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vendor reviews: musicians
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Interviewing Ashlinn O'Marra, 2nd Violin, Amarone String Quartet
The Amarone String Quartet is somewhat of a musical legend with local brides and vendors. If Peter, Ashlinn, Judith, and Mark's polished, rich sound is familiar to your ears, it's likely because they've been playing to you from the entrance of the Bingemans Wedding Dreams shows for the last ten years. They are requested at nearly fifty weddings each year, often booked more than twelve months in advance, and know as much as anyone can know about instrumental music and the beauty their sound adds to your wedding day. These four musicians are a combination of music teachers, orchestral musicians, and long-time friends. It's their love for playing at life's biggest moments that make it easy to fall in love with their sound. Let us explain...
Personally speaking... When you hire The Amarone String Quartet to play at your event, you are hiring Peter Carter on 1st Violin, Ashlinn O'Marra on 2nd Violin, Judith Davenport on Viola, and Mark Norris on Cello. Together, this group have been playing wedding ceremonies and receptions since 1995. Peter has played with the K-W Symphony Orchestra for the past twenty years. Ashlinn is a teacher with the local school board throughout the week, focusing her weekends on playing at events with the quartet.
Judith is the Associate Principal Viola with the K-W Symphony, and has performed with them for the past five years. Mark has been a Cello teacher at the Beckett School of Music for the past sixteen years. All four have university degrees in music performance. With this level of musical expertise, you can expect playing of the highest quality. Years of practice, performing, and teaching mean flawless tuning, flexibility in style, and experience on any stage.
And on a personal level, with this quartet you can expect genuine teamwork between a group of four close friends. Mark explained, "Very often, it only takes the lift of an eyebrow for the group to know when to begin, when to prolong a piece and when to bring the song to a close. We don't just work together; we are friends outside of music as well. People enjoy seeing that we are real friends and that we love playing."
The sound of strings Staff at The Ring had heard the Amarone String Quartet play numerous times at local bridal shows, but when we showed up for our interview to see all four players set up to play for us, we knew even more that we had come to the right place. After playing us a selection of beautiful, romantic pieces, we understood how much of an impact this group can make on a wedding day.
The Amarone String Quartet uses the sound of strings to set the mood of your wedding ceremony and reception, particularly when used throughout the cocktail hour. With this group at your disposal, the atmosphere you want for your ceremony and reception is yours to create.
Offering various styles of music, the players of this quartet will call upon their vast experience to help your day run smoothly. "We love playing for ceremonies. That's the biggest moment of the day and one of the biggest moments of life," says Peter.
Amarone can also play for the reception. "Playing at a reception allows for a bigger repertoire, and different styles as well. It lets us do what we love most about being musicians," says Judith. The players agree that the sounds of dinner - flatware, conversation, etc. - tend to drown out when the quartet adds an incredible touch of elegance and sophistication to the cocktail hour.
Repertoire for a wedding The Amarone repertoire includes their specialty - chamber music, as well as an impressive list of additional styles including jazz, tango, and a multitude of songs by request. It takes only a phone call or an email to put the wheels in motion that will have guests complimenting your wedding music long after the day has come and gone.
Weddings by Amarone When we asked the players of Amarone what they love best about weddings, it was unanimous. "We love weddings because it's a celebration. Everyone is happy, filled with hope and dreams of the future. We love to be a part of that."
The Amarone String Quartet will set the stage for your special day by playing preludes as guests arrive, processional(s), signing of the register, recessional(s) and whatever music is required throughout your ceremony. They can then move on to the reception where their elegant sounds will impress and welcome your guests throughout mingling and dinner time.
Playing favourites... After hearing the Amarone String Quartet play in person, viewing countless cards and letters from happy clients, and finding it far to easy to stay too long at our interview, The Ring dreamed up a few wedding day ideas of our own... A beautiful old stone church... a Sunday garden-style wedding... cocktails before dinner... mingling... the quartet in black tie arranged in a semi-circle in a gazebo or foyer... instant elegance!
Why brides choose them When we asked the Amarone players why they thought brides chose them, it was a quick answer. "Brides are very often referred to us by their own friends and family, they've heard us play at the Bingemans Bridal Show, or they fall in love with our resume and sample CD. But most of all, they seem to really like that we're so experienced, that we're true friends - in and outside of music - and that we're the sole players of the quartet. When you hire us, it's us that you will see on your wedding day. Each player of the quartet is an active musician in the local community. They are as much a part of the community as their clients are."
Amarone players are professional and experienced. They are in tune with all the details of your wedding music, such as when to cue your processional or how long a ceremony processional normally goes. They make sure that they have all the details of your wedding in advance, to make sure they are completely prepared. There will never be an awkward silence when Amarone plays at your wedding. They have played at a variety of different weddings religious and secular and they know what the rules are if any and what the appropriate music for each is. For example most catholic priests don’t allow recorded music. As they are very experienced with the catholic service, they are familiar with the mass and they understand the nuances. Above all else, the players of Amarone are focused on you. They can customize pieces of music for you, take requests, and help put together a play list that compliments the setting of your ceremony and reception. They enjoy playing all styles of music and they'll be the first to tell you that, "It's nice to shake things up every once in a while... Do something different or unique."
The 'how to'... If you like the sounds of the Amarone String Quartet, it is recommended that you call six months to one year in advance to book for your date as they are in demand. They have, however, booked as late as two weeks before a wedding. It all depends on their availability. All consultations are done over the phone or by email, an arrangement that has proven effective for the musicians and clients alike. If you are interested in hearing more for yourself, they'll send the sample CD in the mail with shortened selections of their most requested pieces (for a nominal fee).
Scoring your day The Amarone String Quartet offers two different pricing structures - one for ceremonies and one for receptions. To book your ceremony with them, there is a flat fee of $440 which includes twenty minutes of preludes, processional, signing of the register, Communion (if applicable), recessional, and any other music as required during the service. Call the quartet regarding pricing for your reception. Travel charges may apply outside of the tri-cities.
detailsdetailsdetails • 50% of your total is due upon booking with the Amarone String Quartet, with the remaining 50% given as a post-dated cheque for the day of the service. • There are no taxes charged on Amarone's quoted prices. • Amarone String Quartet is looking to take on more and more weddings, especially off-day weddings such as Fridays or Sundays.
For more from Amarone... To speak with Ashlinn O'Marra of the Amarone String Quartet, you can give her a call at 519-210-0401 or email her at petacus@rogers.com. You can also reach Mark Norris at 519-579-9004 or email him at quartet@rogers.com. Either of them would be happy to answer any questions you have, or discuss details about the possibility of adding their talents to your wedding day.
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca |
Amarone String Quartet
sets the tone for weddings of distinction in sweet four part harmony