Thank You for the Honor!

A special thank-you to WeddingWire.com, and all of my gracious clients who posted wonderful reviews of my wedding music performances. I am deeply honored to receive the WeddingWire Couple's Choice Award for 2014 (my second year receiving this honor).

This certificate is awarded to the top five percent of the WeddingWire.com community for demonstrating excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry.
 
Discover more about how Celtic harp music can enhance your wedding festivities at my website. Roam around, listen to music samples, check out my huge wedding music playlist. 

I am available to play for every element of your wedding--from the rehearsal dinner, the ceremy, the reception, and beyond. Invite me to perform for just one part of your wedding, or for the entire day!

With over 25 years of performance experience, I am capable of playing a wide variety of music. I'll make every effort to accommodate your special music requests.

Choose from traditional wedding music, or get creative! My music repertoire spans from Celtic (Irish, Scottish, Welsh), English, Folk, Renaissance, and Classical music to Broadway, contemporary, Pop, Rock, New Age and Jazz--Your choice is virtually unlimited. I can easily provide the traditional "Canon in D" by Pachelbel for the processional and "Here Comes the Bride" for the bride's entrance, and then play songs made famous by the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and even Led Zeppelin and Metallica for the reception. Battery-operated amplification is included to ensure that large numbers of guests can comfortably hear the beautiful Celtic Harp. 

In addition to providing the perforct music for your wedding, I can style my attire according to the wedding theme and colors. My extensive wardrobe includes gorgeous period costumes.

This certificate is awarded to the top five percent of the WeddingWire.com community for demonstrating excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry.

Go to the rates and FAQs section of my website for more information about inviting me to perform for your wedding, or any special event. I look forward to hearing from you!

Photo by Zinser Photography

When Your Co-Workers are Your Friends

Lake Tahoe Golf Course

Last Friday, I played at Holly and David's wedding at the beautiful Lake Tahoe Golf Course, with the Sierra mountain range as a backdrop. Jackie and Rachel, who handle weddings, are always a breeze to work with. They bend over backwards to make sure I have what I need when I'm preparing to perform.

I was greeted by Mario from Class Act Entertainment, who was happy to plug the microphone for my harp into his sound system. I didn't need to unload my amp from my car and fuss with sound! Thank you, Mario!

Photo by CiprianPhotography.com

And then, Ciprian, the fabulous photographer who has graciously taken photos for my portfolio was the official photographer for this wedding. He took a moment out to take some photos of me. Most photographers will only concentrate on the bride and groom and not take photos of the wedding environment--Ciprian takes in the entire scene. I can't wait to see the new photos!

When everyone works as a team, the wedding goes flawlessly. So if you are getting ready to tie the knot, it's a good idea to hire wedding vendors who have worked together before.

But from a wider view, everyone I worked with wanted to make sure things went perfectly for Holly and David. It is so nice to work with people who are generous with their talents and willing to help each other out to ensure a wonderful day for the wedding couple. This generosity of spirit makes work fun and something to look forward to. My hope is that you and your coworkers share this generosity of spirit in your own work environment, too. Try being generous with your time and your abilities at your workplace--What happens?

(For wedding musicians, you can find out more ideas for fostering good recommendations from other wedding vendors in my book, The Musician's Guide to Brides. Purchase a signed copy of the book at my website, where a portion of your purchase is donated to charity, and visit the Musician's Guide to Brides facebook page for info tailor-made for wedding musicians.

Gold Country Weddings Bridal Fair

Getting married in the Sierra Foothills or South Lake Tahoe?

This is a great opportunity to audition me at this lovely boutique bridal show, inside a beautifully restored mansion, the Sequoia.

I will be performing in Molly’s Parlor and have the entire room to myself to play your favorite wedding selections.

Email me with your request and I’ll play it for you.

Get two admissions for the price of one with your online registration at www.goldcountryweddings.net.

Tips on how to hire a wedding musician

It's June and wedding season here in the U.S.--and if you are still looking for wedding music, consider hiring musicians instead of using the iPod stereo or pre-recorded music.

