sylvia.norris.harp@gmail.com

Welcome

Welcome to all bridal couples!! You are entering into one of the most exciting and hectic times of your lives. Among the hundreds of decisions you will make are choices about music: live or recorded, solo or chamber music, vocal or instrumental, classical or contemporary? When it comes to music, my advice is “Leave it to the professionals.” After receiving two degrees from a prestigious New York music conservatory, I began my concert and wedding career. Since that time, I have appeared in well over 1,500 successful weddings and receptions, from small, intimate ceremonies on the beach to big-budget extravaganzas. I played in my first wedding while still a young student and after 40 years of accumulated professional, orchestral, teaching, and performance experience, you can trust that you are in good hands.

Sylvia Norris with her harp.

Wedding Information

Thank you for visiting my website. I hope that the following information will be helpful to you as you begin the process of selecting your wedding music. To help you know how much music you need to choose, let’s walk through the ceremony.

First is the pre-service, or prelude music. This typically begins twenty to thirty minutes before your wedding time. It is not necessary to choose particular prelude pieces unless you wish to. After many years of experience, I have come to prefer a lot of flexibility in the order of the prelude music because the seating of guests can be unpredictable. The prelude ends with the seating of family members. The seating of the mothers should not occur until all the guests have been seated and the bridal party is ready to start. This is my most important cue, because after the seating of the mother’s/grandmother’s the next piece will be the attendant’s processional. The attendants must wait for a few seconds of silence, and a change of music before they begin to process. Of course, this sequence can vary greatly depending upon the formality of the wedding. 

Next are the processionals. In terms of music within the service itself, I appreciate having your input here, because these pieces will particularly reflect your personal preferences. Many couples choose to have two processional pieces; one for the attendants, and one for the bride. For an extra impact, I have often hired a professional trumpet player for the bridal entrance who also plays again when the ceremony is concluded. 

After everyone has come in, it’s time for the service music to begin. This can include as many or as few pieces as you would like. The unity symbol after the vows, communion, or following a particular reading, would be potential places to include music. Many houses of worship have restrictions about secular music in the worship service; therefore it is helpful to check with them before finalizing your selections.

As the service ends, you will want to have a recessional piece. Typically, this would be a bright, up-tempo selection. Please indicate how the ceremony will end (with a kiss, an introduction, or in some other fashion), and whether or not you will be excusing the guests in any special manner. Usually for the postlude (the time when guests are transitioning to the reception) I play a few minutes of very upbeat selections. I often am asked to play for cocktails and/or dinner and am happy to do so, depending upon your preferences. I typically draw my reception repertoire from the great American Songbook; this includes hundreds of covers and standards which you can view on my repertoire page.

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Common Booking FAQs

How do I book your services?

Please contact me via email or call me at (231) 342-2021 to check my availability. Please specify the exact time and location. Once my availability is confirmed, I will e-mail a planner for you to return with the deposit, or you can download one here. I happily accept VENMO payment or a direct mail check from your bank, as well as personal checks and cash.  You may email the planner sheet to me, or if you wish to mail directly to me with the deposit, please use the following address:

 

Sylvia Norris

2986 Silver Farms Lane

Traverse City, MI

49684

Can I use additional instruments at the wedding?

Some couples wish to use more than one musician. If this is the case, I typically hire the other musicians for you. The harp sounds wonderful with many other instruments, including, duo’s with flute, violin, cello, viola, or trumpet. Trios include harp, flute and cello, or, harp, violin, and cello, and of course larger groups of up to six players are possible. Northern Michigan has a wealth of fine musicians because of the proximity of the Interlochen Center for the Arts, which has been a bedrock of excellent musicians for nearly a century. I also work with fine singers, and can provide superb soloist and vocal duo’s.

Can I use a family friend to provide some of the music at my wedding?

Some people want to be able to utilize a family member or friend to perform and this is also possible, but I feel less confident in guaranteeing the final product when I work with non-professionals. I also must charge an additional $50.00 for rehearsal time with the family member or friend. 

Can you play for the wedding reception?

