- Austin, TX
- Jazz Band
- $425 and up
Will Hayes, Cellist
Overview
Curious about just how reasonably priced having fantastic live music at your special occasion can be? Want to really WOW your guests with the music for your wedding prelude, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception or corporate event? Looking for cello, violin, string duo, string trio, string quartet, or some other combination of instruments? If you would like the very best music money can buy, I look forward to hearing from you. Will Hayes, Cellist & Violinist
Reviews
24 reviews
Olivia L.
August 30, 2025Absolutely remarkable!!
Will was the absolute best work work with, my husband and I hired him and his violinist for our wedding and it was purely gorgeous! All our guests loved it just as much as we did! Highly highly recommend adding them to your wedding day 🥹💕
Hired as: Classical Duo
Jeremy R.
July 27, 2025Absolutely amazing!
We (me, my fiancé and the wedding guests!) can’t say say enough about Will and team! They were super helpful from the moment of booking all the way through to our wedding day! We gave them a playlist with many standards and also some songs they hadn’t ever played. They went above and beyond to learn the new songs for the wedding day and covered every song on the l
playlist!. The wedding day itself was absolutely amazing and the music was perfectly executed for the procession and cocktail hour. Thank you very much and we highly recommend Will for any event you need professional string support for !
Hired as: Classical Duo
Sarah B.
July 13, 2024Best cellist and violinist duo we could have asked for
Will went above and beyond and took any song requests we had and played them beautifully. He was very flexible to our needs. We couldn’t recommend the duo more
Hired as: Classical Duo
Nicole M.
July 18, 2023Amazing Cellist!
We had Will play for our wedding in Lake Placid and he was amazing! When we moved the ceremony time up by an hour to try to avoid the rain he was able to make it work which was great. He traveled a bit of a distance to be there and he played for our ceremony in the early afternoon and then again at our cocktail hour later that evening. He was super easy to work with and offered suggestions of songs he could play for the ceremony and cocktail hour but let us send him a playlist of our own as well. He must know just about anything because he played classical and some more popular upbeat melodies. I would 100 percent recommend working with Will if you’re looking for a cellist to play at your wedding or any event!
Hired as: Cellist
Cindy W.
January 24, 2023Great Teacher
Mr. Hayes is a wonderful and patient teacher. He offers alot of different techniques to help with learning the Cello. We enjoy our lessons with Mr. Hayes!
Hired as: Cellist
Booking information
Price range: $300 minimum base rate
Languages: English
Gig length: 60 - 3000 minutes
Unions: AFM
What to expect
I enjoy being easy to work with, from responding to communications rapidly, clearly and concisely, to doing what I promise, e.g. - reliability, punctuality, doing my "homework." I place utmost importance on being precise with my music-making, in well-subdivided rhythmic vitality and sensitivity to intonation in the context in which I'm working, while conveying emotions informed by the composition I'm performing. I value quality over quantity, integrity in finances, and forming lasting relationships in my growing network of like-minded professionals.
About
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music graduate
Past student artist at Chautauqua Institution, NY, and Aspen Music Festival, CO
Performed live in concert with big name entertainers such as Rod Stewart, Eileen Ivers, and Johnny Mathis
Freelance cellist with 30+ years experience in auditioned orchestral positions across the country
Past certified public school music educator
Private lesson teacher (all strings)
Active AFM union member in Albany, NY and Schenectady, NY locals
Additional booking notes
I need enough light to see music, if not being performed from memory; however, I have my own stand light, if needed.
Services offered
Past booked events
August 2025
23
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
3:30pm - 4:30pm
•
Troy, NY
July 2025
26
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
5:00pm - 7:00pm
•
Lenox, MA
April 2025
29
Tuesday
Funeral/Memorial Service
12:30pm - 1:30pm
•
Westford, NY
05
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
5:00pm - 5:45pm
•
Saratoga Springs, NY
June 2024
22
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
4:30pm - 5:30pm
•
Manchester, VT
08
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
4:00pm - 5:00pm
•
Florence, MA
August 2022
20
Saturday
Wedding Reception
5:00pm - 7:30pm
•
Albany, NY
May 2022
13
Friday
Wedding Ceremony
2:30pm - 4:00pm
•
Glens Falls, NY
September 2021
18
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
12:30pm - 2:30pm
•
Queensbury, NY
August 2021
20
Friday
Wedding Ceremony
5:00pm - 6:00pm
•
Saratoga Springs, NY
June 2021
27
Sunday
Wedding Reception
3:00pm - 5:00pm
•
Woodstock, CT
November 2020
21
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
1:30pm - 3:00pm
•
Northville, NY
October 2019
05
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
6:00pm - 6:30pm
•
Poughkeepsie, NY
August 2019
03
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
12:00pm - 2:00pm
•
Troy, NY
August 2018
18
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
2:00pm - 3:30pm
•
East Berne, NY
June 2018
23
Saturday
Personal Occasion
6:30pm - 7:30pm
•
Saratoga Springs, NY
02
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
2:30pm - 5:00pm
•
Williamsburg, MA
October 2017
24
Tuesday
Wedding Ceremony
6:00pm - 7:00pm
•
Saratoga Springs, NY
14
Saturday
Wedding Ceremony
4:00pm - 5:00pm
•
Weathersfield, VT
Influences and inspiration
All the excellent cellists and violinists of the past inspire and inform my playing.
I appreciate good music of many genres.
Setup requirements
chair and music stand would be nice, but not necessary
Report Will Hayes, Cellist
Cellist
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