I found Artistrings + Chris Sarlas Orchestra after a long afternoon of searching Chicago wedding bands. Could not have been happier. Artistrings played our Friday event, and Chris Sarlas Orchestra played Saturday. If we met someone planning a wedding in Chicago today, I would 100000% tell them to hire both. read more

Airstrings and the Chris Sarlas Band made our wedding spectacular!!! Airstrings was beautiful before and during the ceremony, and then absolutely perfect for the cocktail reception after. In addition, they worked perfectly w the University Club! We couldn't be any happier with their presence and the quality of the music. HIRE them TODAY! read more

Artistrings - Musicians Near Me

I got married a week ago and I am still on cloud 9 about the way it turned out. We had a very small intimate (less than 20 people) wedding that we planned in 3 months. I wanted a strings duo to play during our ceremony and cocktail hour. I am so happy that I picked Airstrings. They made it so easy to pick out the songs I wanted to be played (they have a big database of songs that you can add to your own wedding planning profile with them) and they made it very simple to plan for the day. They showed up right on time and played some additional great contemporary songs at cocktail hour. It worked out beautifully and I would definitely hire them again for other events! read more

My partner grew up playing the violin, he played for 8+ years throughout gradeschool, including in a quartet, and classical still has a soft spot in his heart. When we learned that Artistrings existed, we were overjoyed at the idea of having classical renditions of pop music play on our big day. Having a string quartet not only made us feel as though our day was appropriately formal and sophisticated, but having that quartet play the music we chose (heavy t-swift) we knew would be fun. That moment when you're like "wait...is that... omg yes it is!" is all we wanted. And we got it via Artistrings and more. Everyone we interacted with made us feel so special and heard. They were as passionate about our day as we were. Every interaction felt like we were talking with friends, and yet still had the professionalism and attention to detail you can only dream of./ Planning with them was so easy, but so very thoughtful. The questionnaire was very detailed, and thankfully one of the few vendor forms that successfully autosaved as we worked on it over multiple days ha. Their attention to detail in confirming where and how things would be setup, and their familiarity with our venue and where we might need extra speakers was so great. On the big day, we didn't even have to think about anything and it all went so perfectly. We couldn't have dreamed for a better experience for us, nor our guests. We got so many compliments! Overall definitely can't recommend them enough! read more

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Artistrings through Sarlas Music for our wedding in Chicago in May 2023. They were super responsive, professional and easy to work with. We booked a string trio and pianist for our ceremony and cocktail hour. Our ceremony location had a grand piano already in the space that could not be moved so we knew we wanted to incorporate it somehow. I fell in love with a gorgeous piece of classical music by Franz Liszt called Liebestraum (Love Dream) and knew this was the perfect song to walk down the aisle to meet my husband. I still remember the swell of emotion and excitement once I heard the Artistrings musicians playing this piece I had dreamed about for so long. From my layman perspective, it seemed like a complicated piece, but Artistrings played it with seamless skill and artistrty. It was one of my favorite parts of the day. They also played some of our contemporary choices beautifully (e.g., This Must Be The Place by Talking Heads). Artistrings was an absolute joy to work with and we would certainly recommend them for anyone searching for live musicians for their wedding day. read more

Artistrings - Musicians Near Me

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Artistrings is AMAZING. Chris and Carol (the owners) were so great from the beginning. I loved discussing my vision with them! Carol and Matthew were the string duo for my ceremony and cocktail hour. I was able to request the songs I wanted (that weren't already in their library) and it was perfect and exactly what I wanted!! I cannot wait to get my wedding video to listen to them play during the ceremony!! You won't regret working with them! read more

The string quartet from Artistrings added another level of magic to our ceremony. Not only did they perform an original classical arrangement as well as a set of Bollywood arrangements they already had on hand, the cellist also improvised throughout our ceremony alongside the chanting of the priest. So many people commented on how much the music really pulled the whole ceremony together - it really made for a truly magical experience for our guests. Would happily go with Artistrings for any other event music needs! read more

