LCQ Musician Blog

Our own clarinetist April tied the knot recently, and we couldn't have been happier to celebrate with her and her new husband at the beautiful Abbey on Fifth! Performing with April is always a blast, and getting to plan with her all of the music for her own ceremony was easy and fun. 

The Abbey is a historic building right in the heart of San Diego, in a really cool neighborhood called Bankers Hill. This vibrant district is just north of Downtown, offers a ton of amazing food and entertainment options, and is just one block from Balboa Park - so it's a perfect location for celebrations and gatherings. The vaulted cathedral ceilings, wood paneling, and amazing stained glass windows harken to a royal stately type of feel for a venue. There is even a music balcony right there above the alter where our quintet fits perfectly!

The quintet performed for prelude, and got to play for April and her wedding party while they were getting ready and still doing final touches before guests arrived. We played some meaningful music for the ceremony, and stayed up in the music loft to do an hour while cocktails were being served. LCQs wide range of music styles blended perfectly here for this event, sticking with mostly classical and softer music while guests arrived, and then more upbeat movie and jazz music for the reception. 

If you're still searching for a unique and beautiful location for a wedding, corporate event, or holiday party, look no further than the Abbey on Fifth - and give us a ring to provide some of that musical ambiance!

Let's say you are planning an event for your company and thinking of hiring a musician. That is a great idea!

Companies hire musicians for various types of events – holiday parties, sponsorship appreciation, business anniversaries, retirements – the list goes on.

Before getting bogged down in researching / trying to book the right music group for your event, consider your strategic objectives and some of the practical considerations.

Since LCQ has performed a numerous events around San Diego, and having provided musical entertainment for all kinds of companies, we feel qualified to:
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• Explain why your initial instinct to hire a live musician over a DJ or other recorded music was a good one – and why it makes business sense;
• Illustrate why hiring a musician is a great choice compared with hiring other types of entertainers;
• Offer you some tips for getting the most out of your booking.

Many people we talk to regularly think that the go-to ensemble for wedding ceremonies is a string quartet. Of course that is what is seen in the movies often, having a string quartet serenade guests as they arrive, or play processional music while the happy couple walks down the aisle. 

But while string quartets are still very much the standard, there are so many other options available to provide that same sense of grandeur and elegance, who can bring the atmosphere of live music, and who can customize your wedding songs to suite your desires and specifications. 

There are also many amazing San Diego string quartets out there, some of them are professional, some are more amateur but still do a nice job at weddings. As local San Diego musicians, we all run in the same circles and know each other from various symphony, stage show, and other local ensembles and have a good time together catching up on the wedding and events business and trends that we are seeing. 

But what I hope brought you to this blog today is a desire to see what our ensemble can provide for your wedding that a string quartet can't. As a wind quintet, we have a very wide array of music stylings - over 700 arrangements of music spanning cinema soundtracks, classical and Baroque favorites, jazz and swing, Broadway, pop covers, and more. In fact we custom arrange music to fit many of our clients - some that are Disney lovers enjoy listening to their favorite melodies from Aladdin or The Little Mermaid, others that love the Beatles find their wedding songs in our extensive Fab Four catalogue. 

Wind quintets are made for outdoor performances. We typically do not need to be amplified and our sounds carry throughout the wedding venue, allowing us to instantly set the mood as guests arrive. Historically, wind quintets have been around for hundreds of years, and were a common sight in the plaza's of Vienna performing for royals and at special celebrations. Our ensemble consists of the principal wind instruments of the symphony orchestra: clarinet, flute, oboe, French horn, and bassoon. The sound combinations of our instruments meld to create unique colors, harmonies, drama, flare, and a full rich feeling.

​Wind quintets are made for outdoor performances. We typically do not need to be amplified and our sounds carry throughout the wedding venue, allowing us to instantly set the mood as guests arrive. Historically, wind quintets have been around for hundreds of years, and were a common sight in the plaza's of Vienna performing for royals and at special celebrations. Our ensemble consists of the principal wind instruments of the symphony orchestra: clarinet, flute, oboe, French horn, and bassoon. The sound combinations of our instruments meld to create unique colors, harmonies, drama, flare, and a full rich feeling.

​So we hope that you will consider booking the Left Coast Quintet for your upcoming wedding celebration! While we are not a San Diego string quartet, we are a professional San Diego classical ensemble made up of fun, engaging, and down to earth musicians who can really impress and elevate your day!

The Left Coast Quintet performed for a beautiful wedding ceremony at Green Gables Wedding Estate on Thursday evening. It was our first time on the property, and we were very impressed with just how gorgeous it is. Mature trees provide plenty of shade, there are beautiful green lawns, well manicured patios - really it is an oasis in North County San Diego that transports you away to a different world. 

Our couple loves all things Disney, and we did a prelude full of Disney music, including Lion King, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Pinocchio, and more. The wedding ceremony processional even included a little Star Wars - Imperial March, and for the recessional, we got this custom arrangement of Marry You by Bruno Mars which is lively and upbeat, perfect for everyone clapping for the newly married couple. 

Definitely looking forward to returning to this venue - we have another wedding there in the fall where we will perform for prelude, ceremony, and cocktail hour, so a little more time to get more pictures and videos. Until then - have a great weekend!

Our string trio had the chance to perform at The Thursday Club for their wedding open house on April 10th, 2019. It was such a good time! We got to schmooze with engaged couples, catch up with some of our favorite wedding pros, and enjoy really awesome dinner and dessert samples by some of San Diego's best catering companies!

Creepy ghouls and goblins are coming soon, followed quickly by explorers with turkey, and jolly old men in red pajamas being flown by reindeer. Yes, it's holiday season in San Diego, and while the weather here might not provide any white dusting of snow or icicles hanging from awnings, it does mean fun parties, great food, and entertaining music!

Here are some ideas for those of you trying to plan for your office or home holiday party that we have found fun, insightful, or interesting. Remember to book your live music with us as soon as you've set a date, so we can start going over the perfect playlist for your San Diego holiday party.

#1 - Make it a themed party! This is the best time of year to dress up! You can do a Charlie Brown Halloween, complete with a giant pumpkin, or a traditional Hanukkah gathering, with Maccabee fighters and lots of glowing lights.

#2 - Hire a photographer. People will be taking selfies and group shots with their phone, but only a professional photographer can capture the true feeling and mood of the event. We have many recommendations for great San Diego photographers who can help make some amazing memories!

#3 - Involve the guests! Some of the most fun parties we've performed at included "bake your own" meals or desserts, including a full pizza bar where guests could custom design their own pie! We have some tips for this type of event, and some pizza shops that can really help assist in setting this kind of party up.

#4 - Musical Chairs or Dreidel!  You'd be surprised how much adults love some of the fun games of their childhood, especially after a few drinks. Get our music rolling and the games started for an amazingly fun night that people will be telling stories about.

What's your favorite holiday party, and how did you incorporate music into it?