Chester County Strings
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~ Vibrant Music especially for Your Celebration ~


Auditions

We are often asked: "Where can I hear the Chester County Strings before I book your services?" There are several possibilities: Firstly, our Music Samples page offers you a glimpse into our repertoire. Then, if we have an upcoming event accessible to the general public, we can give you the date/time and location and you could come and hear us performing live. The third option is a "phone audition": At a predetermined time, we would call you and play for you over the phone (we have done this many times and it works surprisingly well!). Lastly, if you live close to the house of one of our musicians, we could arrange that you attend one of our rehearsals.


Fees

The Chester County Strings offer you the best musical experience at competitive rates. Our fee structure is based on the length of the performance, the distance we have to drive, and the time it takes to get to the location of your event. The rates for a typical wedding of 1 hr. length (preludes - ceremony - postlude, this usually includes a Protestant, Catholic (short service), Jewish or Justice of the Peace ceremony) in the Exton area start at $385. Keep in mind that the specific quote for you will be different. Hence please contact us for a quote optimized for your situation!

DISCOUNTS: We want to help you with your decision. Hence we offer 10% or 5% discount when you make your reservation early. To qualify for a discount the booking form will need to reach us together with your deposit 60 days or 30 days, respectively, before the event.

EXTRA REHEARSAL TIME: When more than 15 minutes of rehearsal time are necessary with a vocalist of other soloist (except musicians arranged by us), we will charge you $60 per 30 minutes for the extra time.

SPECIAL REQUESTS: If you request music to be performed for which we do not already own the sheet music (which does not happen often but it does happen...) we might extend the cost for the purchase of the sheet music to you. Likewise, if you request a special piece for which we have to write an arrangement for string ensemble because the sheet music is not commercially available, there is a charge of $60 per hour for our arrangement time. The best is to discuss special requests with us upfront.

HOLIDAYS: 15% may be added for bookings made for holidays; i.e. Jan. 1, Feb. 14, Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day Weekend, July 4, Labor Day Weekend, Thanksgiving Weekend, Christmas Week, and December 31.

PAYMENT: At the time of booking, we ask for a 25% non-refundable deposit. The balance is then due before the performance. We accept cash and personal checks.
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Booking

Typically you will want to contact us by phone or email, or simply by submitting our contact form. We will then call you back, and probably ask for more details and give you our best rates.
Once you have decided to hire the Chester County Strings, we will email you a booking form. We will ask you to fill in the detail (contact information, event date and location, special requests, etc.) and mail a signed print out together with a 25% non-refundable deposit back to us (see PAYMENT). Once we have received that form and the deposit, we will send a signed copy of the booking form back to you. When you are ready to discuss your event, we will call you and work with you to make your celebration a special day.
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Delay Policy

Let's face it: Ceremonies often start delayed. Therefore our planning accounts for delays of up to 15 minutes. However, should the start of your event be delayed even further the charge for the overtime is $100 per 15 minutes.
Occasional we have two engagements on one day. In case of a serious delay we might have to leave before your ceremony is finished in order to get to the next event on time. If you see any risk of a significant delay, please discuss the situation with us.
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Outdoor Policy

Our music instruments are worth literally thousands of dollar (a superb sound has its price!). Because of the delicate nature of our instruments, the area for the musicians must be well shaded, with temperature between 65 and 85 degrees F during outdoors performances. We also ask you to take the proper precautions against wind, sand, rain, and other hazards as the valuable instruments will not be subjected to conditions that could damage them.
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