• What do you wear to gigs?

We wear all black, formal attire to gigs.

• Do you need anything provided at the venue?

All we require at gigs are chairs (without arms), a decent amount of space to set up, decent lighting, and if playing outdoors we require a fully covered area (i.e. a fully-covered patio, or a small tent). For the sake of our instruments, we cannot be exposed to precipitation or direct sunlight (direct sun can do permanent damage to the instruments’ varnish, and puts our strings out of tune!)

• How can we book you?

To book us, all we would need to know is: the date and location of your event, the start time of your ceremony/event, and whether you would like to hire us as a quartet (or trio, or duo, etc). We would then prepare and send over a copy of our booking agreement for you to complete and sign, and return to us, along with a non-refundable deposit. The balance would then be due on the date of the event.

• How much is the deposit?

The actual deposit amount depends on a couple of things: whether you are hiring us as a quartet, or trio, etc; if we are playing only for a wedding ceremony, or ceremony plus reception, etc.; and also if there is any significant travel involved.

• Do we get to choose the music for our ceremony?

Yes, of course- that’s the fun part! For wedding ceremony music: after we have received your deposit, and confirmed your booking, we would be asking you to choose which pieces you would like us to play for: the wedding party entrance, bride’s entrance, signing of the register, and wedding party exit. (Also, any other spots during the ceremony, such as candle lighting, or communion, etc). We will choose the prelude music from our repertoire- since the time needed beforehand can vary a great deal (i.e. if the ceremony starts late), we like to be flexible for that. Our complete repertoire is listed on our website, as well as some samples of us playing.

• Do you play for events other than weddings?

Absolutely! We’ve done corporate receptions, Christmas parties, anniversaries, birthdays, memorials, gallery openings… We would be happy to give you a quote for your special event.

• Do you take special requests?

We are happy to take a special request for a song/piece that is not already in our repertoire, provided that we are able to locate the sheet music, or are able to make an arrangement of the music in a reasonable amount of time prior to the event. (We are totally open to your ideas, and have played everything from AC/DC to Enya)… Please give us at least a few weeks’ notice if requesting a special song for your event. Please note also that a special request will usually incur extra costs for which the client will be responsible- i.e. our cost of purchasing sheet music especially for an event, and/or for the time and labour involved in creating an arrangement (if time permits). We will do our best to accommodate a special request, as long as we are able to locate (or arrange) something playable by our ensemble.

• If you are looking for the ultimate special gift, our cellist/composer-in-residence (who is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre) is available to compose works especially for an event. If you are interested in commissioning a new piece of music, please contact us for more information. Please be advised that special commissions would require significant advance notice, generally at least 6 months. For an idea of commissioning rates, please see the Canadian League of Composers’ commissioning guidelines.

• Can you accompany my friend/relative singing?

Yes, within reason, we’re happy to accommodate. If it’s one song, and we are able to locate sheet music playable by our ensemble, we have certainly done this before. Usually this would involve a quick run-through of the music at/near the venue, a few minutes before we begin playing the prelude music. If it requires significant rehearsal time beyond a quick run-through at the venue on the date of the event, please note that this would likely involve extra cost for our time/availability. (We also have a wonderful professional singer/colleague who is available to sing with our ensemble for wedding ceremonies & receptions).

• Do you ever play for events outside the Lower Mainland (B.C.)?

We are centrally located in the Vancouver area; however, we have played many gigs outside of the Lower Mainland (including Whistler, Tofino, the Sunshine Coast, Chilliwack)… Gigs outside a reasonable radius of Vancouver may be arranged with inquiry, and will include a fair travel fee.

• Can you attend my wedding rehearsal?

We do not attend wedding rehearsals— however, if absolutely necessary to have us at a rehearsal, please specify this at the time of booking, and please note that there would be an additional charge for our time and travel. We’ve played at dozens of weddings, both religious and civil ceremonies, and are pretty familiar with most ceremony formats. We always ask for a copy of the programme/order of service (if available), as well as a contact person (wedding planner, commissioner, priest, member of the wedding party, etc.), just in case we have any questions at all regarding our set-up, cues, etc. for the date of the event.

• Do you offer any discounts?

We do our very best to provide excellent quality service at extremely reasonable rates. Our rates are based on our many years (lifetime) of musical training and education (we all have university degree(s) in music), plus our professional experience, as well as the preparation work/time, and other costs involved for us– upkeep of instruments, preparation of music, travel & parking expenses, time spent consulting with clients, etc.  (We appreciate having our work treated with the same respect you would give any professional’s work in another field, and as such our rates are not negotiable– please don’t ask!)

• Can I watch your quartet perform somewhere?

Our quartet currently performs for private events only, but as individuals, we perform regularly with many of the regional orchestras around BC. We hope to add some video clips to our website in the near future so you can watch us play!

• If you have any questions at all, or would like some advice on selecting music for your special event, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!