Many people hire me to play part or all of the reception, either alone or with one or two others. One of my favorite combinations is to use a flutist who also doubles on saxophone. This grouping allows for lots of versatility in the styles, (from classical to jazz with everything in between, including dozens of current pop covers). As a solo harpist, my “background music” repertoire runs to hundreds of different selections. 

When are you paid?

During the process of booking a wedding I receive a deposit to secure the date. I ask to be paid the remaining balance preferably two weeks before the wedding date. I know that once you are married, you will want to focus on your guests, not this detail. I do have to charge an additional fee if I am owed a balance after the wedding. The late fee charge is 15% of the original fee.

What are your costs?

Please call me at (231) 342-2021 or email me at sylvia.norris.harp@gmail.com with your wedding date, time, exact location, and personal requests (i.e. duo, trio, voice, trumpet, etc.) for a price quote. I do not give quotes on my website because my prices vary due to many factors, including the difficulty of transporting the harp to a particular outdoor setting, number of special requests for music not currently in my repertoire, distance and expenses to the venue, etc.

Can I hear you play wedding music?

Yes, by selecting the music page of my website you can listen to a sample of my playing. The samples are mostly traditional and classical; they will give you an idea of my ability, but not the breadth of my repertoire. I literally learn new pieces nearly every week during wedding seasons, so my already large repertoire is constantly growing to reflect the changes in current wedding music selections

Can the harp be used outdoors?

Yes! I think the harp sounds gorgeous outdoors. I play only full-size concert pedal harps which have a very lush and rich sound. People are often amazed that the harp, while often not amplified, is able to carry beautifully outdoors.

What happens in the case of inclement weather?

The harp is a very precious and costly instrument running into the tens of thousands of dollars and would be irreparably damaged by rain, therefore if rain is threatening, I cannot play outdoors unless I am in a protected location. In that case, no one else wants to be caught out either, so a quick relocation is always the best solution. I always request that my couples specify a rain location for all unprotected outdoor venues.

Can I request special music?

Yes! I am happy to add to my repertoire of wedding music offerings. As you can imagine, the options are limitless, but my time is not. I will be happy to learn two or three new tunes for specific wedding clients. Depending upon the request, each one could take up to fifteen hours of practice time for me to perfect and, as a busy professional, I can’t always fit that additional prep time into my schedule. The good news is that I can draw from my already huge repertoire of standards and covers to find selections that fit into the theme, mood or genre of music that you wish to showcase for your wedding ceremony.

I’ve given you a lot of information that may or may not apply to your particular case, but it saves a lot of questions in the long run. Please contact me for any help that I can provide. Best wishes as you work toward this special day, and thank you again. 

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Sylvia Norris is an exceptionally talented harpist. She played the harp before and during the ceremony at our wedding. Our guests loved it, as did my wife and I. What made Sylvia so amazing was the level of personalization she delivered. My wife and I had several lengthy conversations with her on the phone prior to the ceremony so she could get a better idea of the type of music we like, and so she could tell us which songs would sound better when played on harp as opposed to other. What made it even more special was the fact that a close friend of ours wanted to sing at the ceremony as well. Sylvia had no problem in accommodating this, and the collaborations between our singer and Sylvia were phenomenal. If you want some live music for any part of your wedding, we would absolutely recommend Sylvia Norris, whether you want her to play the good old wedding classics, or anything you desire for that matter. (The requests we made to Sylvia that she did excellent with were Florence and the Machine "you got the love" and Alicia Keys "If I ain't got you.").

D.M.

Bride

Sylvia played the harp so beautifully at our outdoor wedding at Castle Farms. It was so elegant and all of our guests raved about her. She even played the non-traditional bridal entrance song of the Up Theme Song! Easy planning process and just all around a great experience with a true artist.

M.M

Sylvia was very easy to work with and organized. She plays beautifully and I could not have asked for anything better for my ceremony.

A.A.

I had Sylvia play harp (with cello accompaniment) at my wedding this summer and she was incredible. The music was perfect and the guests kept talking about how elegant it was to have a harp play during the ceremony.

H.B.

We had Sylvia play for our cocktail hour. The guests loved her!

