Blue Sky Strings

Wedding Strings
Biography
The Blue Sky Strings

The Blue Sky Strings adds world-class musicianship to any event. Leader, Vlad and his brother on viola, are from St. Petersburg, Russia and he teaches music in the Atlanta area when he is not performing at an event. The quartet is comprised of Viola, Cello, and 1st and 2nd violins. The group has also had many arrangements prepared for just trio leaving off one violin when the occasion calls for that.

This brief introduction is meant to help you get acquainted with  Blue Sky Strings (quartet, quintet, trio, or duo) their ensemble, their music, their instruments, and the unique features that set them apart from other string groups. Blue Sky Strings is an ensemble that blends talents of top-notch musicians some of whom you might have seen with ASO, Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Opera, and other professional groups in the Southeast.

It is your choice group for special occasions such as wedding ceremonies and receptions, special events, conventions, corporate dinner parties, etc.  The group performs music of different styles, ranging from classical to jazz to contemporary and pop; the extensive repertoire includes traditional classical pieces such as Mozart and Beethoven quartets as well as smaller ditties like Pachabel’s Cannon and Bach’s Aire on G.

Blue Sky Strings musicians perform classical music on excellent acoustic instruments crafted by great Italian and French masters. However, when it comes to jazz, folk and pop music, Blue Sky Strings has no competitors in sound quality since it is the only string ensemble in the Southeast that uses the latest hi-tech Yamaha electric string instruments.

Not only do these instruments offer the sound and performance of their best acoustic siblings, they also endow a musician with the choice of desired tone, sonority and timbre. The superb blend of traditional and futuristic design of these instruments will bring a unique visual touch to your occasion.

Song List

Classical and Romantic Pieces

  • Adagio for Strings (Barber)
  • Adagio Cantabile from the “Pathetique” Sonata (Beethoven)
  • Allegretto (Kreisler)
  • “Arabesque” #2 (Debussy)
  • “Barcarolle” (Offenbach)
  • “Che Gelida Manina” from “La Boheme” (Puccini)
  • “Clair de Lune” (Debussy)
  • Golliwog’s Cakewalk (Debussy)
  • “Czardas” from “Die Fledermaus” (J. Strauss, Jr.)
  • Entr’acte to Act III of “Carmen” (Bizet)
  • Entr’acte to Act IV of “Carmen” (Bizet)
  • “Every Time We Say Good-bye” (Porter)
  • “Flower Duet” from “Lakme” (Delibes)
  • “Flower Song” from “Carmen” (Bizet)
  • “Fur Elise” (Beethoven)
  • The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (Debussy)
  • Golden Earrings (Traditional)
  • Golliwog’s Cake-Walk (Debussy)
  • 3 Gymnopedies (Satie)
  • “Gypsy Life” (Herbert)
  • “Habanera” from “Carmen” (Bizet)
  • Hoe-Down from “Rodeo” (Copland)
  • “Humoresque” (Dvorak)
  • Hungarian Dances (Brahms): Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, & 21
  • Largo from the “New World” Symphony (Dvorak)
  • “Let’s Do IT” (Porter)
  • “Liebesfreud” (Kreisler)
  • ”Liebeslied” (Kreisler)
  • “Meditation” from “Thais” (Massenet)
  • Menuet from “Le Tombeau de Couperin” (Ravel)
  • Minuet in G (Beethoven)
  • “Nimrod” (Elgar)*
  • “Norvegian Dance” (Grieg)
  • “Nutcracker, the” assorted movements (Tchaikovsky)
  • “Old Refrain, the” (Kreisler)
  • Pavane (Faure)
  • Pavane pour une infante defunte (Ravel)
  • “Pizzicati” (Delibes)
  • “Pizzicato Polka” (J&J Strauss)
  • Pomp and Circumstance (Elgar)
  • Prelude to Carmen (Bizet)
  • Prelude No. 2 (Gershwin)
  • “Pulcinella” (Stravinsky)
  • Overture
  • Gavotta
  • Serenata
  • Rachmaninoff, Themes from Piano Concertos #1,2 & 3
  • Reverie (Debussy)
  • Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Rachmaninov)
  • Romance (Debussy)
  • Romance (Shostakovich)
  • Romanza Andaluza (Sarasate)
  • “Rondo alla Turca” (Mozart)
  • “Rumanian Folk Dances” (Bartok)
  • “Shon Rosmarine” (Kreisler)
  • “Simple Gifts” Fugue (Shaker Melody)
  • “Slavonic Dance” #8 (Dvorak)
  • “Slavonic Dance” #1 (Dvorak)*
  • “Slavonic Dance” #2 (Dvorak)*
  • “Son of the Puzta” Op. 134, No. 2 (Keler)
  • “St. Anthony Chorale” (Brahms)
  • Tambourin Chinois (Kreisler)
  • “To a Wild Rose” (MacDowell)*
  • “Vilia” from the “Merry Widow” (Lehar)
  • Vocalise (Rachmaninov)

