Monte Vista Strings and Jazz

Monte Vista Strings provided the PERFECT accompaniment for our daughter's wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. They were simply the best in all aspects...from booking to performing to saying good-bye. They were not only extremely talented, but professional as well as kind. We loved the music they provided which was classical and then contemporary providing a nice twist and surprise for our guests. Having our daughter and new son exit the gorgeous outdoor venue set at the base of a grassy hill with the Colorado River in the background to the Beatles "All You Need is Love" done by a string trio was phenomenal. I would recommend this group to anyone looking to create the perfect ambiance and tone for a very special event. They are THAT good! Thanks, Andrew, for taking such good care of us!

Andrew was extremely responsive from my first inquiry. He made sound suggestions to ask of any company that I would choose to use for my wedding. His genuine and caring nature about the event is what led me to choose to work with his organization. Everything was easy and MVSJ was flexible about meeting all the special music requests I had and taking time to answer every question I had to make the day flow smoothly. When I walked down the aisle and heard the music playing, I knew my beloved and I had made the right choice. All of our guests commented that the music made the event feel intimate and personalized to our contemporary wedding style. A million thank you's to Andrew and MVSJ for an amazing event, they will always hold a special place in our hearts.

I booked Monte Vista Strings for my reception. They were wonderful and my guests loved them!! They were sometimes delayed in their email responses to me but I do understand that they are busy!! So I gave them 3.5 stars in that category but I overall loved them!! I asked that they play a variety of music. They played classical music, pop/contemporary such as Cold Play, musicals (such as Phantom of the Opera), and I also requested a specific song in advance that they waited to play during a special moment at our reception. I would definitely book them again for an event.

Monte Vista Strings provided us with our Ceremony music and the music during Cocktail hour. The music was superb! They're musicians created the perfect atmosphere for the cocktail hour and I was very happy to walk down the aisle to their playing of Canon in D. With little time to plan our wedding, they were very flexible and patient with our last minute changes.

Monte Vista Strings performed well above expectation. Andrew Small (Director) was professional, guiding and responsive to all of our requests. Monte Vista Strings provided the perfect music for our wedding. We could not have asked for a finer performance or experience. The music was the perfect enhancement for the perfect wedding and we will always be grateful.

Andrew Small and the Monte Vista Strings were the perfect complement to our commitment ceremony. We had a very complicated song for them to accompany our singers on, and they came through with aplomb and grace. I only wish I could have sat in the audience to hear it all. EVERYONE commented on how much the string quartet added to the ceremony. Absolutely perfect. Their flexibility, promptness, flexibility and their A-1 talent are what you are looking for--if you want only the best.

Beautiful music! Professional musicians! Excellent service! They even accomodated a last minute change without any trouble at all! I would recommend them to anyone!

Monte Vista Stings is Wonderful! I have the opportunity to recommend vendors to my brides to help them in the process of planning their wedding all the time. Monte Vista Strings is always my recommendation for the ceremony music! Andrew is a pleasure to work with, because he loves what he does! He is very professional and always returns my calls. When Monte Vista Strings is booked at my venue, I never have to worry, I know the music is going to be incredible, and the service impeccable. Andrew, I can not thank you enough for the beautiful ambiance you create at every wedding you play at.

Monte Vista Strings and Jazz delivers what they promise. Andrew works hard to make sure he meets his clients needs. As a Wedding Planner, recent Bride and lover of music, my husband and I utilized MVS & J not once but twice and on both occasions we were thrilled with the level of quality AND talent of the individuals who performed at our two separate weddings. Our first ceremony was two years ago and the recent was weeks ago. Nothing changed over the two years...and that is a good thing! Dependable, Professional, and Friendly.

Monte Vista Strings was the perfect choice for my daughter's wedding. They were so professional, and flexible, and easy to work with. And most importantly, the music was beautiful!

These musicians provided beautiful ceremony music with perfect timing. As the bride, I was not able to hear all of their music before the ceremony, but after watching the video it looks like it set the tone for our ceremony just perfectly. And the music just filled up the barn like magic when I walked down the aisle. My mom, who planned much of my wedding, did most of the correspondence with Monte Vista Strings and said they were very easy to work with as well as responsive.

Andrew and his fellow musicians did a wonderful job providing classical music for our daughter's wedding. We live out of state so we coordinated the entire thing via email and phone calls - - I never even met Andrew until after the ceremony was over. But he is such a professional and it was clear we were in good hands. A week before the wedding, we opted to move the ceremony from an outdoor venue to a nearby barn due to weather, meaning some other changes to logistics and flow from ceremony to reception. Even though it was in a barn, it was a formal wedding and the musicians dressed accordingly. Andrew was able to adapt to the new plan with no problem. I have to say, having live music played on beautiful classical instruments lent an elegance to the ceremony that was beyond my expectations. My daughter and her husband were very happy with Monte Vista Strings.

Our Monte Vista string quartet was the something-extra-special every bride wants on her wedding day! The music performance superb, communication with the director prompt and range of music choices comprehensive. We had many compliments from our guests regarding Monte Vista's interpretation and presentation of our selected songs. The quality of the audio samples on the website are superior~ check them out for yourself. Highly recommend Monte Vista Strings!