Need reasons? Blog author Amanda Williams offers several reasons:

1. Live bands are great for getting guests to interact with each other.

2. They are more likely to remember the band that played at the wedding than any sort of prerecorded music.

3. You will get the most for your money if you are willing to hire a band. This is especially true if you are choosing a band that plays requests or follows a set playlist.

She also says, "After you have experienced a live band performing at your event, you may never want to have prerecorded music played at another event afterward." Read more at Merchant Solutions IQ.

And if you need tips on how to hire a harpist, string trio or quartet, check out Lianne McCombs blog.

And for more info, my new book, "The Bride's Guide to Musicians: Live Wedding Music Made Easy and Affordable" is now available for pre-sale on amazon.com.

Renaissance Magazine Calls Anne Roos’ Wedding CD "One of the Best Collections of Celtic Harp Music"

“Haste to the Wedding is one of the best Celtic and Renaissance harp CDs you will ever find. It is also an excellent guide for any Olde World wedding,” proclaims Michael Lohr in Issue #67 of Renaissance Magazine. You’ll find his full review of Anne Roos’ wedding CD on pages 72 and 73 of this issue. Here are some highlights of the review:

“Anne Roos is a superb harpist...Haste to the Wedding is one of the best collections of Celtic harp music you will find. Full of Irish and Scottish courting and wedding songs, the CD is grouped by ceremonial sections: prelude music, processional music, unity candle/exchange of vows music, and recessional music.

Anne, who studied music theory at UCLA, proves to be a musical historian...A 48-page booklet accompanies the CD and provides a wonderful overview of traditional ceremonies and songs.

Haste to the Wedding is one of the best Celtic and Renaissance harp CDs you will ever find. It is also an excellent guide for any Olde World wedding.”

Renaissance Magazine is a print publication that features articles on history, castles, heraldry, culinary and herbal arts, and in-depth interview with the movers and shakers of the re-enactment and faire communities. Regular columns review period books movies, music, web sites, and games.

Haste to the Wedding is on the Cambria Master Recordings label. This and other albums by Anne Roos are available for purchase online at Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and many online stores. It is also available for purchase at retail outlets such as Barnes & Noble and Borders stores. Autographed copies can be purchased at www.celticharpmusic.com.


Budget-Busting Tips for Creating a Dream Wedding without Breaking the Bank

One in three couples will pay the cost of their wedding entirely out of their own pocket – and most will go over budget in doing so. At a time when we're all looking for ways to cut back on the cost of everything from gas to groceries, the average expense of $28,000 to get hitched is probably tough to justify. But before you let the economic crisis ruin your plans, author and professional wedding musician Anne Roos has some budget-busting tips for creating a dream wedding without breaking the bank.

This is an excerpt from a radio interview that was conducted by an Ohio radio station, WFIN am 1330, on October 29th, 2008.

To listen to this interview just go to http://www.wfin.com/morning/audio/1028-7a.mp3

A Lovely Comment From a True Fan

I recently received this comment from a new friend on MySpace and I wanted to share it.

"Dear Anne!

I find your playing absolutely excellent and I am looking forward to buying your cds in the near future. I also appreciate very much the Celtic Club membership and the opportunity to download new tunes every once in a while. Very fine, too, that you are supplying interesting background information as well.

Thank you for presenting the Celtic harp music in such a lovely and competent way!

Best regards, Mats"

To see my full MySpace profile please visit me at http://www.myspace.com/celticharpmusic

Are You New to Performing At Weddings?

Here Are Some Wedding Favorites to Get You Started

Do what you do best, and you’ll love what you do. The music you
play that resonates within you carries your own fingerprints.
Even if other musicians can play the same songs as you do, what
you bring to these songs is uniquely your own.

