BOOKING INFORMATION & ADVICE
A string quartet creates a relaxing atmosphere, perfect for any event and is suitable for playing at functions with as few as twelve guests, all the way up to two hundred and fifty. We can provide a string trio for those smaller functions, though the repertoire for this group is not as wide ranging. A string quartet is fairly portable and we are happy to change location (or venue), as and when you need us to. We usually aim to arrive thirty minutes before we need to play, as the set-up time is minimal.
When booking the Bath Spa String Quartet you will need to provide the following:
• Four chairs without arms and enough space to arrange them in a loose semi-circle. The minimum space required is 3m x 2m.
• Adequate illumination (if for any reason you need us to provide our own lighting, please let us know well in advance).
For the protection of our instruments, when playing outside we need shade if sunny and cover if wet. The covering needs to be larger than the minimum performance space required.
• A supply of soft drinks throughout the hire period and a cold buffet or sandwiches.
Our quartet is very busy, especially at weekends during the summer months. We are often booked up to 15 months in advance, though because we can provide more than one quartet in a day there is some scope for late booking. However, to guarantee we are available to play for your event, early booking is advised.
We have standard charges for two, three, four and five hour hire periods and breaks for the musicians are included in this time. For venues in and around Bath our travel costs are included in the minimum 2 hour fee. For venues further a field, please note that the minimum session time will increase, usually to a three hour period. We are happy to make arrangements of any special requests or to purchase new sheet music, whichever is the most cost effective. If your request is particularly challenging, you may be charged for rehearsal time. The more information you can give us on your enquiry form, the easier it is to provide an accurate quotation.
When making your enquiry, please let us know:
• The proposed date
• The approximate start & finish time of the hire period or the number of hours you would like to book.
• The full postal address of the venue, including the postcode, so that we can find you on the day.
• Your name, address, e-mail and contact telephone numbers, so that we can get back to you quickly with any queries about your event.
Once we have given you a personal quotation, you will be asked to pay a deposit and sign a booking form to secure your date. Deposit payments can be made via BACS transfer or by cheque made payable to “Bath Spa String Quartet”. The balance payment is usually made in cash on the day.
Once you have booked the quartet, we endeavour to keep in touch during the intervening weeks/months/years(!). If you would like a personal music planning session (particularly useful to wedding couples choosing music for the ceremony), please contact us at least twelve weeks prior to the engagement, so that we can timetable an appointment for you. In any event, we should get in touch in the three weeks preceding the event, just to finalise last minute details.
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