K.J.

We had Sylvia play for our wedding at Castle Farms this past weekend, and she was AMAZING. She played during our ceremony, as well as during cocktail hour. Guests raved about how amazing she was. Sylvia was easy to work with, and had great recommendations for song choices. She even played a very special song for me that I had requested to walk down the isle to. She was great!

M.D.

Sylvia was amazing! She is so talented and was very helpful when I was not sure of song selection! She arrived on time and was very professional

C.G.

If you are considering live music of any form for your ceremony/cocktail hour Sylvia is your go to! I used Sylvia for our wedding at Castle Farms this past August 25th. She is extremely talented! Her Harp skills are beyond amazing, such beautiful music she plays and her personality goes right along with it. Once you hear it, you will be mesmerized. She was on time, dressed beautifully, set-up and playing for guests just as discussed all while I was busy being a bride 😉 I HIGHLY recommend her and am more than 100percent satisfied with the service she provided. Thank you Sylvia you are amazing!

A.H.

Sylvia is truly a talented artist! Don’t worry if she’ll be loud enough at your ceremony, she can play very very loud if required. The way she played added a whole new dimension to the court yard. My only regret is not having her play for longer, as we only had her play during seating, ceremony, and a small transition into the cocktail hour. She can play many song beyond what is listed on her website. For instance we had her play the Harry Potter Theme song during our unity ceremony. I would recommend to her to any one who has room in their budget.

A.M.

Hearing Sylvia play was one of my favorite parts of my wedding ceremony. She did a fabulous job, and she is incredibly easy to work with. I can't recommend her enough.

K.K.

Sylvia played the harp so beautifully at our outdoor wedding at Castle Farms. It was so elegant and all of our guests raved about her. She even played the non-traditional bridal entrance song of the Up Theme Song! Easy planning process and just all around a great experience with a true artist.

M.S.

Sylvia was the harpist for our daughter's wedding at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club. It was an outdoor ceremony, and Sylvia did a wonderful job. She is so talented and plays beautifully, and we and our guests loved it.

E.G.

Sylvia did an incredible job providing music for our ceremony. She was a pleasure to work with throughout the planning process and was always very prompt when responding to my emails or phone calls. She was very happy to work with us and incorporate songs that we requested as well. As the bride, I didn't get to hear much of Sylvia’s playing before I came down the aisle, but all of our guests have given us compliments on how amazing and talented she was. She was very polite and professional and really added to the elegance of our ceremony. We are so happy that we chose Sylvia to provide our ceremony music.

S.M.

Sylvia's solo harp was elegant and absolutely beautiful during my ceremony. She's like an angel playing the harp! It fit our setting so well. We were very pleased. She's beautiful and talented and her music sunk in with everyone. What a beautiful instrument.

H.H.

I'll admit, as the bride, I barely got to hear Sylvia play the harp at my wedding, but all of my guests raved about how gorgeous the music was at my wedding! Sylvia was a true pleasure to work with and truly set the mood for my wedding day.

H.O.

What a bargain!!! Sylvia has such reasonable rates and is a trained musician. She's so professional and dresses the part too...she fits the mold for a sophisticated and elegant event. We had her playing infront of the stage at the Traverse City Opera house and her music was simply moving especially bouncing off the opera house walls. It was something we and our guests will never, ever forget. I can't think of a better person to help us set the tone for our ceremony. Simply amazing.

M.W.

The harp and the flute were nothing short of magical for our outdoor reception at Bowers Harbor Inn. A nice departure from the standard string quartet- and the jazz at cocktail hour was perfect.

C.K.

Sylvia was perfect. I'm so glad I found her. I definitely recommend her, because I enjoyed walking down the aisle to her playing the harp and I got many complements about her from guests after the ceremony.

N.P.

Sylvia was wonderful to work with. We had her play the harp for our ceremony and cocktail hour and she did a lovely job. Her website was easy to use and the samples don't do her music justice.

A.K.

With her many years of experience as a Harpist she is one of the best I have experienced. She has played with every major symphony in Michigan as well as instucting at Interlochen School.

K.J.