To get you started, this is a list of some wedding music
standards that you might want to consider including in your
repertoire:

Wedding Ceremony Music—The Common Requests

The Top Ten Classical Music Requests (in order by composer):

1. “Air in G” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D (J.S. Bach)

2. “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9(Beethoven)

3. “Trumpet Voluntary” or “Prince of Denmark’s March” (J.
Clarke)

4. “Clair de Lune” (C. Debussy)

5. “Hornpipe” from Water Music Suite (G.F. Handel)

6. “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (F.
Mendelssohn)

7. “Canon in D” (J. Pachelbel)

9. “Allegro From Spring”, first movement theme from The Four
Seasons (A. Vivaldi)

10. “Bridal March” from the opera Lohengrin or “Here Comes the
Bride” (R. Wagner)

Wedding Ceremony Music Alternatives (Because Not Every Bride
Wants to Enter to “Here Comes the Bride”):

Favorite choices for Christian weddings:

1. “Amazing Grace” (American Folk Melody)

2. “Ave Maria” (F. Schubert)

3. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (J. S. Bach)

4. “The Lord’s Prayer” (A.H. Malotte)

5. “Simple Gifts” (Elder Joseph)

Favorite choices for Jewish weddings:

1. “Dodi Li” (N. Chen)

2. “Erev Ba” (O. Avissar & A. Levanon)

3. “Siman Tov” (traditional Israeli song)

4. “Sunrise Sunset” from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”

Favorite choices for Celtic weddings:

1. “Mairi’s Wedding”

2. “Star of the County Down”

3. “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”

4. “Skye Boat Song”

5. “My Wild Irish Rose”

This is a short excerpt from my new book, “The Musician’s Guide
to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings” published
by Hal Leonard Books. I’m sure you can think of more tunes to
add to these lists. Add them in your comments below and help out
other musicians to get a good start playing at weddings. Next
time in this blog, we’ll tackle timeless reception favorites.

View Anne’s new book--see some individual sample pages.



The book is available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers (including barnesandnoble.com, sheetmusicplus.com , and amazon.com.
I may sound like I'm shamelessly promoting it here, but I really would like to have some constructive feedback about it. I fully intend to write future editions, so your feedback would be of great help to me. Please feel free to respond with your kind constructive comments, and certainly, respond with wedding favorites that you would like to add to the above lists.


My best to you,
Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

Are You New to Performing At Weddings? Here Are Some Wedding Favorites to Get You Started

Do what you do best, and you’ll love what you do. The music you
play that resonates within you carries your own fingerprints.
Even if other musicians can play the same songs as you do, what
you bring to these songs is uniquely your own.

To get you started, this is a list of some wedding music
standards that you might want to consider including in your
repertoire:

Wedding Ceremony Music—The Common Requests

The Top Ten Classical Music Requests (in order by composer):

1. “Air in G” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D (J.S. Bach)

2. “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9(Beethoven)

3. “Trumpet Voluntary” or “Prince of Denmark’s March” (J.
Clarke)

4. “Clair de Lune” (C. Debussy)

5. “Hornpipe” from Water Music Suite (G.F. Handel)

6. “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (F.
Mendelssohn)

7. “Canon in D” (J. Pachelbel)

9. “Allegro From Spring”, first movement theme from The Four
Seasons (A. Vivaldi)

10. “Bridal March” from the opera Lohengrin or “Here Comes the
Bride” (R. Wagner)

Wedding Ceremony Music Alternatives (Because Not Every Bride
Wants to Enter to “Here Comes the Bride”):

Favorite choices for Christian weddings:

1. “Amazing Grace” (American Folk Melody)

2. “Ave Maria” (F. Schubert)

3. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (J. S. Bach)

4. “The Lord’s Prayer” (A.H. Malotte)

5. “Simple Gifts” (Elder Joseph)

Favorite choices for Jewish weddings:

1. “Dodi Li” (N. Chen)

2. “Erev Ba” (O. Avissar & A. Levanon)

3. “Siman Tov” (traditional Israeli song)

4. “Sunrise Sunset” from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”

Favorite choices for Celtic weddings:

1. “Mairi’s Wedding”

2. “Star of the County Down”

3. “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”

4. “Skye Boat Song”

5. “My Wild Irish Rose”

This is a short excerpt from my new book, “The Musician’s Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings" published by Hal Leonard Books. I’m sure you can think of more tunes to add to these lists. Add them in your comments below and help out other musicians to get a good start playing at weddings. Next time in this blog, we’ll tackle timeless reception favorites.

