February 03, 2023

Violin and Cello Duo Wedding Ceremony and Dinner Music at the Vail Golf Club

February 03, 2023/ Christen Stephens

Violin and Cello Wedding Ceremony and Dinner Music at Vail Golf Club Wedding Island, in Vail, Colorado, FLute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Photo by The Cavern Photography

It was an unusually cold and rainy August day when my violin and cello duo played for a wedding ceremony and dinner at the Vail Golf Club in Vail, Colorado. The bride had fallen in love with a YouTube recording of “Speechless” by Dan + Shay. It was played by a violin and cello duo, and she wanted to walk down the aisle to that very thing, and we made it happen for her.

The ceremony took place out on the Vail Wedding Island, and we waited for the pouring rain to stop before we went out there to tune our instruments and warm up. Soon, guests began to arrive, and we played romantic classical music to set the mood before the ceremony. When we played for the wedding party, the pastor announced each person that walked down the aisle just as if it was a grand reception entrance. Everyone cheered for each person, and the loudest cheers went to the bride, of course!

During the ceremony, we played “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the Lion King for the Unity Lasso. The entire ceremony was in Spanish, and I was grateful that I knew just enough to know when it was time for the unity ceremony to begin. The traditional ceremony included a lengthy sermon, and I was glad to once again, to understand just enough Spanish to know the general idea of what the pastor was saying.

Cocktails were supposed to be outside, but the temperature was falling rapidly and it was just too cold for the guests, so cocktails were cut short and the guests moved indoors and were seated for dinner. We played elegant pop music during dinner, and I used my professional sound system to project our sound enough to be pleasantly heard but not so much that people had to raise their voices to talk.

Wedding Ceremony Music:
Canon in D (Pachelbel): Bridesmaids, Ringbearers, Flower Girls
Speechless (Dan + Shay): Bride
Can You Feel the Love Tonight from the Lion King: Unity Lasso
Wedding March (Mendelssohn): Recessional

Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Vail Golf Club
Live Music: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - Violin and Cello Duo
Photographer: The Cavern Photography
Videographer: Diego Garcia Avila

November 29, 2021

Flute and Guitar Duo Event Music at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

November 29, 2021/ Christen Stephens

Flute and Guitar Event Music at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Beaver Creek, Colorado — Flute and Guitar Event Music at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens

I enjoyed playing my flute, accompanied by my guitarist this July for the Crown Financial/Christian Economic Forum reception and banquet. The reception was held outside on the lawn by the Beaver Creek Park Hyatt, and we played a selection of jazz and pop tunes. Since everyone was traveling in from Tennessee, we included some iconic John Denver songs to give the attendees the true Colorado mountain feel.

After the reception, we played indoors for the banquet portion of the event. We played classical music as the attendees enjoyed dinner.

Enjoy Classical and Jazz Music from our Versatile Flute and Guitar Duo.

Listen to Flute and Guitar Music Samples

October 05, 2021

String Quartet Wedding Ceremony and Reception Music at the Lodge at Breckenridge

October 05, 2021/ Christen Stephens

String Quartet Wedding Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, and Reception Music at the Lodge at Breckenridge, Photo by Andrea Stark Photography

From the Groom:

“Christen and her musicians are amazing! They played recently at our July wedding in Breckenridge and the music was beautiful. She even learned a couple of specific songs that we asked for, and our guests loved the mix of contemporary songs they played during the ceremony and part of the reception. Christen was so nice and we are so thankful her and her string quartet crew were a part of our day. Highly recommend!!”

Our string quartet had a wonderful time playing music for this wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception! We played a short prelude of classical and traditional music, and then switched to upbeat contemporary music for the cocktails and reception. The “Flower Boi” played his part perfectly and made us all laugh!

As we played “Forever, and Ever, Amen” during the prelude, I heard a hint of singing from the guests. During the reception, the singing was a little louder while we played “Just the Way You Are”. I couldn’t resist, and we launched into “Take Me Home, Country Roads'“, and the whole room erupted in enthusiastic, off-key singing!

We continued playing lively contemporary music and finished with a requested encore performance of “Take Me Home, Country Roads”. There was so much energy throughout the evening, and we were enjoying playing so much, that we didn’t realize how hungry we had become. The couple had arranged for us to eat food from the buffet afterwards and it was very welcome gesture.

Wedding Ceremony Music:

Bittersweet Symphony (Verve) - Wedding Party
All of the Lights (Kayne West) (slow section) - Bride
Overjoyed (Matchbox 20) - Recessional

Wedding Vendors:

Ceremony and Reception Music: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - String Quartet
Venue: The Lodge at Breckenridge
Photography: Andrea Stark Photography - Thank you so much for these beautiful photos!

The signage at this wedding is worth highlighting - it was delightful and nerdy!

Our String Quartet is equally comfortable playing elegant classical music and rocking out on contemporary tunes!

