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September 23, 2010
 Whether you are hiring live musicians for your wedding or creating a playlist for your Ipod, the musical selections are an integral part of your wedding ceremony. There are so many choices, and so many different genres to choose from. We get so excited thinking of all of the ways you can mix and match, to create a totally individual and unique experience for your trip down the aisle on your special day. At Starlight Orchestras, we are happy to be a resource for couples’ planning the musical program for their ceremonies.
You can choose from the traditional classics, chamber music, opera music, film score music, Broadway, jazz standards, rock, pop, alternative, ethnic, on and on. You can have an entirely classical ceremony, or you can include one of your favorite Cold Play songs. You can do a program full of Broadway love songs with a dramatic opera piece for the Bride’s entrance. You can have one song for all the marchers, or a different song for every person. Check for updates on this blog monthly, as we often post specific ceremony playlists from our recent weddings.
We have compiled some lists to get the juices flowing and start the thoughts rolling. Click on the links below to view our most current lists. And please feel free to “add a comment” at the end of this article and tell us some of YOUR favorites.
Our string trios, quartets, and larger Custom Ensembles set the tone for a magical evening of romance and magic. The instrumentation, the musicians, and the music selections are handpicked for each event, making every evening distinctly different from all others. When you book a Starlight Custom Ceremony Ensemble, we invite you to a specific “music meeting” where we help map out the entire processional and then assign the different song selections. Once the music is chosen, we then advise you what instruments will present most effectively. The process is exciting and fun, and the result is a unique and very special beginning to a new chapter in your lives! And whether we perform at your wedding, or merely offer you this lists of ceremony music suggestions to give you some ideas, we are thrilled to be a part of your most important day!
Click on the following links to see our newly posted songlists:
CLASSICAL CEREMONY MUSIC
ROCK AND POP CEREMONY MUSIC
FILM SCORE AND BROADWAY CEREMONY MUSIC
ENTIRE COMPILATION OF CEREMONY MUSIC
JEWISH CEREMONY MUSIC
MUSIC FOR CHILDREN MARCHING
September 20, 2010
 There is nothing like a New York wedding! The Manhattan skyline, the eclectic architecture, and the energy that permeates every detail makes getting married in this town a unique experience. I have performed and provided music for weddings all over the country, and there is something undefinable about being here in New York City. Add to that the thrill of being in one of the grandest hotels. The Waldorf, The Plaza, The Pierre; all rich in history, home to countless magnificent weddings and galas over the decades. I am privileged to have been a part of so many wonderful events at these venues, as well as the newer trendier spots which have cropped up in recent years.
Being chosen to perform at Tsion and Elyse Ben-Susan’s wedding at the Waldorf a few weeks ago was an even bigger honor because both families have strong connections to the music business. We always appreciate being recognized and sought after when “industry insiders” want to impress their guests at the caliber that they are known for. Among other connections, The Ben-Susan’s own B.B. King’s Blues Club, The Bluenote and the Highline Ballroom. This promised to be an evening of music, magic and Mazel and we were happy to “host” the collection of bands and talented musicians that shared the stage with us. Starlight outfitted the grand ballroom with an amazing sound system, and played as the “house band” while friends from Israel performed the Hora, relatives from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic did a Salsa set, and a fabulous DJ featured modern European music. At the ceremony, 18 violins plus piano, guitar and bass accompanied the infamous Cantor Dudu Fisher. For the cocktail hour, our jazz trio delivered from the Cole Porter piano in the Park Avenue Lobby, and played an entire repertoire of “Rat Pack” favorites, as per the groom. Once in the grand ballroom, the 600 guests danced to the varied music of the Starlight Orchestra. Tsion had asked us to play a lot of funk classics, and Elyse wanted Top 40 and hip hop hits, so we weaved together an eclectic program of seamlessly mixed music.
It was a fabulously successful evening, the bride and groom were “over the moon” as they danced and celebrated the entire evening out on the dance-floor. We were invited to perform at B.B. King’s Blues Club (which we hope you will all come to!) and the evening is scheduled for Thursday March 24th, 2011.
Congratulations to Tsion, Elyse, and the whole Ben-Susan Family! And thanks to Brett Matthews for the photos!
September 16, 2010
SAVE THE DATE!
For the first time ever, Starlight will be performing live and open to the public at B.B. King’s Blues Club on Thursday, March 24, 2011.
Please join us for the
STARLIGHT EXPERIENCE DANCE PARTY 2011!
We are so excited about this incredible opportunity, and we hope you are there to party with our friends, clients and colleagues.
So mark your calendars! And get ready to rock!
