A Charming Wedding Celebration at the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado: Violin and Cello

Working with Hazel and Boone on their wedding music was definitely one of the highlights of my year! Hazel had such an inspiring and romantic vision for her wedding day, and we were excited to help bring her dream to life with our music!

The wedding took place at the charming Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado. The house is a beautifully restored Victorian situated on a lush, green property. Large, old shade trees dot the lawn, and gardens are in abundance. The garden party dress code fit the setting perfectly, and added to the floral and summery effect of the setting.

 

Violin and Cello Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music at the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado, Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Photo by Cedar Mountain Photography

Our violin and cello duo set the mood as guests arrived with light favorites such as Concerning Hobbits, Over the Rainbow, What a Wonderful World, La Vie En Rose, and Can You Feel the Love Tonight. Once guests were seated, the ceremony was delayed for 20 minutes, and we continued to entertain our appreciative audience in the same style. We always plan extra music as a buffer, and the guests quietly listened to us and clapped, like it was a mini-concert!

 

Violin and Cello Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music at the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado, Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Photo by Cedar Mountain Photography

From the Bride

“Christen and her team were ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! From the professional and clear communication, to the flexibility with last minute changes, to the performance itself, they went above and beyond my expectations... my guests were in awe at the magic this small touch brought our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. Their song list is quite extensive already, but Christen happily learned two new songs (at a very small extra fee) to personalize our special moment. After the event she even surprised us with a live (very clear) recording of my walking down song which brought me to tears. Highly recommend hiring these talented musicians for your next big event or your wedding!!”

 

Violin and Cello Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music at the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado, Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Photo by Cedar Mountain Photography

Then, at the wedding planner’s cue, we launched into Storybook Love from The Princess Bride, as the family was informally seated. This was followed by the groom, who started the formal processional, leading his groomsmen, as we accompanied them with “The Ring Goes South” from The Lord of the Rings. The groom chose the most epic part, which we looped as needed, to symbolize the brotherhood as they embarked on a journey to deliver the very important ring. I arranged the song especially for our violin and cello duo for this moment, and it didn’t fail to deliver!

Then came the bridesmaids to the nostalgic Moon River, shifting the mood to a gentle and romantic feel. This prepared everyone for the entrance of the bride, which was accompanied by the rich and layered harmonies of Flightless Bird by Iron & Wine.

 

Violin and Cello Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music at the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado, Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Photo by Cedar Mountain Photography

The loving and joyful ceremony concluded with “Married Life” from Up, and as soon as guests left for group photos, we packed up and moved over to the social hour. We played a lively set list under the tree shade, and it included songs by The Beatles and other classics like Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, My Funny Valentine, and Love Me Tender. The bride also selected a few modern favorites like Perfect, Birds of a Feather, and Young and Beautiful. Our music perfectly fit the charming setting, and set the mood for the reception to follow.

 

Violin and Cello Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music at the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado, Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Photo by Cedar Mountain Photography

 

Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Tapestry House by Wedgewood Weddings
Photographer: Cedar Mountain Photography
Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens

 

Experience the Romance of Violin and Cello.

Inspire Duo Performs for "Eternal Color", Opening Night for Artist Melissa Carmon

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Watch Video:

There are times in life when our dreams really do come true, and collaborating with artist Melissa Carmon to create an immersive musical and artistic experience was one of those rare moments. Melissa Carmon is an outstanding Colorado artist, and she debuted her “Stories of Saints from Antiquity” painting series at the charming Bolt Gallery in Fort Collins. The evening was an incredible success!

From Melissa:
”What can I say, Christen is an absolute dream to work with! She is not only an incredible musician, the whole process of coordinating the event was done with the utmost professionalism and polish. I had absolute assurance that everything would be ready on time, that every detail of the performance would be looked after, and that she knew exactly what she needed for the performance to be top quality. I am an artist, and Christen and Craig (co-founders of the Inspire Duo) performed throughout the opening evening at the gallery. Rave reviews poured in throughout the evening. To have live flute lent a unique beauty to the night and paired beautifully with piano. Their creativity combined with their expertise is truly impressive. The audience was captivated. Working with them is truly a pleasure!”

