About this vendor
Occasional Brass & Strings provides a vibrant and fun set of ensembles, ranging from duo to quintet. Based in Boston, we are as comfortable playing Bach, Handel, and Mozart as we are Scott Joplin, Count Basie, The Beatles, Coldplay, and more!
String and Brass ensembles provide the perfect music for weddings, receptions, cocktail parties, corporate events, religious services, graduations, etc. We specialize in trios, quartets, and quintets for outdoor weddings and cocktail hours. Need a custom ensemble? We can provide a soloist, duo, trio, quartet, or quintet with just about any combination of trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba, violin, viola, cello, piano, flute, harp, sax...the possibilities are endless. For more info, visit my GigMasters press kit.
Details
Instruments
- Cello
- Flute
- Harp
- Piano
- Saxophone
- Trombone
Wedding Activities
- Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
2022 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.035 reviews
Review photos
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We used Occasional Brass & Strings for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour music, and absolutely loved working with Bryan and his team! Bryan was so helpful and accommodating - ...
his musicians are amazing and their huge library of song choices made it so easy to put together the perfect playlists!
WOW. I simply cannot emphasize enough how remarkable this group is!
From the moment they started playing, the string trio at our wedding truly blew us away with their exquisite pe...
rformance. Their talent and professionalism were evident in every note, and they brought a level of sophistication that perfectly complemented our celebration.
But it was their performance of Hamilton as I walked down the aisle that truly stole the show. The moment was so moving that it brought tears to my eyes.
The trio’s ability to offer a diverse range of options while maintaining such a high standard of excellence is remarkable.
They turned our wedding into a truly enchanting experience, and we couldn’t have been happier with their performance!
Bryan provided a viola-violin duet for our civil ceremony private dinner-A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE!
Professional and flexible! Zoia & Sara were amazingly talented! The variety of son...
gs they played appealed to all of the generations in attendance!
We had a strange request to learn some South American songs to accommodate some of the out of town guests. Not a problem, they learned 5 requested songs for our venue!
We had a few glitches along the way which required the start time and length of service to change, both of which were accommodated seamlessly.
I unconditionally recommend them for any venue! They were a fantastic group to work with. Their flexibility de-escalated any stress we had around planning and changes that seem to inevitably happen.
Bryan was awesome to work with and coordinate all of the songs we wanted to have played for our wedding.
The musicians that came were amazing and made our ceremony and cocktail h...
our so special.
We used Occasional Brass and Strings for our ceremony music and our cocktail hour at our wedding and were blown away by the musicianship they provided. They came as a recommendatio...
n from a good friend and did not disappoint. They provided the audio system for our ceremony, too! We had a flute and keyboard for our ceremony and were able to pick great songs from their selections as we and our bridal parties walked down the aisle. For the cocktail hour we had a jazz combo that was just delightful.
Bryan was a joy to work with and I would highly recommend choosing them for your wedding needs! Planning was a breeze and they had every detail lined up when the day of the wedding came! Super recommend!
We couldn't be happier with the services provided by Occasional Brass and Strings. We had opted for a small, more intimate family wedding and were initially struggling to find a st...
ring quarter that could ALSO assume the MC role for announcements (toasts. entrances, etc.). Bryan was very responsive and easy to work with. Lynne met with us before the reception to review the coordination of our first dance and immediately put us at ease that they were in sync with our plan. This was all in addition to the absolutely sublime music they played throughout the ceremony and reception. They have an extensive list of both modern and classic pieces they are able to play. Our guests really enjoyed the variety of styles and recognizable songs. I would highly recommend them for your wedding.
We were so glad we stumbled across Bryan and the Occasional Brass group on the Knot leading up to our wedding! My (now) husband and I love music, and were really thoughtful about t...
he music during our wedding ceremony. Once we thought of hiring a brass quintet, we knew that would be just so much fun AND incredibly ceremonial for our wedding. The list of potential songs that Occasional Brass can play is *extensive* and their list of recommended wedding songs is really helpful in thinking through music selection. They also went the extra mile and learned new songs for us, including one that my dad composed years ago and I walked down the aisle to. It was incredibly incredibly moving and special, all thanks to Bryan and team! We highly recommend Occasional Brass to any and all couples!
I found Occasional Brass and Strings through the Knot's sister site "The Bash". They were so easy to book and work with. They have a huge selection of songs to choose from and soun...
ded absolutely amazing while they played before and after my ceremony.
