Below you will find all the information you will need when considering booking The Bossard String Quartet. If there’s anything not covered here, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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“What does a string quartet consist of?”

A string quartet consists of two violins, a viola and a cello.

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"How much do you cost?" 

Our pricing takes into account various factors, such as location, duration and date, so we will provide you with a bespoke quote when you complete our handy contact form on the website.

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"How far in advance should I book?"

To secure your date, we recommend booking as early as possible, ideally 6-18 months in advance. Our booking process involves providing a deposit, completing a booking form and choosing the music. Simple!

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“What area does The Bossard Quartet cover?”

We are based in Hampshire (Across Winchester and Portsmouth areas). We are happy to play at events around Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Dorset. If the event is further away we will add our travel expenses and time to the fee. We are also available for destination weddings and are willing to travel to make your special day even more memorable.

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"Are you insured?"

We have Public Liability Insurance up to £5 million. We do not carry any electrical equipment that needs plugging in, so no PAT certificate is needed. We also can provide a risk assessment if your venue requests this.

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How early do the musicians arrive?

The Bossard Quartet usually aim to arrive at least 45 minutes before the start of our booking start-time. This gives us enough time to set-up and tune before playing

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Do you require amplification?

Normally not. Most weddings and events do not require amplification, our sound carries well. But if your event is particularly big (e.g. 150 + people) we can amplify our instruments by plugging into PA systems at venues. If you think your event may benefit from amplification please speak to us about your requirements and we'll normally need to discuss options beforehand.

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Can I see The Bossard Quartet live before my event?

The large majority of our events are private bookings so we don’t have a lot of events we can invite you along to. But from time to time we do play at events which are open to the public and we will add these to our EVENTS page.

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Can I meet you in person to discuss my booking?

We don’t usually meet up before the event as we find that most details can be organised by email or phone and do not require consultations. We’ve tried to make everything as clear as possible on the website, please let us know if there is anything you are still unsure about.

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"Can you provide references or reviews from previous clients?"

We have an ever-growing collection of authentic reviews from past clients on Google. These are left by our clients and we do not have the ability to censor them! We feel these are a great testament to the work we do, and we are very proud of them. If you would like to speak to a former client of ours, please let us know and we will try to arrange this.

 

“Do you offer a string duo as well as a string quartet?”

The vast depth of our repertoire for quartet means we are no longer offering a string duo or trio as the repertoire is very limited.

 

“Can you play outdoors?”

Yes, we are more than happy to play outdoors (under shade) on fine days during the summer months. Should the weather be too cold, too windy or wet, we would have to move inside. We require that there is some shade for us to play under to protect our instruments from direct sunlight e.g. your venue puts up a gazebo for us to sit under. If this is not possible, we can bring our own black gazebo to sit under, and there will be a £100 charge to cover the extra time putting it up and taking it down.

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“What requirements do you have regarding refreshment?”

We would be very grateful for hot or soft drinks to be provided throughout the engagement. Meals are appreciated for 4+ hour bookings.

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“What requirements do you have regarding space and equipment?”

We need an area covering about 2.5 x 2 metres. It is preferable that we are on a flat surface with adequate light. We need 4 armless chairs in a semicircle. It is also helpful if there is a place where we are able to leave our cases during our performance.

 

“What would happen if on the day one of the string quartet members was ill?”

If a member of the quartet were ill, we would make sure that we found a suitable replacement. We have a circle of deputies that play with us regularly. These players stand in when one of us is on holiday or otherwise engaged so they are well rehearsed with the music and acquainted with our high standards.

 

“How do we go about getting a quote?”

Contact us with the date of your event. Hopefully we’ll be free for it, and if so we will confirm our prices with you. Prices are from the time we start playing to the end of the booking.

 

“Will you need to take breaks?”

We will need to take some breaks during the booking time or else our arms might fall off! We try to time these breaks to coincide with your plans. We can let you know how many/how long the breaks would be depending on your booking time (we usually allow about 10mins per hour).

 

“How do we go about booking?”

Once you have decided you would like to book please get in touch with us through our contact page with all the details (date, venue, estimated timings etc) and your contact details. We ask for a deposit to secure your date. On receipt of the deposit your booking will be confirmed and we are yours!

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“What would happen if I cancelled the booking?”

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, leading to the need for event cancellations or changes. On the very rare occasion that a client cancels the booking we strive to be accommodating while also ensuring the fair treatment of our musicians.. For all cancellations, we will keep the deposit. If the cancellation is within 3 months of your event date, 50% of the fee is retained by us. If the cancellation is within 1 months of your event date, the full contracted fee will be due. 

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"What happens if I need to reschedule my booking?" 