Wedding Processional

  • “Air on G” from Suite No. 3 (Bach)
  • “Amazing Grace” (Traditional)
  • “Aria” from “Xerxes” (Handel)
  • “Ave Maria” (Bach/Gounod)
  • “Ave Maria” (Schubert)
  • “Bridal Chorus“ from “Lohengrin” (Wagner)
  • “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba” (Handel)
  • “Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring“ (Bach)
  • “Hornpipe” from “The Water Music” (Handel)
  • “La Rejouissance” from “The Music for the Royal Fireworks” (Handel)
  • “Largo” from “Four Seasons” (Vivaldi)
  • “Liebestraum” (Liszt)
  • “Lord’s Prayer, The” (Malotte)
  • Minuet from “The Water Music” (Handel)
  • “Ode to Joy” (Beethoven)
  • “Overture“ from “The Music for the Royal Fireworks” (Handel)
  • “Canon in D” (Pachelbel)
  • “Panis Angelicus” (Franck)
  • “Rondeau“ from “Masterpiece Theater“ (Mouret)
  • “Sabbath Prayer from “Fiddler on the Roof” (Bock)
  • “Serenade” (Schubert)
  • “Sheep May Safely Graze“ (Bach)
  • “Sunrise, Sunset” from “Fiddler on the Roof” (Bock)
  • “Traumeri” (Schumann)
  • “Trumpet Tune“ from “The King of Denmark“ (Purcell)
  • “Trumpet Voluntary“ in D (Clarke)
  • “Watchet Auf” (Bach)
  • “Wedding March“ from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Mendlessohn)
  • “Wedding Processional“ from “The Sound of Music (Rodgers)
  • “Wedding Song“ (There is Love) (Stookey)

