Allegretto Music takes over Austin

Andre and Lara get married overlooking Lake Travis

On November 7th, Allegretto Music played the most special wedding of the year. Hard to believe, but after more than 1,500 weddings, this is the first time we have ever played music for the wedding of one of our family members!

My cousin, Andre Bosch, married lovely Lara Kirkham at the Oasis on Lake Travis. It was a gorgeous day. The view was incredible. You step out on the balcony and watch the sailboats on the lake below.

Of course, Jose and I teamed up to complete the ambiance with some music. The couple went with a classical selection, Bach's "Sleepers Awake", for the entrance. And they went in the complete opposite direction for their exit march, when we performed a Harp and Violin rendition of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida."

Lara and Andre were surrounded by their families and their good friends, old classmates from MIT. Andre and Lara are both engineers and MIT graduates. The average IQ in that room was astronomical!! :-)

And they lived happily ever after...... As for us...... well, we had only 30 minutes to travel 39 miles to the Barr Mansion, also in Austin, to put on an amazing party for Christie and Rob Moser.

And so it is that we traveled from the lake to the barn! Whereas the Oasis had the laid back air of a yacht club, the Barr Mansion was like traveling back in time to a more gentile time. The old mansion is beautiful and officially a historical landmark. The reception took place in the separate ballroom. This was one of the best crowds we have ever entertained. People of all ages, danced everything we threw at them, for 4 hours straight. It was so fun and exhilarating!

Paul added some people to his fan club with his saxophone prowess. Here he is imparting his wisdom! :-) But we are used to this. Paul is amazing.

Groove City Band keeps the dance floor packed!

The crowded dance floor at this wedding for 500, Incarnate Word Sky Room

After the awards received in the earlier part of this year, Groove City Band has been pretty busy playing for all kinds of events and wedding receptions. As the most versatile band in the city, we have an opportunity to showcase our broad range of styles.

For the wedding pictured above, on Sept. 26, we had our 9 piece band, including a trumpet and Latin percussion. We covered everything from Rick Springfield and Bon Jovi, to Selena and Timbiriche. This was a great wedding, complete with props that included light-up sunglasses and maracas. The ladies also got flip-flops at midnight, for their tired feet! The new Mr. and Mrs. Van Cleave had a great time at their reception after a beautiful ceremony at the Motherhouse Chapel, which featured a chamber orchestra provided by Allegretto Music.

Another super exciting reception, this time at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel. The new Mr. and Mrs. Saucedo had a great time with all their guests. They spent all night on the dance floor.

The couple requested Adele's version of "To Make You Feel My Love", which the band learned specially for this occasion.

We want to thank our friend Gary Gibson for these great photos of the event. You can see more of Gary's work at his website: www.garygibsonphoto.com. We love to work with friends, and Gary is so easy to work with!

Logan Keese on trumpet, photo by Gary Gibson

Disco is always a hit!

Popular Wedding Locations for 2009

This year, Allegretto Music had the privilege of playing in many beautiful places around San Antonio. Here are some of our favorites.

The Motherhouse Chapel of the University of the Incarnate Word is by far one of our favorites. There are days when we have played both of the weddings scheduled at the Motherhouse. This is a church with over 100 years of history and tradition. We absolutely love Sister Walter and Sister Dorothy, who always welcome us with a hug and a smile. It's like home.

Chamber Orchestra, waiting for our cue, at the Motherhouse Chapel

The Chapel is a great setting for any ensemble. We've played everything here; from solo organ, to a full chamber orchestra. The most popular choices in 2009 were Violin and Harp, and our String Trio. The Motherhouse Chapel is a great place to feature a vocalist, too. Awesome acoustics.

The Canyon Springs Golf Club is another popular destination for weddings. It's so easy to get married at such a naturally pretty place. Our favorite nook is the lawn by the Pavilion. Towering oaks, a gentle breeze.... and a couple hundred of your closest friends. :-)

Flute and Harp in the River Garden, by the Gazebo

Of course, we can't ignore the Southwest School of Art and Craft. What can I say about a place where we have been welcome to play for the past 10 years? The old Ursuline Convent holds a dear place in our hearts. You can't go wrong at the Southwest School. Ceremonies inside the Coates Chapel are quiet, and intimate, and warm. Ceremonies out in the River Garden, or in the Groto are framed by beautiful landscaping, and historic buildings.

Solo Classical Guitar in the Groto

If you want history, no place can rival the Missions. Among them, Mission San Jose is a clear favorite for couples tying the knot.

Detail of the high-arching cupola at Mission San Jose

And another place we visited a lot this year was the Marguerite Parker Chapel at Trinity University. This church is tucked away inside the university campus. Couples here have favored String Trios and Quartets. With a long aisle, this is a great place to make a grand entrance!

View of the organ pipes at the Parker Chapel, Trinity University

Vacation in South Padre Island

This summer, like we do every summer, we headed down south to South Padre Island for a much needed break from real life! We love our little condo on the Island. It's our home away from home. As soon as we open the door of our car and breathe in that wonderfully salty, moist air of the coast all of our stress just melts away.

In South Padre we hone the fine skill of doing absolutely nothing. Well, that's not exactly accurate. We spend a day fishing. The next day, we just play on the beach. We play on the beach every day. It's part of our 'rigorous' daily schedule. After we play on the beach, we play in the pool, and 'decompress' with a soak in the jacuzzi. Yes. Life is so hard at the coast! There are more photos of our little piece of paradise at our website: www.condosouthpadre.com.

Summer is not summer without fireworks. So we returned home to SA for a beautiful 4th of July concert with the San Antonio Symphony. Jose played in the First Violin section. This was a record-breaking performance. Temperature onstage was a balmy 102˚F.

SA Symphony 4th of July Concert at the Sunken Gardens