September 12, 2010
Every year we look for something new to add to our holiday menu. The Jewish holidays are full of rituals and family traditions, yet it is exciting to find something that may be common to someone else but fresh and different to you. That is why I compare menus with friends and colleagues and clients, looking for that special addition that will add depth and dimension to our holiday celebration. It so happens that this year I had just saw down with Josephine and Tom Linden, to speak about their daughter’ Alexandras’s wedding, which will be at the Plaza Hotel in a few weeks. My relationship with the Lindens is very special, as they were one of the first clients to use my band when I was a brand new bandleader all those years ago. I have provided the music (and performed myself) at three of their events over the years, and now we are so excited to have this wedding together.
The Lindens are originally from Australia, and I was curious to know what was on their holiday menu agenda.
After hearing all about their specail dishes, I decided to try Josephine’s Honey-Apple Cake for my Rosh Hashanah dinner. For this holiday, in addition to eating apple dipped in honey, you must also have at least a small piece of Honey Cake in order to insure a sweet and fruitful New Year. So try this one, and let me know what you think!
HONEY-APPLE CAKE
Combine 1 cup canola oil, 1 cup sugar and 4 eggs, mix well.
Add 1 cup liquid honey and 1 apple peeled and grated.
Grate the peel of one entire orange, and 1 tbspn lemon zest, with 2 tspns lemon juice, and add to mixture.
Add 1 large Tbspn cinnamon and 1 large Tbspn nutmeg
Sift 3 cups of flour with 1 tspn baking powder and add to batter.
If desired, you can add 1 cup ground walnuts or almonds, or raisins, whichever you prefer. (we did not use any of these.)
Pour into greased bundt pan and cook for 45 minutes at 325.
Mmm!!
Please feel free to post any wonderful holiday recipes that you and your family enjoy. I will try them all. L’Shana Tova!
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September 3, 2010
Happy Sigh from Valerie! It was another amazing event, another night where I look around and see people joyful, smiling, dancing, celebrating, being exuberant, loving life, letting loose, going wild! And next to me I see the world’s best performers and musicians with the most astounding charisma, passion, talent; the energy rising in swirls, tangible and enlightening, enlivening. The thing that is so hard to describe, to get across to people, is that there is TRULY NOTHING LIKE THIS PRODUCT IN THE WHOLE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT! Where can you find a performance so exciting, so polished and sharp and yet still organic and flexible, THAT IS COMPLETELY GEARED FOR PRIVATE EVENTS? Talent of this magnitude is usually reserved for touring headline acts; Rod Stewart or Diana Krall doing cool jazz standards with a stage full of trumpets, trombones and saxes; Black Eyed Peas with their different characters presenting their “positive hip-hop” dance hits; Lady Gaga or Madonna whose shows include awesome backup singers/dancers; Bon Jovi rocking out their old and new, Beyonce, Jay-Zee, Alicia Keys, whose shows feature the best of their material with strong backline support and many guest surprises; and the always favorite Earth, Wind and Fire who energize the stage and dazzle crowds with their heartfelt song and expressive dance. You can find those acts on arena stages throughout the world, but what you can’t find anywhere is an ensemble that delivers all of that music AND MORE, performed in a similar style with the same kind of STAR POWER, but that will customize the repertoire for each and every event; can down-play, up-play, down-size, can segueway seamlessly like the best DJ, gliding between genres in a unprecedented way; reading the crowd and switching gears, intuitively designing the play-list IN MOTION to deliver the material that is perfect for this audience, this night, in this moment. No filler songs, no monologues, just song after song, energy building and mounting, all within the parameters of music for a private party. Not a show, not a concert, just truly the World’s Best Party Band, The Starlight Experience. Once you have seen this live, it all makes sense. But words cannot describe it, videos will not capture it, testimonials do not do it justice. The comments might make it sound like it is “too much,” or “over the top,” or “a show not a band…” but people who have actually experienced this product NEVER say that! It is just the Best of the Best, time and time again.
I am gratified when we are in different cities and we work with various producers, event planners, booking agents, and people always say, “There is really nothing like this product anywhere!” It is so true, and I am excited for even more people to know this; Starlight has created an entertainment concept that is unparalleled and unrivaled, bridging the worlds of Live Music for Private Events and Headline Entertainment. It is for those discerning clients that want to present something astounding, within the parameters of what is sensible and appropriate for a private event.
“Hi Starlight! There are no words to explain the night – NO WORDS – because I listened to Valerie’s suggestions, the music (other than the bride and groom), was talked about the most! You will absolutely be getting calls, but what they won’t realize is that all the extras made it more than “just a band” and therefore, over the top, in the best way!! Clintons will never know what they missed – Greenbergs will never forget what they had!! Thank u so much!
With Love,
Lorie Greenberg”
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