Broadway, Pops, Rock, Jazz, Latin

  • “A Day in the Life of a Fool“ (Bonfa)
  • “All I Ask of You” from “Phantom” (Lloyd-Webber)
  • “All You Need is Love” (Beatles)
  • “America” from “West Side Story” (Bernstein)
  • “Annie Highlights” (Strouse)
  • “Anything Goes” (porter)
  • “Ashokan Farewell” (Ungar)
  • “As Time Goes By” (Hupfeld)
  • “Bachianas Brazileiras No. 5” (Villa-Lobos)
  • “Begin the Beguine” (Porter)
  • “Blue Moon” (Rodgers)
  • “Blue Tango” (Anderson)
  • “Book of Love, THe” (Peter Gabriel)
  • “Bye Bye Black Bird” (Caputo)
  • “Can Can” (from vie pariesienne by J. Offenbach)
  • “Chicago” (Fisher)
  • “Come Back to Sorrento” (Curtis)
  • “Come In From the Rain” (Manchester)
  • Country Medley (Traditional)
  • Danzas Argentinas No. 2 (Ginastera)
  • “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (Ellington)
  • “El Choclo” Tango (Villoldo)
  • “Embracable You” (Gershwin)
  • “Evergreen” (Streisand)
  • “Feelings” (Albert)
  • “Do It Again” (Gershwin)
  • “Fidler on The Roof” medley (Bock)
  • “Fields of Gold” (Sting)
  • “Forgotten Dreams” (Anderson)
  • “For Just a Moment” from “St. Elmo’s Fire” (Foster)
  • “Goodbye to Love” (Carpenter)
  • “Here, There, Everywhere” (Beatles)
  • “How High the Moon” (Lewis)
  • “I Feel Pretty” from “West Side Story (Bernstein)
  • “I Got Rhythm” (Gershwin)
  • “I Love Paris” (Porter)
  • “If You Could Read My Mind” (Lightfoot)
  • “In the Mood” (Garland)
  • “It Had To Be You” arr. Norgaard
  • “I’ve Got a Crush on You” (Gershwin)
  • “Jalousie” Tango (Gade)
  • “The King and I” Highlights (Rodgers) includes:
  • “March of the Siamese Children” 
  • “We Kiss in a Shadow”
  •  “I Whistle a Happy Tune”
  •  “Getting to Know You”
  •  “Something Wonderful” 
  •  “Hello Young Lovers”
  •  “Shall We Dance”
  • “La Bamba” (Traditional)
  • “La Vie En Rose” (E. Piaf)
  • “Laura” (Raksin)
  • “Leaving on a Jet Plane” (Denver)
  • Looney Tunes Fugue (Naughtin)
  • Love Theme from “The Godfather” (Rota)
  • “Makin’ Whoopee” (Donaldson)
  • “Manha de Carnaval” from “Black Orpheus” (Bonfa)
  • “Maria” from “West Side Story” (Bernstein)
  • “Memory” from “Cats” (Lloyd-Webber)
  • “Misty” (Garner)
  • “Mission Impossible Theme” (Schifrin)
  • “Moon River” (Mancini)
  • “Moonlight in Vermont” (Suessdorf)
  • “Night Swimming” (REM)
  • “Music of the Night, the” from “Phantom” (Lloyd-Webber)
  • “My Funny Valentine” (Rodgers)
  • “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” (Horner)
  • “New York, New York” (Kander)
  • “Nightswimming” (R.E.M.)
  • “Night and Day” (Porter)
  • “Noites Cariocas” (Bandolim)
  • “One Hand, One Heart” from “West Side Story” (Bernstein)
  • “Orange Blossom Special, The” (Rouse)
  • “Over the Rainbow” (Arlen)
  • “Paris Canaille” (L. Ferre)
  • “Pink Panther, The” (Mancini)
  • “Plaisir D’Amour” (Martini)
  • “Por Una Cabeza” Tango from “Scent of a Woman” (Gardel)
  • “Purple Haze” (Hendrix)
  • “Red Sails in the Sunset” (Williams)
  • “Romeo and Juliet” Love Theme (Rota)
  • “Rose, the” (McBroom)
  • “Scarborough Fair” (Traditional)
  • “Send in the Clowns” (Sondheim)
  • “Simple Aveu” (Thome)
  • “Simple Gifts” (Shaker Hymn)
  • “Since I Fell for You” (Johnson)
  • “Somewhere Out There” (Horner)
  • “Someone to Watch Over Me” (Gershwin)
  • “Seven by the Beatles” (Lennon/McCartney) includes:
  • “Day Tripper” 
  • “A Hard Day’s Night”
  • “Eleanor Rigby”
  • “Yellow Submarine”
  • “Yesterday”
  • “When I’m Sixty-Four” 
  • “Back in the U.S.S.R.” 
  • “Someone to Watch Over Me” (Gershwin)
  • “Somewhere” from “West Side Story”
  • “Sommertime” (Gershwin)
  • “Sommer Knows, the” (Legrand)
  • “Sous Le Ciel De Paris” (H. Giraud)
  • “St. Louis Blues” (Handy)
  • “Stormy Weather” (Arlen)
  • “Suddenly” (Diamond)
  • “Summertime (Gershwin)
  • “Tango” (Albeniz)
  • Tangos (5) (Speckert):
  • “Tantalizing Tango”
  • “The Smell of Tango” 
  • “Monster Tango”
  • “The Daring White of Her Eyes” 
  • “Pizz-A-Tango”
  • “Roses and Thorns”
  • The Summer of ‘42 (Legrand)
  • “Take Five” (Desmond)
  • “Tanguedia III (Piazolla)
  • “Tico-Tico” (Abreu)
  • “Tonight” from “West Side Story” (Bernstein)
  • “Truly” (Ritchie)
  • “Unforgetable” (Gordon)
  • Variations on “Happy Birthday” (Naughtin)
  • “Viva La Vida” (Cold Play)
  • “Way We Were, the” (Hamlisch)
  • “Wild Horses” (Rolling Stones)
  • “Wind Beneath my Wings” (from “Beaches”)
  • “What’s New?” (Haggart)
  • “What Are You Doing the Rest of your Life?” (Legrand)
  • “You Light Up My Life” (Brooks)
  • “You’re the Inspiration” (Foster)