Listen to String Quartet Music Samples

August 21, 2018

String Trio Wedding Ceremony and Reception Music at the Arrabelle in Vail

August 21, 2018/ The Arrabell at Vail Square/ Christen Stephens

String trio wedding and reception music at the Arrabelle in Vail Square

In late July, I played cello with my string trio for a classy wedding ceremony and reception at the Arrabelle in Vail. Since we played for both the ceremony and reception, we were there for about five hours, which rivals my longest performance ever! Instead of having to leave right after the ceremony, it was wonderful to have the extra time to spend playing our music and getting to know and enjoy the guests.

As we arrived, the weather was a little iffy, and it looked like it might rain. We hoped for the best and set up with our instruments on the beautiful balcony just outside the Arrabelle Great Room. The balcony overlooked the green Vail ski slopes and a part of charming Vail Village. Just as we were ready to start playing the prelude music, it began to storm, and the ceremony had to be moved indoors.

Our string trio played peaceful classical prelude music, as requested by the bride. The bride walked down the aisle to "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri, and the couple was married in front of grand fireplace in the Great Room.

Once the ceremony was over, the guests enjoyed cocktails and dinner as we played a set of modern pop and rock songs. It was fun because when we started playing each song, various guests would pay attention as they recognized their a favorite tune. The acoustics in the room worked beautifully for our trio and we didn't overpower the small room.

When there's no dancing, our live music is perfect for your entire wedding ceremony, cocktails, and reception. That way, you only need to book one group! We can start your ceremony and welcome your guests with lovely classical music and then switch to more contemporary music or lively classical music for your cocktails and reception. We can even add amplification if needed. For this couple, it was such an elegant touch to have our string trio play for the entire event, and our music created a beautiful ambiance for the entire evening.

From the Bride:
"We had an intimate wedding in Vail and Christen and her string trio team played for both our ceremony and reception. They did such a great job! Christen was so helpful and accommodating with our vision and timeline while planning the music for our day. Her website provides many great samples of music to choose from. She also worked on and added more music to her string trio repertoire in order to accommodate both our ceremony and reception. We received several compliments from guests on how much they enjoyed their music. They appreciated the elegant touch it added and the fact that they could easily converse with one another while they were playing. She was very responsive and so easy to work with. I would highly recommend her and her team for any special occasion or event! Thank you Christen!"

Experience classical and pop music with the elegance of strings for your wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception with my string trio.

Selections from Prelude Music:
Air from Water Music (Handel), Wedding Song (Peter, Paul, and Mary), Andantino (Mozart), Romanza from Eine Kline Nachtmusik (Mozart), Arioso from Cantata #156 (Bach)

Wedding Ceremony Music:
A Thousand Years (Christina Perri) - Bride's Processional
Allegro from Spring (Vivaldi) - Recessional

Dinner Reception Music (a small sample):
Moon River (from Breakfast at Tiffany's), Accidentally in Love (Counting Crows), Romantic Flight (from How to Train Your Dragon), The Wedding (from the Legends of the Fall), A Sky Full of Stars (Coldplay), Yellow (Coldplay), Anything Goes (Cole Porter), Don't Stop Believin' (Journey), Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol), Just One of Those Things (Cole Porter), Imagine (Beatles)

April 22, 2015

Announcing New Flute Quartet Wedding Ceremony Music Samples

April 22, 2015/ Christen Stephens

Our flute quartet recently recorded a number of new music samples. You can listen to the the music samples online here: Flute Quartet Music Samples. Our flute quartet consists of a flute, violin, viola, and cello and the tone of the flute wonderfully compliments the sound of the strings to create a full and rich sound. I am very excited about these recordings because after a lot of time and work, I have now completed making recordings of all ten of my music ensembles! Photo courtesy of Kern Photo

December 12, 2014

Solo Flute Memorial Reception Music in Cherry Hills Village

December 12, 2014/ Christen Stephens

This past week I had the pleasure of playing solo flute for a memorial reception in Cherry Hills Village. The service was held at a beautiful private residence, and the high ceilings and openness of the house had wonderful acoustics for my flute. I played a mix of classical, jazz, and popular music and was also asked to add in a number of traditional Hawaiian tunes to honor the deceased's love of all things Hawaiian. I played about 60 different songs over the course of about three hours and it was wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

Some of the pieces I played included Romanza from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart), Waltz Op. 69 #2 (Chopin), Adagio from the Flute Quartet in D Major (Mozart), One the Wings of Song (Mendelssohn), Moon River, As Time Goes By, Fly Me to the Moon, (Everything I Do) I Do it For You, Misty, and What a Wonderful World. The Hawaiian selections included Dear Old Honolulu, Aloha 'Oe (Farewell to Thee), My Waikiki Mermaid, Halona (Beautiful Mountain), and Kawaihau (Hawaiian Rag-time).

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Enjoy Classical and Jazz Music from our Versatile Flute and Guitar Duo.

Our String Quartet is equally comfortable playing elegant classical music and rocking out on contemporary tunes!