View Anne’s new book--see some individual sample page

The book is available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers (including Barnesandnoble.com, Sheetmusicplus.com , and Amazon.com). I may sound like I'm shamelessly promoting it here, but I really would like to have some constructive feedback about it. I fully intend to write future editions, so your feedback would be of great help to me. Please feel free to respond with your kind constructive comments, and certainly, respond with wedding favorites that you would like to add to the above lists.

My best to you,
Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

Valuable Tips on How to Select a Musician-Part 2

Here is a continuation of the tips from last week posting.

1. Give the musicians your musical requests.
If you have a particular selection or selections you want
included be sure to discuss this in advance with the musicians so
they have time to get the music and rehearse.

2. Discuss your expectations.
Musicians should dress and present themselves according to the
theme of your event. Be very clear on what duties you expect of
the musician, such as when to play a certain selection. Be as
detailed as possible. Don't leave anything to chance.

3. Amplification is important.
Ask if the musicians are providing their own sound system and be
sure it is electrically compatible with the venue, or is battery
powered.

4. Look for a harmonious working relationship.
If the musician is not responsive to your needs during
consultation, look elsewhere.Give the musicians your musical requests.

If you have a particular selection or selections you want
included be sure to discuss this in advance with the musicians so
they have time to get the music and rehearse.

5. Discuss your expectations.
Musicians should dress and present themselves according to the
theme of your event. Be very clear on what duties you expect of
the musician, such as when to play a certain selection. Be as
detailed as possible. Don't leave anything to chance.

6. Amplification is important.
Ask if the musicians are providing their own sound system and be
sure it is electrically compatible with the venue, or is battery
powered.

7. Look for a harmonious working relationship.
If the musician is not responsive to your needs during
consultation, look elsewhere.

I hope you enjoyed these few tips so far as there are more to come. For more information come see me at
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

Valuable Tips on How to Select a Musician

Whether hiring a musician for a wedding ceremony, reception, business or social event, it is wise to start your search as soon as your date is set. Professional musicians, orchestras, bands and soloists may be booked a year in advance. Here are some guidelines to use when making a decision about the type of music you want:

1. Choose the type of musicians & instruments
   Take into consideration the size of the venue and the acoustics. The music should be a compliment to the event, not too overpowering
   
   
2. Get references
   Chances are that if other people have been pleased with the musician you will be too. Don't be afraid to ask for and check references of the performer you are considering.

3. Audition whenever possible
   This will give you an overall feel for the musicians’ style of music and "stage" presence. Auditions can be in person, over the phone, by tape or video. Audio CDs let you sample the style and expertise of the musician. Video and DVDs additionally allows you to see the appearance of the performer. Make sure you like the quality of the music and that it is appropriate for the event.
   
   I hope you enjoyed these few tips so far as there are more to come. For more information come see me at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/UserPages/Home.aspx
   

CD Baby Musician Podcast with Anne Roos

The CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast (brain child of Kevin Breuner) is just another way for like minded musicians to reach out and share their experiences, tips, know-how, mishaps and mistakes with a global community that is no longer limited by time and place, age or experience. iTunes voted the CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast the best of 2007 podcasts.

Kevin interviewed me in an episode that aired on August 1, 2008. Here is the show info:

Episode 030 : Anne Roos - How to Make Money Playing Weddings

How You Can Afford Live Music for Your Wedding!

There is nothing more special than having musicians present to
perform for your wedding and reception. Hiring musicians is not
just about having wonderful music to accompany your wedding
activities-it's also about having a performance to watch. Your
guests will certainly enjoy watching a musician performing rather
than watching someone pushing the play button on an iPod stereo.

Conventional thought is that musicians will charge more than DJs.
This is not necessarily the case. Here are some ways to get your
musical talent for less:

• Invite musicians to play for several wedding elements
  When you hire musicians to play for multiple hours, they may give you a price break for performing additional hours. Invite them to play for the ceremony AND the photo session afterwards. Or invite them to continue through cocktail hour. Or have your reception band play through dinner and then kick it up for dancing.
  

• Shave off some time
  Your reception hall may want you to be finished by a certain time so that the staff can get in and clean up. Therefore, don't instruct your reception band play until the very last guest leaves-Instead, tell them to end a half hour before everyone needs to vacate the site. Bringing the music to an early close will give guests the signal that the party is at a close and it is time to throw the rice.
  