Clients may request to reschedule their event date based on the quartet's availability. If the rescheduled date cannot be accommodated due to the quartet's availability, it will be treated as a cancellation, subject to the above policy.

 

“How do we choose the music we would like?”

Take a look at our repertoire list and let us know what sorts of things you like. If you are having a wedding ceremony /service you can let us know what you would like for the key parts of the ceremony (processional, signing of the registers and recessional). If you need help choosing the music please do not hesitate to ask. Don’t forget you can make use of TBQ Jukebox a novel way to get your guests to select what we play during drinks receptions or dinner.

 

“What if our event over runs?”

We know that sometimes event timings don’t go quite to plan! We are a flexible group and understand that you may need us to stay and play for a little bit longer. Please note though we charge £50 per 15 minutes extra and this will need to be agreed with us on the day itself as it is subject to availability (e.g. if we have taken another booking that follows yours we may not be able to stay for longer

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“What if I want something played that is not on your repertoire list?”

We are very flexible and if you have a request for a special piece of music, please let us know! For non-classical requests we are very willing to purchase or arrange a piece of music especially for you. This is quite a popular option amongst our clients where you can choose your favourite song to be arranged for a string quartet. We enjoy a challenge so if you have a song that you really like, please let us know! There may be a small fee for the arrangement.. For classical requests we will buy the sheet music for your occasion. Depending on the cost of this we may ask for a contribution.

 

“Do you just do weddings?”

Not at all ! We are equally comfortable playing for corporate events, private parties, dinner parties and special concerts.

 

“I’m thinking of booking you for our corporate event”

We are willing to customise our act to the theme of your party if required (e.g. James Bond Theme, Bollywood, Film Themes, 19th Century, Jazz etc) Please get in touch with us to let us know your requirements. Previous corporate clients have included Virgin Media, BAE Systems, Royal Navy, The British Army, Trethowans Solicitors, BACP, and The Mary Rose Museum

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FAQs for Weddings

Can you attend my wedding rehearsal at the church?

As we perform at weddings so often and weddings usually follow quite a clear format, we find that it is not usually necessary to attend wedding ceremony rehearsals. However, if your ceremony is quite different, or you would just like the reassurance of having us there at your rehearsal, the prices are the same as all bookings with TBQ 

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Will you speak to the Registrar / Vicar / Reverand before the ceremony to work out cues?

Yes, we usually speak to the person carrying out the marriage before the ceremony to discuss our playing arrangements and how they are going to cue us to start playing.. If you have a Toastmaster we’ll usually have a chat with them too.

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What happens when I arrive at the altar? Does the music just stop?

No, don’t worry! We won’t leave you stranded half-way up the aisle, nor keep playing for several minutes once you have arrived! We will ensure that the music will subtly fade our and cadence once you reach the altar.

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Can the string quartet play as we are signing the registrar?

Absolutely! We recommend you choose 2 pieces from our list as it can take a while for everyone to write their names and addresses twice on the document!

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Can you provide music for both the wedding ceremony AND the reception ? 

Yes of course! Most of our bookings are for 3 hours +. This means we can perform through your wedding ceremony, and into the drinks reception. We also regularly play through the Wedding Breakfast too, which is a popular choice as each table can be given request slips for us to play their favourite tunes from our list, and this is a great icebreaker! 

 

What if we are having our reception in a different venue to our ceremony? (e.g. church and reception venue?)

That is no problem at all, we are happy to pack up and move to your reception venue after the ceremony. Please note the booking time will include the time taken to move location.

 

My wedding ceremony begins at 1pm. What time should I make my wedding booking?

Music is usually performed by us as your guests arrive and waiting. Therefore, we would need to be booked from at least 30 minutes before the start time of your ceremony so we are set-up and playing as your guests walk in. For example if you ceremony is at 1pm, you'd book us to be playing from 12.30pm when people arrive, and then into the drinks reception.

 

“What venues do you play at?”

We will play everywhere and anywhere around the South of the UK. As well as known wedding venues, we’ve also played in many churches, people’s gardens, living rooms, marquees, fields etc.

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What do you wear? 

We typically wear all-black. If you have a request for colours, or something else, just let us know and we'll try to accommodate! Check out our instagram page to see our vibe.

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Can you accommodate special requests for the timing of specific songs during our ceremony?

We typically take instruction on the songs for the bridal entrance, signing of the register and the exit. We can also perform a piece during the ceremony for people to listen to if that is required. 

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Can you perform alongside other musicians or vocalists we've hired for our event?

Absolutely! Please speak to us in advance about this. We have in the past had singers, guitarists, flautists join in with us. We do not tend to rehearse this until the day of the wedding, so whoever you want to join needs to be a competent musician who is able to make music together. 

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