Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago

A picture of my harp at Holy Name Cathedral from a different day.
Honestly, no time for pictures on this day!!

As you might imagine, the music staff at Holy Name is really wonderful. The Cathedral is so busy that playing there frequently feels like trying to jump into a game of double-dutch jump rope! I always arrive early, because in cold months it is important to find someplace for the harp to come up to temperature. Once the previous wedding is finished, there will be just under 20 minutes to move the harp, set up, tune, and rehearse. It is a challenge!! On the plus side, the wonderful Music Director, Ricardo Ramirez, almost always chooses a responsorial psalm that I get to accompany, which I definitely look forward to. It is so much fun to play chords for the wonderful Cathedral cantors to sing over! Another often used focus is Schubert's "Ave Maria" accompanied by harp, or on this day, harp and violin. Beautiful! 

I managed to get set up really efficiently on this day, and rehearsal was short and easy, so I also played 15 minutes of prelude music. Like many churches with amazing pipe organs, Holy Name knows exactly how to employ the organs (yes, they have 2!) to greatest effect.  After I finished the prelude music, the violin and the upstairs pipe organ began the processional for the parents and wedding party from the loft, with me joining in from down front. Then, when it was time for the bride, the organ took over and opened up completely; it is an amazing sound for a dramatic moment!! 

St. James Chapel Wedding Ceremony Harpist

Well, certainly you know you are in a very special place when the church has its own fan site!  The windows of the St. James Chapel are modeled on the windows of Sainte Chappelle in Paris, and they are one of the hidden gems of Chicago architecture.  I had never been to the chapel, but I certainly got to see all of it on this day!  I started by setting up near the front of the chapel, and then found out there was an elevator to the choir loft, so I was able to join the rest of the musicians.  

The choir loft:  my eventual destination!

Besides being beautiful beyond belief, the chapel offers an interesting option for Catholic couples:  you do not need to be a member of a specific parish to qualify to marry here.  The chapel has a really helpful site for couples who want to explore the option of marrying here, plus their pictures are much better than mine!

To me, the designation of "chapel" conjures up a small space.  In actuality, this particular chapel can accommodate 299 people!  On top of that, you have all of the resources of the music department of the nearby Holy Name Cathedral at your disposal!  At this mass, the bridal couple enjoyed a full choir, a string quartet, two trumpet players, harp, and the magnificent pipe organ.  Thank goodness the choir loft is as roomy as the chapel itself!

Once up in the loft, I had a bird's eye view of the amazing windows,
and of course the pipe organ!

If you would like further information about my wedding services, please visit my website at www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com 

Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass

Sigh.  My pictures rarely seem to do justice to these beautiful events, but the story's the same again today.  This past Sunday, I was thrilled to be part of a mass celebrating 50 years of marriage for couples from all over the Chicago Archdiocese.  The mass was held at Holy Name Cathedral, and the celebrating couples filled the entire church!  Even immediate family couldn't be accommodated in the Cathedral, so the musicians had the best (and really only) seats available in the house.  It was a beautiful mass, featuring a full choir (in white shirts in the foreground of the picture), organ, harp, and violin.   Ricardo Ramirez (Director of Music at the Cathedral) kept us all together as we offered Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Panis Angelicus, and (of course) Schubert's Ave Maria.