Solo Flute Wedding Ceremony Music in Vail

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I traveled up to Vail on this hot summer day to play solo flute for a wedding ceremony on the beautiful Vail Wedding Deck. The hot sun shone down on me and I wished I brought sunscreen, but there was nice cool breeze. The guests began to arrive 45 minutes before the ceremony, and since I was set up already, I began playing early to give them lovely music to walk in to. The bride requested that I play jazz and popular music so I put together a song list that I thought the guests would enjoy.

Sample Prelude Music:
Annie's Song (John Denver), Don't Stop Belivin' (Journey), Longer (Dan Fogelberg), Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis), Blackbird (Beatles), Autumn Leaves

Processional Music:
Wedding Party ~ Entr'acte (Bizet)
Bride ~ Canon in D (Pachelbel)
Recessional ~ Prelude from Te Deum (Charpentier)
Postlude ~ Hornpipe (Purcell)

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Flute Trio Wedding Ceremony Music at the Cordillera Lodge in Vail

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Our flute trio (flute, viola, cello) played for this elegant wedding ceremony at Cordillera Lodge in Edwards, Colorado recently. The weather turned out perfectly with lots of lovely sunshine and a cool breeze that felt wonderful. The bride chose contemporary and popular music for her prelude, and I arranged "Reign of Love" for our trio to play as she walked down the aisle. The young flower girl was brought down in a flower covered wagon which was a brilliant idea and very sweet.

Prelude Music:
Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan), At Last (Etta James), Over the Rainbow, Romantic Flight from How to Train Your Dragon, Such Great Heights (Postal Service)

Ceremony Music:
Processional ~ A Thousand Years (Christina Perri)
Bride ~ Reign of Love (Coldplay)
Recessional ~ Yellow (Coldplay)

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Solo Flute Wedding Ceremony Music and Dinner Music in Denver

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This hot day began with a beautiful cool morning, perfect for an intimate wedding ceremony at the War Memorial Rose Garden in Littleton, Colorado. This picturesque gem is located near downtown Littleton and across the street from beautiful Sterne Park. The roses were just beginning to reach peak bloom and their scent filled the air with a sweet, nostalgic perfume. As a former music major, the groom had many ideas for his music selections and I incorporated them into the prelude, postlude, and dinner music. As guests began to arrive, I played a prelude of classical and traditional Irish music on solo flute. The wedding ceremony was very simple with only immediate family and friends attending. After the wedding ceremony, I played for fifteen more minutes as the wedding party and family were photographed.

Selected Wedding Prelude Music:
Aylesford Gavotte (Handel), Pastorale (Vivaldi), Star of the County Down (traditional Irish), Banish Misfortune (traditional Irish), Shebeg and Sheemore (traditional Irish), Berceuse (Faure), The Butterfly (traditional Irish), Largo from the New World Symphony, Theme from Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov), Waltz (Brahms)

Dinner was held at Maggiano's which is the couple's favorite restaurant. I began by playing some classical and Irish tunes and then switched to show, jazz, movie, and popular music. The groom made a special request that my last song be "Feeling Good", and I really enjoyed learning that wonderful classic song. The guests enjoyed drinks and appetizers while I played and when I finished, dinner was served. I was invited to join everyone for dinner and particularly enjoyed the pork and mashed potatoes and one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had.

Wedding Ceremony Music:
Wedding Party and Bride ~ Chorale from Cantata No. 140 (JS Bach) Recessional ~ Prelude from Te Deum (Marc-Antoine Charpentier)

Selected Dinner Music:
Salut D' Amour (Elgar), Vocalise (Rachmaninoff), Irish Traditional music, Entr'acte from Carmen (Bizet), The Ludlows from Legends of the Fall, What a Wonderful World, Isn't it Romantic?, Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific, (Everything I Do), I Do it For You from Robin Hood, The Way You Look Tonight, As Time Goes By from Casablanca, Cheek to Cheek, Feeling Good from The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd

Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Venue: War Memorial Rose Garden in Littleton
Dinner Venue: Maggiano's in Englewood
Wedding Ceremony and Reception Musician: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - Solo Flute

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Announcing New Flute Quartet Wedding Ceremony Music Samples

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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

Music Ideas for a Small Wedding Ceremony

When planning a small wedding ceremony, it's important that the music you choose will reflect the intimate feel of the gathering of your closest family and friends. A soloist is perfect for a very small wedding ceremony, and a duo or trio works well with a slightly larger ceremony. A general rule of thumb is to hire at least one musician per 50 guests. If you are having a very small wedding ceremony, you may want to hire a soloist. My specialty is the flute, and I often play solo flute for wedding ceremonies and cocktail hours. Solo flute, along with other single-note instruments, sounds great playing classical music but can also play any genre of music as long as the songs have a distinct melody. The sweet and rich sound of solo flute carries well and is easily heard outdoors, but is especially full and resonant in indoor spaces such as inside a church sanctuary. When I play solo flute for wedding ceremonies, I will often play classical music for the ceremony and then transition to more contemporary and jazz selections for the cocktail hour or reception.

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If you are planning to invite more than 50 guests or if the guests will be spread apart over a large area outdoors, I recommend hiring a duo or trio. Both our flute and violin duo and our flute and cello duo give a personal and intimate feel to a small wedding ceremony and have a fuller sound than a soloist. Both of these duos sound wonderful with classical music but many contemporary songs can also be arranged to be performed by these duos.

If you want to hear mostly contemporary music at your wedding, a flute and guitar duo is the perfect choice. This duo retains a feeling of simplicity both visually and tonally, but has the most full sound of the three duos because the guitar can play several notes at once. This duo is very versatile and sounds great playing classical, popular, rock and jazz music. We often amplify this ensemble so that the guitar can be heard well.

A trio is also a great option for a small wedding ceremony. Trios sound much fuller than duos, but still provide an intimate feel. Take a look at the flute trio that we offer.

Whatever music you choose for your small wedding ceremony, the most important thing is to be true to yourself and your vision. If you don't know what ensemble to choose, communicate your thoughts to your local wedding music professional and they will help you choose the perfect ensemble to meet your needs.

Photos Courtesy of Grace Combs Photography

Solo Flute Memorial Reception Music in Cherry Hills Village

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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).