Melodie - from Orfeus ed Euridice, Gluck arr. Vaughan Jones
Hiring a string quartet? Getting value for money
The next few blog entries are going to be a series of articles about various ways of keeping costs within budget and also gaining the maximum impact from hiring a professional string quartet for a wedding.
Overall, if clients are looking for quality, the cost of a string quartet can be a significant chunk of a wedding [...]
Wedding at Wivenhoe House
On Saturday we had quite a long drive to go and play at Wivenhoe House Hotel near Colchester in Essex. The hotel itself is an 18th century building which is within the grounds of Essex University, and it used to be the headquarters of the SAS!
Despite the patch of variable weather we’ve had over the last [...]
Wedding at the Swiss Gardens
On Friday we returned once more to the Swiss Gardens at Old Warden in Bedfordshire to play for a wedding. Whereas our concert in June was for a full string quartet, this time we played as a string duo. In many ways, the little rustic cottage on the hill where the weddings take place is [...]
Which classical pieces to choose for a wedding ceremony?
Very often clients book us for weddings and functions with a clear idea of what they’d like playing. Many people enjoy spending hours looking through the repertoire choices on our playlist page and constructing lists of favourite pieces, including the order in which they’d like them played on the day. There are other couples who give [...]
Wedding Recitals
So often when we’re hired to perform at weddings and partnership ceremonies, we are asked to supply background music whilst guests mingle or during photographs.
Yesterday we were asked for something a little bit different - a small recital (with pieces chosen by the couple) as part of the days proceedings. As there were approximately 30 [...]
Music for University Graduation Ceremonies
One of our most rewarding regular engagements is playing for a series of graduation ceremonies at Oxford and this is the third year in which we have been invited to provide music. As we’re usually booked for a whole block of playing work over several days, we give a special ‘tied rate’ to the University so that it’s [...]
Wedding at Highgate House
This Saturday we were pleased once again to return to Highgate House - a wedding venue very near to Northampton where we play several times a year.
Although we’ve played many times at Highgate as a full string quartet, this particular wedding was a more intimate gathering of around 70 guests and a string duo was [...]
Classical Concert at the Swiss Gardens
Last night we were very privileged to return to give another open air concert in the Swiss Gardens in Bedfordshire. Although we play for quite a few weddings in the Swiss Gardens, we particularly look forward to giving these evening recitals as the audiences are always really lovely and it’s wonderful to be playing in such beautiful [...]
The Bells of St Giles
String players are accustomed to looking after extremely old, valuable instruments - and with some members of the Manor House String Quartet owning violins, violas or cellos that are centuries old, we’re all extremely conscious of how carefully they need to be treated if these instruments are to survive and play music for generations to come. Talking to [...]