Occasional Brass and Strings was an amazing addition to our wedding day! We had a string trio for our wedding ceremony that was absolutely beautiful. The band then transitioned to ...
a 3 person brass band + drummer for our cocktail hour, as well as our wedding parade from our ceremony to our reception venue! It was an absolute blast! We wanted a wedding parade like the New Orleans wedding parade and Bryan and his team made it happen! It was so much fun and having the live band really added to our day! Occasional brass and strings was very reasonably priced, flexible, and professional. We would highly recommend occasional brass and strings for any wedding or event and we will definitely hire them again for our future parties!
Occassional Brass and Strings performed at my daughter Meredith's wedding in Newburyport, MA June 12, 2021, and they were phenomenal! Bryan is collaborative and easy to work with....
I highly recommend them!
Bryan and his musicians were excellent to work with. We were so excited to hear they were available for our May wedding at Gibbet Hill. I was set on having a harpist and violinist ...
perform at our ceremony and cocktail hour due to the romantic feel and they sure delivered! Bryan had excellent pricing and was very responsive to any questions I had via email. Definitely recommend!
I contacted Bryan as both my fiancé and I were very interested in having a string band at our ceremony. Bryan was professional and responsive every time I had a question. I am so g...
lad we decided to go with the quartet for our outdoor wedding. The musicians are so talented!!! Definitely worth the money and very affordable to boot! I will definitely recommending occasional brass and strings to friends and family! Thank you for making our pandemic wedding special!!!
Bryan and his team were phenomenal! the mixed trio was absolutely perfect for our ceremony and cocktail hour. From our first phone call, we knew that Bryan was an experienced, prof...
essional and he made the planning process so easy. Our guests were raving about your talent and how lovely every song sounded. You kept them wanting more! We truly appreciate how flawless the whole experience was. We would recommend your team of professionals to anyone in the area. Thanks so much!!
Occasional Brass & Strings provided a string trio for our wedding ceremony, and my only regret is that I wasn’t in the audience to get to hear all the songs they played. They were ...
super talented and brought the ceremony to life in a way that recorded music never could have. The hardest part of working with them was choosing the songs, as there were almost 1000 songs to choose from. We chose a mix of traditional songs, old hits, and modern bands that we and our friends listen to.
Bryan and the team at Occasional Brass & Strings were TRUE professionals. They performed at our Catholic mass with a string trio and a soloist, and I have to share they were absol...
utely first class. I was blown away not only by the quality of the music, but by their organization and taste level with how they delivered each song. They enhanced the whole event to a new level I couldn't have imagined and I was worry free the entire time. I also felt the organization leading up to the event made me feel very confident that it would go as smoothly as it did. Bryan understood what we needed, his forms captured every aspect of the mass right down to aisle length for timing of songs. I can't recommend this talented team enough, you would be absolutely lucky to have them play at your wedding. True professionals and I'm so grateful to have worked with them.
I would highly recommend occasional brass and strings!! Angel and Caroline did a violin and cello duo for our wedding and did a beautiful job! They did all our song selections and ...
worked with us due to getting off to a late start. Bryan was wonderful to work with as well and very helpful through the whole process. Thanks again!!
Working with Bryan and Occasional Brass was fantastic, and we would highly recommend them for any event. My wife and I were looking for some live music for our wedding reception a...
nd found Bryan through an online booking site. He was very responsive and easy to work with from start to finish – taking out any stress. When we decided to switch from strings to a jazz trio, he was able to seamlessly accommodate our request. The musicians he set us up with were wonderful – friendly, fun and very professional. Most importantly their music added the perfect ambiance for the event. 5 stars all the way around.
We had a 3 string band for our cocktail hour and all of our guests LOVED it!
Very easy to work with and sounded beautiful. Truly a great addition to our wedding to make a very nic...
e elegant atmosphere!
OBS was amazing for our wedding ceremony! Working with them before the wedding was so seamless and they were so organized, they sent me a list of their whole repertoire organized b...
y genre and type of music, but were also open to songs not on the list. During the wedding the trio played beautifully! I highly recommend them for your wedding!!
We had a string trio for our April 22, 2017 wedding in Boston and we were so pleased with the variety of music that they could play and their professionalism. Every guest said they...
loved the ceremony music and the cocktail hour! Would recommend them to anyone!
My husband and I were married this past October in Newport, RI. We had a string trio from Occasional Brass & Strings play during our wedding ceremony. They were absolutely fantasti...
c. Bryan was prompt in all correspondence-- he made wonderful suggestions and was attentive to detail. We booked them less than a month out from the wedding and couldn't believe they were able to compose and learn TWO new songs that we requested (one for the processional and one for the recessional). Additionally, Bryan sent us recordings of the songs the week prior to the wedding to ensure that we liked them. They were FABULOUS. We could not have been happier with our choice. Thank you!!
