Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio Wedding Ceremony Music at Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs

It was so lovely to be a part of this gorgeous August wedding ceremony at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs. The combination of the red rocks, the sunset, and the wildfire smoke turned the ceremony location into a pastel watercolor with delicate shades of pinks and blues.

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From the Bride:

“Christen and her team were nothing short of amazing! Leading up to my wedding, we were in constant contact and had so much fun with our love of music. I would bounce ideas off of her and she would get back to me almost instantaneously. She is so much fun to work with and is an amazing musician. Alex and Anna accompanied her and they were so talented as well. She was able to organize playing several really special songs for my wedding. Not only amazing musicians but also so very kind. “

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Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

The combination of the flute, guitar and cello is just perfect because I can imitate vocals on my flute, the guitar replaces the guitar or piano part with full chords, and the cello fills out the bass. With three very different sounding instruments, this ensemble has an elegant and full sound.

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

The songs that the bride selected beautifully complimented the setting. We played restful selections by Jim Brickman, "Have I Told You Lately” (Rod Stewart), “Shallow” (Lady Gaga), and “Stand by Me” (Ben King).

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Wedding Ceremony Music:
Butterfly Waltz from Twilight - Flower Girl
Butterflies (Kacey Musgraves) - Bride
Here Comes the Sun (Beatles) - Recessional

Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Garden of the Gods Resort
Wedding Planner: A Touch of Bliss
Photographer: Katie Corinne Photography - Thank you for these lovely photos!
Ceremony Music: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio
Officiant: Writing With Love by Dana

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

The Boulder Cello Project

I have been a member of the Boulder Cello Project almost since its inception in June 2012, and I think this group is doing great things and want to share a little about it.

What is the Boulder Cello Project? The Boulder Cello Project is a group of beginning through advanced cellists who meet once a month to learn about the cello and make music together. In addition to their monthly meetings, members can attend classes led by local experts on specific subjects of interest related to the cello. The group also gives back to the community and gains performing experience by doing regular concerts at retirement communities.

What to Expect The Boulder Cello Project is a friendly and supportive group and no audition is needed to join. When you come to a meet-up, you can expect to meet cellists and eat snacks during our optional socializing time, then play lots of cello music during our organized play-in sessions. The group consists of over 60 members, and typically about 15-30 attend each play-in. The music we play is written by local and national composers who collaborate with us to provide a wide range of parts of varying difficulty so there is something that everyone will enjoy playing.

How to Join Joining the Boulder Cello Project is free, but donations are encouraged to assist in keeping up with expenses and maintaining the quality of the meetups. You can learn more about the Boulder Cello Project and join the group on the The Boulder Cello Project Meetup Page or the Boulder Cello Project Website.

Boulder Cello Project Holiday Recital at the Academy Retirement Community

My New Jay Haide Cello from Eggen’s Violin Shop

I recently bought a new cello from Eggen’s Violin Shop in Denver, and not only do I love my new cello, but I had a wonderful experience buying the cello. I previously played on a student level cello, and wanted to upgrade to a much better model. With the recommendation of my teacher, I tried out a number of cellos at Rock T. Eggen Violins in Denver. When I purchased my first cello in North Carolina, the instrument selection was very limited, but at Eggen’s I was happy to be able to try out a number of cellos within my price range. I was surprised that unlike with the flute, each instrument had a distinctly unique timbre that even an untrained ear could easily tell apart. Because of this, it was not difficult to choose the instrument I liked best – a Jay Haide L’Ancienne Ruggieri model. This model has a wide body, beautiful finish and a full and resonant sound that fills a room.

I want to thank Rock Eggen for a great buying experience. He was very accommodating, friendly, and patiently answered my many questions. After I brought home and tried out my cello of choice for a week, I brought it back and Rock spent over an hour making various adjustments and letting me try several brands of strings. The end result was just what I wanted – a sweet upper register and a full and smooth lower register. My new cello is a huge upgrade from my previous cello and I’m looking forward to this upcoming orchestra season.

And in case you were wondering, I didn’t tell Rock Eggen I’m writing this.

Announcing New Event and Wedding Music Samples

I have recently completed several recording sessions with Brian Hunter at Swallow Hill in Denver, Colorado. This music is now available for you to listen to on my website (see below for links). There are new music samples of solo flute, flute and piano, and flute and cello.

You are probably very familiar with the sounds of the piano or orchestra, but do you know what flute sounds like all by itself? Take that a step further and imagine flute combined with cello, harp or other instruments. The blending of two different sounding instruments makes a new unique sound, which sometimes even sounds like an entirely different instrument. I hope you enjoy the variety of music samples on my website.