Ragtimes

  • “Alaskan Rag, The” (Lamb)
  • “Friday Night Rag” (Ashwander)
  • Golden Hours, The” (Morath)
  • “Junk Man Rag” (Roberts)
  • “Hot-House” (Pratt)
  • Selections from Scott Joplin includes:
  • “Pineapple Rag” 
  • “The Entertainer”
  • “Calliope” 
  • “Cascades” 
  • “Palm Leaf Rag” 
  • “Pleasant Moments” 
  • “Easy Winners” many more
  • “Ragtime Nightingale” (Lamb)
  • “Top Liner” (Lamb)

Waltzes

  • “Artist’s Life” (Strauss)
  • “Belle of the Ball” Waltz (Anderson)
  • “Blue Danube” Waltzes (J. Strauss, Jr.)
  • Caprice Viennois (Kreisler)
  • Chopin Waltzes: Op. 18, Op. 64 #1 & Op. 64 #2
  • “Danube Waves” (“Anniversary Waltz”) (Ivanovici)
  • “Die Fledermaus” Waltzes (J. Strauss, Jr.)
  • “Emperor Waltz” (Strauss)
  • “Estudiantina” (Waldteufel)
  • “Liebesfreud” (Kreisler)
  • “Merry Widow” Waltzes (Lehar)
  • “Midnight Bells” Waltz (Kreisler)
  • Musetta’s Waltz from “La Boheme”
  • Richard Rodgers’ Waltzes:
  • “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”
  • “Falling in Love with Love”
  • “My Favorite Things”
  • “The Carousel Waltz”
  • “Der Rosenkavalier” Waltzes (R. Strauss)
  • “Saturday Night Waltz” from “Rodeo” (Copland)
  • “Scaters Waltz” (Waldteufel)
  • “Schon Rosmarin” (Kreisler)
  • “Sleeping Beauty Waltz” (Tchaikovsky)
  • “Tales from the Vienna Woods” (J. Strauss, Jr.)
  • “Two Hearts in Three-Quarter Time” (Stolz)
  • “Vienna Life” (Strauss)
  • Waltz from Symphony No. 8 in G (Dvorak)
  • Waltz (Ivanovichi)*
  • Waltz from Faust (Gounod)
  • Waltzes (4) (Chopin)*
  • Waltz from Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky)
  • Waltz of the Flowers (Tchaikovsky)
  • “Wiener Blut” waltzes (J. Strauss, Jr.)

Baroque Music

  • Adagio (Corelli)*
  • Arioso from Cantata No. 156 (Bach)
  • Badinerie (Bach)
  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F (Bach)
  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G (Bach)
  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 (Bach)
  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 (Bach)
  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 (Bach)
  • Cantata No. 140 (“Wachet Auf”) Sinfonia (Bach)
  • Chorale Prelude: “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier”(Bach)
  • Chorale prelude: “Wachet auf” (Bach)
  • Concerto Grosso in D minor, Op.3, No.11 (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto #246 (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto #176 (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto #411 (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto #288 (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto #287 (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto #413 (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto in d minor (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto for two v-ns (Vivaldi)
  • Concerto Grosso #10 (Corelli)
  • Minuet in G (Anna Magdalena) (Bach)
  • Three Divertimenti (Mozart)
  • “Fireworks Music” (Handel)*
  • “Four Seasons” (Vivaldi)
  •  “Summer”
  • “Fall”
  • “Winter”
  •  “Spring”
  • “Hornpipe and Air” (Purcell)
  • Largo from the Concerto for Two Violins in D minor (Bach)
  • My Heart Ever Faithful (aria from Cantata #68) (Bach)*
  • Violin Sonata No. 4 in D Major (Handel)
  • Violin Concerto in E Major; First Movement (Bach)
  • Water Music Suit in F (Handel)
  • Water Music Suite in D (Handel)

Assorted Opera Favorites

  • Aida (Verdi)
  • Barber of Seville (Rossini)
  • Carmen (Bizet)
  • Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni)
  • Don Giovanni (Mozart)
  • Die Fledermaus (Strauss)
  • Elixir of Love (Donizetti)
  • Faust (Gounod)
  • Gianni Schicchi (Puccini)
  • Il Trovatore (Verdi)
  • Lakme (Delibes)
  • La Boheme (Puccini)
  • La Traviata (Verdi)
  • Madame Butterfly (Puccini)*
  • Magic Flute (Mozart)
  • Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
  • Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)
  • Prince Igor (Borodin)
  • Porgy and Bess (Gershwin)
  • Rigoletto (Verdi)
  • Tales of Hoffman (Offenbach)
  • Tannhauser (Wagner)*
  • Thais (Massenet)
  • Tosca (Puccini)
  • William Tell (Rossini)

