vif string quartet

Are you planning a small event for summer or fall 2021? We would love to be a part of your intimate wedding or celebration! Vif comes fully equipped with gorgeous and customizable repertoire, and masks, of course! Event planning these days requires a lot of creativity and flexibility, and we would be happy to work with you to make your event as safe and amazing as possible! Please contact us with your questions and ideas!

We had the honour and pleasure of playing for a friend’s wedding earlier this month (who happens to play viola as well)! The couple chose to have the ceremony at the Anglican Church of St. Michael & All Angels at Fort Edmonton Park. It’s an historic small, wooden chapel with a lot of charm and character, not to mention amazing acoustics for our quartet! The ceremony itself was so intimate and lovely, and one we won’t soon forget. Congrats, B & C!

Warming up before the ceremony

We finally got a Beyonce arrangement!!

A couple requested “Halo” for their wedding, so we obviously agreed! It was a lovely ceremony outdoors at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden. Can you imagine a more amazing combo?!

All hail Queen Bey!

So, the legendary band is in Edmonton tonight… which means it’s only fitting for us to share our tribute to Guns N’ Roses. Enjoy this arrangement of the classic Sweet Child O’ Mine.

Actual photo from the recording session. (yes, I know, wrong band…)

One ensemble that has become famous for their fantastic string covers is the L.A.-based Vitamin String Quartet. They’ve covered everything from Iron Maiden to Muse to Lady Gaga, and are always releasing new albums. We love their adventurousness spirit, and in fact, it’s pretty common for people to hear Vitamin String Quartet cover their favourite band on Youtube and request that we play one of those songs at their event. Unfortunately, VSQ only sells a handful of their arrangements, so it’s sometimes a bit of a hunt to find the sheet music, and occasionally a custom arrangement is the best solution. Either way, it’s always a fun project learning a new tune inspired by the Vitamin Quartet!

Here’s some Monday inspiration from VSQ – their version of Swing Life Away by hardcore band Rise Against (which we may or may not be playing soon at a wedding!).

The best day of my life was… when I had my first music lesson. Or when I ate chocolate for the first time. Or… maybe my wedding day. Either way, we have an arrangement of the American Authors tune!!! We played Best Day of My Life a couple weeks ago at a lovely wedding as the newlyweds walked out of the church after tying the knot.

Oh, and we may or may not have some Adele (Make You Feel My Love) coming up this summer too. #bestjobever

The big day is here! We are thrilled to be playing at Bridal Fantasy again this year. It’s on from 10 til 4 at the Northlands Edmonton Expo Centre.

We love the chance to meet couples on the search for their perfect wedding music, and mingle with other wedding professionals. If you’re here, come say hi, and let us know if you have a favourite tune you want to hear (classical or pop!). We may have the music for it!

Last night was a first for Vif! We were thrilled to be invited to provide music for WEDmonton, a wedding industry event held by the Edmonton Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES). Wedding professionals gather to share ideas, be inspired by WEDtalks, and enjoy a fabulous evening out! It was held at the iconic Wedgewood Room at the Hotel Macdonald, which was made even more beautiful by the stunning table designs. Designers went all out putting their tables together for the spring-themed design competition. I couldn’t resist taking a few photos of some of my favourites. (These camera-phone photos don’t do them justice, but I have to share!)

Table by River City Events

Table by Nandi’s Designs

Table by Special Event Rentals

Table by Cory Christopher

It was also a great chance to share some of our old favourites, as well as some new arrangements: “Happy” (Pharrell Williams), “I’m a Believer” (The Monkees, and from Shrek), “Just the Way You Are” (Bruno Mars), and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (Aerosmith), among others. Plus we caught up with some old friends!

Catching up with Renée Chan from Getwed!

Many thanks to Jennifer Bergman (from Jennifer Bergman Weddings) and ISES for inviting us and putting on this wonderful event!

Happy 2015 to everyone! By now, most of us have settled back into our daily routines, and are looking forward to what the next year holds.

One upcoming project I’m excited about is a wedding with Disney themed music, complete with music tunes from Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. I love when the music at a wedding reflects a couple’s personality!

I’ve also been wanting to get an arrangement of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy“, because who wouldn’t love a string quartet playing that at their wedding?! I have a lead on where to get the music, so it will probably be added to our music binders soon!

Stay warm, and happy almost-Valentine’s Day to all the lovebirds out there!

It has been a busy past few months for Vif, including the arrival of a second honourary quartet member (AKA new baby), with another one on the way! This Thanksgiving weekend, we are pausing to give thanks for family, friends, the opportunity to make music with each other and share it with others. It is always so neat to see the ways that music is meaningful in different people’s lives. I remember playing at a wedding a few seasons ago where the bride requested a particular song that her father always used to play on the piano at home when she was growing up. As soon as the song started playing in the wedding, the father’s surprise and delight was so obvious, and it was such a meaningful gesture to include it. This past summer, at another wedding, the brother of the bride, who is a composer, wrote some string quartet arrangements of his sister’s favourite pop songs for us to play at the ceremony. What a unique wedding present! Music truly is a gift to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving from Vif!