VIOLIN & CELLO DUO HIRE

London Strings are simply AMAZING performers. They played at our surprised marriage proposal and made it ever so special with their beautiful playing. They were brilliant with adding my song requests and communicated promptly. Look forward to having them play at another event and my fiancé and we’ll highly recommend them to anyone looking for an air of magic at their event. Once again, thank you from us both. – (Emmanuel O)

A violin and cello duo is a fantastic ensemble and is suited to any event. It is the most popular choice with clients here at London Strings.

Versatile, professional performers, our string duo can perform both classical and pop music. The repertoire for violin and cello is vast, and as a duo we can play almost anything, so please let us know if you have any particular musical requests for your event. Music for string duo is almost always able to be sourced.

 Our musicians can perform with or without backing tracks, and can also be hired as an electric violin and cello duo, which is great for a modern vibe. The sound of the backing tracks and / or the electric instruments will project to all corners of the room! 

London Strings’ violin and cello duo regularly performs for weddings, parties, and both private and corporate events, so you can feel confident booking us for any event.

We are confident that our duo is the best in London, and we regularly play for events and weddings both in London, further afield, and abroad. The experienced musicians at London Strings have performed extensively as soloists, chamber artists and with orchestras including the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and London Philharmonic, and in venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre, and Cadogan Hall. 

For more information about whether a violin & cello duo, string quartet, string trio or other ensemble is right for you, please check out our post: Which ensemble should I hire for my event?

We look forward to working with you and making your special day memorable!

What Is a String Duo?

A string duo is formed of a violin and cello. Usually the violin plays the melodic line, whilst the cello provides the bass and rhythm. Think of the violinist’s part as the right hand of the piano, playing the high notes, and the cellist playing the low left hand piano notes! We specialise in the string duo at London Strings and we can perform almost any song that you choose!

Type of Music We Can Play

You will have made a great decision to hire a duo. We can find the music for nearly anything you choose and music is easily adaptable for violin and cello! We have you covered for all genres – from the music of Bach and Mozart through to the most popular modern hits, including our favourite pieces from Bridgerton! You can see our repertoire list here. 

How Does a Violin and Cello Duo Compare with a String Quartet? 

Our duo is the most exciting ensemble for hire at London Strings. A violin and cello duo is definitely not a compromise on quality, choice of repertoire or volume compared to a string quartet. In fact, at London Strings we pride ourselves on the fact that we have a massive collection of music specifically arranged for violin and cello duo! Undoubtedly we have the largest collection in London – most other musical groups neglect the repertoire of the string duo and play arrangements off the string quartet score – whereas we have over 6 hours worth of stunning, duo-specific arrangements. 

In fact, it is even easier to source music for a violin and cello duo than for string quartet – so if you have any special requests for your event please inquire. 

Amongst all the best pop songs and classical arrangements, we can also perform Bollywood, klezmer and folk, and we particularly love tangos!

What Is The Hiring Process?

Once we have had a chat and decided on the booking location, date and timings, we will invoice you with your bespoke event details and send you a contract to read through. Your booking will be confirmed once the 25% deposit has been received via bank transfer or card payment. 

You will need to let us know any musical requests you have for your event or wedding ceremony around three weeks before your event, which is when the rest of the payment is due. Hiring at the last minute? No problem! Get in touch with us to see if we are available – if booking less than 3 weeks before your event the entire payment will be due.

How Much Does a Duo Cost?

London Strings offers competitive rates and because we are not an agency we do not charge commission. When you inquire we will discuss the timings for your event and also the location so that we can give you an accurate quote. Please contact us directly for our price list.

Recommended Booking Times For Your Event

For just a short ceremony a one hour booking should be enough. We recommend having music before the ceremony as your guests arrive, and then of course for the wedding party entrance, signing of the registry and the exit.

For a church wedding we recommend booking for two hours, especially for a Catholic Mass.

Our customers usually want to book us to play for their drinks and canapés after the wedding ceremony – this is usually an extra one or two hours. 

We can play the whole day if necessary, as long as we have sufficient breaks! If you need us for a whole day event that is definitely possible, so please get in touch and let us know how long you would like to book us for!

Do You Do Destination Weddings?

Yes! Our musicians have played for weddings in beautiful locations in Europe including France and Italy. 

If you want to book a violin and cello duo for your destination wedding there are a few things you need to consider. Firstly, the cost of travel – bear in mind that the cello itself will have to have its own seat in the plane or Eurostar. We can recommend the best airlines for travelling with instruments and know how all this works. It is of course best to book early to keep the cost down! 

Accommodation and a per diem for the musicians is another expense to consider. 

The good thing is that a duo is a lot more affordable than a quartet, and the performance will be just as amazing!

So is there even a point in hiring London Strings to play for a wedding or event overseas rather than hiring someone local? We think so! We want your day to go as smoothly as possible and wish you to experience the most beautiful performance – which you would be guaranteed through booking with us! We have been told that musicians in other countries are often very expensive and often the communication and quality of music is not great – for your wedding day to go without a hitch surely quality is not something worth compromising. 

Would a String Duo Suit a Large Corporate Event, Wedding Reception or Party?

Yes, it would. Especially if you hire us with our awesome selection of backing tracks! We can bring our own portable speaker or connect to the event venue’s sound system. 

Another option to consider is hiring an electric violin and cello duo – this way we can have the volume as loud as you want, and of course it creates a modern, edgy vibe. 

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, let us know when you inquire. 

Here is our set list of songs we can perform with backing tracks:

Avicii – Wake Me Up, Hey Brother

Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk

Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines

Sigala – Came Here for Love

Coldplay – Viva la Vida

Britney Spears – Toxic

Tones and I – Dance Monkey

Dua Lipa – One Kiss, Don’t Start Now, Levitating

David Guetta – Dangerous

Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

Cristina Perri – A Thousand Years

Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

Jason Derulo – Want to Want Me

Ed Sheeran – Shape of You, Photograph

OMI – Cheerleader

Walk the Moon – Shut Up and Dance

Clean Bandit – Rockabye, Solo

John Legend – All of Me

Shawn Mendes – Senorita

Pharrell WIlliams – Happy

Bond – Fuego

Jenkins – Palladio

Vivaldi – The Storm (Winter)

Cohen – Hallelujah

Mariah Carey – We Belong Together

Elvis – Can’t Help Falling in Love

Bruno Mars – Marry You

Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do