I hired Artiststrings to perform for my daughter's wedding on June 25th in Chicago, and I cannot say ENOUGH about how incredible the experience was! I am STILL hearing from people on the music. Carol and Chris are extremely service oriented, and were extremely helpful in helping me choose the right processional songs. They have an incredible and extensive repertoire that includes Bach to the Beatles and everything in-between. Some of my happy hour choices included Led Zeppelin, the Who and Rush..and let me tell you..they CRUSHED IT!!! As a musician myself, having the right music was PARAMOUNT in planning my daughter's wedding, and Artiststrings took my event to the next level. I totally 100% recommend Artiststrings for any special occasion that requires music. read more

Artistrings was such amazing amazing group and company to work with for our wedding ceremony at church. From the beginning process of inquiry to the actual date of the event, the whole process went by so smoothly. With the help of Artistrings we decided to go with a quartet for our church ceremony. We had some custom/special song requests we wanted to be played and the quartet did such an amazing job with these songs and all the other songs we had asked to be played from the arsenal. They were so professional and our guests were very pleased! I would highly recommend this group for any events you might have! read more

Artistrings created a romantic ambiance during our wedding ceremony. I asked if they could play "Only One" by Yellowcard for my bridal march (which is not on their repertoire list), and they agreed without hesitation. I walked down the aisle to an amazing string quartet playing the end of that anthem. Although we missed cocktail hour to take photographs, our family and friends raved about the string quartet. Music has always been important to us and they were definitely worth the money. read more

We booked Carol and the Artistrings quartet for a very special corporate dinner, with roughly 60 of our global leadership convening in the University Club of Chicago's one-of-a-kind Cathedral Hall. We loved the elegance of a string quartet, paired with their diverse, contemporary repertoire. We heard "Eleanor Rigby" followed by "PYT," and a zillion other truly great melodies, expertly played by the four musicians. From Coldplay to Amy Winehouse, from Tears for Fears to the Verve, Artistrings had our guests smiling, humming along, and telling us over and over how special this unique quartet made the night feel. If you're looking to blend elegance and fun, classic and contemporary, I can't recommend Carol and Artistrings highly enough. Truly an exceptional group of musicians. read more

Artistrings string quartet performed for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour this June, and I can honestly say that they were perfect! From the first intro call with Chris to then emailing Carol questions and requesting new songs, they were so thoughtful, responsive, and accommodating. I can't recommend them enough! They made our ceremony feel so personal and we received many compliments on how the quartet set the perfect atmosphere for an elegant but fun garden wedding at the Cheney Mansion in Oak Park. Also, I live in NYC, and so did not get to meet with Chris/Carol in person before our wedding, however I had no hesitations for even a second given how great they were on phone and email. They also provide a very helpful ceremony guide and procession "cheat sheet". So even if you're planning remotely, you can rest assured Artistrings will take care of you! read more

Artstrings made our wedding ceremony soar with extraordinary beauty and meaning. Their music created a sacred sphere for us to become married. It touched our hearts, it moved us and connected us with our guests in love and joy. Working with Carol was a pleasure and we are so grateful to her for making our ceremony so incredible and flawless. If you are looking for a gorgeous music, delighted guests and elevated ceremony, you've found it with Artstrings. read more

The music sets the tone and carries the event and Artistrings did not disappoint! First, I have to admit that this was a repeat performance. Chris and Carol provided the music for our son's wedding and we loved working with them so much, that we did not hesitate to contact them again for our daughter's big day. Artistrings provided the beautiful music that welcomed our guests and guided the wedding party into the hall. After the vows, their music escorted the bride, groom and guests into the reception. We could not have been more pleased! Chris took the work out of the process. He assured us that all would be well and it was magnificent! While, I know that the musicians work very hard, they make it all look easy, allowing our guests to just take in the wonderful music and enjoy themselves. Thank you Chris and Carol!! read more

Artistrings have provided music for two family weddings. Beautiful music for both a ceremony and during dinner. My daughter choice some non conventional songs and some moving classics for her ceremony. The performance of those pieces was exceptional. As was those for another daughter's dinner service. The Sarlas' are wonderful to work with and provide amazing professional service. Highly recommend both the string quartet and the orchestra. They do not disappoint...pre pandemic and post pandemic. Thank you Chris and Carol. read more

