Flute & Strings Quartet at the Exchange Conference Center in Boston

Dayna and Dan chose the Exchange Conference Center for their wedding venue. It’s located at the end of the Fish Pier and has a gorgeous view of the harbor. Legal Seafood owns the building and is the caterer. You can probably guess how yummy the food was!  Gordon Taylor is the on site coordinator and a pleasure to work with.

The music chosen for the processional was “The White Mountains”, a new piece (to us) by Tim Janis. It has a really lovely flute part so we changed out the 1st violin for a flutist. The combination of flute, violin, viola and cello has a very special sound. It’s a full sound because of the four instruments but has an airy quality provided by the flute. I really like it.

You might want to consider a similar combination if you’re planning to use a string quartet for your wedding.

Happy wedding music planning.

Carol Premack
Musician/Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

String Trio at the State Room

Erin and Matthew chose the State Room in Boston for their wedding reception. Our string trio (violin/viola/cello) provided music during cocktails. The music selections included old jazz standards, tangos, rags, waltzes and popular tunes. This venue has spectacular views from every window (we were in the Harborside room), making it hard to keep your eyes on the music! Meghan Covington and the rest of the staff are great to work with. We feel welcome and well cared for every time we play there. If you’re looking for a Boston venue that’s NOT a hotel, you should check out the State Room.

Happy string trio planning.
Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

Flute and Guitar for Birthday Party

It’s hard to believe that Segun and Jenna have been married for four years. Our string trio plus keyboard and two singers provided music for their wedding and reception in July 2005. Segun called a couple of months ago because he was planning a first-birthday party for his son and wanted me to take care of the music again. I was flattered that he kept my card over the years. I was also impressed that he wanted classical music for the party. I’m sure his son will grow up loving all kinds of musical styles. It was a pleasure to return to Plymouth for this special occasion.

Happy classical music ensemble planning.
Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

String Duo at Arlington Town Hall

Neil and Elly chose the garden at the Arlington Town Hall for their wedding ceremony and reception. Our violin/cello duo played mostly upbeat classical music for both the prelude and cocktail hour. Neil and Elly requested music from Vivaldi Four Seasons, Handel Water Music, & Royal Fireworks and we filled in with other selections I thought they’d like.

The Town Hall garden is very pretty in October and, for a change, it didn’t rain. The reception was held indoors, in the banquet hall. If the weather had been bad this indoor space also could have been used for the ceremony and cocktail hour . I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; You should ALWAYS have a Plan B.

Happy string duo planning.

Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

String Duo at Herring Run in Pembroke

Cara and Jon had their wedding ceremony at Herring Run in Pembroke’s Thomas A Reading Park. Named for Cara’s grandfather, the park is a very special place for the entire family.

The year has been a rainy one and October 3rd was no exception. Cara and her dad arrived on a tractor which was fun to see. Somehow they managed to stay dry under umbrellas. I’m happy to say that Cara planned well and had a tent set up. We were all grateful!

It was fun to be part of their day.

Happy string duo planning.

Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

Flute, Violin and Cello Trio at Glen Magna Farm

We had the pleasure of playing for Fran and Mike’s wedding at Glen Magna Farm. We played with flute this time, which we don’t get to do as often as we’d like. Lisa is the principle flute with the Portland Symphony and she sounded wonderful. It’s always fun to play at Glen Magna because of the beautiful garden. That’s where the ceremony was held. Even though it was the end of September, the flowers were in their glory, full of blooms.

In addition to the ceremony, we played for the cocktail hour, which was on the back porch and lawn. It was a little on the cool side so the entire porch enclosed in white plastic. Dinner was inside the house and the porch was later used for dancing. As usual, the Glen Magna staff took good care of our trio.

Happy music ensemble planning.

Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

String Trio at the Peabody Essex Museum

Heather and Kevin were married in the Phillips Library, which is across the street from the Peabody Essex Museum. The library is a lovely room. It’s actually part of the museum. Their reception was in the museum’s Bartlett Copeland Galleries.

Just think, if your guests arrive early or get tired of waiting, they can look in the adjoining rooms and soak up the history of Salem.

Of course, the Museum is a treasure and a wonderful place for a reception. You might want to put this one on your list of possible venues.

Happy string duo planning.

Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

Planning Your Catholic Full Mass Wedding

Sometimes we work with a church organist and an experienced cantor who perform the mass parts without our ensemble, however, whenever we play a mass without them, I’m very confident about exactly where the music fits.

We recently worked with a cantor who was a little new at the job and needed some guidance regarding exactly when to sing. Since I’ve played for many masses and know the flow of the entire service, I was able to give her cues and her performance went off without a hitch.

This isn’t always the case. Priests do NOT wait for musicians or give us a wink or a nod when it’s time for us to play. We are expected to be part of the flow of their service must come in on time. If we don’t, the priest will simply read the words instead of singing them or even skip to the next part of the mass.

Be sure to ask your ensemble if they know exactly when and what to play during the entire mass. If they don’t, you may end up with a lot less string music than you’d planned on.

Happy string ensemble planning.

Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

String Duo Plays at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza Wedding

Iffy and Jason’s wedding was unusual and beautiful. Our violin/cello duo provided prelude, ceremony and cocktail hour music. Imam Dr. Talal Eid of the Islamic Institute of Boston officiated. He explained to the guests at the beginning of the ceremony that since two cultures were being united, he would say each section in Arabic and then again in English.

The Oval Room, always a beautiful setting for weddings, was further enhanced by Iffy’s decision to bring in a lighting specialist to illuminate the walls. She chose blue for the ceremony and had the lights moved to the ballroom for the reception where the color was changed to coral and orange.

The Oval Room’s excellent acoustics made it possible for everyone to hear us even though we we’re only a duo, however, with 250 guests, I think a trio would have worked a little better once we moved to the ballroom.

I love working at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Event coordinator Tracy Gavin really knows how to make a wedding run smoothly. I’ve always had good experiences working with her and the hotel staff couldn’t be nicer or more helpful.

Happy string duo wedding planning.

Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players

Viola or Second Violin in your Wedding String Trio? – A Few Thoughts from Boston’s Intermezzo Chamber Players

I’m often asked what the difference is between a trio with two violins and a cello and one with a viola instead of the second violin. The simplest explanation is that the viola has a lower tone. The second violin has the ability to reach higher notes when needed while the viola can go lower.

The viola’s sound is sometimes described as mournful. . . but in a good way. It doesn’t stand out the way the cello does but instead adds a wonderful depth to the middle voice.

Which pairing of instruments should you choose? In many cases the choice is dictated by the music that you’ve selected; some pieces are written specifically for two violins and cello. If you’re still not sure, leave it up to your musicians and don’t worry about it. Most people can’t tell the difference.

Happy string trio planning.

Carol Premack
Musician Manager
Intermezzo Chamber Players