Traditional Jewish Melodies

  • Bashana
  • Dodi Li
  • Erev Shel Shoshanim
  • Hava Nagila
  • Jerusalem of Gold
  • Od Yeshoma
  • Oif’n Pripetcheck
  • Ose Shalom
  • Simon Tov
  • Yedid Nefesh

Traditional American and Irish Tunes

  • “Ain’t We Got Fun” (Whiting)
  • “Alexander”s Ragtime Band” (Berlin)
  • “Bill Cheatham” (American Fiddle Tune)
  • “Blackberry Blossom” (American Fiddle Tune)
  • “Chicken Reel” (American Fiddle Tune)
  • “Coleraine” (Irish Jig)
  • “Devil’s Dream” (American Fiddle Tune)
  • “Drowsy Maggie” (Irish Reel)
  • “Dusty Miller” (American Fiddle Tune)
  • “Fisher’s Hornpipe” (American Fiddle Tune)
  • “Flowers of Edinburgh” (Irish Reel)
  • “For Me and My Gal” (Meyer)
  • “Garry Owen” (Irish Jig)
  • “Irish Washerwooman” (Irish Jig)
  • “Kerry Dance” (Molloy)
  • ”Londonderry Air” (Traditional Irish Melody)
  • “Old Joe Clark” (American Fiddle Tune)
  • “Wearing of the Green” (Irish Air)
  • “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” (Ball/Olcott)
  • Many more…

Christmas Music

  • Bell Carol/In Dulci Jubilo (“Good Christian Men Rejoice”) (Traditional)
  • “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella” (Traditional)
  • Carol of the Drum (“The Little Drummer Boy”) (Davis)
  • Christmas Medleys
  • “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” (Praetorius)
  • “O Holy Night” (Adam)
  • “Ring, Christmas Bells (Leontovich)
  • “Silent Night, Holy Night” (Gruber)
  • Sleigh Ride (Anderson)
  • “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” (Traditional)
  • Christmas Mem’ries
  • The Christmas Waltz (There’s No Place Like)
  • Home For The Holidays
  • I’ll Be Home Fore Christmas
  • Jingle Bells
  • Joy to The World
  • Let It Snow! Let It Snow!…
  • O Come, All Ye Faithful
  • Silent Night
  • We Wish You A Marry Christmas
  • Winter Wonderland
  • The First Noell
  • It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
  • Good King Wenceslas
  • Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
  • O Sanctissima
  • Let Our Gladness Know No End
  • March Of The Kings
  • Sleep, Little Dove
  • The Seven Joys Of Mary
  • Lay Down Your Staffs, O Shepherds
  • Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming
  • Here In A Stable
  • Joseph, Dearest Joseph
  • Although You Are So Tiny
  • Coventry Carol
  • Bring A Torch Janette Isabella
  • We Three Kings
  • O Little Town Of Bethlehem
  • Away In A Manger
  • God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
  • Gloria In Excelsis Deo (Angels We have Heard On High)
  • Song Of The Bagpipers
  • Deck The Halls
  • Good Christian Men Rejoice
  • Greensleeves
  • The Holy And The Ivy
  • I Saw Three Ships
  • Jolly Old St. Nicholas
  • The Nutcracker:
  • Chinese Dance
  • Dance Of The Reed Flutes
  • Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
  • March
  • Overture
  • Trepak
  • Waltz Of The Flowers
  • O Come O Come Emanuel
  • Pat-A Pan
  • Silent Night
  • Sing We Now Of Christmas
  • Wassail Song
  • We Wish You A Merry Christmas
  • Selections from Handel’s Messiah
  • Corelli, Christmas Concerto

Spirituals

  • Deep River
  • Give Me that Old Time Religion
  • Go Tell It On The Mountain
  • Hi’s Got The Whole World
  • Nobody Knows
  • Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
  • Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
  • Were You There?

We will compose a quartet arrangement of your favorite song upon request.

Category
String Musicians