2. Are you available on the date of my event?
3. What kind of music do you play?
4. How much experience do you have?
5. Do you travel for performances?
6. Can I listen to your string quartet before I reserve you?
7. Do you have testimonials from past clients?
8. What is your typical fee for a wedding ceremony?
9. Do you have reduced rates if I hire you to play for more than just my ceremony?
10. What is your typical fee for a banquet, cocktail party or other event?
11. How do I get a personalized quote for my event?
12. How do I reserve The Wisconsin String Quartet?
13. Do I get a contract after I reserve you?
14. Can I make my deposit or pay my balance online?
15. Can you give me music suggestions for my wedding ceremony?
16. When do I need to have my wedding ceremony music chosen?
17. Do you attend wedding rehearsals?
18. Do you play for outdoor weddings?
19. Does your string quartet need anything special for your performances?
20. Do you play traditional Catholic wedding mass music?
21. Can you accompany the vocalist at my wedding?
22. Do you charge extra to accompany a vocalist?
23. Can you perform special musical requests that aren't listed on your website?
24. I have a smaller budget. Do you have any options available besides a string quartet?
25. How should I list your group in my program?
26. I have other questions not listed here. How do I contact you for more information?
1. Which instruments are in your string quartet? Our string quartet includes two violins, one viola, and one cello. Each instrument has its own distinct role to play within the ensemble, complementing the sound of the others. The string quartet is possibly the most classic string ensemble that has ever existed.
2. Are you available on the date of my event? To check our availability, you may Contact Us via phone or email. Most clients reserve us one year or more in advance.
3. What kind of music do you play? We specialize in performing beautiful classical music by Mozart, Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Brahms, Beethoven, Handel, Bach and more. During wedding cocktail hours and dinners, we even throw in some Broadway show tunes, tangos, and contemporary music. For a list of our music library as well as the most popular pieces of music our clients ask us to perform, go to our Music Suggestions page. You can even listen to 15 of our most requested songs on our Audio Samples page.
4. How much experience do you have? Our string quartet members have performed for weddings and banquets since 1995. Some of our string quartet members began playing their respective instruments as young as age three. Our average performing experience per musician is over 20 years, and our string quartet has a combined experience of over 75 years. You can learn more about the string quartet members on our Player Biographies page.
5. Do you travel for performances? Yes. We are rare in that we travel throughout Wisconsin for performances. The Wisconsin String Quartet's members do not all live in the same area, which actually makes it easier for us to travel throughout the state.
6. Can I listen to your string quartet before I reserve you? Yes. You are welcome to listen to our 15 audio samples on our Audio Samples page. We're also happy to send you an Audio Sampler CD containing these same 15 songs if you'd like. These samples are also a great way for you to begin choosing which songs you'd like us to perform for your wedding ceremony.
7. Do you have testimonials from past clients? Yes. We realize it's important to know that others have enjoyed our music and the ease of working with us. Read what others have said about The Wisconsin String Quartet on our Testimonials page. If you would like to email a recent client, References are also available upon request.
8. What is your typical fee for a wedding ceremony? For a wedding ceremony, our average fee is $1000. Our fee could be higher or lower for your event, depending on how much travel is involved. Contact Us for a personalized quote.
Our fee includes the following services: We will perform instrumental music during your wedding ceremony, which includes a song for the entrance of the mothers and grandmothers, a song for the wedding party's processional, a song for the bride's processional, a song during the unity candle, communion or sign of peace, and a song for the recessional of the wedding party and the wedding couple. We will also perform about 15 minutes of background music before your ceremony begins, and we will perform another 15 minutes of background music after your ceremony has concluded.
We do not charge anything extra for the following services: accompanying other musicians in your wedding such as a vocalist, learning new music that you may request us to play for your wedding, and consulting with you to plan your wedding ceremony music.
9. Do you have reduced rates if I hire you to play for more than just my ceremony? Yes. Most of our clients ask us to also perform background music for their wedding reception during cocktails and dinner, because each additional hour after the wedding ceremony is only $250.
10. What is your typical fee for a banquet, cocktail party or other event? For a banquet, cocktail party or other event, our average fee for a one hour performance is $1000. Our fee could be higher or lower for your event, depending on location. Contact Us for a personalized quote. Most people want us to perform for more than just one hour, because each additional hour after the first hour is only $250.
11. How do I get a personalized quote for my event? To check our availability and get a personalized quote, Contact Us via phone or email.
