Photography from the past

We are often photographed at weddings.

However, since we only get to experience the event for an hour or two, we don't often get to see the professional photos that were taken. But, to our great excitement, today we got to see some great photos from two events... from years ago!

Firstly, the Crosby and Seidl families joined during a Saturday morning ceremony at the Shakespeare Festival amphitheater in 2013.  We provided the music for the prelude, ceremony, and for some of the reception afterward.  Here is our blog post about it.

Now, we get to enjoy seeing the happiness in all those photos on the Stephen Smith Wedding Photography website.  We were (or specifically, April was) featured in one photo (from
http://stevesmithweddings.com/blog/tag/prism-quartet/):

Secondly, you may remember our blog post about our gig performing for a 1920s themed party. 

Though the photographer gifted us with some photos, Bliss Events (who organized and catered the event) had some more gorgeous photos posted on their blog entry about the party here.

There too, they posted a photo of us, plus some of the gorgeous scenery from the host's garden (from
https://blisseventsboise.wordpress.com/2013/02/):

Even years later, it gives us a thrill to see little reminders of the fun we had at past events.

Art Sip - Take 2

Three days ago, Prism got to perform at the second annual Art Sip event hosted by the Meridian Arts Commission.

Here is the Art Sip's description, from the Meridian Chamber of Commerce website:

 ArtSip
In the Garden at Something Special Antiques
134 E State St, Meridian
Thursday, July 9th
6:00 - 9:00 PM

MAF presents our second annual fundraiser, ArtSip, featuring wine, food, music and artists. We will have an early bird drawing for advanced ticket sales, along with a raffle item, silent auction, two wineries to enjoy, local food, live music, chalk art competition and much more. Funds raised at last year's event helped in part with sponsoring Meridian's Concerts on Broadway and provide grants to Treasure Valley Youth Theatre and Meridian Symphony's Young Musician's Competition.

What is the Meridian Arts Foundation?
Established in 2012, the Meridian Arts Foundation is an established nonprofit (501(c) organization dedicated to recognizing, encouraging and supporting the arts and artists of Meridian. The purpose of MAF is to pursue creative ways to work with and partner with the business and private communities in support of a thriving arts community in Meridian.

How You Can Help
We are looking for local businesses, arts groups, patrons and wineries to help support our dedication to Meridian's art community and developing plans for a Performing Art Center in Meridian."

We were happy to play again at this event.  The weather calmed from its current 110 degree temperatures, it was a breezy and pleasant, and between performing we also got to taste the catered foods, view the silent auction art pieces, and enjoy the short plays performed by actors from The Boise Little Theater.  It was a great evening of the arts - hopefully you can join us for it next year!

Mix and Mingle

All of us in Prism are either members or have been members of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra in the past.  As such, we all are strong supporters of that organization.  So, when they asked us if we could perform during an event following a Meridian Symphony concert, of course we said yes! 

So, on April 25th, after the orchestra concert that evening, we got to play more music for an MSO

event called the Mix and Mingle.  For this event, musicians and patrons of MSO got to, well, mix and mingle!  Donated items were sold in a silent auction (proceeds went toward supporting MSO), Kona Grill provided fresh catered food to all guests, and there were a few short speeches giving thanks to the many hard-working people who make Meridian Symphony Orchestra's rehearsals and concerts run smoothly.  (I had the sushi.  It was delicious.)

For us, it was a delightful evening.  First of all, we got to play on a raised stage covered with tiles which were lit from underneath.  (You can see the raised white stage on the photo to the left.)  The venue used to be a high-end clothing store, so it was a very stylish place to play that made for great event space.

We also got to cherry-pick our favorite pieces for our playlist, so we included mostly modern and fun pieces.  Visitors had just heard an entire concert of classics, why not present some different genres?  So, we played songs like Makin' Whoopee, Aquarius, When You Wish Upon a Star, Star of the County Down, and The Irish Washerwoman/Swallowtail Jig.  It was a great evening of music!

Wedding Video

Want to see us in action? 

The kind couple who just got married on the 10th video-recorded and live-streamed their wedding.  This way, their many international friends could see the wedding, even if they couldn't attend in person. 

They also posted the video of the prelude/ceremony on youtube.  The Millers have graciously allowed us to post the link to their wedding video here. 

Thank you Jessica and Jeff, and congratulations!

Calvary Chapel wedding and new recordings

Today has been a busy day for Prism.

Not only did we get to play for a wedding at the Calvary Chapel in Boise, we also uploaded some new recordings.

This morning, Prism got to share in a unique wedding full of love.  At Calvary Chapel, the wedding took place in the morning.  Before the ceremony, Prism and the bride's sister played prelude music

Photo from: http://www.ccboise.org/our-church/new-calvary

while the guests found their seats.  During the ceremony, we got to step off the stage and enjoy the pastor's advice, worship songs performed by the Calvary worship team, and other songs performed by loved ones.

Afterward, we played for the couple's exit, then moved to a nearby building for the reception.  Their snowy themed reception sported lots of ribbon, white painted sprigs of pine, and frosted bottles as centerpieces, setting a wintery, elegant atmosphere.  We played while guests enjoyed the great catered lunch, and paused in between for cake cutting and toasts.

For this event, the bride and groom wanted more traditional classical pieces, plus hymns and sacred music.  While the parents and attendants entered, we got to play Canon in D, and the bride entered to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.  The couple walked from the stage as man and wife to Entrance to the Queen of Sheba.  During the reception, we played pieces like the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (Movement 1 and Movement 3), Come Thou Font of Every Blessing, The Sleeping Beauty Waltz, Star of the County Down , and La Rejouissance, plus a couple of tangos like our Tango Number 1 and the Tango Chromatique.

Coincidentally, we just uploaded recordings of many of those pieces today as well!
Here are more brand spankin' new recordings:
The Irish Washwerwoman - Swallowtail Jig
Fugue in G minor
Autumn (the finale from The Four Seasons)
Sheep May Safely Graze
Christmas Concerto
All of our new songs are also linked on our Repertoire page, accessible from the toolbar at the top of the website.

Busy Holidays

2015 is upon us!

Prism got to celebrate the holidays and ring in the new year with family and friends.  However, we enjoyed spreading some Christmas fun in December by spending a few evenings playing yuletide songs in the lobby of Saint Luke's hospital in downtown Boise. 

It's always tough to have to visit the hospital during the holidays.  But, a few tunes can always help spread a joyful spirit.  Since we have a large repertoire of Christmas songs written for duet, trio, AND quartet, we got to visit St. Luke's with different combinations of instruments and play on several nights. 

Seeing a tired nurse in scrubs smile as she walked by, a toddler dancing in the hallway, and a worn-out visitor stopping to rest for a minute and enjoy the music made us feel like we got a few extra Christmas gifts this year.  :)