---

We are happy that you are considering the Chicago Style Strings to provide you with beautiful, charming music to add that touch of class and elegance to your event! We are a group of highly skilled and experienced local musicians and we're confident that you will be delighted with the quality of our music and professionalism. We have performed on cruise ships, at weddings and parties, with the symphony orchestra and with touring Broadway and concert productions as well as many other functions over the years. Everything from small intimate gatherings to gala fundraising events, cocktail parties, receptions and client appreciation evenings where we perform classical music, sacred songs, jazz standards, holiday music and other wedding and party favorites. When you reserve the Style Strings for your event, you know you'll be booking a string quartet or trio that will have the experience and talent to make your event extraordinary. We have assembled a team of highly trained musicians who are able to make your event come to life. We enjoy creating an atmosphere that makes weddings or parties memorable. Even though our combined experience adds up to playing at hundreds of events, we know that your day is a once in a lifetime event and that is why we put the group together. We want to provide the best music for you at a reasonable price with flair and style!

The Strings are available in several popular formats including trio and quartet with instrumentation designed to bring out the full, rich beauty of the music. While we strive to provide affordable elegance, we never scrimp out on arrangements or our sound.
The instrumentation is usually
Trio - Violin, Viola, Cello
Quartet - 2 Violins, Viola, Cello
These are our most popular choices for weddings, receptions and corporate events.
You may also ask us about adding a flute or harp to the ensemble if this is something you would enjoy

The group is comprised of a team of well-respected musicians chosen for their artistic creativity and technical discipline, as well as a refined, scholarly approach to many different styles and periods of music, ranging from classical, baroque and romantic to impressionistic, contemporary and popular, as well as a concentration on traditional and popular ceremony music. Our repertoire covers everything from Bach the Beatles to pop and more!

What's the Idea Behind The Style Strings & Why Are They A Great Choice For You?

Established in 1999, The Style Strings were put together specifically with the idea of providing exceptional classical string ensembles for any event and doing it at a price that would stay within the budget while not sacrificing quality. At Professional Entertainment Consultants™, an agency booking local talent for parties and special events since 1983, we knew what it would take to provide our valued clients with the right music for their events. Some of the challenges we had run into in booking top string groups included both budget and quality of performance. Many of the groups had a 1½ or 2 hour minimum when our clients really needed only an hour at, for instance, a simple wedding ceremony. This would bring the starting price in hundreds of dollars higher than many of our clients may have expected to pay or had budgeted, especially when the smallest group available may be a full quartet. We did not blame the musicians of course since it didn't make any sense for them to come out to a performance and be paid half their normal fee for a very short performance, especially if they were professionals who made their living playing music. It also didn't make sense for us to recommend a non-professional “hobby” or student group, who played part time for fun and would work at a nominal fee. Booking a group simply based on price seemed to often have the result that the quality and experience was lacking. Certainly they would work very hard to do a good job, but they often did not possess the skills or musicianship to play at the level our clients expect and deserve. Our experience over more than 30 years of providing entertainment told us that saving $100-200.00 on music at such important events as weddings usually was something the clients would later regret. and there are never any “do-overs” allowed.

Our solution was to put together a team of skilled performers who were committed to providing a service customized to what our clients were looking for. It did not need to be the cheapest service in the area, but it needed to be affordable. We started with trio and quartet prices for an hour that was fair and reasonable to the musicians, but still affordable for the clients, with additional time available at an even better rate, less than half of the rate for the first hour. and we made it so that the groups would be able to pro-rate additional time in as little as half hour increments, rather than a full hour. For repertoire, the group did not need to be able to perform every piece of music under the sun, but it needed to be able to play a wide variety of music that works well for the string group genre from classical to popular. Our musicians needed to be versatile in instrumentation, offering both trio and quartet options to fit the needs of the client with standardized repertoire that could be played with either trio or quartet while still producing a full, rich sound. Our team was made up of highly trained professionals who hold bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in music performance from some of the top music schools in the United States. We set out to put together a lineup of some of the area's top players who were versatile enough to play in a number of settings and who could do it with both skill and style.

Our solution became the Style Strings, now for over 10 years a popular and affordable choice in string music for almost any event!

What Are The Critics Saying?

Our only important critic is you, our client. Here is what some past clients have had to say about the Style Strings.

"We had many compliments from friends who enjoyed your music. We will certainly recommend you to anyone looking for great musicians!"

“. amazing, poised, and professionally and made our ceremony everything we wanted. I highly recommend!”

Read more on our reference page!