• Go with a smaller group
  Obviously, if you hire a trio instead of a six-piece band, you'll be saving some money.
  

• Hire musicians who can fit into your budget
  Professional wedding musicians have large repertoires and know the elements of a wedding. They may also be familiar with the staff of your service providers that you have hired (such as your celebrant and your wedding coordinator).
  
  If you don't have the budget for a professional, turn to student musicians. You won't have as many musical choices to choose from, but you'll save money. Find student musicians at local colleges and universities, or simply ask music teachers at your local full-service music store for recommendations.

• Be careful inviting friends and family members to perform for you
  It's absolutely wonderful when your professional musician friend volunteers to perform at your wedding as a gift to you. You won't have to pay for the musician's services, and the musician will welcome being a part of your special party.
  
  It is an entirely different story if you ask an amateur musician friend or a close family member to perform at your wedding. You are putting that loved one on the spot-If they don't want to perform, then they may feel they'll risk hurting your feelings by turning you down. The solution: Invite amateur musician friends and loved ones to play a special song during the reception, while you give your reception band a break. At the reception, people are partying and your friends will feel more relaxed performing. Save performances during the formal wedding ceremony for professionals or experienced musician friends who volunteer to perform for you.
  

• Provide amplification or nix it altogether
  Some musicians and bands may offer you a discount if you provide the amplification, or house sound, for them. To make this happen, you will need to have on hand an experienced sound tech to take care of the musicians' amplification needs. Here's an advantage to hiring a sound tech: they can also mike your celebrant during the wedding service.
  
  Or, trim your guest list so that amplification is not necessary. Some musicians will charge less if they don't need to haul sound equipment to your wedding.
  

• Hire musicians in your geographical area
  Travel is expensive, and importing musicians from many miles away is, too. They will pass along the price of their gas, lodging, and meals to you. When you hire local musicians, you won't be paying that surcharge, and they are more likely to be familiar with your wedding venue.
  

• Change your date
  Saturday evenings are prime time for weddings, and in many regions, June is the prime wedding month. To receive possible discounts on all your wedding services, including live music, plan a wedding that is off-season (during November or January, for instance) or select a weekday wedding date.

Having live music at your wedding can be affordable! If you have further ideas, be sure to let me know, so that I can pass them along to my wedding clients.

How to Make Money Playing Weddings

For Musicians Only

Within my new book, “The Musician’s Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings”, I introduce many ways to make wedding gigs successful gigs for all musicians. Since I fully intend to write future editions, I wanted a forum to find out what works for you at weddings. Perhaps you’ll have some additional ideas that I did not come across during the writing of my book.

So, let’s start with the first topic…From the first chapter of my book, I spell out 10 personality and skills that a musician needs to be successful at playing weddings. They are:

1. Be content with taking directions from the bride and those she appoints to oversee her wedding, no matter how strange you think her expectations of you may be.

2. Educate the bride about the services you have to offer.

3. Politely stand your own ground when necessary.

4. Possess a willingness to offer helpful suggestions about how to select wedding or reception music, without actually making up the bride’s mind for her.

5. Accept the fact that you will be performing background music while people are talking and mingling.

6. Perform smoothly and with confidence.

7. Look good. No, look GREAT!

8. Realize that you can learn from bridezilla stories, those horrible nightmares about crazy brides that you, other musicians, and wedding vendors experience from time to time.

9. Know that a positive attitude makes you a magnet for enjoyable, high-paying wedding gigs.

And

10. Love what you do and success will come.


My best,
Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos
http://www.celticharpmusic.com

And if you would like to purchase my new book, “The Musician’s Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings”, with 324 pages of helpful wedding gig info, you can order it from all retailers that carry Hal Leonard Books, including Barnes & Noble, Borders Stores, and Amazon.com.

An Introduction

Hi, I'm Anne Roos, Celtic Harp Musician and author.
As an introduction to myself, I am including a video that was taken of me in different settings. I hope you enjoy it.


Thank you,
Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

http://www.celticharpmusic.com

e-mail: anne@celticharpmusic.com

"Beautiful music!"--United Airlines Inflight Music Service