12. How do I reserve The Wisconsin String Quartet? Due to the high demand for our string quartet, a deposit is required to guarantee our availability for your event. To reserve The Wisconsin String Quartet for your event, a non-refundable deposit of at least $100 is required. This deposit is not in addition to our fee; it is applied towards our fee. The balance is not due until one month prior to your event. Contact Us for information on where to send your deposit to reserve us. Forms of payment accepted include personal checks, money orders, cashier's checks, and you can also Reserve Us Online with PayPal using your credit card.
13. Do I get a contract after I reserve you? Yes. After we receive your deposit, we will mail or email you a basic one page contract, so you will know exactly what to expect from us.
14. Can I make my deposit or pay my balance online? Yes, you are welcome to pay online. This is the fastest way for you to reserve us for your event or to pay your remaining balance. You can use your credit card when you Reserve Us Online with PayPal.
15. Can you give me music suggestions for my wedding ceremony? Yes. We pride ourselves on providing specific music suggestions if you are unsure which songs you would like us to perform. Be sure to look at our Music Suggestions page to get some ideas, and you can listen to our 15 most requested songs on our Audio Samples page.
16. When do I need to have my wedding ceremony music chosen? We suggest having a music consultation two months before your wedding day. In order to help us plan ahead, we ask you to tell us your final music selections no later than one month prior to your wedding day. If you request any songs that we don't have sheet music for, we ask that you send us four copies of the sheet music (and if possible, a recording of the music) no later than one month prior to your wedding day, so we can prepare.
17. Do you attend wedding rehearsals? Due to our extremely hectic performing schedule, we are unable to attend wedding rehearsals. We will communicate with you via phone or email to organize the music and to make sure we know exactly what and when we are playing. We arrive about a half hour before we begin performing, so we can verify when we play in relation to the various parts of your event, so everything goes smoothly.
18. Do you play for outdoor weddings? Yes. Many musicians refuse to perform outdoors, due to potential problems with the weather. We are rare in that we DO perform outdoors. However, our valuable instruments are sensitive and can be damaged by moisture and excessive heat/sunlight, so we have to take some precautions. On a sunny day, we need to be under a canopy, roof overhang, or a large shade tree to keep our instruments out of the sun. On a rainy day, we need to be in an enclosed area that has both a ceiling and walls, so no moisture can come in contact with our instruments.
Our sound carries very well in churches, ballrooms, and banquet halls, but can be a challenge outdoors, due to wind and background noise. If your outdoor event is not very large or spread out, it shouldn't be a problem hearing us. Given that we are an entirely acoustic music group, our group is best suited for indoor performances; we cannot guarantee the same high level of sound quality or volume for outdoor performances.
19. Does your string quartet need anything special for your performances? Four armless chairs are all we need. We bring our own music stands.
20. Do you play traditional Catholic wedding mass music? For a mass, we are happy to perform for the processional, unity candle, sign of peace, presentation of gifts, communion and recessional (we do not perform for the traditional vocal portions; we recommend you utilize your church’s pianist or organist for those portions of the mass). For protestant and civil services, we are happy to perform for the processional, unity candle, sign of peace and recessional.
We always perform about fifteen minutes of background music before your ceremony begins, and another fifteen minutes of background music after your ceremony has concluded.
21. Can you accompany the vocalist at my wedding? Yes, with the exception of accompanying a vocalist for traditional Catholic wedding mass music, as noted in the previous question. We're asked to accompany vocalists for weddings all the time, and we are happy to do so. However, we need to have the sheet music that the vocalist will be using no later than one month before the wedding, so we can prepare. When accompanying a vocalist, we arrive an extra half hour early so we can rehearse the music with the vocalist before the wedding begins.
22. Do you charge extra to accompany a vocalist? No, we don't charge extra to accompany a vocalist.
23. Can you perform special musical requests that aren't listed on your website? Yes, we are happy to perform special musical requests. If we don't own the sheet music for the song you are requesting, we ask you to purchase the sheet music and mail it to us one month prior to your event so we can prepare.
24. I have a smaller budget. Do you have any options available besides a string quartet? Yes, we are flexible and are willing to offer additional options. The string quartet configuration will produce the richest and fullest sound, but for those with smaller budgets, a string trio or a string duo will still add a very nice touch to your event. A string trio contains three instruments, and our average fee is $825 for the first hour and only $200 for each additional hour. A string duo contains two instruments, and our average fee is $650 for the first hour and only $150 for each additional hour. Our fee could be higher or lower for your event, depending on location. Contact Us for a personalized quote.
25. How should I list your group in my wedding program? You may list us as "The Wisconsin String Quartet" in your program. It is not necessary to list the individual names of the members of our group.
26. I have other questions not listed here. How do I contact you for more information? You are welcome to Contact Us via phone or email. You will receive a prompt response, usually within 24 hours.
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