London Session Orchestra

12-piece amplified string orchestra – Unique arrangements of pop and rock hits – Set list tailor made to clients

String Orchestra

Overview

The Giardino String Orchestra is an experience like no other – twelve of the UK’s best session string players coming together to create a unique and inspirational orchestral show with a twist.

The String Orchestra performs all genres of music on classical instruments – expect Rolling Stones, Queen, Rhianna, Michael Jacson, Bruno Mars, John Legend and many more.

All of our players are professional musicians and our specialised arrangements create both a stunning visual and an unprecedented musical dominance.

Design your own String Orchestra with our unique sliding string scale which allows you to create the orchestral size and make-up to cater for your event and budget. Blow your guests away with the powerful amplification of our 12 piece arrangement or use a smaller composition to surprise your audience with a flash mob approach. Start off with a single violinist and have fun with your guests as each waiter turns out to be a hidden musician throughout the course of the evening.

Repertoire

Wedding / Classical

Bach – Air on the G String

Bach – Brandenberg Concerti

Bach – Double Violin Concerto

Bach – Jesu Joy of Manʼs Desiring

Beethoven – Ode to Joy

Bizet – Selections from Carmen

Boccherini – Menuett

Borodin – Polotsvian Dances

Brahms – Hungarian Dances

Capua – O Sole Mio

Charpentier – Prelude from Te Deum

Clarke – Trumpet Voluntary

Corelli – Christmas Concerto

Delibes – Flower Duet (Lakme)

Delibes – Mazurka (Coppelia)

Dvorak – Humoresque

Dvorak – Largo from the New World Symphony

Elgar – Chanson de Nuit

Elgar – Salut DʼAmour

Faure – Pavane

Franck – Panis Angelicus

Gounod – Ave Maria

Greig – In the Hall of the Mountain King

Handel – Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Handel – La Rejouissance

