Studio Violin & Piano Recital—November 1st, 2009

I am so blessed as an artist and a human being to have these out of body moments when I look down on my life and think “Really?  I get to do this?  How cool!”  Sunday the 1st of November was one such day.  Friend and colleague Tasha hosted our joint studio recital in her beautiful home.  We had a wonderful turnout of well prepared students.  Some of them were even joined by musically inclined parents—how beautiful when music can become not only a form of expression, a study in language for a child… but also a parent child bonding experience!  I look forward immensely to our next recital in May.

  Tasha is a great piano teacher—the kids were not only playing but some sang along with their performance.  These photos were taken by Yvonne Kazmierowicz, an amazing mother of four who I admire greatly for a myriad of reasons, one of them being her photography skills.

Beyond the Wedding March

Taste in music is one of the quickest ways to get a feel for someone’s personality. How many times has the question of favorite band been posed to you on a date or an airplane ride? How about Oprah’s “What’s playing in so and so’s ear” feature each month in O Magazine?  Maybe taste in music was even one of the things that drew you and your partner together in the first place!

So why then when it comes to wedding ceremony music do people believe that if they want live music, it has to be some classical piece that they have absolutely no emotional connection with? Don’t get me wrong, I love classical music—I started studying it at age 3. . . but what I really love and what brought me into the wedding business is being able to play songs that matter to the people who hear them—whether that is Pachelbel’s Canon in D or Beautiful Day by U2.

Listen to Effesenden Music

Many groups accommodating a special request of your beloved song typically go no further than photocopying readily-available sheet music and reading it ‘on the fly’ at your event. This can lead to erratic consistency in quality, and you have to ask yourself whether, in these cases, you’re better off with an i-pod.

Every pop song that Effesenden Music performs is arranged by our players for our players. We also practice the music before showing up at your wedding: it makes a difference. A lot of string players are not used to the rhythms and styles of rock and pop. We make sure that we get not only the melody but the feel of your song.

We also have diverse options for instruments. String quartets are visually gorgeous but we have many other options for instrumentation including incredible vocalists. We can even provide the accompaniment if you have a friend who will be singing a special song.

What all of this means is that Effesenden Music can create a live playlist of music for your ceremony that is going to be meaningful to you and your guests with all of the elegance and sophistication that live music brings. We can mix all kinds of styles of music together yet the overall sound will be consistent because it is being performed by one ensemble.

We can go beyond ceremony to cocktail hour, dinner and even reception music to save the hassle of coordinating with more than one company. We also recommend some excellent DJs.

With seven years in the wedding industry, we’ve developed an extensive list of songs that are already in our repertoire.  Effesenden Music’s pricing options vary depending on whether you find something you like on our lists or would like us to create a unique soundtrack from your own musical VIP list.

Check out our musical sample page and let us know your ideas. Effesenden Music would love to help create your unique wedding day atmosphere by playing music that is beautiful and meaningful to you!

The Tradition Returns: Acoustic Christmas is Coming!

Back for it’s sixth season, we are delighted to present three concerts this year!

DATES
Wednesday, December 2nd:  7:00 PM  Newberg Friends Church
307 South College Street  Newberg, OR 97132
503.538.8381

Thursday, December 17th:  7:00 PM  Sydney’s Cafe with guest artist Dave Iula
NW 15th & Thurman Portland, OR 97209 503.241.4313
www.sydneysportland.com

Tuesday, December 22nd:  Holladay Park Retirement Community
Portland, Oregon (semi-private event) 
If you are interested in attending, please call 503.860.7688

LISTEN
For your enjoyment, here is a live recording of Midnight on the Water from 2007.  Grab yourself a cup of cocoa (with marshmallows please) and enjoy!

Midnight on the Water Live

Wendy Nirvana—Violin Outdoor Girl

 

Last Wednesday & Thursday it was Wendy Nirvana as some of my favorite pass-times converged.

Like Starbust candy: sweet and tart at the same time.

Like Oreo cookies:  creaminess and crunchiness working together for the ultimate junk food experience.

In other words…

I got to be outdoor adventure girl with my violin!  Together with brave fellow musicians Ashley, Nelly & Kelli we were part of a video shoot that drew us from the very rugged edge of the Oregon Coast (and when I say edge, I mean edge!) to the watery wonderland of the Columbia River Gorge. 

 

There was a great team spirit facilitated in part by my dear parents who came along to bless us with amazing food and care for the wee ones of Effesenden.  We met new friends: thanks Tye & David for all of the trees leapt out of and rivers forded.  We bowed to the whims of artistic genius and adventurous madman Sam Martin (I mean that in the most complimentary of ways Sam!)  And now we wait with great anticipation to see what  emerges from this wild ride. 

I am so excited to share the finished piece with all of you!  From the little bit of footage we saw, I think it’s going to be very unique!  Until then I will continue to nurse my aching feet and mosquito bitten arms.

August 1st at the Portland Art Museum

 

Our August 1st wedding at the Portland Art Museum’s Sculpture Garden featured some very unique musical selections such as Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here for the Seating of Family.  We do almost all of our own arrangements of songs which means that really the sky’s the limit as far as musical selections for ceremony.   

For cocktails and dinner, our pianist, Aaron Pruitt joined in on the beautiful Steinway Piano which Moe’s Pianos delivered for the day—and the strings transitioned from classical and pop to jazz jazz jazz.

These beautiful photos were provided courtesy of Kevin Rivers, the photographer for the day. 

