Classical Duos - for your Event

About Classical Duos

The Classical Duo pages list ensembles that are available to perform in your area. They are probably the most versatile music group for Weddings and Banquets. To find out more about them, read on:

A Classical Duo will not only play classical music, but many will play a substantial light music repertoire and the popular wedding songs. There are duos with a wide range of instrument combinations. Many are based on two instruments out of a string quartet, e.g. violin and cello, but there are a plethora of other combinations, e.g. harp and flute, violin and acoustic guitar, vocal and piano etc. Select your county in the dropdown box above to see what instrumental combinations of Classical Duo perform in your area.

So if you're considering some form of band hire, why would you book a classical duo rather than a string quartet. There are many good reasons:

> you particularly like the instruments that are in the duo, and there are many unusual combinations;

> you have limited space for the duo. Perhaps they are to play in a smallish hotel room, a small rural church, an exhibition stand with restricted space;

> it is an intimate setting with a limited number of guests, and you want an ensemble that can create an intimate atmosphere and a sound that is 'lighter' than that of a string quartet;

> a classical duo may be lower cost than a larger group, though this is not always the case as duos are less usual, so there can be a rarity value to them.

If you are in the wedding planning stage of things and are looking for wedding entertainment ideas, a Classical Duo is well worth considering, especially if you are having a small number of guests or the wedding venue or church has limited space. They can provide music during your wedding ceremony and also good background music during the reception.

If you are trying to come up with product launch ideas, perhaps some form of live entertainment for your corporate event would fit the bill. Solo harpist and string quartets play wonderful music, but some duo combinations are more unusual. So if you want to draw attention, perhaps flue and harp or guitar duo would work well in a small venue or exhibition situation.

The considerations for setting up if the duo is somewhat similar as for a string quartet, especially if performing as wedding musicians, but there can be some restrictions.

If the instruments of the duo are either string or wind instruments, the musicians are able to move location quickly and easily. They can play in the wedding ceremony room then move rapidly to another room or outdoors if the weather is fine, however if the duo include hard to move instruments such as piano or harp, moving can take a long time. If the pianist is playing an electric piano, they could only go outdoors if there was a safe power supply provided local to where they were playing. If a real piano provided by the venue, then normally these are in a fixed location. Harpists will normally not take their instruments outdoors as if there is a shower it would risk being damaged before it could be moved under cover. (A musician playing a string or woodwind instrument can just stand up and walk with their instrument, so can be under cover in less than a minute.) Some guitar duos use low powered amplification as an acoustic guitar's volume is relatively low, so the same applies as for electric piano.

A duo would have a similar, though usually more restricted classical wedding music repertoire and selection of wedding ceremony songs, than a string quartet. But they would still have a vast repertoire of music that was specifically suited to their particular duo combination, so would have plenty of wedding reception music to cover the drinks reception and wedding breakfast.

Just to get an idea of the diversity of types of classical duo, here are some line-ups:

Violin and guitar duo

Piano duo

Flute and cello duo

Flute and violin duo

Violin duo

Soprano and guitar duo

harp and flute duo

Tenor and piano duo

Female singing duo

Flute and piano duo

Classical guitar duo

Sitar and santoor duo

So you can see, there is plenty of variation to choose from!

It is important to consider the number of guests at your reception or banquet in your area. A duo only generates half the sound of a string quartet, and could get drowned out at a large event. A few duos can use amplification to overcome this limit, but it is not common amongst classical ensembles. Using purely acoustic instruments means a string duo can set up or move locations quickly. (provided that the venue has place four chairs at each location the quartet are to play in). There are no amplifiers, microphones or loud speakers to set up and move. So, like a string quartet, a string duo can play in one location for the drinks, then move to another location to play during the meal. This applies to classical duos comprising small non string instruments, but a classical duo including a large instrument such as a harp of piano can’t move so easily.

Where you decide to position the duo is important. When playing for a meal or wedding breakfast, the duo should be as central as practical to all the diners, so that they are as equidistant as possible from the ensemble. This means that everyone can hear the music at a comfortable level. Locating the ensemble in a corner close to some wedding guests, and a long way from others means that if the string duo play at a volume that is comfortable for those nearest them, those a long way off won’t hear them properly. Positioning is even more important than the positioning of a string quartet, as the available volume is less. For a your area wedding ceremony, the Classical Duo can be positioned at the back of the ceremony room or church, so that the music can be heard without distracting from the guests view of the bride and groom. Alternatively, the string quartet can be at the front of the room or church, so that they provide an attractive visual feature to the wedding ceremony, particularly as guests arrive early for the wedding. As the ensemble takes up less room than a string quartet ,there is more flexibility in location.

A String Duo doesn’t take up much floor space as a string quartet and it doesn’t need mixing desks and loud speakers that most bands need. (Though this isn’t necessarily true if the duo contains and electric piano). This is important if the duuo has to play in a confined area, such as a Wedding in a small church, small reception room, or even a private house.