Monte Vista Strings was great. I had very specific idea about what music I wanted played for the ceremony and reception (mostly baroque). They played exactly what I wanted. Andrew Small is the director of the outfit and he was wonderful to work with. Most importantly, on the day of the wedding everything went smoothly. All the musicians play for the San Antonio Symphony, and their professionalism shines through. The music was beautiful.

Monte Vista Strings's musicians are excellent, however, I was shocked and embarrassed at the lack of professionalism. My son's wedding ran 20min late & I had previously approved for them to continue to play in the event that this were to happen for an additional fee. I was appalled that as soon as the ceremony was over & my husband & I were not even down the aisle and Andrew Small from Monte Vista Strings approached me & insisted on payment then & there. Mind you I paid in full months before. I asked if he could give me a minute as I had guests greeting & hugging & he said no. He would not even move out of the way as some guests were trying to take pics. This was even after the wedding coordinator tried to intervene & asked for him to give us a second. He acted like we were going to run away. Guests even made comments. Mind you we paid over $65,000 for this wedding, we were not going anywhere. I understand he needed his money, but I much would have rather he ask for a deposit up front to avoid this embarassment! Also whenever you call Mr. Small he is always not where he can talk & often doesnt return emails or calls. I would not rehire.

Monte Vista Strings is more than Strings and jazz. At my daughter's wedding in April, with a Fiesta themed ceremony, Andrew Small provided us with professional Mariaches to play for the ceremony. He made sure that they included the string sounds we wanted and also that they were capable of playing a more lively performance for the coctail hour, and that they could provide vocals for the cocktail hour! He worked with us within our budget to make all of this happen! It was a huge success with many out of town guests appreciating the flavor and quality of the music, bringing us many compliments throughtout the evening and beyond. Whatever my musical needs are in the future, I will turn to Monte Vista Strings first for their guidance in all things musical! Gratefully, Ms. Rebecca Allen, Mother of the Bride!

Very professional. Easy to work with. Beautiful music.

Monte Vista Strings provided incredible music for our ceremony and cocktail hour. I worked closely with the director, Andrew Small, to select the perfect songs and musicians for our event. The string quartet provided the gorgeous, traditional sound I envisioned for my church ceremony, while the classical guitar/violin duo helped transition the evening to a more contemporary "party" ambiance at the cocktail hour. I truly appreciated MVS's professionalism and talent. When we decided to add a vocalist to the ceremony at the last minute, MVS was flexible and accommodating, even going so far as to learn a new song and adapt it to strings. It was executed beautifully! I would recommend MVS to any bride seeking fabulous music for her wedding - they are outstanding!

Andy was fabulous, very professional, and I loved his website, which had a multitude of songs to choose from. He also allows you to choose from many different types of music. For example, there are harpists, acoustic guitarists, string quartets, pianists, etc. Monte Vista Strings is a one stop shop for your ceremony music needs. We were very pleased.

From the very beginning of the wedding it was apparent we were listening to a flawless and articulate group of musicians. They were impressive in every respect yet had the professional restraint to provide a backdrop that allowed the bride and groom to be the focus of the ceremony. In fact, they performed so well the church vicar offered Andrew, one of the musicians, a position to play weekly at their church services. Other family members, including the bride and groom, commented on how pleased they were with the whole musical experience. I would definitely recommend this fine group to perform at any wedding or event where an elegant touch is desired. Grandmother of the bride.

Beautiful, especially in a small setting like The Inn at Craig's Place. Very receptive to songs that we wanted played and was even able to play songs outside of the box-- Anyone Else But You, The Simpsons Theme song, etc. Very personable, great addition to our wedding. We received a lot of complements, very happy.

The music was the most memorable aspect of the wedding. Absolutely outstanding!

First off, the music was beautiful. We had the String Quartet for the church. When I signed up I put String Quartet and Trumpet Voice Pending Samples. I had a few questions through the process. Once he was out of town and understandly couldn't go over my paperwork. I was never called when he was back in town. I also called closer to the wedding, left a message and was never called back. We decided against the Trumpet and Voice, I wrote a check and sent it in a week and a half before the wedding (7 days before is deadline.) The remaining balance was off so Andrew called me. We went over it and I realized I was $80.00 off. I wrote a check the following Monday and sent it out. Wednesday he hadn't received it so he asked for cash the day of the wedding. I was a little offended when I was told Thursday would have been too late for the check to deposit into the bank and "go through" It actually take a few weeks sometimes for a check to process and "go through". I gave him cash the day of and he returned the check. After spending thousands of dollars for a wedding, why would someone write a $80.00 check and bounce it? None of this would of happened if a phone call would of been returned. My suggestion, Monte Vista Strings is wonderful. We received MANY compliments about the ceremony music. Be persistent when calling. Mention when you have called before. Ask for a personalized receipt. Receipts of first payment are sent out in bulk, not including what you owe or itemized. So if something changes and you add or remove something you don't know what to add or subtract. After everything, the day of the wedding you will be VERY PLEASED.

Andrew and the Monte Vista Strings group was absolutely wonderful. The music was lovely, and really created the perfect ambience at my wedding. He also was very helpful, as initially I was going to book a string quartet, but he recommended the string trio because my venue was very acoustic. They sounded amazing, and actually helped me save money! I was so happy I found them!

We absolutely adore Andrew Small, and Monte Vista Strings. They are beyond talented, as well as extremely professional and reliable. We 100% recommend Monte Vista Strings.

Wonderful music, delightfully talented musicians and always ready to give there very best with every performance!