Standard Quartet Package-Ken and Gustavo
Date: May 18th, 2019
Venue: St. Louis City Hall Grand Rotunda
Ken and Gustavo first contacted Gold Standard Musicians in 2017 with an epic vision, but lots of questions. They wanted a grand, elegant, and impactful ceremony. They wanted big, classical music to set the stage for their long-awaited wedding day. They wanted a grand piano and musicians to be a part of the decor and overall aesthetic of the ceremony. They had family and friends coming into St. Louis from overseas and across the US, and they wanted to be sure it was an unforgettable trip. Ken and Gustavo decided on hiring a piano trio (piano, violin, and cello) to provide an elegant and impactful musical landscape for their meticulously planned ceremony.
After hiring GSM, we got to work making their vision a reality. We gathered quotes from St. Louis area piano dealers and found the best piano for the money. We made all the arrangements for payment, delivery, tuning, and removal of the piano. We even went to City Hall, tape measure in hand, to ensure the freight elevator was large enough (it was huge—no problems there). We provided the schedule and map of the delivery door location to the piano movers, scheduled the tuning, communicated with the wedding planner, and got to work planning the music!
In early April, Gustavo and Ken met up with us at Johanna’s home studio to plan out the specifics of the music. We listened to a lot of music, discussed timing, musical climaxes, and mood. Finally, we had a musical lineup for the ceremony! Pachelbel’s Canon, Schubert’s Serenade, Mariage d’Amour, and La Rejouissance. Parts of the ceremony called for small portions of different arrangements of the various pieces, which Johanna arranged especially to fit.
A couple of weeks before the ceremony, Gustavo got in touch to see about adding a piece—he wanted a soprano to sing “Ave Maria” as a tribute to his mother. Schubert’s “Ave Maria” was her favorite song. Johanna sprang into action and found a superb soprano to fit the bill. The soprano was hired and the instrumental arrangements were secured. Mission accomplished!
May 16th was the day of the welcome party! Johanna showed up before the guests and played piano music as people arrived and kept it going throughout the evening. Gustavo had provided a list of Colombian Cumbias beloved by his family traveling all the way from South America for the festivities. Johanna learned a few of the Cumbias and had a blast as the whole room sang along at the top of their lungs. What a completely awesome party!
Leading up to the ceremony, Johanna confirmed delivery and tuning of the piano, placement of chairs for the musicians, ensured the order of service matched the plans she had made with Ken and Gustavo at the meeting in April, communicated with the wedding coordinator about all the details, and delivered sheet music to the musicians for practicing. There’s a lot more to this process than just the music!
In the end, it was an absolutely gorgeous, meaningful, and super fun occasion. Thank you, Gustavo and Ken (and little Sabi!!). It was an honor to be a part of your special day.