I went into planning the wedding ceremony having no idea what type of music I would even want and I said to Carol and Chris "I've never noticed wedding ceremony music except one time because the bride played current pop music" Carol's eye light up and she showed me a whole section on their website dedicated to pop music. The music she showed me was exactly what I didn't know I was looking for. The artistrings are incredible and talented! read more

Artistrings string quartet performed for our outdoor wedding ceremony and indoor cocktail hour in May 2018 and I couldn't be happier. The music was beautiful and created the perfect ambiance for our wedding. Artistrings was exactly what we were looking for. Also, they were very helpful leading up to the wedding. Chris and Carol are very kind and responsive. I enjoyed working and planning with them. They provided a ceremony guide and procession cheat seat that made planning the wedding and ceremony easy. Thank you to the Artistrings team! read more

We couldn't ask for a better group of musicians for our wedding than Artistrings. If you want a worry-free and amazing string trio for your wedding, they would be a great choice. Carol and the group made our day unforgettable. They were professional and easy to work with from day one. They had a great song list to choose from -- and worked in our favorites in all the right moments. Absolutely perfect timing. Our friends loved them and they delighted our guests not only with the music but with their wonderful personalities. Also, Carol was so kind to help us with a part of a surprise for the bride that we will cherish forever. Go with Artistrings. You will not regret it. read more

We recently hired Artistrings through Sarlas Music to do our indoor February wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. We loved them! From my first inquiry, Chris and Carol were both extremely responsive and answered all of my questions. We loved that they have sampled music online as that helped us with picking music. Carol was extremely helpful when we were choosing music for the ceremony and sent recommendations and a planning cheat sheet to help us! The string quartet also learned two songs for us and they turned out beautiful. During the ceremony and cocktail hour, the music was AMAZING. We got so many comments and compliments from our guests that I would recommend Artistrings to everyone I know! read more

Artistrings played our ceremony music and cocktail music and they were awesome! They nailed our music selections and brought the ambiance we wanted for our night. And awesome professionals! read more

Simply wonderful. Surpassed all expectations in performance and both easy and friendly to work with. Highly recommend.

We used a string quartet for our July wedding and the music was beautiful. Carol was great to work with during the planning process and everything was great the day of. The quartet is a touch more than other businesses, but they also play "pop" music and that was important to us. While our guests were waiting for the ceremony to start, they were able to enjoy Guns N Roses, Queen and Eric Clapton. We also experienced their string quartet as guests of a wedding in July and were blown away by the versatility. I'd highly recommend them. read more

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, my wife and I booked Artistrings to play at our wedding reception. Working with Carol was a pleasure; she is obviously passionate about her art and was helpful in suggesting music. Their repertoire is extensive - so even though our choice of a string trio limited the number of works that could be played, we still had many great works to choose from. The group added a high-class touch to our event! read more

Artistrings was and simply is amazing. If you are looking for ceremony music for your wedding, or for cocktail hour as well, you need to go with this group. Carol and her husband Chris were more than accommodating and helpful. They did everything we asked/hoped for. My now husband and I will never be able to thank them enough. Our wedding was amazing because of them. I heard the music we selected and that they were playing and I instantly started to cry. Not because I was getting married, but because the music was EVERYTHING I wanted. It was perfect. It was amazing. I will forever and always be thankful for Carol and her amazing artist that day. My ceremony was perfect because of Artistrings. Our cocktail hour was perfect because of Artistrings. The best part, was when I walked down the isle. I wanted to have "that feeling", and they gave that feeling to me. Of course I was beyond excited to marry the love of my life, but Carol and her amazing artists gave that feeling to me. Thank you Carol and Artistrings, thank you. Megan and Pete Arado read more

