We played for our first wedding of the year on Saturday in the lovely St. Francis Chapel at Balboa Park. It is a small chapel adjacent to the Museum of Man with very live acoustics and a great view from the balcony where we set up. Brandon and Kristen chose a nice picture of pop music for the prelude time, and classical choices for their wedding ceremony music. It was a great way to start off 2016 by spending the afternoon in this beautiful chapel. Best wishes to this amazing couple!

Song Selections

Prelude: All of Me, A Thousand Years, I Will Follow You, Con Te Partiro, Palladio, and others.
Parents' Entrance: Air in G by Bach
Bridal Party: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach
Bride: Canon in D by Pachelbel
Exit: Wedding March by Mendelssohn

We recently had the honor of performing for Sean & Maggie's gorgeous Catholic wedding ceremony at the Founder's Chapel at USD. The Founder's Chapel is one of our favorite wedding venues because the chapel is large enough to provide excellent acoustics for our instruments, but it is intimate enough that wedding ceremonies feel very warm and up-close, even from where we are seated up at the front of the chapel.
Sean and Maggie had a lovely list of music chosen for their wedding. After the wedding, Sean told us that some of their favorite dates were listening to symphony performances, so it was extra special to have their very own string quartet play for their wedding. We were equally as thrilled.

Prelude:
Air on G- Bach
Sheep May Safely Graze- Bach
Canon in D- Pachelbel
Ave Maria- Schubert
Wedding Party Entrance: Largo from “Winter”by Vivaldi
Bride Entrance: Trumpet Voluntary by Purcell
Exit: Hornpipe from "Water Music" by Handel

On September 27th, we provided the music for Ashley & Tom's beautiful wedding at the Crosby Club. It was the perfect time for a wedding, as the day had finally begun to cool down and we were completely in the shade on the front lawn where the ceremony was set up.

Tom and Ashley chose some great songs for their wedding program:
Prelude- Air in F, Theme from "Up," Eine Kleine Nacht Music, Air in G
Bridal Party- Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring
Bride's Entrance- Kanon in D
Exit Music- Hornpipe from Water Music

On May 1st we had the opportunity to record a few songs at the Art Institute of California, San Diego. We have worked with the Art Institute before and it was fun to spend the evening playing some great music and laying down a few solid recordings.
Recording a chamber music ensemble like SDSQ is a test of physical strength and mental endurance for the musicians. It isn't possible to easily "cut and paste" tracks when we make mistakes due to the nature of our instruments and the type of music that we play. As a result, we had to be as precise and perfect as humanly possible- the first time!
We were outfitted with headphones but decided to do without in order to hear each other better. The acoustics in the recording studio were good, but it was also difficult for us to get close enough to really hear each other and have the visual contact that we are accustomed to. Regardless of these obstacles, we were still pleased with the work that we did and are excited to hear the final product!  Our tracks will be ready in a few weeks once the students at AI have had a chance to do some balancing adjustments and polishing.

In the meantime, enjoy this video from our recording of the Overture to Handel's "Messiah."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFH_aGQKFHg

SDSQ recently played for a wedding in the beautiful Casa del Rey Moro garden, just below the Prado restaurant in Balboa Park. The garden features a beautiful fountain and reflecting pool in the center of the seating area. It is one of the few places in the park where it is easy to get away from the hustle and bustle for a peaceful moment- perfect for an elegant wedding ceremony.
Our client requested a special version of "The Lord's Prayer" for a centerpiece song during the ceremony. We enjoyed playing the entirety of this piece, rather than the shortened version that is usually requested.

Ceremony Program: