CARLA BRAY - harpist

I just had to share a bit about the beautiful Yamashiro Restaurant in Hollywood, a location where I am on the preferred vendor list. It was nice to be back this spring/summer for the wedding season.

I have performed at Yamashiro’s “outdoor” garden many times. It’s simple beauty makes a calm and serene setting for a wedding. For those who have never been there, this garden is in the center of the restaurant, with a light cover overhead that protects and shades the area slightly while still letting in the natural sunlight. Tables line the outside perimeter of the garden for the guests to enjoy.

I managed to catch a photo of the beautiful bride, Danielle, getting her photos taken before the ceremony starts.

Here are some photos from the front. Yamashiro Restaurant is up on a hill, so the views of Hollywood in the distance are amazing.

It was a night spent playing video games…well, sort of.

Video Games Live is a show of video game music performed by live orchestra (musicians from Golden State Pops Orchestra) and choir, combined with synchronized lighting and video. It was my first time playing at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, so I was looking forward to checking it out. The Nokia Theater is probably most recently known as the venue for the last several American Idol finale show, as well as the American Music Awards.

Some of the music featured was from recent video games, such as Silent Hill, Halo, Warcraft, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Guitar Hero, and many others. I’m not a big video game player, so all the music was unknown to me going into the concert. My favorite music had to be the Super Mario game music; maybe because it was actually music that I recognized from back in the day!

Here are some photos that I took during the soundcheck a few hours before the concert.

Meanwhile, things were heating up across the street at the Staples Center. The evening of the Video Games Live concert just happened to be the same night as Game 7 of the playoffs between the Lakers and the Celtics. Yes, it was an extremely busy night in downtown LA.

Back to the show…the Nokia Theater was filling up fast! The place ended up being packed, which was surprising to me considering the number of people who were also hanging around the downtown area for the Lakers game.

Showtime!

Review of the concert can be found here on www.winintendo.net

The weekend of May 22-23rd was spent in San Pedro with the Golden State Pops Orchestra. The concert was all orchestral arrangements of Disney music from the original Disney Concert Library, complete with five soloists singing the featured “roles” from various Disney films that were featured. A video screen was behind the orchestra playing film clips that were coordinated with the musical score.

Narration was done by actress Chase Masterson.

For those who have never been to the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro before, it is definitely worth a visit. It’s a beautiful art deco-style theater that opened in the 1930’s.

Here are some photos from the stage before the concert started:

Selections included music from Mulan, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Pocahontas. The classic films were also featured, such as Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, and The Rocketeer.

It would be hard to pick out my favorite moment from the show! I loved the music from The Rocketeer; that music you don’t get to hear very often. “The Battle Between Good and Evil” from Sleeping Beauty was fantastic; being able to watch the entire battle between the prince and the dragon with the live music was an incredible moment. The grand finale of the show was Beauty and the Beast, which is such a beautiful song.

Chase Masterson graciously posed for a photo with me. She also requested one beside the harp. She certainly had the perfect dress for it!

We received a nice review from the Press Telegram!

I believe this is my fourth year performing for the Mother’s Day Brunch at the Virginia Country Club in Long Beach. I always love coming back. It’s a beautiful place with great food and friendly people.

The buffet was amazing, as usual. There was an absolutely gorgeous floral design that hung over the main buffet. Strands trickled down from the overhead chandelier down to the buffet tables. The design was done by Bits of Whimsy Floral Design.

The brunch is always very well attended. It’s always fun to people-watch and see everyone dressed up with their families celebrating the holiday. One visitor in particular was especially cute…

all photos courtesy of The Virginia Country Club

September 26th was spent at the Clubhouse at Anaheim Hills Golf Course for Jason & Shelly’s wedding ceremony and reception.

The ceremony and cocktail hour were held outside the Clubhouse on the terrace overlooking the beautiful green of the golf course. It always surprises me just how hot September afternoons can be! Fortunately, the early evening started to bring some relief from the heat with a slight breeze.

photos: Storyteller Photography

This past weekend, I performed for a wedding in Santa Monica. I had never been to Michael’s Restaurant before, and it was a real treat. The restaurant has an incredible courtyard in the center, providing a lovely garden-like setting. What a great place for an intimate ceremony. The afternoon cooled off to give us perfect weather for an early evening summer wedding.

The courtyard was transformed at night, I wish I had photos to share! Next time…

This past Spring has been filled with a multitude of beautiful outdoor weddings near the coast! Here are just a few of them.

I’ve performed at Pines Park in Dana Point on several occasions over the past few years. It’s a beautiful, breezy park. Ryan and Danielle (the bride and groom)  provided a nice, roomy umbrella, which was the perfect size to shield the harp from the damaging rays of the sun.

La Palapa Del Mar in Long Beach. This is a lovely restaurant, situated right along the beach. There was a large paved area in between the restaurant and the sand, which was a great spot to set up the harp. The day was slightly overcast and cool. Todd and Thalinda picked a beautiful spot for their ceremony!

This month, I had the pleasure of performing at the Wayfarer’s Chapel in  Rancho Palos Verdes on Saturday evening. I had never been there before, so I was really looking forward to performing there. I had heard so many wonderful comments about the incredible beauty of the chapel, so I had imagined a pretty spectacular place. My expectations were not disappointed.

The chapel was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The architecture was beautiful with its natural wood and glass walls & ceiling showcasing the natural beauty outside.  Surrounded by towering redwood trees, gardens, and the ocean view, it truly was a sanctuary.

Views from the front

View from the back  of the chapel

Me with the happy couple, Warren and Allison.

The chapel is completely transformed at night.

Happy Mother’s Day!  I have played for the Mother’s Day brunch at the Virginia Country Club for four years in a row now. It’s always good to be back.

Then it was off to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Long Beach to perform the Durufle Requiem for the Long Beach City College choral concert with orchestra. It was a packed church for this concert, even on Mother’s Day!

This past weekend I took a trip up to San Luis Obispo to perform with the symphony again.  I always love going up to SLO. Such a great place! I love the people there, the downtown area, and the beautiful hiking and biking trails nearby. I have my favorite restaurants that I always try to visit! If at all possible, I always try to make it to the Thursday night farmer’s market. A trip up to SLO always feels like a vacation, even though I’m really up there to work!

On the concert program for San Luis Obispo Symphony: Overture to Der Schauspieldirektor, K.486 and Exultate Jubilate, K.165 by Mozart. The guest performer was soprano Maria Jette.

Also on the program (the piece I performed in) was the Symphony No.4 in G Major by Gustav Mahler. I absolutely love the Mahler symphonies. I haven’t performed the 4th Symphony in many years, so it was a real treat to pull out the music again. The piece has a wonderful feel to it, plus some nice harp solo spots!

Looking forward to my next working vacation back up in SLO…

This holiday season has been a busy one, despite the economy! I’ve been very lucky this season; I’ve had many holiday events for clients I have been with for years, and I had a number of new holiday clients as well. Here’s one especially memorable Christmas event I wanted to share.

One of my new clients had their company Christmas party at the OC Pavilion Performing Arts Center, located in Santa Ana, CA. The building apparently used to be a Bank of America Headquarters, and since renovations in 1962 it now houses the OC Pavilion Theater, Ambrosia Restaurant and The Vault VIP Lounge. I had never been there before, so I was looking forward to checking out this new venue!

The lobby was holiday-picuresque with the Christmas tree and carolers. Guests mingled in the lobby before heading upstairs for dinner.

The dinner was held in the Ambrosia Restaurant, which is up above the theater. I was providing dinner music, so this is where I set up. Here’s the entry into the restaurant, complete with running water fountain behind the hostess.

The Ambrosia Restaurant has live musicians on a regular basis, so there was a small stage with sound system all ready to go.

The main restaurant before the guests arrived.