My wife and I enjoyed a 2hr set from a string trio provided by Artistrings during the dinner service at our wedding reception, and we loved every minute of it. The organisation of the day was very simple, following an initial call from Chris at Sarlas Music (who calmly helped us understand our options for the day from the initial ideas we had in mind). Later we liaised with Chris' wife Carol, who was also very friendly and professional in helping to arrange everything with the musicians we'd actually be hearing on the day. Our reception was in the Gold Room at the Congress Plaza hotel, and we were delighted by what Jeri-Lou and her two colleagues were able to play for us. They're clearly all very talented musicians, and it was beautiful to hear their music in the sumptuous surrounding of this ballroom. We'd sent in a specific request for a piece of music in advance, and Artistrings included this at a perfectly appropriate moment during dinner. The musicians were also flexible in adapting their set around a couple of announcements (such as the end of our receiving line and the cake cutting). We would highly recommend the music of Artistrings to anyone planning a classy style of event, and the organisational skills of Sarlas Music as well. read more

Absolutely splendid! We hired Artistrings string quartet to play our pre-ceremony music, ceremony + cocktail hour and I cannot speak more highly of their service, quality of music, & professionalism. Their diversity of music capability, coupled with their responsiveness and quality is top-notch. I'd 100% recommend them to any who is looking for a string quartet for their wedding or event. Thank you Artistrings for adding such a beautiful component to our wedding day! read more

The Creative Director, Carol Kalvonjian who I worked directly with was extremely professional, attentive and warm. We had the best experience with Artistrings for our wedding held at the Art Institute Chicago. They took my direction precisely and made valuable suggestions creating a warm welcome for our guests AND they gave me an entrance of a QUEEN... it was truly grand and spectacular. I highly recommend. read more

Artstrings / Sarlas Music was SUCH a joy to work with! So accommodating, flexible, responsive and talented! Chris and Carol made this whole process easy and enjoyable. I was super stressed about our ceremony music and they met with me for a second time and walked my through everything. I probably had at least a dozen changes and each time Carol was super accommodating. We used the Carol Sarlas band for our wedding reception, the Artstrings quartet for the ceremony and the Artstrings pop quartet for our rehearsal - all were AMAZING! read more

We had the pleasure of the Artistrings quartet providing the music at our small, intimate (55 guests) brunch wedding reception this fall. The music was fantastic and Carol was a great emcee. They easily moved between our outdoor and indoor space and were an elegant and fun addition to our reception. Not only is Artistrings extremely talented, but working with them was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the wedding planning process. Chris and Carol are friendly and accessible and seem to truly take a lot of joy in helping to make your event perfect. Their catalog of music is wide-ranging and impressive, and they learned new pieces to incorporate some of our favorite songs into the program. They had wonderful suggestions and understood the ambiance we wanted to create at our reception. We and our guests loved their performance, and they were a huge part of making our wedding so special. I highly recommend Artistrings for your event. read more

I booked Artistrings along with The Chris Sarlas Orchestra to play at my wedding. We had a string quartet led by Carol playing during our dinner portion. Chris had asked me beforehand what my favorite orchestral songs are, since I have played classical violin for most of my life. It was very special to me to hear all my old favorites like Spring, Water Music, and Mozart's Concerto No. 4 being played by such talented musicians. It really set the mood for the whole evening and added that bit of class. They are both wonderful people and were extremely easy to work with, especially since we were planning from Boston. read more

Artistrings performed the wedding ceremony music for both of my daughters' weddings (December 2012 and November 2017). Absolutely wonderful. In addition to being a great musician, Carol has great insights and suggestions. Very flexible and they were able to get music that was not in their standard repertoire. Lots of tears of joy, with many guests wanting to know what was the great music that was played during the ceremonies. I highly recommend them - you will be delighted! read more

Artistrings is great! We were looking for a violin and cello duo to play at our wedding ceremony only. After listening to several different groups, I found Artistrings to be of the highest quality. While they are slightly more expensive than some of the other choices (although in the large scheme of wedding expenses, it's not much), they are well worth it and an excellent value. Carol and her husband Chris are both such nice people. In addition to quality performers (and Carol herself was the violinist), their arrangements are also great. My husband and I are both musicians so choosing the right people was extremely important to us. We wanted to avoid the more cliched choices such as Canon in D, and Carol was able to quickly direct us to some lesser known tracks that were beautiful and exactly the style we were hoping to accomplish. I only wish I could have heard more of them on the wedding day itself! read more

