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 others you have performed for in the past?
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 ceremony 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 consists of four instruments. There are two violins, one viola, and one cello. Each instrument has its own distinct part to play within the ensemble. The string quartet is likely the most classic string ensemble that has ever existed. The string quartet ensemble provides a full and rich sound, where each individual instrument complements the sound of all the others.
2. Are you available on the date of my event? To find out if we are available on the date of your event, you may Contact Us via phone or email. Fridays and Saturdays fill up very rapidly, and most people reserve us at least one year in advance. If you are interested, seek more information today to check our availability!
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 can even throw in some tangos, jazz, and contemporary music! For a list of our music library as well as the most popular pieces of music that our clients request us to perform, take a look at 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 do! We are very rare in the fact that we do travel throughout the entire state of 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. From Appleton to Ashland, Minocqua to Milwaukee, or Wisconsin Rapids to Wisconsin Dells, chances are that we've performed in your area at one time or another!
6. Can I listen to your string quartet before I reserve you? Yes you can! People love 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 others you have performed for in the past? Of course! We know that it is important to you to know that others have enjoyed our music and our professionalism in the past. Be sure to read what others have said about The Wisconsin String Quartet on our Testimonials page. If you would like to email or speak directly with someone who we have performed for in the past, that is something we can help you with too. Contact Us for references you can contact.
8. What is your typical fee for a wedding ceremony? For a wedding ceremony, our average fee is $950. Our fee could be higher or lower for your event, depending on location. Contact Us for a personalized quote.
Our fee includes all of the following services: we will perform about 15 minutes of elegant background music before your ceremony begins, we will perform the music during your wedding ceremony itself (including 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), and we will perform another 15 minutes of beautiful background music after your ceremony has concluded.
We do not charge extra to accompany other musicians in your wedding such as a vocalist, we do not charge extra for the time we spend consulting with you to plan your wedding ceremony music, and we do not charge extra to learn new music that you may request us to play for your wedding. For outdoor weddings where it may be harder to hear us, we'll even bring our own microphone and amplifier for no extra charge.
9. Do you have reduced rates if I hire you to play for more than just my ceremony? Of course! Most people want us to perform not only the wedding ceremony music, but also elegant background music for the wedding reception during cocktails and dinner, because each additional hour after the ceremony is only $250. Contact Us for a personalized quote.
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 $950. 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? For a personalized quote and to check our availability, you may Contact Us via phone or email. Our Fridays and Saturdays fill up very quickly, and most people reserve us at least one year or more in advance. If you are interested, seek more information today for the best chance of availability!
12. How do I reserve The Wisconsin String Quartet? Due to the intense demand for our string quartet, a deposit is required to guarantee our availability for your event. In fact, since most people book us one year or more in advance, it is crucial that you reserve us in advance if you want a guarantee that we will be available for your special day. To reserve The Wisconsin String Quartet for your event, a non-refundable deposit of only $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 Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express credit card, as well as e-checks from your checking account.
Please make your deposit and balance payable to the order of Dale Carlson, the Performance Coordinator for The Wisconsin String Quartet. A contract will be given to you after your deposit is received, so you will know exactly what to expect from us.
13. Do I get a contract after I reserve you? Of course! 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. This contract informs you which services you are hiring us for, as well as other important details, such as when and where we will be performing for you.
14. Can I make my deposit or pay my balance online? Yes you can! In order to be as flexible as possible, we are happy to offer you the ability to pay online. This is the fastest way for you to put down your deposit to reserve us for your event or to pay your balance. You can pay with e-checks from your checking account, or you can use your Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express credit card when you Reserve Us Online with PayPal.
15. Can you give me music suggestions for my wedding ceremony? Of course! 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 start getting some ideas, and you can even listen to 15 songs people frequently request 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 email or 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 to perform this music.
17. Do you attend wedding ceremony rehearsals? Due to our extremely busy schedules, we cannot attend wedding ceremony 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 typically arrive a half hour before we begin performing at your event so we can verify our cues for when we play in relation to the various parts of your event, so everything goes off without a hitch!
18. Do you play for outdoor weddings? Yes we do! Many musicians refuse to perform outdoors, due to potential problems with the weather. We are rare in that we DO perform for outdoor events. However, our valuable instruments are very sensitive and easily damaged by moisture and sunlight, so we have to take some precautions. Even if the weather is nice, we request to have a canopy or a large shade tree above us so there is something to protect our instruments from the sun. If it is misty or rainy, we need to be in a fully-enclosed area that has both a ceiling and walls, so no moisture can come in contact with our instruments. For planning purposes, the space that our group takes up is about an eight by eight square feet area.
19. Does your string quartet need anything special for your performances? We always need four armless chairs and four music stands. If your event location does not have music stands, we can bring our own folding stands. Our sound carries very well in churches and banquet halls, but can be a challenge outdoors. If your outdoor event is not very large or spread out, it should not be a problem hearing us. However, if you need our sound to be amplified at your outdoor event, you can set up a microphone and speakers. If that is not available, we can bring our own microphone and amplifier, as long as there is a power source nearby.
20. Do you play traditional Catholic wedding mass music? Due to the fact that this music has many abrupt starts and stops, it can be very difficult and complicated for a string quartet to coordinate. There is also singing involved with traditional Catholic wedding mass music, which is another reason that we do not perform it. If you are having a traditional Catholic wedding, we recommend you have the music director at your church play this particular music for your ceremony. As always, we are happy to perform music for the entrance of the parents, grandparents, wedding party and bride, during the unity candle, sign of peace, preparation of the gifts, communion, when the bride and groom walk out of the church, as well as about 15 minutes of beautiful background music before and after your ceremony.
21. Can you accompany the vocalist at my wedding? Sure! We're asked to accompany vocalists for weddings all the time, and we are happy to do so. However, we do need to have the sheet music that the vocalist will be using no later than one month before the wedding, so we can prepare to play it. We typically arrive an extra half hour early so we can practice the music with the vocalist before the wedding begins.
22. Do you charge extra to accompany a vocalist? No, we never charge extra to accompany a vocalist or to play any special music that we don't normally perform. We try to keep things simple for you, so you're not surprised by any extra fees!
23. Can you perform special musical requests that aren't listed on your website? Sure, we are happy to perform special musical requests that you may have. If we don't own the sheet music for the song you are requesting, we ask you to either purchase the sheet music and mail it to us one month prior to your event so we can rehearse it for your event, otherwise we can find and order the sheet music for you and add the cost to your total. We realize that there are lots of great songs out there that may be special to you, so we're happy to incorporate them into our performance for you!
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 elegant touch to your event. A string trio contains three instruments, and our average fee is $800 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.
Our beautiful string music will add a touch of class to your event, no matter which size group you use!
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, unless you would like to.
26. I have other questions not listed here. How do I contact you for more information? You are welcome to Contact Us via telephone or email. You will receive a prompt response, usually within 24 hours.
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