I finally - finally – had the opportunity to perform at a wedding reception on October 1st at Stonehedge Gardens. Wow! A few years ago, David played there and I remember it distinctly because he was so thrilled with the place that he sent me a litany of texts about it, describing the many paths and different levels of the garden area that really create an incredibly intimate-feeling outdoor space (like rooms!), without actually being small. You could have a wedding with 150 guests there and it would still feel intimate. I spoke with owner Mike Caldwell for a while after we finished (after midnight!) and he is a wonderful guy who seemed very warm and easygoing.
Don’t let the cake distract you. I must also say that it’s quite amazing how well that large tent works in this space. I think I actually like it better with than without a tent!
That sure looks like one of Polly Schoonmaker’s fabulous cakes, doesn’t it?
The other venue I have to mention is a longtime favorite of mine: Bridal Veil Lakes. I love this place for three reasons:
1. It’s kind of a DIY-type of place. There are basic amenities: good restrooms, a swingset, canoes, an awesome BBQ grill. It’s by no means a posh downtown hotel or anything, though. Rustic, I’d say, in that the only shelter is an open-sided building that makes for a wonderfully airy and outdoorsy reception. The trees, the lake, the wildflowers along the paths, the feeling of total exclusivity and removal from civilization. All of these things are very appealing to this Portland native.
2. I suppose because of the aforementioned DIY-ness, most of the brides and grooms we play for at Bridal Veil Lakes are really down-to-earth people and I seem to always enjoy the vibe they manage to create at their weddings; makes me love my job all the more.
3. And this is likely because of the aforementioned down-to-earth-ness: for some happy reason, I keep running into Viola Catering there. Maybe it’s because Jonathan and his crew are not just great caterers, but they’re caterers FOR food geeks. Who wouldn’t want a gorgeous *plated* (not buffet!) meal served out in the woods that rivals anything you can get at the best kitchens in town? I don’t know how they do it, but I love what they do.
This is what I mean about Bridal Veil Lakes:
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Here’s a list of the absolute best pieces of classical music that we have played recently for processional – actually, all of these were for bridal entrance songs.
The top 3 traditional classical selections:
1. Pachelbel’s Canon in D. The “new traditional” selection these days. I know, I know, it’s over-played, right? Well, the thing is, this has been probably the single most popular and best-known piece of classical music for the last 60 years or so, having suffered in obscurity for centuries, only to be discovered early in the 20th century, published in 1919, and finally recorded in 1940. There’s a reason for its popularity – it’s GOOD.
It beat out Carmina Burana, Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz, Also Sprach Zarathustra, and even Beethoven’s 9th to make it to spot #6 on KickassClassical.com!
2. Jesu, joy of man’s desiring (Movement 10 from Cantata No. 147), by J. S. Bach. I will never get over how brilliantly this piece complements Pachelbel’s Canon, when the two are used in sequence. Generally, I think it works best to use Jesu first, followed by the Canon.
3. Bridal Chorus, by Wagner. This is good ol’ “Here Comes The Bride.” Here’s TMI for ya: there are lyrics. Here they are:
Faithfully guided, draw near/to where the blessing of love shall preserve you!/Triumphant courage, the reward of love,/joins you in faith as the happiest of couples!/Champion of virtue, proceed!/Jewel of youth, proceed!/Flee now the splendour of the wedding feast,/may the delights of the heart be yours!
This song comes from Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin”, and as you can see from the above lyrics, it’s actually sung AFTER the wedding, as the bride is proceeding to hook up with the groom on the wedding night.
5 alternative classical selections I’ve really loved:
4. Air from Orchestra Suite No. 3, by J. S. Bach. A serene and lyrical instrumental aria also known as “Air on the G String”, I think it’s really only necessary to call it by that name if it’s actually played in C (rather than the original D), and the first violinist actually plays the entire thing on his/her low G string. Or, if you like puns. Otherwise, just “Air” is fine.
5. Arioso, by J. S. Bach. Sometimes referred to as the Sinfonia from Cantata No. 156, this is another serene and lyrical instrumental that I think is superb, and I think I might like it a little better than the somewhat more popular Air, above.
6. Love Theme, from Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone. Epic. Morricone is one of the best composers of classical (and classical-ish) film music ever. This is a stunningly beautiful and deceptively simple piece that always works.
7. The Girl With The Flaxen Hair by Debussy. Here’s something different. Debussy is known as an “impressionist” composer, but this piece is really interesting in that its style is almost Renaissance, and it’s really beautiful. I think it’d be perfect for a blonde bride!
8. Wachet Auf, by J.S. Bach. This is another one of Bach’s brilliant cantata numbers that works well in conjunction with other baroque pieces such as Jesu, Canon, or the Air or Arioso. It’s actually movement 4 from Cantata No. 140.
/classical music geekery.
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Now for some non-traditional selections that really rocked my socks!
