This outdoor wedding on a hot hot day was definitely a scorcher! But, it was beautiful despite the heat. The heat and humidity is not ideal for stringed instruments, so we accommodated with playing on instruments that were more appropriate for the weather. For instance: Our cellist for the day, Graeme Richmond, played on a carbon fiber cello. Carbon Fiber material is less finicky in humidity than wood. We also had lots of shade to sit under, which we definitely needed. Stringed instruments are instruments that need to be taken care of appropriately, so at outdoor weddings we need to think even more about our surroundings. EX: sun and rain. We always ask for covering and/or shade in our contract.
For selections: We played some Mozart String Quartet selections without a second violinist, traditional classics, 'When I Say I Do' with a vocalist, some Jazz classics, and even a Disney tune ('I See the Light' from Tangled). We prepared with a rehearsal of our own, went to the wedding rehearsal to nail timings, and then performed at the wedding. So a lot of work went into making this big day a success.
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Today Charmante String Quartet played at a beautiful indoor wedding located in downtown Grand Rapids at Luna Loft. What a great space! With two members of the String Quartet gone for the summer we had Hannah and Holly join us. It was a wonderful event. I arranged some music for this wedding and we played a mix of classical and pop pieces for the ceremony. Blessings to the bride & groom! This past Friday The Charmante String 'Duet' performed at a wedding in Holland, MI by Lake Macatawa. Central Park Chapel was the setting of the ceremony. The chapel was built in 1903 and the construction of the building was led by Dr. John Otte, a Hope College graduate himself. It was a beautiful setting and an interesting spot with some history. Madalyn and Larissa rehearsed at Hope College and also had a chance to record a small video for the website! We hope you enjoy it. The Charmante String Quartet
On Thursday, December 3rd The Charmante String Quartet had the honor of performing for the grand opening of the new LifeCircles PACE facility in Holland, Michigan. This facility is a Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly. The mural behind us greets visitors at the entrance to the building and showcases some iconic parts of Holland, Michigan. We had a great time performing some Christmas music and Classical hits.
Thank you to LifeCircles of Holland for inviting us & allowing us to bring some music to your event! The Charmante String Quartet Hello everyone! This week Charmante has seen a big & exciting makeover which not only includes our website design but in the members & makeup of the quartet itself. With three original members departing the state for new & exciting adventures we now introduce 3 brand new musicians to the group: Madalyn Navis, Claire Schaar, & Adam Krahn. This week we were able to have the wonderful Cassidy Kessel take some photographs of our group for the website. She did a fabulous job & we are so grateful for her time and talents. I am excited as we begin our new journey as a group together. Here's to more wedding and performance adventures! Larissa & The Charmante String Quartet P.S. Enjoy some of our funny shots from this weekend Over Memorial Day Weekend the Charmante String Quartet was able to provide music for a beautiful outdoor wedding held at the YMCA Outdoor Center in Augusta, Michigan. The quartet consisted of: Larissa Fall, violin Madalyn Navis, violin Claire Schaar, viola and Jacob Bonnema, cello Pictured below, the outdoor chapel at the center overlooked a clear blue lake and provided pew seating for the guests. With sunny skies and temps in the 70s the setting was beautiful and our instruments were able to brave the elements without fear of rain or inclement weather. The music we provided for the ceremony was some of our standard traditional music and consisted of the following: Seating of Guests Air on G String-Bach Arrival of the Queen of Sheba Vivaldi Four Seasons (Spring) Water Music Handel Seating of Parents Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring Bridal Party/Entrance of Groom Canon in D Bride Entrance Bridal March Sand Pouring Ceremony Air on G String-Bach Exit as Mr. & Mrs. Wedding March, Mendelssohn Due to the generous kindness of the bride and groom’s families the quartet was able to attend the dinner after the rehearsal the day before the wedding. This rehearsal dinner was held at the Kellogg Manor House which is now owned by Michigan State University. The estate, built in 1926, belonged to the creator of Kellogg’s Cereal and overlooks Gull Lake. After playing a few of our pieces for the guests in the dinning hall we were able to explore the grounds a bit. This wedding was quite an experience for our group. And I am continually amazed at the level of talent each member has alongside of their musical abilities. Our cellist, Jacob drove all the way up from Chicago where he currently works as a registered nurse at the University of Chicago. I shuttled Claire back and forth from the Van Andel Institute in Downtown Grand Rapids where she is currently doing research on worms and their mitochondrial/cytoplasmic genetic information and its effect on lifespan. And Madalyn is in the process of providing and learning the violin pit music for the Hope Summer Repertory Theater’s production of Les Misérables. What a group! So thankful that I am able to team up with such talented, creative, kind, and interesting people while also being apart of a couples initiation into a lifelong journey as a team. What a blessing. Ciao, Larissa |
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AuthorLarissa Fall: Archives
July 2018
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