We worked with Occasional Brass and Strings for our ceremony music. Bryan was awesome to work with. He gave us great suggestions and promptly answered all our emails. He suggeste...
d having a trio - two string instruments and a trumpet. The combo sounded amazing. The company has a huge selection of songs to choose encompassing all genres. It was fun listening to samples and picking out our music. We both love Talking Heads and Bryan was able to come up with an arrangement of one of their songs for when we were introduced as husband and wife. It sounded incredible. Although I did not hear the music played before the ceremony, our guests raved about it. The live music definitely added a touch of fun elegance to our ceremony. I highly recommend OB&S!
I used a string quartet with trumpet for my ceremony music and it was beautiful! The music sounded great and the trumpet was a really cool touch. Bryan Hilliard was awesome to work...
with- he had great ideas and was responded to emails very promptly. Occasional Brass & Strings' repertoire is large and there is great variety. Their prices were very reasonable- definitely an amazing value!
Brian at Occasional Brass was very easy to work with. Responded to emails quickly and was able to set up a time to go through what we wanted. The music was great, though I'll adm...
it I didn't hear much of it only because I was slightly preoccupied. Overall a good experience.
I had such a nightmare of a time trying to find ceremony musicians- I was going to have friends do it, but that fell through- more than once! It was getting late and I was afraid ...
I wouldn't be able to find anyone. Occasional Brass and Strings was able to provide the combo that we wanted (flute and guitar) for a very popular wedding date, with only a few months notice. The only downside was paying quite a bit more than I would have having friends do it- but the rates weren't bad compared to other musicians in the area. They did a great job with the music- and this is coming from a flute player. I got to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon on flute (and guitar) just like I wanted, and it was perfect.
One of the things that was important to us for our wedding was that the music be good, entertaining, and unique. Occasional Brass & Strings were amazing! We had a brass quintet for...
our outdoor ceremony, and a brass trio for our indoor reception. The music was clear, beautiful, emotional, and fun (they played the Jurassic Park theme for our Best Men). We had several people ask us where we found them, because they were so entertained by them. They definitely made us look good!
Their song selections are incredible and Bryan Hilliard is a pleasure to work with--very easy-going, helpful, flexible, and professional. We wanted to honor deceased family members during the ceremony, and we worked together to find a song that would set the mood perfectly.
All of the guests commented on the beautiful music. Affordable---easy to work with---great music!!
Spoke with Bryan- he was great to work with- the day of the wedding was chaotic, but he took the time to say congratulations and introduced himself before he left. Great song sele...
ctions, played exactly what we wanted, when we wanted. Much more unique than a harpist- very pleased.
We hired a string trio for our ceremony and they were amazing. Bryan was so easy to work with and provided us with videos, music samples, and a complete song list for us to pick f...
rom. This was super helpful when were deciding who to hire as musicians. The quality of music at our wedding was even better than the samples that were sent to us. The trio set a warm and elegant mood for our ceremony. Even our guests commented how talented they were. They even played a mix of classical and popular songs at our request which made for a great mix before and after the ceremony. The trio was amazing and was a great value as well! Our ceremony just wouldn't have been the same without them. :)
I worked with Bryan to figure out exactly what we wanted for our wedding ceremony. We ended up with a brass trio- trumpet, French horn, and tuba- which was PERFECT for our small c...
eremony. I am a brass player myself and it was important to me that we find GOOD musicians. These guys were fantastic! Super easy to work with, fabulous music, and reasonably priced. Hire them! You won't regret it!
Occasional Brass & Strings did a wonderful job performing at my wedding ceremony. We opted for a String Trio and was delighted with the large playlist of ceremony music to choose ...
from. OBS has an online music database which made it easy to listen to how the songs would sound as performed by a String Trio. OBS was open learn a new song if requested by the bride and groom.
OBS was very professional and easy to work with. The musicians showed up on time, dressed nicely and played well. I highly recommend OBS if you want to hear beautiful, live music on your wedding day!
bryan was great in every way. Communication during planning was easy and clear. We had a trio for the ceremony and cocktail hour. They were great and I never saw them setting up ...
etc. They had to move from the lawn to the patio while we did the whole receiving line thing... They were flawless for the ceremony and fun for the cocktail hhour. I highly recommend OBS
I would recommend Occasional Brass & Strings to anyone. We had them as a brass quintet for our wedding ceremony. As a trumpet player myself (17 years), I tend to have a critical ...
ear for ensembles like this and I must say that they were great! Their music filled the church beautifully without being too soft or overpowering and their chords sent chills down my spine! Outstanding!
Bryan was a pleasure to work with, always very helpful. Ceremony music was beautiful, and cocktail hour was a lot of fun!
The contact person was very on top of things -- that is why I selected them. They were able to play all the music we wanted.;One of the musicians wore black jeans.
Contact
222 Woburn St, Medford, MA
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