1. Crazy Love, by Van Morrison. Fun little story here. Our bride had gone ahead and chosen Canon in D for her entrance, along with other traditional classical selections for the rest of the ceremony. A week before the wedding, she gets wind from the groom that he’s not into classical. Woops! It was a busy week for us, and understandably for her, and we just Could. Not. Connect via phone or email for about 4 days, so finally we resorted to texting and decided we’d meet with her the minute she arrived at the venue. We found her in her dressing room, and while she was doing her makeup, we had a quick chat and decided to keep Canon for the processional, and to do an instrumental of Crazy Love for her entrance, then I’d sing I’m Yours by Jason Mraz for the recessional. I had the lyrics but that was it. David got out his iPhone and learned the song right then and there from the ‘tube. We played Crazy Love from memory/by ear, since we didn’t have (or need) sheet music for that. It was perfection: Tradition got the nod from Canon in D, and Crazy Love was a *great* processional. I’d do I’m Yours again anytime as a recessional – totally great tune and really suited the feel of their wedding.
2. We’re Going To Be Friends, by the White Stripes. How cute is this? Hee hee… works well for a shorter walk.
3. By Your Side, by Sade. This is just a gorgeous and groovy song, and while I’ve only ever done it instrumentally (I think processionals generally should be instrumental), the lyrics are wonderful.
4. Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You, Frankie Valli. Here’s a classic old R&B song that has a musical tip of the hat to the 1940′s big band sound, though it was originally from 1967. Lauryn Hill’s 1998 version was nominated for a Grammy.
5. Each Coming Night, by Iron & Wine. We have played this a few times; the first time it was for the processional of the bridal party as well as the bride’s entrance. And it really worked! It’s a very simple song, so we came up with our own arrangement and kept it fairly mellow until the bride came in, at which point we intensified it, which underscored the importance of her entrance. It was actually one of the best processional moments ever, in my life as a wedding musician.
6. Here Comes The Sun, Beatles. I don’t think any explanation is needed here.
7. Isn’t She Lovely, Stevie Wonder. Back in 2008, an awesome groom named Scott who I’ll never forget wanted to surprise his bride with this song as her entrance piece. Let me just say that you CANNOT go wrong with Stevie Wonder. At all. Ever. Big WIN for Scott!
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We believe that each bride, each groom, and every last guest are all important listeners to the stories we tell with music. We’ll collaborate with you to soundtrack your wedding in a way that is personal, distinctive and relevant, and that tells YOUR story.
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From a very early age, I was obsessed with drawing. My mom will tell you that I was “born with a crayon in my hand.” Here’s a link to my online portfolio of paintings and graphic design work.
Despite that, I always wanted to study music. I was inspired by my grandmother, who was a singer from the 40s on. I wanted to sing those songs and maybe play saxophone or bass.
Fast forward several years. My brother starts taking piano lessons; he’d showed an interest in piano from an early age. I was fascinated by music but terrified of competition with him, so I watched/listened from the sidelines while he plowed through Bach, Mozart, then Chopin, Lizst, and Rachmaninoff. I continued to draw.
Fast forward some more years. After giving college a try (the idea being to aim for a visual arts degree) and then wandering away from it in favor of the School of Life, at some point a housemate gave me a simple bamboo flute that he had made. It took me 3 days to get any sound out of the thing, but once I did, I loved it. I made up melodies (all in the key of Ab, which was the key of that flute). Over the next 4 years I acquired a collection of bamboo flutes in several different keys.
Then, a good friend gave me a concert flute. It was a very old student model, C foot, closed holes. It was so complicated to me! Compared to the bamboo flutes I had, it was impossible: all these buttons! I realized I was at a crossroads. I hearkened back to my childhood, to my brother’s piano study and how I had wished I could read music, or at least share it with him somehow. I thought about the music I loved most at that time – my grandma’s songs from the 30′s – 50′s. I knew that if I wanted to play that music, I’d have to make a decision to learn to read, and really study music like my brother had.
At age 24, I launched into it. I took lessons when I could, and practiced as much as humanly possible. I remember my lip feeling SO TIRED and even shaky after practice sessions at first! But in a year or two, I was getting somewhere.
Another fateful decision: I realized that as of yet, at age 26 at this point, I did not have a college degree and I wanted one. I knew already that whatever I studied would have to be something that held my interest, and I realized then that music was IT. I decided that I wanted a classical background to my own musicianship. I figured the fastest way to learn the most about music and get solid classical training was to go to college.
I auditioned for entry to PSU’s music department and got in. I was at the bottom of the class, which was weird: I was 26 and the oldest student around. Yet, before they heard me play, the other students seemed to assume that because I was older than them, I would be a really good player. I wasn’t! I sucked! The pain of sucking drove me to work as hard as I could and as efficiently as I could to rectify this weirdness, and by the end of my 4 years of music school, I had made it to first chair in orchestra and band, and finally I felt that the younger students’ looking up to me was warranted. I truly believe that my experience in visual arts had something to do with it; I already understood some things about myself when it came to artistic expression – regardless of the medium – that proved useful in musicianship.
The rest is just what has happened after getting out of music school and figuring out how to earn a living. I love learning, and have always learned fastest myself by teaching. I know without a doubt that teaching is my absolute favorite thing to do. That brings us to now.
Saxophone and singing got in there somewhere, and I’d love to tell you those stories and more, but we’ll do that in person if you want to know.
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