Planning Your Day

We understand your organizational challenges and how important it is to you that the music portion of your wedding, party or event goes smoothly. That is why you need a professional group who will arrive on time, perform exactly as you have asked, and not add to your stress! When you reserve the strings for your event you know you'll be booking a string quartet or string trio that will have the experience and talent to make your event special. A group that will be a pleasure to listen to and a delight to work with.

Your music coordinator provides assistance to help you in the process of selecting music for your event. We also provide every client with our PEC Music Planning Worksheet™, developed over years of performing at all kinds of events. This is designed so we know all the special selections you may have, the timeline for the event, all the participants such a bride, groom, bridal party or guest of honor, and even suggestions of some of the more popular choices and how they can fit into your celebration. We are happy to provide you with ideas as to what music may work best in almost any situation. If you have specific selections that you would like performed, please let us know ahead of time so that we can have adequate time to locate the music. In most cases we are even able to do a musical arrangement for you of a selection that is meaningful to you but may not be in our repertoire or already be available for purchase in sheet music format for the group (an additional arrangement fee may apply for special arrangements, see our pricing).

On the day of your event, we arrive at your venue before the scheduled time of performance. For weddings this allows us to coordinate walking cues for the processional and to arrange ceremony and recessional cues with your officiate. In the case of other types of events, we are experienced in working with function staff during dinners, receptions, parties, and other special occasions, paying the closest attention to every detail as to make your event a success!

Sample Repertoire List
PRELUDE MUSIC



Kick off the ceremony with a pleasant wedding prelude featuring music that moves and inspires you. Plan for about 30 minutes of music to play while guests find their seats and wait for the excitement to begin.
Traditional/Classic
1. A Rose Is Gently Blooming, Op. 122, No. 8, (Johannes Brahms)
2. Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber)
3. Air on the G String (Johann S. Bach)
4. Aria, Bist du bei mir (Be thou near me), BWV 508, (Johann S. Bach)
5. Awake My Heart with Gladness, (Flor Peeters)
6. Chorale in A Minor, Adagio, (Cesar Franck)
7. Concerto in D Minor, Adagio, (Tomaso Albinoni)
8. Largo from (Xerxes), (George Frederic Handel)
9. Perfect Love (Sir Joseph Barnby)
10. Rhosymedre (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
11. Serenade (from String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5), (Franz Joseph Haydn)
12. Serenade (Franz Schubert)
13. Sheep May Safely Graze (Johann S. Bach)
14. Sonata in G Minor for Flute and Organ (George F. Handel)
15. Toccata in E Minor (Johann Pachelbel)
16. Violin Concerto in A (Franz Joseph Haydn)
17. Water Music (George F. Handel)Traditional Alternatives
18. Carolan's Welcome (Irish Traditional)
19. Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op. 3, No. 6 (Vivace), (George Frederic Handel)
20. Courante (from Three Lute Dances), (Anthoine Francisque)
21. Gymnopedie No. 1 (Erik Satie)
22. Nessun Dorma (from Turandot), (Giacomo Puccini)
23. Nocturne in E Flat Op. 9, No. 2, (Frederic Chopin)
24. Oboe Concerto in D Minor, Adagio, (Alessandro Marcello)
25. Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (Claude Debussy)
26. Romance Op. 44, No. 1, (Anton Rubenstein
)27. Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren (Johann S. Bach)
28. Sonata in E Flat, Adagio, (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
)29. Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, Allegro assai, (Johann S. Bach)
30. Vocalise (Sergei Rachmaninoff)Contemporary
31. All I Ask Of You (from Phantom of the Opera), (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
32. Angel Eyes (Jim Brickman)
33. Evergreen (Barbra Streisand)
34. Longer (Dan Fogelberg)
35. Paris Nocturne (Dan Fogelberg)
36. The Gift (Jim Brickman)
37. Truly (Lionel Richie)
38. Wedding Song (The Band)
39. You and I (Stevie Wonder)Religious/Sacred
40. Ave Verum Corpus (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
41. Benediction Nuptiale (Camille Saint-Saens)
42. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata 147), (Johann S. Bach)
43. Liebster Jesu, Wir Sind Hier (Blessed Jesus, We Are Here), BWV 633, (Johann S. Bach)
44. Praise To The Lord (Johann G. Walther)
45. Prelude on the Old 110th, (John Joubert)



CEREMONY SONG LIST
Don't worry if Here Comes the Bride (Wagner's Bridal Chorus) isn't your speed for your wedding processional song -- you have plenty of alternatives. Here are 35 wedding processional ideas to accompany you, and everyone else in your party, as you walk down the aisle:

Traditional/Classic

1.Air (from Water Music Suite), (George F. Handel)
2. Bridal Chorus (from Lohengrin), (Richard Wagner)
3. Canon in D (Johann Pachelbel)
4. Procession of Joy (Hal Hopson)
5. Rigaudon (Andre Campra)
6. Spring (from The Four Seasons), (Antonio Vivaldi)
7. Te Deum (Marc-Antoine Charpentier)
8. The Prince of Denmark's March (Jeremiah Clarke)
9. Trumpet Tune (Henry Purcell)
10. Trumpet Voluntary (Jeremiah Clarke)
11. Trumpet Voluntary (John Stanley)
12. Wedding March (from The Marriage of Figaro), (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)Traditional Alternatives
13. Canzon V (Giovanni Gabrieli)
14. Coronation March for Czar Alexander III (Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
15. Overture (from Royal Fireworks Music), (George Frederic Handel)
16. Promenade (from Pictures at an Exhibition), (Modest Mussorgsky)
17. Romeo and Juliet Love Theme (Tchaikovsky)
18. Sinfonia (from Cantata No. 156), (Johann S. Bach)
19. Toccata (from L'Orfeo), (Claudio Monteverdi)
20. Trumpet Tune in A-Major (David N. Johnson)
21. Sonatas for Organ, Op. 65, No. 3 (con moto maestoso), (Felix Mendelssohn)
22. Winter, Largo, (from The Four Seasons), (Antonio Vivaldi)Contemporary
23. Appalachia Waltz (Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor)
24. Sunrise, Sunset (from Fiddler on the Roof), (Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock)
25. The Look of Love (Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach)
26. The Vow (Jeremy Lubbock)27. To A Wild Rose (Edward MacDowell)
28. Flatbush Waltz (Andy Statman)
29. Wedding Processional (from The Sound of Music), (Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein)Religious/Sacred
30. All People That On Earth Do Dwell (Old 100th hymn)
31. Dona Nobis Pacem (16th century hymn)
32. Hanava Babanot (A Love Song), (Neeman)
33. St. Anthony's Chorale (Franz Joseph Haydn)
34. Hymn Fanfare from The Triumphant (Francois Couperin)
35. Scalero de Oro (traditional Sephardic)

INTERLUDE MUSIC

Musical interludes are like little commercial breaks -- choose ones that suit the ceremony and embody the essence of your love.
Musical interludes are a great way to add symbolic meaning or dramatize important moments (like lighting the unity candle or signing the ketubah). Here are 55 vocal and instrumental suggestions:
Traditional/Classic
1. Adagio (Felix Mendelssohn)
2. Andantino (Cesar Franck)
3. Arioso (Johann S. Bach)
4. Cantabile in B-Flat Major (BI 84) (Frederic Chopin)
5. Ch'il bel sogno di doretta (from La Rondine) (Giacomo Puccini)
6. Clair de Lune (Claude Debussy)
7. Flower Duet (from Lakme), (Leo Delibes)
8. Lento con tenerezza (Enrique Granados)
9. Love That Will Not Let Me Go (Albert L. Peace)
10. Meditation (from Thais), (Jules Massenet)
11. Minuet (from Berenice), (George F. Handel)
12. Minuet, Melody (from Orfeo ed Euriduce), (Christoph W. Gluck)
13. O mio babbino caro (from Gianni Schicchi), (Giacomo Puccini)
14. Romanza (Ludwig van Beethoven)
15. Salut D'Amour (Sir Edward Elgar)
16. Still, Still With Thee (Felix Mendelssohn)
17. The River Is Wide (Tune: Waly Waly, traditional English)
18. Through the Eyes of Love (theme from Ice Castles), (Carole Sager & Marvin Hamlisch)
19. Verset, (Leon Boellmann)
20. Wedding Song (There Is Love) (arr. by Richard Bradley)
21. Where e'er You Walk (from Semele), (George F. Handel)
22. Whither Thou Goest, (Thomas Dewey)Traditional Alternatives
23. Barcarolle (from Tales of Hoffman), (Jacques Offenbach)
24. Pavane (Gabriel Faure)
25. Reverie (Claude Debussy)
26. The Call (Vaughan Williams)
27. Unconditional (Will Ackerman)Contemporary
28. A Simple Song (Leonard Bernstein)
29. Annie's Song (John Denver)
30. Benedictus (Simon & Garfunkel)
31. Grow Old With Me (John Lennon or Mary Chapin Carpenter)
32. Kind & Generous (Natalie Merchant)
33. One Hand, One Heart (from West Side Story), (Leondard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim)
34. Take My Breath Away (Tuck & Patti)
35. Thank You (Led Zeppelin)
36. The Water Is Wide (James Taylor)Religious/Sacred
37. All Things Bright and Beautiful (traditional hymn)
38. Amazing Grace (traditional)
39. Ave Maria (Johann S. Bach/Charles Gounod)