The music by Artistrings for our ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Carol was extremely helpful in ensuring our selections would work within the timeframe of the ceremony. Our guests all commented on what a beautiful ceremony it was and I know that it was because of the music by Artistrings. I would highly recommend them for your wedding/event. read more

I hired an Artistrings string quartet to play while I proposed to my girlfriend, and they were amazing. They played our favorite Vance Joy song, and their rendition was perfect. Carol and Chris were friendly, responsive and professional. I highly recommend them. (And my girlfriend said yes... so there's that endorsement.) read more

The best wedding ceremony decision we made!! A string quartet to play our favorite songs was our splurge for the wedding. I wanted the classical sound meets modern song choice. Artistrings pulled it off beautifully. We had the string quartet play during the ceremony (prelude and post-lude music included) and through cocktail hour. Carol and Chris were a pleasure to work with. We started with a friendly phone conversation with Chris and then had a fun and productive meeting with Carol. They are pros! They seemed to understand the feeling and mood we wanted to set with our music and they were very helpful in going over song choices and timing for the ceremony and cocktail hour to create the event we wanted. They have a large repertoire list to choose from and are willing to personalize your event by learning new songs. They learned "Grow Old with You" to play during our Unity Tree Ceremony and it turned out amazing! The day of the wedding, the actual sound of the string quartet was flawless. As a Bride, I had dreamed of that moment walking down the aisle, with a string version of Crazy Love playing in the background. And because of Artistrings this moment played out just as I had imagined and I will forever be grateful to have that magical memory. Many of our guests told us that the string quartet during ceremony and cocktail hour really set a classy and vibrant atmosphere. They played many of our favorite songs that the guests enjoyed hearing as well. Watching back the video footage from the day, I am so incredibly happy we decided to go with Artistrings. The music fit so perfectly into the mood we wanted to set on our most special day. Thank You Carol and Chris!! read more

Artistrings quartet recently played for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour and they were magnificent! Carol and her group are truly talented musicians. She is also an extremely gracious professional, very accessible and easygoing. She was very helpful and interested in playing ceremony music that was special to us (and even learned a new song I wanted for our recessional; it was Bruno Mars, 'Marry You' and it sounded great!). She also tailored the cocktail music arrangements to our preferences, although anything they play is incredible. Their repertoire varies across classical, stage songs, jazz and contemporary songs as well. If it is not already in their songlist, I am sure that she could learn it, as she is very musically gifted. We had originally contracted for just a trio, but then later decided that going with the expanded the repertoire of the quartet. That was one of the best wedding decisions we made. We had so many guests comment on the beautiful sound of their music. We booked Artistrings through Chris Sarlas, who was also wonderful in helping put together a music package that worked for our budget and interests; we also contracted our amazing wedding band through Chris. Afterwards, Carol was so kind to send me a CD with some their recorded songs from our wedding. She is a class act, and I would recommend Artistrings for your wedding or any other special event where you want music that is absolutely elegant, beautiful, and fun. read more

If you are looking for a string quartet or guitar for your wedding celebrations, Artistrings is absolutely the group you need! We worked with Carol in setting up our pre-ceremony, ceremony and cocktail hour music. Carol was so helpful throughout the planning process, and even invited us to skokie to meet with her and discuss all the details. Carol and her musicians were so open to songs we wanted, and also offered suggestions of songs we never even thought of! They can play almost any song you need, for example, I chose "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, for the recessional and "Can I Stay" By Ray Lamontagne for my entrance with my dad. They played each of the songs perfectly and was exactly what i wanted!! Carol also arranged for a guitar player to be in the lobby of where our guests arrived to provide entertainment while our guests waited for the ceremony to begin, a detail i didn't think of and was so necessary! We especially loved the quartet because they play songs that are familiar to guests, outside the ordinary of the usual classical music played, (which is also beautiful). My mom even said, "that was a beatles song!" Our guests had so much fun recognizing pop/rock and folk music throughout the ceremony and cocktail hour. A very fun group that provides an great twist to the usual or expected classical music at weddings. What we loved about them is they mixed in beautiful classical music along with the fun rock music, a great mix for everyone! read more