The Ambrosia Restaurant has many smaller private dining rooms available. Philippe Antoine, the General Manager, was kind enough to take a few of us on a tour later after the event was finished. Every room had a theme, and every room was elaborate and beautiful. What an amazing place! Here are just a few of the smaller rooms.

The Wine Cellar

El Presidente

The Lodge

I’ll have to check out the theater on my next visit. Such a beautiful venue! I’m looking forward to going back again.

Fall is always a busy time of year for weddings, just as busy as the Spring season these days! Here are tidbits from just a few of them.

Westminster Presbyterian Church is a French Gothic Cathedral located in Pasadena. It’s an absolutely gorgeous location for a wedding, both inside and out.

Me with the beautiful couple, Andy & Janice

last two photos: Joan Allen Photography 

Mark & Christina had their ceremony at the Orange Hill Restaurant in the city of Orange, with it’s widespread views of Orange County.

Had a more “laid back” wedding ceremony at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City. This one took place in the Presidential penthouse suite for a smaller, more intimate group of friends and family.

The view from the balcony at night was amazing.

Other Fall ceremony locations included All Saints Church in Pasadena, Mission Lutheran Church in Laguna Niguel, Shutters of Santa Monica, and the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia. Whew! I have been all over Los Angeles and Orange County the past few months!

Looking for wedding ceremony or reception music for your upcoming wedding? Consider harp to set the perfect mood.

This past weekend was spent up in San Luis Obispo. I was asked to perform with the symphony just a few weeks ago, so it was a bit of a whirlwind trip. Last time I performed with the SLO Symphony was the summer of 2007 so it has been a while since I’ve been there. They’re a great group to perform with, I’ve performed with them several times and I always welcome the chance to come back.

The program included Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, which is an orchestral suite of all the well-known pieces from the musical. It’s been years since I’ve played that piece so I welcomed the chance to dust off the music and play it again. Such fun music! The tunes were stuck in my head for at least a week.

The day consisted of a free afternoon open rehearsal and an evening concert. Both were very well attended, as you will see from the photos. Cohen Hall is such a beautiful place. I snuck out before the open rehearsal started to grab a few photos.

View of the stage from the audience

View from the stage

Sunday August 24th was the annual summer concert with Torrance Symphony, held outdoors at Wilson Park in Torrance. I have performed at this annual concert for many years now, and it’s always nice to come back each year and reunite with fellow musicians and friends.

It was a beautiful day with moderate temps and sunny skies.  A welcome change from last year’s rain!

The concert was well attended.

Everyone and his dog were there!

I performed for Easter Brunch at the Virginia Country Club, a location that I perform at regularly for Easter Brunch, Mother’s Day Brunch, and Thanksgiving. It was such a beautiful day, and a good turnout as usual. The VCC puts on a beautiful brunch every time.

This year included an Easter Bunny petting zoo, how cute is that? The kids just loved it.

The end of one year and the start of the next year always brings a time of reflection. 2007 has been a great year with many opportunities for me: the 2007 MTV VMA show with Kanye West, some great orchestral performances with great music, lots of parties and special events. And, of course, weddings…many, many weddings! I feel like I’ve been all over the Los Angeles and Orange County map this year…

Ryan & Cammie at The Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa (photos by Becky Spencer Photography)

Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica (personal photo)

Tran cocktail hour at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel (personal photo)

Scott & Kathy at the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach (photos by Jim Kennedy Photographers)

Eric & Liz in Laguna Hills (photos by C. Van Rensburg Photography)

Steven & Monika at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest (photo by Carrera Photography)

Gary & Tiffany at Lawry’s in Beverly Hills (photo on a thank-you card from the couple)

Keith & Judy at La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes Estates (coming soon)

Looking for wedding ceremony or reception music for your upcoming wedding? Consider harp to set the perfect mood.

We’re here again - the holiday season. December is always a busy month filled with holiday parties, orchestra concerts, and church services.

