We are huge fans of live music at the wedding ceremony. Whether it’s a talented singer or a string quartet playing beautiful melodies, live music just adds something extra-special.  It transforms the event into an elegant experience that recored music just cannot compare to. The ceremony is often the most special and romantic part of your day, so having wedding musicians create a magical ambience for you and your guests, in our opinion, is money well spent.  And hiring the right wedding musicians can create moments that you and your partner remember for the rest of your lives.

So of course, we love working with Diana from the String Quartet of NOVA.  We’re always so thrilled with both the professionalism, talent, and of course just the all around brilliant performance they put on for our couples. Here’s all the details from our chat with our favorite Virginia Wedding Musicians the String Quartet of Northern Virginia.

Tell us more about your group of wedding musicians

When we play as a string quartet there are two violins, one viola, and one cello. Each instrument within the group covers a different voice or role within the music to create dialogue between the instruments and fill out the sound. We can also play as a string trio (two violins and cello) or as a string duo (violin and cello).

The String Quartet of Northern Virginia was formed in 2009 by Stephanie Flack and we have been playing together as a group for thirteen years! Individually we are all professional musicians and each have 20+ years of performance experience!

 

What do you love the most about being a wedding musician? 

We love being a part of our couples’ special day and setting the tone for their event as they envision.

 

Do you have a set repertoire or do you work with the couple to choose one?

Our quartet repertoire is very extensive and covers many different styles and genres – anything from Bach, to The Beatles, to Beyonce! We do have a number of songs that are frequently played at weddings. However, we also work individually with the couple to choose music that fits the style and vision that they imagine. Often a couple may have a couple or a few special songs that they would definitely like us to include and then we come up with additional suggestions to complement the music they have in mind.

 

Shannon Tierney Flack Photo

How many weddings do you play a year?

We typically play about 20-30 weddings each year.

 

Tell us about your most memorable wedding. 

The couples’ stories are the most memorable part of every wedding. There have been stories of reconnecting after years apart, miraculous reunions following medical challenges, perseverance through challenging circumstances, and always touching stories or moments of love shared. Plus, we enjoy celebrating with the couples and their families during one of the most important days of their lives.

 

What does a typical wedding day look like for you? 

Our preparation for the wedding begins from the day we are booked. Planning the music with the family and couple to complement the ceremony and reception takes a great deal of planning and organization. By the time the wedding day arrives, we are prepared with the correct parts and order. We organize the music and work with our musicians to ensure we are ready to perform and understand the ceremony and reception plans. We spend time before the prelude to spot check the music we have prepared, tune our instruments, and check in with the officiant and the planner to ensure no changes have occurred from our last meeting. Then we begin performing prelude music as the guests begin to arrive, play the requested songs for the processionals and recessional, and exit music as the couple and the wedding party recess. We often continue performing for the cocktail hour or reception and set the tone with lively and upbeat music to help celebrate!

 

La Vie En Rose Photography

Shannon Tierney Flack Photo

Taylor Rose Photography

What is the most unique song request you’ve received for the ceremony?

We have had a couple instances where the groomsmen wanted to have a surprise start to the processionals and set the mood by wearing sunglasses and entering to Final Countdown and Mission Impossible.

Another family chose “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago as it was the name of the bride. The guests and wedding party were truly moved by the music and the sentiment.

 

What would you like to educate couples (and other vendors) about when it comes to the behind-the-scenes of your work?

We receive numerous questions about the temperature and weather requirements for our outdoor events. We perform on our main concert instruments in order to provide the same sound and musical experience our clients would enjoy in a concert hall. Our instruments are in some cases over a hundred years old and are all extremely valuable, so we need to protect our instruments from heat/cold, sun/moisture. Also, when it is too cold, our fingers won’t move as fast as they need to during a performance and we are also risking injury.

When requesting pieces/songs outside of our repertoire and music that is not available for purchase online (we have over 700 pieces in our repertoire!), we work with arrangers in Los Angeles, Serbia, and Omaha to ensure we have a quality arrangement to perform. The process of creating a custom arrangement takes time and expertise, so we need advance notice and will charge the composer’s fee to ensure we can deliver the best product for our clients’ special day.

Tell us some fun facts about each person or the group as a whole.

Our musicians have performed all over the world with some of the most sought-after musicians and in the most prestigious concert halls. Including The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Strathmore Music Center, and Kings College Chapel in Cambridge England as well as The White House.  

Several of our musicians performed on the 2021 Latin Grammy nominated album “Tango of the Americas” and performed at the International Tango Festival in Medellin, Colombia. 

We are dog and cat lovers—our founder has four dogs, two of which are adorable rescues and two of which are fluffy divas.

 

Selfie on Washington D.C. rooftop

Thank you, Diana! We can’t wait to work with these Virginia Wedding Musicians more throughout 2022 and beyond.

Want to see more of our vendor spotlights? Check out Kelsea with Radiant Reflection.