The Impromptu Ensemble

We've been offering string quartets and other musical groups to enhance weddings, charity concerts and similar events throughout East Kent since around 1990. Have a look through our site, watch some of the video clips, and then let us know what you're after: you'll probably find it's surprisingly affordable, and we're flexible enough to work within most budgets.

Why choose Impromptu?

• Because we believe in having fun: we'll be creative about finding music special to your occasion.
• Because we're affordable: despite being professional musicians, we have day jobs and do this primarily to help people have a good time, be it at a wedding, a charity event or a formal concert.
• Because we're flexible, and connected: we can provide music in myriad forms, but if we think something else might work better, we'll happily suggest other solutions.

What's special about string quartets?

This is our most popular format, particularly for weddings. So why are string quartets so popular?

Advantages

• They cover a similar range to a human choir, with the violin-violin-viola-cello lines reflecting the parts of soprano-alto-tenor-bass singers.
• Because of this, there is a huge repertoire, which continues to grow rapidly. Almost any musical piece or song can be arranged quite simply and reproduced by a string quartet.
• It's normally an acoustic setup, easily transported, quick to set up, with a small footprint and no need for complex electronic equipment (so it's also got a very small carbon footprint!).
• Overall: it's more versatile, simpler and cheaper than most other groups.

Disadvantages

• The volume is best suited for quiet indoor spaces. Anything beyond that may require amplification.
• People wanting to dance to a vocalist with guitars, heavy bass and drumkit may be disappointed.

But note: we can switch to smaller or larger formats — anything from a solo performer up to a whole orchestra — depending on the event.

What kind of music does Impromptu play?

Being classically trained musicians, we're at home with anything from baroque through romantic to 20th century and beyond, but we also enjoy playing contemporary music, be it jazz, pop, rock, musical theatre, or other styles - even heavy metal, punk and rap occasionally make an appearance! You can look at more examples of our repertoire including some suggested music for traditional weddings. We can arrange or source anything we don't already have, although this may cost extra, depending on copyright etc. If you're unsure if we can do the specific pieces or styles you want, just ask us!