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Overview
Kate O’Brien, violinist, music arranger and leader for OBrien Strings, enjoys making special events come alive with the music you want to hear at wedding ceremonies, receptions, parties, concerts, private and public events throughout CT and neighboring NY, MA and RI. She personalizes her enormous repertoire for you with current and past popular and romantic songs, elegant classical selections, jazz, rock, soul, blues, folk and ethnic music. Solo and strolling VIOLIN, violin/guitar DUO, other duos, string TRIO, all love taking requests for what people want to hear. Gentle amplification available, discounts offered for longer engagements.
10 Reviews
Kate obrien provided the perfect backdrop for our rehearsal dinner! She played all the songs we requested, arrived early looking so elegant and her music was lovely! She was so friendly and agreeable to work with that i highly recommend her as a wonderful addition to any event!
Strolling Violinist
It was lovely to have Kate and the O'Brien Strings at our association president's reception. The music list was perfect for background, ambient music for our guests to talk and mingle.
String Trio
It was a pleasure working with the O’Brien Strings TRIO from beginning to end! They were very professional and talented.
Also, they were very easy going and took care of everything (including weather preparation) so that we didn’t have to worry about anything.
For our ceremony, we asked them to perform a song (by Journey) and it was perfectly written and executed.
Our guests would not stop talking about the O’Brien Strings TRIO and how great they performed at our ceremony and cocktail hour.
They made our day one of a kind and we would highly recommend them!
String Trio
We hired O'Brien Strings for our Valentine's Day Wine Dinner and they were fabulous. The guitar and violin duo was perfect for the evening. The played a wonderful selection of romantic songs! Very pleasant to work with, and would recommend them to anyone looking for live entertainment for an event!
Classical Duo
Response from OBrien Strings:
Thanks so much, Maddie. You and your team were the best. Hope to see you again sometime!
I hired O'Brien Strings for our wedding and Kate provided lovely music during the ceremony. She added that touch of distinctive elegance that we wanted. She was punctual and talented, and sounded great.
Violinist
I booked O'Brien Strings for our 6/14/14 wedding, and I cannot complain. Kate arrived on time and played her violin as guests were being seated and throughout the ceremony. She played all the selections I requested during specific times. Thank you Kate for adding that distinctive touch of elegance to our wedding ceremony.
Violinist
When I first got engaged I contacted Kate O'Brien. She was pleasant and helpful. After our first few emails, she sent me a complimentary CD to help me plan my wedding ceremony. She also provided me with a sample of a Catholic Ceremony with music suggestions provided. The list and the CD made it easy for me to select the music for my ceremony. Kate also made contact with my cantor so that she could sing along with the ensemble. On the day of my wedding, she stuck to the plan/song list we discussed prior and it made my ceremony absolutely beautiful. With the trio playing and me walking down the aisle, my groom was almost in tears! I highly recommend Kate O'Brien for any event!
String Trio
Although we were getting married in Connecticut (where Michelle grew up), we were doing the majority of our wedding planning from our home in Pennsylvania. We were drawn to the OBrien Strings after reviewing the listed repertoire on their website, but it was seeing Kate's genuine enthusiasm for our plan to combine traditional and popular music for our ceremony and cocktail reception that ultimately led to our decision to work with her. She even embraced the challenge of arranging "Ants Marching" by Dave Matthews Band for string trio so we could exit the chapel as husband-and-wife to "our song"! We couldn't have been happier about working with the OBrien Strings -- their musicianship and professionalism helped make our wedding day everything we envisioned it to be.
String Trio
I can't even begin to tell you how many of our guests came up to us during and after the reception complimenting your performance. Your selection of music was perfect and your interaction with our guests
was tastefully done.
Thank you for a true 'professiona'l performance.
Strolling Violinist
Obrien Strings performed a violin/guitar duo at Elm City Market for our St. Patricks day event. They were wonderful, timely, talented and personable! The ambiance that afternoon was set to say the least! Would definitely hire again, you should too!
Celtic Music, Classical Duo, Irish / Scottish Entertainment
Booking Info
Price Range: $175. and up
Gig Length: 60 - 240 minutes
Insurance: $1,000,000 - American Federation of Musician's - Musicians Liability Insurance plan
Unions: AFM
Website: Visit website
Phone Number: Call
What to Expect
Kate plays all kinds of music. She moves seamlessly from elegant classical to swing and jazz, country fiddling, current rock, popular songs and ethnic music. She has extensive experience playing and leading ensembles at weddings, receptions, private events, concerts, schools, restaurants and recording studios. She loves writing her own arrangements so you can hear the music you want – requests are welcome!
About
Kate O'Brien, violin, is the leader and music arranger for OBRIEN STRINGS, playing solo and with her ensembles at all types of musical events, restaurants/clubs, weddings and concerts.
Her VIOLIN/GUITAR DUO is one of a kind, playing everything from classical to jazz and romantic standards from the 1920s to 2018, classic rock, Broadway, music from the movies, all kinds of ethnic and foot-stomping fiddles tunes. Her STRING TRIO delights everyone with their long list of Kate's arrangements of current and past popular and romantic songs, rock tunes, elegant classical music, ethnic music and and more.
Kate is a veteran of several orchestras, playing for local performances of musical shows and operas, as well as swing, dance, country and rock bands. She also plays and sings with the 40s style swing vocal trio MOXIE, with her VIOLIN/GUITAR DUO at local restaurants and with the group THEMSELVES in their three original shows for school audiences. She studied jazz with the legendary Linc Chamberland and continues to arrange music for all her ensembles.
Additional Booking Notes
Kate plays both acoustic and amplified violin. When its appropriate to be gently amplified, she and her musicians provide their own amplifiers. We also bring our own music stands, stand lights and extension cords. OBrien Strings ensembles can play outside from Spring to early Fall, but the musicians must be in the shade (a tree or tent is fine) to protect the varnish of fine instruments, and inside or under cover of a tent or porch in case of any rain whatsoever. If it is too cold for the musicians, it will be too cold for your guests to enjoy being outside also.
Services Offered
Past Booked Events
| December 11, 2022 • 11:00am - 1:00pm | Birthday Party |
| February 12, 2022 • 6:00pm - 10:00pm | Holiday Party |
| December 11, 2021 • 7:00pm - 9:00pm | Cocktail Party |
| May 11, 2018 • 5:30pm - 6:30pm | Wedding Cocktail Hour |
| June 15, 2017 • 8:00pm - 10:00pm | Cocktail Party |
Set List
Kate can help make a music list that matches your ideas and vision. Playing your favorite songs and music will make memorable one-of-a-kind experiences that you and your guests will remember for years to come. We can match the theme of an event, or different moods, throughout the time frame.
Please visit the OBrien Strings website for the extensive song and music lists on the Song Lists page, with categories to click on under each ensemble. Kate enjoys taking requests. What do you want to hear?
Team
| OBrien Strings | solo violin or ensemble |
Setup Requirements
We only need to be close to a power source in case we need to plug in lights or small amps.
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