Watch Videos:

If you’re an artist and interested in collaborating with Inspire Duo, contact Christen Stephens:

704-275-1855
music@christenstephens.com

 

Craig and I of Inspire Duo performed our unique in-the-moment musical improvisations for each one of Melissa’s 12 saint paintings. We rehearsed for the show in advance to get a feel for the general musical style and mood that we wanted for each painting, but our performance at the show was completely improvised.

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Watch Video:

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One by one, the paintings were projected on a screen behind the stage, and Melissa introduced each one along with the saint’s historical background and a snippet of poetry. Then we briefly explained how we planned to interpret the elements of the painting musically. The room was packed the entire evening, and the guests were able to enjoy the paintings, our music, and refreshments.

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Visitors had the opportunity to mingle around the room and socialize, or sit and watch our performance in the seating area at the front. We had both engaged listeners and people enjoying the music in the background as they socialized. The paintings themselves were inspired by live models, many of whom were able to attend that evening.

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An Evening of Art and Jazz!

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You’re Invited!

…....To an evening of color, history, music and poetry!

Mark your calendar for Friday, February 1st for a very special event featuring our very own Inspire Duo and opening night for a new series of paintings by award-winning artist, Melissa Carmon.

Melissa Carmon will be presenting her newly completed “Eternal Color - Stories of Saints from Antiquity” at the Bolt Gallery in downtown Fort Collins. Each one of Melissa’s twelve paintings will be presented along with a poem and historical background about each saint. Craig and I, of Inspire Duo, will be performing our musical interpretation of each piece!

You don’t want to miss this!

Friday, February 1st 2019
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Bolt Gallery
144 S. Mason St.
Fort Collins, CO'

RSVP: Email me at music@christenstephens.com and I’ll count you in!

 
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Inspire Duo: Art and Music

Experience art on a whole new level!

Award-winning professional flutist, Christen Stephens, and professional pianist, Dr. Craig Woodward, will perform original musical improvisations inspired by each piece in the saints series. Each saint will have a pre-planned mood, but beyond that, each song will be one-of-a-kind and created entirely in the moment. This is a unique opportunity to hear this Denver-based duo in Fort Collins!   Listen to the Inspire Duo»


 
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Eternal Color: Stories of Saints from Antiquity

This series explores a diversity of temperaments through the medium of portraiture.  One of the inspirations behind the series is the question of what really endures. Each figure's story differs vastly, but each influenced the development of western history.    Preview the Saints Series»

Flute and Cello Duo at Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Photos courtesy of Ash Meier Photography This spring, my flute and cello duo headed up to the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado to play for an elegant wedding ceremony. The charming Queen Anne style Tapestry House is a delightful wedding location. The lush green lawns are highlighted with flowers and graced with mature shade trees that are dripping with elegant twinkle lights. Everyone enjoyed the shade under the trees as our duo played a selection of classical prelude music to set an elegant mood. The bride and groom chose processional and recessional songs to complement their traditional wedding ceremony.

I first thought that the Tapestry House was a beautifully restored historical home, but upon reading the history of the home on the venue's website, I found out that I was mistaken. The house is authentic to the time period but was more recently built. This is because the original house had deteriorated so badly that it was dismantled. The owners carefully salvaged wood, brick, stone, and architectural elements from the original house and incorporated them back into the new Queen Anne Revival Victorian that now occupies the original house site. Featuring six different colors of paint, the Tapestry House is called a “Painted Lady”, which is a term that refers to homes from the late Victorian era that featured three or more contrasting colors of paint. Although the home is new it is such a remarkable reproduction of a Queen Anne Revival style Victorian home that the Poudre Landmarks Foundation has included it twice, since 2002, on its historic homes tour.

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Samples from the Prelude Music: March in D (Bach), Spring (Vivaldi), Arioso (Bach), Menuet from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach (Bach)

Wedding Ceremony Music: Air from Overture #3 in D Major (Bach) ~ Groom, bridesmaids, ringbearer, flower girl Canon in D (Pachelbel) ~ Bride La Rejouissance (Handel) ~ Recessional Hornpipe Finale (Handel) ~ Postlude

Wedding Ceremony Vendors:
Venue: Tapestry House
Photographer: Ash Meier
Musicians: Christen Stephens - Flute and Cello Duo

Add the elegance of the flute and cello to your wedding! Listen to Music Samples >

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens, Photos courtesy of Ash Meier Photography

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens, Photos courtesy of Ash Meier Photography