Daniel Hawkins

Daniel and Rachel made our recent wedding reception so special. We had our event at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston, and we really wanted strings to accompany my wife’s entrance, our cocktail hour, and the early part of the dinner service. We had to switch rooms and change the tone of the music rather quickly sometimes. But Daniel and Rachel were beyond accommodating with all these requests, even as we inconveniently changed our preferences at the last minute! We initially found them online because we knew that we wanted classical music on strings. But we also wanted to incorporate some of our tastes for more recent indie rock and pop and were wondering if anyone did string interpretations of these types of songs. Daniel and Rachel not only had an amazing classical repertoire, but they also took all of our added requests for songs (including Radiohead, the Flaming Lips, and the Smiths) not on their playlist. Their arrangements of our requested songs were absolutely beautiful, as were all the songs they played. I was really impressed by how they could switch between genres really easily without it sounding abrupt; the transitions between songs were seamless. My wife said she’ll never forget walking into their music, and we only wish that we booked them to play longer at the event. In the days and weeks that have followed, our friends and family have complimented us so many times about how lovely the string music was. We would hire Daniel and Rachel again in a split-second, and we hope our friends book them for events so we can hear them play again. Thank you both for a truly wonderful evening.

I hired Daniel and Rachel for my proposal. I myself was a bit frantic in the setup (had to change contract details a few times and location last minute), but Daniel kept open and clear communication. Daniel and Rachel planned ahead for inclement weather and showed up earlier than required - this was comforting and especially important as it was a surprise proposal. The music and performance was amazing, and really made the occasion. At first I was worried that having a duo instead of a quartet would lose the fullness of the performance, but it was actually more intimate and really great. They fulfilled my pop musical selections, and it was elegant and wonderful.

I hired Daniel to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday at a restaurant here in Boston. From the moment we made contact he was very professional and courteous and provided that "Something special" on her big night. We worked together to come up with some musical selections that would be appropriate and I really relied on his expertise. The music that filled the room that night was so elegant and touching and my wife still talks about that evening as one of the most magical of her life. Having Daniel with us that night was like having another friend in the room. I would highly recommend his services for any event you may be considering.

Daniel did a wonderful job playing solo cello at a celebration of my father's life. He was professional, responsive and helpful leading up to the event, and everyone enjoyed his playing. He was presented with a 10 minute slideshow the day before the event and managed to coordinate his playing beautifully with the images. He also played before and after a roster of speakers. We were very pleased and would recommend him highly!