Chicago Street Strings (or ChiSS for short) is a collection of professional Chicago musicians providing top quality music services for all types of events at competitive and affordable rates. Hannah and Leyla are the founding members and created the group while busking on the streets of Chicago during the summer of 2012. Each talented musician on the roster is dedicated to providing superb musicianship and quality performances. We have a large song list for clients to choose music from and can easily cater to specific requests. We are available for hire as soloists, duet, trio or quartet. Our mission is to make the music for your event as unique and as special as possible.
Hannah and crew were amazing! Very professional and great communication. They made our event very special. I highly recommend Chicago Street Strings.
Response from Chicago Street Strings:
Thanks very much, Steven! We had a pleasure performing for you and your beautiful family.
Price Range: $400 - $2500
Gig Length: 15 - 120 minutes
Languages: English
Chicago Street Strings has been performing in and around Chicago for the past decade. We are able to adapt quickly to any last-minute event changes, can learn new material and new songs quickly, and respond within 24 hours to all emails and inquiries.
We generally require little in the way of setup beyond chairs, and bring our own music stands to events. We always arrive between 30-60 minutes prior to any event start for parking, acclimation, setup, and to guarantee that we are ready to go on time. Tear down only takes about 5-10 minutes.
Chicago Street Strings is a musical collective that was formed in 2012 by violinist Hannah K Watson and cellist Leyla I Royale. We focus on providing high-end musical talent at competitive rates for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and more. We are able to perform as soloists or as a duet and can provide larger options like a trio or quartet upon request.
Each member has over 20+ years of experience on their instrument, including performing for weddings, recording sessions, stage shows, corporate events, etc. We pride ourselves on our professionalism and our ability to meet any client requests. We look forward to playing for your big event!
If playing outdoors, we cannot play in rainy weather unless a tent or canopy is provided. We are also unable to perform if it is under 60 degrees or over 80 degrees outside, as extreme temperatures can be destructive to our instruments and to the performance.
We do not require any electricity or additional lighting. We do not have a PA system to amplify ourselves, but we DO have pickups on our instruments if you would like to amplify us and have the ability to do so. Our setup takes about 5–10 minutes, and space-wise we require about a 5x5 foot square. We provide our own music and music stands.
Any songs not listed below can be learned for an event.
Standard Repertoire:
Air from Suite in D by Bach Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Arioso by Bach
Minuet in G no. 1 and 2 by Bach
Chorale by Bach
Love is the Sunlight
Here Comes the Bride
Canon in D
Arrival of the Queen of Sheeba
Hornpipe by Handel
Ave Maria
Irish Blessing
Candle on the Water
Rondeau by Mouret
La Rejouissance by Handel
Trumpet Voluntary
Ode to Joy
Mendelssohn’s Wedding March
Spring by Vivaldi
Largo from Winter by Vivaldi
Coro by Handel
Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart
Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach Hornpipe by Handel
1st Movement of Brandenburg by Bach
Panis Angelicus by Franck
Csardas by Monti
Meditation from Thais
The Swan by Saint-Saens
I Get to Love You by Ruelle (duet)
Glass Vase Cello Case by Tattle Tale (duet)
Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (duet)
Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis (duet)
Such Great Heights by The Postal Service (duet)
Lovesong by the Cure (duet)
Happy by Pharrell (solo violin)
The Wedding Song (There Is Love) by Peter, Paul & Mary (solo violin)
Always and Forever by Heat Wave (solo violin)
I Choose You by Sara Bareilles (solo violin)
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison (solo or duet)
That Thing You Do (duet)
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (solo)
Ashokan Farewell (solo or duet)
The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson (duet)
The 59th St. Bridge Song aka "Feelin' Groovy" by Paul Simon (solo or duet) My Girl (duet)
Heaven is a Place on Earth (duet)
Living on a Prayer (duet)
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (duet)
Arms by David Hodges and Christina Perri (duet)
All Will Be Well by Gabe Dixon (duet)
Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat (duet)
Annie's Song by John Denver (duet)
Love you 'Til the End by The Pogues (duet)
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith (quartet)
Feel Again by OneRepublic (trio or duet)
Tomorrow Untrodden by The Flashbulb (trio or duet)
A Thousand Years by Christina Perri (solo)
Marry Me by Jason Derulo (solo)
The Prayer (solo)
Danny Boy (solo)
To a Wild Rose (solo)
Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas (solo)
A Whole New World from Aladdin (solo)
Mountain Spring by Dean Marshall (solo)
Blue Moon (solo)
Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra (solo)
Moon River by Frank Sinatra (solo)
The Star-Spangled Banner (and tons of other patriotic tunes)
I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis (solo)
Music of the Night by Lloyd Webber (solo)
In My Life by John Lennon/Paul McCartney (solo)
Here Comes The Sun by George Harrison (duet)
Norwegian Wood by John Lennon (solo)
Hey Jude by The Beatles (solo)
Yellow Submarine by The Beatles (duet)
When I'm 64 by The Beatles (solo, duet, trio or quartet)
And I Love Her by John Lennon/Paul McCartney (solo)
All You Need Is Love by John Lennon/Paul McCartney (solo)
I Wanna Hold Your Hand by John Lennon/Paul McCartney (solo)
Blackbird by The Beatles (solo, duet, trio or quartet)
Hard Days Night by The Beatles (solo or duet)
Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles (duet)
Harry Potter Theme (solo)
Jurassic Park Theme (solo)
Star Wars Theme (solo)
Lord of the Rings Theme (solo)
Mario Main Theme (solo)
Zelda Main Theme (solo)
| Leyla Royale | Cellist |
| Hannah Watson | Violinist |
| Rachel Irene | Violinist |
| Matt Griffo | Pianist |
Tent, if performing outdoors and rain is expected.
A chair for each performer.
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