There is nothing quite like the elegance of strings. We recommend string groups for Wedding Ceremonies, Elegant Dinners, and Cocktail Hours. Whether it is the standard grouping of Violin, Violin, Viola and Cello or a hybrid ensemble with harp or guitar, our players are well versed in both classical and contemporary repertoire. We also have Electric String Quartets. Some clients opt to have the group play acoustic for the ceremony and switch to electric instruments for cocktail hour.
When it comes to wedding ceremonies we love to produce special musical arrangements to match our client’s song requests.
It is also common for our string players to bring along a PA system and wireless microphone for speaking during the ceremony. We even have battery operated systems for remote settings. Music Dept has longstanding relationships with wedding and event string players for hire throughout the Tri-State area. Three of our favorites are Gabe(Violin), James(Cello), and Cody(Violin & Vocals.) Music Dept considers all the stylistic and logistical dimensions of your event while putting together a proposal for live string music for your special event.
If you’re looking for a hybrid or non-traditional string ensemble please visit or page for instrumental guitar trio, String 18, Solo Electric Violin, or Harp and Violin Duo, Dua Deca
James
James is an incredibly versatile and accomplished cellist. Born into a musical family he brings such a deep love of melody and expression to his playing. His classical credentials include performing at Carnegie Hall, but you can hear him anytime on his incredible YouTube channel.
Gabe
Gabe is one of our favorite string ensemble leaders. He is a virtuoso violinist and multi-instrumentalist. Gabe leads many of our duos, trios, and quartets. He also runs an incredible recording studio in NJ.
Mozart
Beethoven
Bach
Haydn
Tchaikovsky
Chopin
Debussy
Schubert
Vivaldi
- a Thousand Years-Christina Perri
- a Whole New World-Disney/Aladdin
- All I Ask of You-Phantom of the Opera
- All of Me-John Legend
- All You Need(Is Love)-Beatles
- And Then He Kissed Me
- Anne Polka
- At Last-Etta James
- Beauty and the Beast-Disney
- Better Together
- Bille Jean
- Bittersweet Symphony
- Call Me
- Can’t Help Falling in Love
- Chasing Cars
- Clocks-Coldplay
- Come Fly Away-Frank Sinatra
- Crazy for You
- Don’t Stop Believing-Beatles
- Eleanor Rigby-Beatles
- Fly me to the Moon-Bart Howard/Frank Sinatra
- Game of Thrones
- Hallelujah-Leonard Cohen
- Happy-Pharell
- Hercules
- Here Comes the Sun-Beatles
- Here There and Everywhere-Beatles
- Hohey
- Home-Philip Phillips
- Home ez Zeros
- I’m Yours-Jason Mraz
- I’m Gonna Be
- I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing-Aerosmith
- Imagine-John Lennon
- In My Life
- Just like Heaven
- We are the Champions-Queen
- La Vie en Rose
- Let it Go-Frozen
- Make You Feel My Love-Adele, Bob Dylan
- Marry Me
- Marry You
- Michelle-Beatles
- Moon River
- My Heart Will Go On-Celine Dion
- No Place I’d Rather Be
- Royals-Lorde
- Smooth Criminal-Michael Jackson
- Somebody that I Used to Know-Gotye
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow-Judy Garland
- Stand By Me-Ben E. King
- Stairway to Heaven-Led Zeppelin
- Sweet Child of Mine-Guns ‘n Roses
- Take Five-Dave Brubeck
- the Scientist-Coldplay
- Viva la Vida-Coldplay
- What a Wonderful World-Louis Armstrong
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice-Beach Boys
- Wrecking Ball-Miley Cyrus
- Yesterday-Beatles
- You’re the Best Thing-Ray LaMontagne
- Here Comes the Sun-Beatles
- Sunday-Sunday in The Park with George
- Screech-Come from Away
- Hold On, We’re Going Home-Drake
Cody
Cody’s singular talents on Violin and Vocals have literally taken her around the world. She is equally at home in Classical, Pop, and Jazz. She’s also great at using special effects. As a group leader, she loves to assemble instrumental groupings that are as novel as they are elegant.
Hiring Strings FAQ
Do you play song requests?
Yes! All of our string ensembles love to play special requests. For a wedding we always include 3 requests for Ceremony. These can include two processionals and one recessional song. When it comes to strings the music may need to be arranged. Either the players can work this out on their own or previously published arrangements can be purchased.
Do the instruments need amplification?
The short answer is Yes. Many of our string leaders can also bring their own sound-system, but Music Dept can also provide a sound tech so that a mic for speaking during the ceremony is also available. There are some settings, like very intimate weddings or certain acoustically live spaces(like a Church) where the strings sound great totally un-amplified.
What instruments are “Strings”?
The Violin, Viola, Cello, and Upright Bass are the official members of the orchestral String family. A String Quartet is made up of: Violin, Violin, Viola, and Cello. Of course there are many other instruments with strings, that aren’t always called, “Strings.” These include Harp and Guitar, and its no surprise that they also sound amazing paired with the orchestral strings.
Can strings perform outdoors?
String instruments are more sensitive then other choices like Guitar or Keyboard. When the weather is nice there is nothing like the sound and look of strings outdoors. However, if direct sun, cold temperatures, or moisture cannot be avoided then its best to select other instruments for your event. It’s not that the players aren’t up for it, but their extremely expensive instruments can actually be severely damaged in poor weather conditions.
What about Electric Violin, etc?
All of our performing string players have their traditional acoustic instruments outfitted with electronics which allow them to plug into speakers. Some players also have “Electric” instruments which have a cool modern look and are also made of eye-catching materials like carbon fiber and painted in bright colors. If you close your eyes there is almost no difference in sound between an acoustic instrument which has been plugged in and the electric instrument. However, the electric instruments can be so much fun for their visual and performance aspects. They’re usually also played strolling and wireless, and players typically use backing tracks or perform alongside a DJ.