Below are some Frequently Asked Questions that we hear from our clients. If you have never booked with an agency or are not very familiar with hiring or working with live musicians, we highly recommend you read this next section.

I am having a wedding with about 125 guests attending. I want live music but am uncertain about what to do. What do you recommend?

For a wedding of this size, a standard String Quartet is usually woven into the ceremony and is then followed by playing at a reception or cocktail hour.  If you decide to use Caprice Music Ensembles for the stringed portion of your event, we have a number of wedding templates that will guide you through the process of choosing your desired pieces.

What kind of instruments make up your string ensembles?

We offer almost all configurations of string ensembles.  Based on our experience, the following represents ensembles that we more highly recommend:

 

String Duo: Violin & Cello 
String Trio: Violin, Viola & Cello 

String Quartet: Violin (2), Viola & Cello 

String Quintet: Violin (2), Viola, Cello, Bass
String Septet: Violin (3), Viola (2), Cello (2) or sub Bass (1)

String Octet: Violin (4), Viola (2), Cello (2) or sub Bass (1)

String Nonet: Violin (4), Viola (2), Cello (2), Bass (1)

 

If players from our core are needed to substitute for currently absent members in larger ensembles, call us for details and pricing options.

 

I want to make my event something that people will remember, but I am also on a tight budget.  How can I save money while getting the most from my ensemble?

Every event has a different purpose as well as size, location, and audience number.  The best way to find out how to get the most for your dollar is to contact Matthew Cataldi directly at m-cataldi@capriceme.com.

 

If the same ensemble is performing both at a ceremony and reception for a traditional wedding package, Caprice Music Ensembles offers this kind of packaging at a discounted rate.  To qualify for this special offer, the reception must start within 1 hour of the ending time of the ceremony and be less than a 30 minute travel from the desired location.  Savings for a traditional string quartet under this package are $480.00.

 

If the reception exceeds this time, book the same ensemble with CME on the same day and save $240.00.

 

I want to make sure the musicians know what is going to happen and am having a dinner to rehearse the ceremonial portion of my wedding.  Could all the musicians attend just for safety's sake?

Rehearsals are a great way to make sure everything proceeds smoothly.  While hiring all the musicians for a rehearsal would be the best solution, it would also be the most expensive (a standard CME rehearsal of 2½-hours runs $75.00/musicians/rehearsal). 

 

Since our core players are seasoned professionals, the best option is to have us hire one of the musicians to attend the dinner/dress rehearsal and then designate that person as the lead musician for the event.  You will have all the benefits of having a rehearsed ensemble at only a fraction of the cost!

 

I am looking into hiring a live group of musicians for my event and need to know what they need in terms of space and seating.

Since groups vary in size and placement, Caprice Music Ensembles will provide you with the necessary space and placement information tailored for your specific event.  As an example, String Quartets usually need 12’x12’x5’ (LxWxH) of space in order to perform effectively.  Armless chairs with straight backs and non-slanted bottoms will need to be provided.

 

If your event is outdoors, we do require shading for the protection of both the instruments and players as well as a temperature between 60^OF and 92^OF with humidity above 30%.

 

I want to make sure that the ensemble I hired is the very best for my occasion.  Do you have individual hearings where I can audition the group before I sign on?

Since we receive a lot of inquiries about our services, we cannot offer pro bono hearings/auditions.  However, we do have an extensive list of audio clips for the variety of different ensembles that we have to offer.  From here, you can get an idea of what to expect both in terms of sound and quality.

 

If you would still like to hear the group live, CME can offer these hearings at $75/musician/2½-hour session.  Contact us at m-cataldi@capriceme.com if you are interested.

 

I want an ensemble to play during the ceremony at my wedding, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take.  How much time should I request?

For a CME ensemble, requests of 1 hour are the most common.  The usual ceremonial portion of the wedding takes only about 30 minutes, but with the prelude (20 minutes) and postlude (10 minutes), it fills up to 1 hour.  Here’s an example of the times:

         Prelude                Ceremony            Postlude

         (20 minutes)        (30 minutes)         (10 minutes)
i.e.    4:10pm                 4:30pm                 5:10pm
      *Total Time: 4:10pm-5:10pm

 

If you however, anticipate your ceremony taking longer than 1 hour, it is better to book that time in advance.  It is not uncommon for musicians to have multiple weddings during the same day and they may have to leave in the middle of the ceremony if the time has not been booked in advance.

 

What if the wedding ceremony does run late?  What are my options and how much will it cost?

If the wedding runs late, CME offers a program in such instances called a Ceremonial Pre-Extension.  This program acts like a kind of musical insurance for your event where it allows us to extend our contract until the end of the musical commitment has been reached.

 

Essentially, billing works the same way as if it were being extended naturally, but only having to pay for the necessary time that was needed ($17.50/¼-hour/musician).  The drawback is that sometimes the musicians might not be available and may have to leave.  CME musicians can continue to play as long as their schedules permit and there is more than ½ the original ensemble present.

 

This program works best in emergency type situations only where the signor cannot easily access the musicians.  It should not be used as a supplement for booked time.  If you anticipate the ceremony taking longer to finish than you originally expected, it is better to have that time guaranteed with us than to leave to chance.

 

I know a group that can do it for cheaper. Why should I book with Caprice Music Ensembles when I can get a better price elsewhere?

Cheaper does not mean better. When it comes to any event, the question should be "Why is this other group charging less?” At Caprice Music Ensembles, we take great care and pride in the staff we employ. 

Our core musicians have received their performance degrees from the top music performance schools in the nation including but not limited to Indiana, Northwestern, New England Conservatory, Oberlin, and Eastman School’s of Music.  Almost all have received a Master’s degree or above in their respective instruments and while other groups claim they can do the same for less, it is not the complete truth. 

To find out why groups charge a certain rate, simply ask where they received their performance degrees and the extent of their performing experience.

Know that the players booked with Caprice Music Ensembles are the best for the money and have no regrets.

 

I would like to book your ensemble. What is involved?

The first step in hiring one our ensembles is to contact manager Matthew Cataldi directly (m-cataldi@capriceme.com).  After a set of initial inquiries about your event, you will be sent an Estimate & Agreement via email in Adobe Acrobat format.

 

After this, check the details on the sheet, sign and date the given Estimate & Agreement with the 1st installment (equal to ½ or the whole the total due in a check, money order, or Paypal^© form) and you will have officially booked one of our groups.

If one of our musical groups is performing for a wedding ceremony, the Wedding Program Planning Sheet needs to be submitted is at least 2 weeks before the actual event.

 

On the day of the event, CME musicians will arrive at least 20-minutes before the downbeat to verify set-up and placement, warm-up, review the ceremonial entrances with the designated planner/client and to answer any last minute questions.

 

Because of confusion and last minute details in the potential hurriedness of your event, payment of the final installment for a ceremony only is due shortly before the beginning of any performance; for a reception, this is due during the transition of pieces.

 

If you have any additional questions that cannot be answered by this section, please contact Matthew Cataldi directly either at (877) CME-MUSE or by email at m-cataldi@capriceme.com.  We hope we can be of service and look forward to hearing from you!