Jeff Cumpston

As many of you have probably already read in the Oregonian, Portland drummer and educator Jeff Cumpston was tragically killed in a bicycle accident last weekend while on a two year teaching stint in Africa.  Prior to his trip, I had the privilege of performing with Jeff in our 2007 Acoustic Christmas series as well as in the Rising Violet band from 2006-2008.  Jeff was a wonderful part of our Effesenden Musician family…

Acoustic Christmas Ensemble 2007

I just want to say what an amazing man Jeff Cumpston was and how blessed I was to have known and played music with him.
An incredible drummer but always wanting to grow and expand his playing… an incredibly encouraging mentor both in the way he worked with his students at West Linn High and in his enthusiasm for the music that Naomi LaViolette and I were writing and arranging for Rising Violet and Acoustic Christmas in 2006-2007.  On top of all that, the man was absolutely hilarious and made the hang time after a performance so much fun.  I hope that I can live my life with half the impact that he did.  Miss you Jeff.

5.24.09 The Nines Hotel, Portland, Oregon

On a cold Monday evening last January, Hailey and Evan along with one of our violinists, Danna met at my home studio to discuss their wedding style.  Over the phone, they had hinted that they had been listening on i-tunes to the Vitamin String Quartet and might want some out of the box musical options but it was a wonderful challenge to assemble the music that we settled on.

Wendy: Q.  “What are some words to describe the wedding vibe you would like to create?”

H & E: A.  “Special, memorable, warm, close, fun, nontraditional.”

We needed an extremely versatile ensemble to pull off the variety of music that this couple chose so I recommended our Acoustic Quartet featuring:
Danna Leontescu on Violin,  Ashley Peck on Cello, Aaron Pruitt on Keyboard and Nate Macy doing double duty on bass & guitar.

Prelude:
Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof
Your Eyes, an arrangement of the Peter Gabriel classic
In My Life and All You Need is Love, Beatles of course!
At Last, ah Etta James
What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
Evan’s entrance:  Don’t Stop Believing by Journey
Bridal Party:  Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
Hailey the Bride’s Entrance:  All My Life  by KC & Jo Jo
Recessional:  Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer
Postlude:  Take a Chance on Me by ABBA

Hailey and Evan were a joy to perform for.  They are one of those couples that makes it easy to believe in love…and they were so enthusiastic about their music that it made us all the more committed to help create the perfect soundtrack!   Mazal Tov!

Acoustic Christmas is Coming!

In 2003, Acoustic Christmas started out with a very simple goal.  I wanted to do something to honor the memory of my grandfather, Orin Stahlnecker who had ended a long battle with cancer earlier that year.  Grandpa Stahlnecker was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known and is probably going to be one of the first people I look up when I get to heaven someday.  (He will probably be building something with his hands… or possibly fishing.)

It is the earnest wisdom and complete commitment that Grandpa Stahlnecker brought into his everyday living that I have endeavored to emulate in the music and the performances of Acoustic Christmas.  We have not cut corners.  We have been creative.  We have been relational and we have tried to create something beautiful that would bless the lives of those who came to join us for an evening of candlelit music.

I love the planning and the dreaming that usually begins in the heat of summer… but the thing I love most is when it all comes together and we can pour our hearts and souls into creating authentic, creative, heart-warming holiday music. 

This year I am more excited than ever about the series of concerts we have in store.  We have been invited into two venues—Beaverton Foursquare Church and Newberg Friends Church who have really partnered with us in the vision that coming together in community for an evening of beautiful, festive music as families…as friends… is a wonderful way to pause in the midst of the busy season to consider what it’s all about.  They are also providing some exciting infrastructure like cookies and cocoa at NFC  (Can a cookie be an infrastructure?) and lighting and sound at Beaverton! 

There are a million events to choose from in those busy days between Thanksgiving and New Years.  I am fully confident that if you choose to put our Acoustic Christmas series on your family calendar, you will leave feeling uplifted, relaxed and inspired…. And if all else fails, at least you can leave with your tummy full of cookies.

Playing at Sydneys, December 2007

 

We are on CD Baby & I-tunes!

Hello!  

Just wanted to share that Effesenden Music’s CDs and music are now available on CD Baby & I-tunes!  I am very excited… and I hope that the nice gentleman from Germany we met at Evergreen Aviation Museum last Fall will hear this news since we never did get your contact information! 

For those of you unfamiliar with CD Baby, it is a distribution site for independent music.  CD Baby is easy to use and completely secure and safe.  You’ll find it much like Amazon or any of the other major online retailers.  Simply place an order and CDs can be sent directly to you and your loved ones!

Of course we hope you’ll still come out to our shows where CDs are always available for purchase but these days, convenience is next to godliness so we’re happy to make it just that much easier for you to take us home with you!

Here’s what you’ll find when you visit our pages at CD Baby:

Road Less Traveled (Wendy Goodwin’s solo project) Check it out!
At the violin infused crossroads of Americana, Pop, Classical and Jazz

Night of Hope: (Acoustic Christmas) Check it out!
The musical equivalent to a warm mug of cocoa by a cozy fire. Beloved holiday songs performed by a charming blend of violin, piano, guitar, bass and vocals.

Making the most of live event music

 

Will the music be too loud? Will it be too distracting… or will it be so invisible that the financial investment won’t be worth the return?  These are reasonable questions that unfortunately sometimes scare people away from the idea of adding live music to their event.

 

 

The best way to explore your options is to set up a meeting with Effesenden Music—it’s complimentary and we can help you discern whether live music is the right fit for your big day for part—ceremony and cocktail hour… or all—from prelude to father daughter dance.