June 25, 2011

MUSIC FOR GAY WEDDINGS- STARLIGHT ORCHESTRAS CELEBRATES!

We are joyous as we celebrate not only Gay Pride, but also the legalization of same sex marriage in NY. As a business owner in the wedding industry, PLUS being a member of the gay community, I am happy to put forth STARLIGHT ORCHESTRAS as the music company of choice for GAY WEDDINGS!

This brings to mind one of my favorite gay weddings, which we did several years ago at the St. Regis Hotel. It was all the more special because one of the brides is a high-level event planner in our industry, and being chosen to perform was quite an honor.  Many of the guests flew in from New Orleans, and the other side was from New York. With both a rabbi and a priest, this was one of the most amazing joinings and celebrations we have been part of.

The Starlight team is happily looking forward to being an integral part of the up and coming GAY WEDDINGS in New York and around the country.   This month we have performed  for weddings in the Bahamas, in Sioux City Iowa, in Greenwich, and in NYC at the Pierre, the Plaza, the Museum of Natural History, and tonight at the Mandarin Oriental. We love all of our clients; the happy couples and their families, and we are thrilled that so many gay couples can now (legally) share in the joy and the rituals that make weddings so magical!

(Thanks to David Beahm for the photo!)

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August 25, 2010

Part 2: Transformational Music, from Weddings to Concerts by Valerie Romanoff, Starlight Orchestras and Vitamin V

Even though we don’t consciously think about it, all music is “transformational” which is why we use it  to accompany so many aspects of our lives. At wedding ceremonies, for example, the music is romantic and emotive, which helps activate the tender places in our heart where we connect with love and longing. The music is also “stately” as we help to create a sense of purpose for the bridal party marching to the altar to witness and participate in the defining moment: the  marriage ceremony.  We are assisting in the energies of “transformation.”

At the party, the music is upbeat and happy, and is designed to move your soul and body in a harmonious dance of celebration and exuberance. The music, if done well, (prepared and led properly) is a catalyst for a different kind of transformation; a journey through a spectrum of energies and emotions; an evening where everyone is moved to some degree, and has participated in creating this harmonious experience together.   This is not a concert or a show with a specific list of all songs to be played, but rather a moving “work in progress” that is facilitated by a trained and initiated Creative Maestro whose gift and goal is to INTUIT what the collective crowd needs for the  co-creative experience of happiness, joy and transformation.  Believe me, I know that most music providers for weddings are not aware of this, let alone studied and practiced in the art of “Intentional Music with Purpose,” the way we are at Starlight.  But this is very real, and I use it as one example of how we may consciously use music for transformation.

Yet another example, and perhaps a more obvious one, is in the music that I am working with in my Vitamin V project.  The first CD is called “Healing Music for Massage, Meditation and Transformation” and the goal is not only to uplift  (which is really the goal of all of my musical endeavors) but also to help assist in the opening of a personal journey, unique to each person. Whether you are sitting in lotus position tapping into stillness, doing Tai Chi  on the lawn, or lying quietly on a massage table, this music of transformation helps create a sense of calm and peace by using sounds and rhythms that affect the energy within and around us. The sound waves in the music can help us delve deeper,  move higher, or perhaps even flow in a way we have not yet conceived of.  Music of transformation.

So, a “Concert of Transformation,” back to my fantasy. I have been thinking about this for a long time, in one form or fashion. And I actually did a small version of this type of “musical gathering” in Sedona, Arizona earlier this year for my CD Release Concert.  The concept is that the music is consciously geared toward creating a personal experience of transformation for everyone present, both individually and collectively. The energies embedded in the sounds are meant to have a transformative and, if you will, “healing” and uplifting affect on all present.  And by using your own focus and intentions, any  of your thoughts, desires and wishes  can be strengthened and amplified by consciously “tuning into”  and using the group energy being created in the environment.  It might sound a little “woo-woo,”  but believe me, this is the Art of the Future, and a viable modality of Holistic Healing Arts for health and wellness. Not to mention blissful and enjoyable!

I always pictured having concerts like these in beautiful outdoor venues, such as the Villa Rufolo in Ravello, Italy, which is perched high above the Amalfi coast overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

As we begin the event, we ring soft bells and create sounds with Crystal  bowls, whose  waves gently affect our minds, hearts and souls. Slowly we introduce rhythms and textures, adding melodies and layers of harmonies, and set the stage for people to go both deeper and higher, enjoying the peace, finding their own rhythm in the stillness.  As we progress, more elements are added and the tempo and timbre escalates, weaving energetic and uplifting sounds with the Intentional Soundscapes. World beats, exotic instruments, and intuitive musicians guide us through the journey of sound and life. We find our way to a peak of good feeling, rockin’ fun music, joyful and uplifting.  No two concerts are identical, no audience has the same experience, every event is a unique occurrence. The performers are all deeply creative masters, whose contribution is to  blend their musicality with their intuition, bringing forth a new genre of sound-entertainment-experience, with an emphasis on feeling good! This is the world of Vitamin V, this is my concept of  actively engaging in the “Music of Transformation.”  Sounds good to me!

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August 23, 2010

Music For Weddings- Contemporary Ceremony Playlist

Notes

This couple wanted a mix of many of their favorite tunes, and were willing to cross genres. The result, a blend of traditional and contemporary.

Pre-Ceremony Selections

As guests made their way into the ballroom for the ceremony, the string ensemble added to the romantic setting by performing  pieces from famous films, such as:

  • Pretty Woman
  • Life is Beautiful
  • West Side Story

Ceremony Music

UNCHAINED MELODY Grandparents (The Righteous Brothers)
WONDERFUL TONIGHT Groom & Parents (Eric Clapton)
ALL I ASK OF YOU Bridesmaids & Ushers (From Phantom) Lloyd Weber
SWEET CHILD OF MINE Flower Girl (Guns & Roses)
CANON IN D Bride & Parents (Pachelbel)
OH WHAT A NIGHT Recessional (Franki Valli & Four Seasons)

Ensemble

6 Piece String Group- harp, bass, 3 violins, woodwind (sax/clarinet/flute)