July 2009 in Review

July 3rd, 2009
Deep River County Park, Hobart Indiana
Music Selections:

• Hymne by Vangelis for seating of families
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach for the bridal party processional
• Canon in D by Pachelbel for the bride's processional
• Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke for the recessional

July 5th, 2009Center Meeting House at Morris Farms, Niles, Michigan
Music Selections:

• Arioso by Bach for seating of families
• Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach for bridal party processional
• Andiam mio tesoro (Anonymous) for bride's processional
• Reverie by Grandjany for the unity candle lighting
• Spring (First Movement) from "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi for the recessional

July 11th, 2009
Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Mishawaka, Indiana
Music Selections included:

• Hymne by Vangelis as the processional
• Love Divine All Love's Excelling (congregational hymn)
• Prelude in C by Bach
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach
• Arioso by Bach
• Canon in D by Pachelbel
• Trumpet Tune by Purcell
• Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke as the recessional

July 11th, 2009

Narnia Estate, Lemont, Illinois

Music Selections:

• Aria from "Rinaldo" by Handel for the bride's processional
• Hymne by Vangelis for the sand ceremony
• Wedding March by Mendellssohn for the recessional

July 17th, 2009
Holy Family Catholic Church, Chicago, Illinois
Music Selections:

• Canon in D by Pachelbel (Harp & Violin duet) for the processional
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach for the unity candle
• Panis Angelicus by Franck for the offertory
• Lady of Knock (Violin & Piano duet) for the rose ceremony
• Bagpipes for the recessional

July 18th, 2009
Oliver Mansion Gardens, South Bend, Indiana
Music Selections:

• All I Ask of You from "Phantom of the Opera" by Webber for the seating of families
• Romance without Words by Godefroid for the bridal party processional
• Hymne by Vangelis for the bride's processional
• Fanny Power by O'Carolan for the recessional

July 24th, 2009
Willow Harbor Vineyards, Three Oaks, Michigan
Music Selections:

• Hymne by Vangelis for the processional
• Spring (Third Movement) from "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi as the recessional

July 26th, 2009
Coffee Creek Amphitheatre, Chesterton, Indiana
Music Selections:

• Canon in D by Pachelbel as the bridal party processional
• I'll Be by Edwin McCain as the bride's processional
• All You Need is Love by McCartney as the recessional

July 26th, 2009
Oliver Mansion Gardens, South Bend, Indiana
Music Selections:

• Claire de Lune by Debussy for the processional
• Hymne by Vangelis for the recessional

Favorite Pictures

So I've been really bad at keeping this up to date, so I'm just going to review some of the weddings from the past year.

This picture is from a wedding in August 2007. The ceremony and reception took place at the Summit Club in South Bend, at the top of the Holiday Inn building. The huge glass windows made a fabulous backdrop for an elegant evening.

This ceremony took place on the campus of St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. They had at least three weddings on campus that day! The chapel coordinator was extremely organized and easy to work with. For this wedding, the bride also requested a vocalist who sang the Saint Mary's Alma Mater for the bridesmaids' processional, and Ave Maria later in the Mass.

In April, I was back in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a wedding at the Peninsular Club. I love valet parking, especially when it's free! It's so nice to not have to worry about parking the harpmobile downtown (and to have someone open the doors!).

Lucky 7's

7-7-07

Everyone in the wedding industry knew what a big day this one would be. It was no exception for me - my busiest wedding day ever!

It actually started the night before with a Friday evening wedding in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A lovely setting at the Lakeside Rose Garden, and although it was REALLY hot, it was a beautiful (and thankfully, short) ceremony.

I loaded up the harp and headed back to South Bend. Picked up my roadie on the way, and drove up to Grand Rapids, Michigan. My Saturday started with an early wedding, so we spent the night up there to make sure we wouldn't hit any travel snags on the way. And he also didn't want to try to have to wake me up at 4:00 am!

My first wedding of this historic day was at 9:00 am (!!!) at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Conservatory and greenhouse weddings have the benefit of outdoor beauty, combined with the assurances of indoor weather! Although the high humidity can cause some tuning problems, I love playing in greenhouses. They also have concrete sidewalks - a much better place to put a harp than on grass outside. My only problem with this particular venue is that they did not turn off the fans during the ceremony. The other greenhouse locations I've played at did. Would it really kill the plants to be without them for fifteen minutes? It sure made it hard to hear for the harpist! Fortunately, it was a small gathering, and all of the guests were up close. Since the building was still open to the public, I played quietly throughout the ceremony, to help cut out some of the other noise in the room.

Once that wedding was over, it was back in the car for a quick stop at Starbucks to meet with a local bride, and then down to Grandville, MI for my second wedding at 1:00pm. It was a beautiful (and indoor!) Catholic wedding, presided over by the uncle of the bride. They chose mostly traditional music, and I played with the pianist for the bride's entrance to Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring".

Back in the car (with the help of my roadie, of course, who kept the AC running for me), and down to Niles, MI, for wedding #3. This one was outside in the heat, but I was well-shaded under large trees. This one was the officiant's first wedding - he was a friend of the couple. It went off without a single problem!

It was exhausting, but well worth it to be a part of so many beautiful weddings and a special day in history. I was lucky to have such a wonderful group of people to work with last weekend. 7-7-07 How could it be anything but lucky!

Spring Weddings

I've been fortunate so far this summer - nearly all of my weddings have been outdoor, and not a single rain-out! It's been a great start to the "season". A few pictures:

The beautiful flowers at my wedding on June 15th were done by the Flower Cart in Chesterton, Indiana. Although it was definitely on the warm side, Aberdeen Manor has a nice spot in the shade for the harp. The monogram made out of rose petals in the aisle was a theme that the couple carried throughout their wedding, from the programs that served as fans to the personalized hand towels in the restrooms!

