Driftwood
Classical Ensemble in Boston, MA
Why hire Driftwood?
Driftwood Duet & Strings is a group of talented, conservatory-trained musicians based in Boston, Massachusetts. At our core is the violin and cello duet, Rachel Massey and Daniel Hawkins, and through collaborations with talented colleagues we can expand to a trio, quartet, or quintet customized to the size of your event.
Driftwood has performed at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, as well as for weddings, receptions, and other special events across New England, New York, Philadelphia, Virginia, and the Midwest.
Amazing musicians.... perfect performance!
Can't say enough about how amazing Rachel (lead violinist) was throughout the whole process! She worked with us to get the music selections just right and answer any question very responsively. During the performance, she and cellist Veronica played amazingly, including really nailing our special request of the Moonlight Sonata and playing Air on a G string just softly enough during our vows to not be a distraction but loudly enough that we felt like we were in a movie. Perfect! Thank you so much! Oh, and on top of everything we were on lockdown at MIT the day before our wedding, but they came to our rehearsal anyways as planned and did a stellar job. So brave and supportive of you! Thank you so much! We wish you many more years of success and beautiful music!
Response from Driftwood:
Thank you, Cherie! It was such a pleasure working with you from start to finish, and playing for your (very lovely) ceremony really was a highlight of our week. Congratulations to the both of you, and thanks for letting us be a part of such a special event!
Hired by: Cherie R.
- Expertise
- Communication
- Professionalism
- Priced Fairly
- Adaptability
Event Date: April 20th, 2013
Event: Wedding Ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Services provided: Cellist, Violinist
Amazing and professional musicians
Daniel and Rachel are simply amazing. We decided we wanted music for our wedding ceremony and reception at the last minute, so with barely a week to go before the ceremony we booked them and told them what we wanted. They where easily accessible and responsive, and because they have such a varied repertoire of music they were able to play music everybody liked, regardless of the short time they had to prepare. The sound of their music made the evening even more magical, and we have received a ton of compliments on how elegant and lovely their music was. Right after the ceremony, my mother asked them if they could play for an extra hour and they were gracious enough to stay the extra time. It was a great decision to have them at the wedding.
Hired by: Marcella M.
- Expertise
- Communication
- Professionalism
- Priced Fairly
- Adaptability
Event Date: October 27th, 2012
Event: Wedding Ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts
Services provided: Classical Duo
About
Driftwood Duet is a young, vibrant violin and cello duo specializing in classical, folk, and traditional music. Driftwood has performed at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, as well as for weddings, receptions, and other special events throughout Boston, New England, and beyond.
In addition, Driftwood now offers trios, quartets, and quintets through collaborations with talented friends and colleagues. All of our musicians are graduates of top-tier conservatories in the New England area and are committed to providing beautiful, personalized music for your event.
A student of Yumi Hwang-Williams, Sally O'Reilly, Joey Corpus, and Mark Lakirovich, Rachel Massey graduated from Denver School of the Arts as a violin major, and continued her studies in violin and viola at Denver University and Longy School of Music. She has played under the direction of noted conductors David Zinman, Julius Rudel, and Michael Stern at the Aspen Music Festival, James DePriest at the Las Vegas Music Festival, and, most recently, Benjamin Zander of the Boston Philharmonic. She has performed by invitation at Music on the Rhine in Dusseldorf, Germany, Aspen Music Festival, and on viola at the Las Vegas Music Festival. Currently, Rachel is a member of the Boston Philharmonic. Her repertoire also reaches beyond classical music, with recent projects including performances of jazz and traditional fiddle styles throughout the Boston area, and a recording with Ran Blake, the founding chair of New England Conservatory's Department of Contemporary Improvisation.
Cellist and composer Daniel Hawkins is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B. In Composition - studies with Paul Lansky, Steve Mackey, and Dan Trueman; Certificate in Cello Performance - studies with Sophie Shao and Susannah Chapman) and New England Conservatory (M.M. in Contemporary Improvisation - studies with Tanya Kalmanovich, John Mallia, Anthony Coleman, and Natasha Brofsky). He is the recipient of both the Helen and Isidore Sacks Memorial Prize for Excellence in Classical Music as well as Princeton's Martin A. Dale '56 Fellowship, and has played in venues as diverse as Boston's Jordan Hall, Brighton's Whole Foods, Carnegie Hall in New York, the streets of Jishou, China, the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Schnbrun Palace in Vienna, and the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Maine.
Personnel
Rachel Massey: violin, core member
Daniel Hawkins: cello, core member
Jennifer Hsiao: violin
Rachel Panitch: violin
Caitlin O'Brien: viola
Hayes Griffin: guitar
Lautaro Mantilla: guitar
Neil Pearlman: piano & mandolin
Vanessa Belknap: cello
What to Expect
Stage/Setup Requirements:
Armless chairs
Experience
2010: 23 gigs
2011: 35 gigs
2012: 54 gigs
2013: 36 gigs (so far)
Available for Your
Anniversary Party, Awards Night, Baby Shower, Bar/Bat Mitzvah Party, Birthday Party, Bridal Shower, Christmas Party, Church Service, Competition, Concert Venue, Convention, Convocation, Corporate Event, Cruise, Dinner Dance, Fair, Festival, Fundraiser, Funeral Service, Graduation, Grand Opening, Holiday Party, Hotel, Launch Party, Luncheon/Tea, Other, Private Party, Religious Celebration, Restaurant, Retreat, Reunion, Seminar, Studio Session, Trade Show, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Cocktail Hour, Wedding Reception, Workshop
