for hawks but is not always the best set-up for a string quartet. After moving a few floral arrangements, we were able to squeeze into the left side of the altar, a much better arrangement for accurately judging the timing of things.

The wedding began on time (hurrah!) but with a very long homily and communion for all 100 guests, we ran overtime. I proceeded to ask for overtime payment for the string quartet, and the wedding couple were thankfully prepared for such exigencies.

The rain had stopped for this wedding couple by the time they were exiting as Man and Wife, and it truly was a beautiful ceremony. Being a very young couple indeed, their friends hooted and hollared as they left the church. I imagine they were in for a raucous time at the reception.

Wedding Tip #1: Discuss beforehand the placement of the ensemble if you have a preference, or leave the decision to the musicians to determine the best view point.

Wedding Tip #2: Discuss (if not stated in the contract, which is preferable) overtime payment before the event--so everyone is on the same page--if in fact things become longish.

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com