A new wedding location for me: the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana. Another hot day! I also learned that I shouldn't wear high heels when playing on a slatted wood surface - it makes pedaling even more difficult! It was hard to keep the harp in tune due to the high temperatures, but we were able to stay inside until just before the wedding began. Makes for a short prelude!

The two weddings for which I played on June 9th were at a couple of my favorite locations - South Bend's Center for History Gardens and Valparaiso's Aberdeen Manor. The couple that got married at Aberdeen are also musicians, and picked some great pieces! They started with a prelude of all classical music, and then switched to popular and jazz for the processionals and ceremony. The recessional was a quartet singing "All You Need is Love", which I followed up with "Grow Old Along with Me."

I returned to Foster Park's Bridal Glen on June 2nd. The rain held off just long enough for the beautiful ceremony! That night, I got to play my Celtic harp for a birthday party in Valparaiso. It was a lot of time on the road! Fortunately, my wonderful husband and "harp roadie" was able to come along and keep me company - and of course, move the harps!

Memorial Day weekend was another busy one - four weddings! I played at Swan Lake in Plymouth, Indiana for the first time, and had the pleasure of working with a wonderful violinist. It was a bit drizzly, but the gazebo there provided plenty of shelter to keep the harp and violin dry. That night was a reception at Strongbow Inn where I got what I think was a compliment - I had just started, and a guest walked by and said "Oh, you're actually playing!" Perhaps I sound like a CD? I guess that's pretty good!

On the following Sunday, I had a ceremony and then a reception - both in Valparaiso. It was a busy weekend, but extremely enjoyable. Good thing I had my trusty roadie!

Wedding Prelude Music

This in when your wedding really begins! Your first guests start to arrive, and they are greeted by the sounds of music. For most brides, this seems to be a difficult time to plan. Since the prelude can last anywhere from five minutes to an hour, it seems like an overwhelming task to anticipate what you will need to select for this time. Hopefully, some of the answers below will help!

1. What is the prelude?
The prelude is the music played as your guests are arriving, before the processional begins. Generally slower pieces are used, to emphasize the solemnity of the occasion and help guests settle in. Sometimes families are seated during the prelude; you may also select a separate piece of music for their entrances.

2. When will you start to play?
My wedding ceremony contracts begin 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of your ceremony. For instance, if your wedding begins at 3:00 PM, your booking will start at 2:45 PM. However, if you have guests that arrive early, I will begin playing as soon as I am set up and tuned. You are guaranteed at least 15 minutes of prelude music. There is no maximum time for prelude music, other than the end time of your contract.

3. What if my wedding starts late?
Most do! I always come prepared with at least two hours worth of music, so you never have to worry about running out before the processionals are underway. If you think things might run behind on your wedding day (you know your friends and family best!), you may want to arrange with your musicians and ceremony location for a longer booking. It is better to pay a little extra and have the peace of mind that they will be available for the duration of your ceremony, even if it starts significantly late. If not, your musicians may have to leave before your ceremony concludes to attend to subsequent engagements, or you will incur higher overtime fees.

4. Do I have to pick specific songs? How many?
This is a very common question! You DO NOT have to pick each and every prelude song. There is absolutely no way of knowing how long your prelude will last. I start playing when your guests begin to arrive, and don't stop until I get the cue to begin the processionals. Since neither you nor your musicians know when these two things will happen, it's not possible to determine exactly how long your prelude will last, and therefore, how many songs you will need. Give your musicians a general guideline of the types of music you would like to have played (classical? Broadway love songs? Celtic? jazz?), and leave it up to their professional judgement to pick pieces that are appropriate. Of course, if there are a few specific songs you would like to have included, be sure to mention them!

5. How do I list it in the program?
The most simple is just "Prelude", but you could be more specific and say "Harp Prelude" or "Instrumental Prelude". You won't want to list all of the individual songs (any delay in guest arrival or the processionals will make your list inaccurate), but you may say something to the effect of:

Harp prelude, including "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"


As always, if you have questions specific to your wedding, ask a professional musician for guidance. They have played for hundreds of weddings, and should be able to offer guidance both for music selection and the logistics of wedding ceremonies.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you are interested in hiring harp music for your wedding ceremony or reception (http://www.theclassicharpist.com/).

Student Achievements - Again!

Congratulations are in order for several students from my studio.

Dana M., who has been selected to perform in her school's talent show
Anna B., who played the lead in her school's production of "The Little Mermaid" this past weekend
Anna B., who also auditioned for and was accepted into her school's top chamber choir
Catherine G., who was selected to participate in Indiana's 2008 All-State choir

Good work everyone!

Being Center Stage

Last night, I performed a solo concert for the series at the Lincoln Township Public Library in Stevensville, Michigan. It was a totally new experience for me! Usually, when I'm playing for weddings, I'm not exactly the center of attention - I leave that to the bride! Although temporarily terrifying (my poor husband had to put up with a VERY nervous wife all day!), once I got started playing I really enjoyed myself. I just had to remember that this was probably one of the few times most people will get the opportunity to hear a harp in person. It was a chance for me to share my love of music and this instrument with an attentive audience, instead of being the "living floral arrangement" that I sometimes become at parties! I also had a wonderful time after the concert chatting with the attendees (including a couple of other harpists!). I'm not sure how often my husband will want me to give concerts, but now that this first one is under my belt, hopefully I won't be as nervous for future ones!