About this vendor
Parkwest Strings | Chicago's Premier String Ensemble for Weddings, Galas & Luxury Events
Parkwest Strings creates extraordinary live music experiences for weddings, corporate events, galas, and private celebrations throughout Chicago and beyond.
Led by professional musicians with decades of performance experience, our ensemble blends the timeless beauty of classical strings with thoughtfully curated arrangements of today's most beloved music. From Vivaldi and Debussy to Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Coldplay, and Bridgerton favorites, we bring sophistication, warmth, and unforgettable atmosphere to every event.
Our musicians have performed in concert halls, alongside renowned orchestras, and at some of Chicago's most prestigious venues. Yet our greatest joy is creating meaningful moments for our clients—whether it's a candlelit ceremony, a rooftop celebration overlooking the skyline, or an elegant corporate reception.
Why clients choose Parkwest Strings:
• Musician-led ensemble with award-winning, conservatory-trained performers
• String quartet, trio, duo, and solo options available
• Extensive repertoire spanning classical, film, jazz, and contemporary favorites
• Custom arrangements and personalized playlists available
• Professional, responsive, and exceptionally easy to work with
• Trusted by hundreds of couples, companies, and event planners throughout Chicago
We don't simply provide background music. We create an atmosphere your guests will remember long after the final note.
Based in Chicago • Available for travel • Refined live music for extraordinary events.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Instruments
- Bass
- Cello
- Piano
- Viola
- Violin
Music Genres
- Classical
- Pop
- R&B
- Rock
Music Services
- Live Music
- Recorded Music
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- Rehearsal Dinner
- Welcome Party
- Wedding
- Ceremony
- Cocktail Hour
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.015 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 6
We worked with Parkwest Strings for ceremony music at our wedding and they were fantastic! Songea was very easy to work with and had some very helpful recommendations that streamli...
ned our planning process. We had a trio of 2 violins and a cello, which sounded incredible! They showed up on time and played exactly what we had asked for, including a handful of songs that weren’t on their repertoire (which all sounded great, btw). Parkwest Strings was a big hit amongst our guests and we would highly recommend them!
Parkwest Strings was absolutely incredible! They were so easy to work with, took all of my song recommendations, and executed our ceremony music perfectly. During cocktail hour, th...
eir beautiful playing created such a dreamy atmosphere and we received so many compliments from our guests. They truly made our wedding feel magical, and I couldn’t recommend them more highly!
My wife and I wanted a string quartet to play at the cocktail hour between our wedding ceremony and reception. We came across Parkwest Strings and were immediately struck by the le...
vel of experience each member has, as well as the professionalism of their website. The extensive, varied repertoire the quartet lists online was a huge plus, too, as my wife and I were really only interested in working with a group that could play a particular piece we wanted to hear.
Songhai, the group’s point of contact, was a pleasure to work with throughout the planning process, and was very helpful as we chose the set list. I got the sense that Parkwest would be a great partner no matter how knowledgeable about music you are.
The group was very easy to work with on the day of the wedding, too: the pricing was straightforward, the musicians set up independently, and added great energy to the space for 90 minutes, even nailing the agreed-upon start time for the first movement of the set’s tentpole. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize how crowded the cocktail hour would be and the guests drowned out the music in parts of the room (to be clear, through no fault of Parkwest). But everyone within earshot was impressed at the quality of their musicianship, especially in such a challenging environment, and my wife and I were thrilled at the chance to hear our favorite tunes and would wholeheartedly recommend Parkwest Strings to anyone planning a wedding or similarly special event.
We loved having Parkwest Strings do the ceremony and cocktail music for our wedding. We had a trio, which was perfect for our small wedding. Parkwest Strings has an extensive music...
list to choose from and will also learn requests if you want music that is not listed in their repertoire. We had classical music played before and during our ceremony and modern music played during cocktail hour. The musicians are all very talented and incredibly professional. Songhea made planning the music for our wedding a breeze with clear instructions, a wedding worksheet to complete, and quick communication. We highly recommend this group!
Highly recommend! We booked Parkwest Strings for our wedding to play during the church mass and during cocktail hour and they were amazing! Songhea was very receptive and communica...
ted with the church organist in order to strategize in playing together during mass. The cocktail hour was amazing with the quartet playing all the songs we had chosen. Having them definitely added a beautiful touch to our wedding event.
We could not have been more please with the beautiful strong duet music that we had at our wedding ceremony! We wanted a mix of classical and more modern music and they did a wonde...
rful job of balancing the playlist pleasing everyone’s musical interests. 5/5 stars!
From our first initial e-mail to our wedding day on 10/11/19, Songhea from Parkwest Strings has been one of our favorite vendors to work with by far. Songhea was extremely professi...
onal, personable, and thoughtful when helping plan our ceremony music. Our guests are still talking about how phenomenal the string trio sounded! We wanted contemporary music played during the ceremony and Songhea and her fellow musicians went above and beyond. Thank you for making our wedding ceremony so memorable!
We had Parkwest strings play at our wedding and cocktail hour. They sounded beautiful and we received a lot of compliments. They were very easy to work and have a huge song selecti...
on but most importantly they were very affordable! Would highly recommend them!
We had a Sunday brunch wedding, and had a string trio play for both our ceremony and reception—they were absolutely wonderful!! The music was beautiful, and we got many compliments...
on the ambiance their music provided. I had a special request for the ceremony, and they found the music and learned it without hesitation! The trio was very professional and flexible, and moved inside during brunch, then back outside for the reception when we played yard games. They were a perfect addition to our wedding day!
We had a wonderful experience with Parkwest Strings. For the most part we had them play songs from their song list, but we did have one special request and they were able to learn ...
and play the song perfectly! We would highly recommend Parkwest Strings.
We had a string trio for our ceremony and cocktail hour and it was absolutely wonderful! Songhea and the other musicians were able to accommodate all of our song requests and they...
sounded great! We were able to work with some audio equipment and record the music so that we have a recording of it and we cannot wait to listen to all the songs as we loved each and every one we heard while not running around.
We booked a String Trio for our ceremony and cocktail hour. They had such a wide selection of music in their repertoire, that we trouble narrowing down what we wanted played during...
our wedding. They sounded amazing & many of our guests commented on what a lovely touch the music was.
Truly an amazing group! My only regret is that we didn't have them play longer into our reception. We received many compliments on them, and their music was enjoyed by guests of ...
all ages. I always wanted a string trio at my wedding, and Songhea and group made this happen! They are affordable and wonderful artists. Cannot say enough good things- highly recommended!
We had a string trio for our ceremony. They played a 20 minute prelude of songs of our choice. The music sounded great in the church and was a very nice touch to the ceremony.
We booked PW Strings trio for our wedding ceremony last month and they were amazing. They arranged two songs for us at our request PERFECTLY. Everyone has complimented our ceremony...
music, it was lovely, and Songhea was great to work with. We highly recommend PW Strings for your wedding!
Contact
Chicago, IL
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