Rates
The Brioso Quartet will gladly perform for your event within a 20-mile radius of the Holland/Zeeland Area. This includes locations in Grand Haven and Spring Lake, Saugatuck, Hudsonville, and the Allendale Campus of GVSU as well as all locations in Holland and Zeeland. Events at locations outside this radius will be considered for an additional fee, based on the location and services requested.
Wedding ceremony: $550
This includes:
- Prelude music while your guests arrive - 15 minutes of music prior to the announced wedding time
- Processional music - bridesmaids, flower girls, bride
- Special music during ceremony for lighting of unity candle or other time of reflection (additional charges may apply depending on music selected)
- Recessional Music - exit of the wedding party
- Postlude Music - dismissal of guests (ending when all guests are dismissed or 1 hour after announced wedding time, whichever comes first)
Wedding and Reception: $550 for the wedding ceremony and $510 per hour for the reception
Possible Additional fees:
Vocal Accompaniment Fee (if requested): $45
Music Arranging and Rehearsal Fee (for new music): starts at $50
Tent Fee (if needed to provide shade for quartet): $60
Please note: If the quartet is hired for the wedding and cocktails or reception, theses are considered separate "hours" even if your ceremony is brief. Also, if there is significant travel between ceremony and reception locations, there will be additional charges for our participation in both locations. These rates are subject to change without notice. Please email our manager to confirm rates.
If you'd like to hire us:
Please submit our information form. On it, clearly state that you would like to book us for your event. Our manager will check our availability for the date and time, contact you to inform you of our availability and mail you a contract. You will have 2 weeks from the postmarked date to return the signed contract, along with your non-refundable 50% deposit. Once the signed contract and payment are received, the quartet is confirmed hired for your event.
Vocal Accompaniment Fee (if requested): $45
Music Arranging and Rehearsal Fee (for new music): starts at $50
Tent Fee (if needed to provide shade for quartet): $60
Please note: If the quartet is hired for the wedding and cocktails or reception, theses are considered separate "hours" even if your ceremony is brief. Also, if there is significant travel between ceremony and reception locations, there will be additional charges for our participation in both locations. These rates are subject to change without notice. Please email our manager to confirm rates.
If you'd like to hire us:
Please submit our information form. On it, clearly state that you would like to book us for your event. Our manager will check our availability for the date and time, contact you to inform you of our availability and mail you a contract. You will have 2 weeks from the postmarked date to return the signed contract, along with your non-refundable 50% deposit. Once the signed contract and payment are received, the quartet is confirmed hired for your event.
FAQ's
Q: What is a string quartet, exactly?
A: A string quartet is a group of four stringed instruments: two violins, one viola, and one cello. The two violins usually play the melody and a counter melody which work together. The cello adds the bass line as the foundation of the mix, and the viola completes the mix and fills in the chords.
Q: How do you pronounce Brioso and what does it mean?
A: Brioso is pronounced "bree-óh-so". Brioso is an Italian musical term which means "lively, cheerful, vivacious."
Q: What kind of music do you play?
A: Our repertoire is quite varied with everything from Bach to Broadway to the Beatles and beyond. You and your guests will recognize much of our music, even if you are not well versed in classical music. For weddings we play elegant, typically slower pieces before the ceremony. After the ceremony we play joyous and faster pieces. At a reception we can play strictly classical, if you prefer, or we can include pieces from a wide range of styles including waltzes, ragtime, Broadway show tunes and light pop songs from the last 50+ years. (Check out our complete music list.) However, we are not a dance band. If the bride and groom would like an individual dance, a waltz or pop tune, we are happy to oblige, but if you'd like all your guests to dance the night away your needs would be better handled by another group.
Q: Is it possible to hear the quartet actually playing?
A: We have several videos on our home page. For all of our audio samples in one place, visit our SoundCloud page. On our Complete Music List page, some of the links are to other groups playing and some are of Brioso performances.
Q: How long do you play for a wedding?
A: Typically we play 15 minutes of prelude music, and 15 minutes of postlude music in addition to whatever music you would like us to play during the ceremony. For receptions and other types of events, the musicians will take a five minute break each hour. These breaks may be taken all at once or in small parts. Breaks will be reasonably timed so as to work well with the flow of the event.
Q: How much space is required for the quartet?
A: We require an approximately 9' X 9' area to give us room to play. Also, 4 armless chairs need to be provided.
Q: Do you play for outdoor events?
A: Outdoor events are taken on a 'weather permitting' basis.
- We will not play in the rain as our instruments would suffer unreasonable damage. Outdoor events need to have a rain site planned in case of non-cooperative weather.
- Beach weddings, however beautifully planned, can be difficult for musicians as well as your guests. Unpredictable wind conditions can make it dangerous for our instruments as well as making it difficult to keep our music from blowing away. Wind can also make it difficult for guests to hear our music. In order to protect our instruments, we need for you to provide a shelter giving us full shade for the duration of your wedding - a 10x10 tent with 2 sides will do nicely. Our tent cannot be secured in sand and wind so you'll need to provide your own or rent one for us.
- Adequate protection from direct sunlight is needed when playing outside. We do need to position ourselves under the shade of the gazebo, arbor, tent, or in an area that will be fully shaded by trees during the entire event. We need to protect our valuable instruments. We can provide a 10' x 10' shelter for ourselves at a small additional charge for non-beach outdoor events.
4. Outdoor events also need to consider our temperature requirements. Being in Michigan, with our wide ranges of temperatures, it is not unusual even for a warm summer day to have the temperature fall by the start time of an early evening wedding. Based on protecting our valuable instruments, the temperature at the time we begin playing must be above 62 for the quartet to play. To be certain the quartet will be able to play, please plan to provide a tent with a heater for us if the temperature is lower than 62.
Contact our Manager for more information concerning any of these "weather permitting" requirements.
Q: I would like to hire you. What do I need to do next?
A: Please submit an information form from this website. Our manager will check our availability for the date and time, contact you to inform you of our availability, and mail you a contract. You will have 2 weeks from the postmarked date to return a signed contract, along with a non-refundable 50% deposit. Once the signed contract and payment are received, the quartet is hired for your event. Full payment is due at least two weeks before the event.
Contact our Manager for more information concerning any of these "weather permitting" requirements.
Q: I would like to hire you. What do I need to do next?
A: Please submit an information form from this website. Our manager will check our availability for the date and time, contact you to inform you of our availability, and mail you a contract. You will have 2 weeks from the postmarked date to return a signed contract, along with a non-refundable 50% deposit. Once the signed contract and payment are received, the quartet is hired for your event. Full payment is due at least two weeks before the event.