Handel – The Water Music

Herold – Clog Dance

Jenkins – Palladio

Mendelssohn – Wedding March

Mouret – Rondo

Mozart – Allelulia from Exultate Jubilate

Mozart – Divertimenti

Mozart – Eine Kleine Nachtmusic

Mozart – Non Piu Andrai

Mozart – Overture from the Marriage of Figaro

Offenbach – Barcarolle

Offenbach – Melodies

Pachelbel – Canon

Parry – Jerusalem

Puccini – Nessun Dorma

Puccini – O Mio Babbino Caro

Purcell – Air and Rondo

Purcell – Trumpet Tune

Ravel – Bolero

Saint Saens – The Swan

Sartori – Con te Partiro

Satie – Gymnopedies

Strauss – Fledermaus Waltzes

Tchaikovsky – Waltz from Sleeping Beauty

Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

Wagner – Bridal Chorus

Reception / Popular

Abba – I do, I do, I do

Abba – Mamma Mia

Adele/Dylan – Make You Feel My Love

Adele – Skyfall

Aerosmith – I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing

Air – You Make it Easy

Alicia Keys – No One

Aznavour – She

Bacharach – Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

Beach Boys – California Girls

Beach Boys – Don’t Worry Baby

Beach Boys – God Only Knows

Beach Boys – Good Vibrations

Beatles – All you need is Love

Beatles – Hey Jude

Beatles – Lady Madonna

Beatles – Michelle

Beatles – Paperback Writer

Beatles – When Iʼm 64

Beatles – Yesterday

Bee Gees – How Deep is your Love

Blunt – Youʼre Beautiful

Blur – The Universal

Bowie – Changes

Carpenters – Yesterday Once More

Clapton – Layla

Coldplay – In My Place

Coldplay – Viva la Vida

Coldplay – Yellow

Collins – Cock Linnet

Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen

Doors – Light My Fire

Elbow – One Day like This

Elvis – Can’t Help Falling In Love

Europe – The Final Countdown

Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Foo Fighters – Everlong

Gaynor – I Will Survive

Greenday – Good Riddance

Heusen – Come Fly with Me

Jackson – Smooth Criminal

Jackson – Thriller

Kaiser Cheifs – I Predict a Riot

Lady Gaga – Paparrazi

Led Zepplin – Stairway to Heaven

Maroon Five – She will be Loved

Melua – Closest Thing to Crazy

McFLy – All about You

Metallica – Nothing Else Matters

Oasis – Little By Little

Oasis – Whatever

Pink Floyd – Money

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

Plain White T’s – Hey There Delilah

Presley – Love me Tender

Presley – The Wonder of You

Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade of Pale

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

Richie – My Destiny

Rolling Stones – Paint it Black

Rolling Stones – Satisfaction

Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Trouble Water

Simone – Nobody Does it Better

Sinatra – My Way

Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars

Take That – Greatest Day

Take That – Patience

Take That – Rule the World

Valli – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You

Verve – Bittersweet Symphony

Village People – YMCA

Wannadies – The You and Me Song

Warren – Thatʼs Amore

Weiss – What a Wonderful World

Reception / Jazz

Anderson – Blue Tango

Anderson- The Syncopated Clock

Desmond – Take Five

Ellington – It Donʼt Mean a Thing

Gershwin – Fascinating Rhythm

Gershwin – Nice Work if you can Get It

Gershwin – Somebody Loves Me

Gershwin – Summertime

Gershwin – Swansea

Gershwin – The Man I Love

Gershwin – They Canʼt take That Away from Me

Grever – What a Difference a Day Made

Herman – Hello Dolly

Howard – Fly me to the Moon

Johnson – Pennies from Heaven

Joplin – Country Club

Joplin – The Entertainer

King Cole – Letʼs Face the Music

King Cole – L-O-V-E

Film, Television & Theatre

Arlen – Over the Rainbow

Armstrong – Balcony Scene from Love Actually

Baerwold – Come What May from Moulin Rouge

Bernstein – Selections from West Side Story

Boch – Selections from Fiddler on the Roof

Bricusse – Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka

Davis – Theme from Pride and Prejudice

Des’ree – Kissing You from Romeo and Juliet

Fonteyn – Theme from Ski Sunday

Hess – Ladies in Lavender

Horner – My Heart Will Go On from Titanic

Hupfeld – As Time goes By

Jacobs – Selections from Grease

Journey – Don’t Stop Believing

Lai – Theme from Love Story

Lloyd Webber – All I ask of You

Lloyd Webber – Selections from Cats

Mancini – Theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm

Mancini – Moon River

Naughtin – Theme from Looney tunes

Porter – Anything Goes

Porter – Every time we say Goodbye

Porter – I get a Kick out of You

Porter – Letʼs do It

Porter – Youʼre the Top

Rogers – Blue Moon

Rogers – My Funny Valentine

Ross – Hernandoʼs Hideaway

Rota – Theme from the Godfather

Schonberg – Selections from Les Miserables

Sousa – Liberty Bell

Sulliavan – Selections from the Mikado

Williams – Theme from E.T.

Williams – Theme from Jurassic Park

Wiliams – Theme from Schindlers List

Williams – Theme from Star Wars

Williams – Theme from Superman

Wilson – Theme from Fawlty Towers

Young – When I Fall in Love

Traditional & Tango

Albeniz – Tango

Beltran – Sway

Gade – Jealousy

Gardel – Por una Cabeza

Padilla – El Relicario

Piazzolla – Libertango

Piazzolla – Tango Fugata

Rodriguez – La Cumparsita

Trad. English – Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Trad. Jewish – Hava Nagila

Trad. Mexican – La Bamba

Trad. Russian – Dark Eyes

Trad. Scottish – Loch Lomond

Villodo – El Choclo

Christmas

Anderson – Sleigh Ride

Cantiones – Good King Wenceslas

Gantlett – Once in Royal David’s City

Goss – See Amid the Winter’s Snow

Gruber – Silent Night

Handel – Joy to the World

Kilpatrick – Away in a Manger

Kocher – As with Gladness men of Old

Mendelssohn – Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Psalms – While Shepheards Watched

Sullivan – It came upon a midnight Clear

Wade – O Come all ye Faithfull

Woodward – Ding dong Merrily on High

Wedding Favorites

Wedding Ceremony Music

Entrance of the bride top 10 classical
Canon in D – Pachelbel (all time favorite)
Trumpet Voluntary – Clarke
Air on the G string – Bach
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – Handel
Intermezzo (from ʻCavalleria Rusticanaʼ)
Prelude (from ʻTe Deumʼ) – Charpentier
Trumpet Tune – Purcell
Allegro from ʻSpringʼ – Vivaldi
Grand March (from ʻAidaʼ) – Verdi
Wedding March – Wagner

Entrance of the bride top 10 modern songs
John Legend: All Of ME
Elvis: I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You
Beach Boys: God Only Knows
Desʼree: Kissing You
Christina Perri: A Thousand Years
Beatles: All You Need Is Love
Elbow: One Day Like This
Adele/Bob Dylan: Make You Feel My Love
Ben E King: Stand By Me
James Blunt: Youʼre Beautiful
Foo Fighters: Everlong

Signing of the register
O Mio Babbino Caro – Puccini
Meditation – Massenet
Chanson de Matin – Elgar
Intermezzo – Mascagni
Clair de Lune – Debussy
Largo from Winter – Vivaldi

Exit of the bride and groom
Queen of Sheba -Handel
Spring – Vivaldi
Rondeau – Mouret
Hornpipe – Handel
Wedding March – Mendelssohn

Line-ups

String Orchestra

8-piece strings: 4 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos
10-piece strings: 6 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos
12-piece strings: 8 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos
15-piece strings: 8 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 1 double bass

String Band

8-piece band: string quartet, oboe or singer, drums, keyboard, bass guitar
10-piece band: string sextet, oboe or singer, drums, keyboard, bass guitar
15-piece band: 8 strings, 2 singers, drums, , guitar, keyboard, sax, bass guitar.

Testimonials

“They were an excellent group, genuinely happy to be playing music for us and even walked over with their instruments to a lady who’s birthday it was. They played as everyone sang. They couldn’t have been better, we were really pleased. Fantastic range of music, classical and modern day. Giardino String Quartet were also really really nice people, very approachable, professional and flexible. ”

Hayley GommPrivate client

“Dear David, many thanks for providing the music at the Chuppah. It was very beautiful and Gilda and I are most appreciative to you and your fellow musicians. Wishing you continued great success for the future. ”

Michael Abraham LevyBaron Levy

“The Giardino String Quartet was in fact the first to perform – as the guests arrived. They really set a high standard for the whole day. They turned up on time, looked great, rehearsed with another performer whom they had not previously met, and performed beautifully, first on their own and then during the ceremony with US singer Matt Alber. ”

Phillip LuffPrivate client

“Dear David, just a short note to say a big thank you to your string quartet for reliably turning up to play at the wedding in Ely last week. They were very obliging and played a great selection of music. Thank you so much and I hope to stay in touch and email with more bookings in due course. “

Jenny LoydWedding Organiser

“You were all really great at the wedding and really made the atmosphere we were hoping for!”

Ilana LeaderBride