This December has definitely been a busy one, but also a fun one! I’ve provided holiday event and party music for several private and corporate events. These were clients that have asked me back year after year so it’s like a reunion of good friends! Here’s a photo from outside one of the private home parties, the lights were so beautiful and I had to attempt to capture it:

I’ve also been fortunate to perform some amazing Christmas music this December: Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest by Conrad Susa, and Gloria by Francis Poulenc. The Carols and Lullabies is a recent work written for choir, accompanied by harp, marimba, and classical guitar. It’s absolutely gorgeous; I highly recommend finding a CD of the piece! It will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit.

The Gloria by Francis Poulenc is a gorgeous piece for soprano solo, chorus, and orchestra. I performed it with full orchestra and 100+ member chorus. Here’s a photo I took during rehearsal from inside the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena:

Happy Holidays to all!

There’s nothing like live harp music to set the mood for a holiday home party or corporate event. Be sure to contact me for your event next year!

It was my second year in a row to perform for Thanksgiving Day at the Virginia Country Club in Long Beach. There are some places where I return to perform again and again, and I love being able to come back to a familiar and friendly place like the VCC. I was set up in the entryway near the window, which has a few couches and chairs nearby. It felt like I was in someone’s living room! The brunch hours were pretty quiet, but things definitely picked up for the afternoon seating!

As usual, the staff was terrific and the buffet was superb! It’s not really Thanksgiving without a big turkey…ice sculpture, that is. Or pumpkin pie…and LOTS of it!

It was a Las Vegas weekend. I performed with Kanye West for the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards and at the Rolling Stone VIP Party at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Being a classically-trained harpist, I never thought I would get the opportunity to do this kind of work, that’s for sure! I have performed with Kanye West a number of times in the past when he’s done performances out in LA. He includes an all-female backup ‘band’ consisting of violin, cello, horn, trumpet, and harp!

Filming the VMAs was an all-day process, starting with rehearsal in the morning. Kanye was kind enough to pose for a pic with me at the end of rehearsal.

We filmed Kanye’s performance at the Palms Casino, Las Vegas in the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa. My favorite part of the suite was the outdoor Jacuzzi pool with the glass end wall. For the VMA show, the pool was drained and a temporary walkway was added. It was quite scary looking, but I got brave and took a walk out. What a spectacular view of the Strip from there!

Then it was time for rehearsal and sound checks in the afternoon.

Makeup, hair, and wardrobe…I’m ready to go!

Here’s a pic from the evening performance. You can view complete videos of our performance on the MTV website.

Photo: John Shearer

If that night wasn’t late enough, the next night was even later! We played a concert at The Joint, a club within the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. That performance started at 1:30AM! It was a bit tricky getting the harp up on the stage platform, but in the end it looked great. Here’s a photo from rehearsal and the VIP party.

Photo: Squires

Sunday August 26th was the annual summer concert with Torrance Symphony, held outdoors at Wilson Park in Torrance. I have performed at this annual concert for many years now, so I pretty much know what to expect…or so I thought!

It was a nice, cool, overcast day. We all rather enjoyed that for a change, since it is usually quite hot every year. Five minutes before the concert, it started to lightly RAIN! Everyone was shocked. By the middle of the first piece on the program, it started to POUR down rain. The sea of brightly colored sun umbrellas that were being used in the audience became shelter from the rain instead. Those die-hard fans stuck it out to hear the concert, though! Lucky for most of us in the orchestra, we were under a large tent…however, a gap in the back of the stage caused some of the percussion and brass players to do some fast shuffling to keep dry!

The rain stopped after about a half an hour. The sun made a few appearances here and there. Then the wind started to kick up. A gust of wind hit the tent just right which caused a pool of standing water to pour off the tent in back of the conducter with a loud SPLASH that went on for a good minute! The conductor thought there was some kind of electrical short behind him! We all had a good laugh about that.

Ah, the joy (and comedy) of outdoor events…

Last week I performed in the opening night concert and open rehearsal for the summer Mozart Festival, held annualy in San Luis Obispo, CA. I’ve performed various orchestral concerts as a harpist in San Luis Obispo over the course of many years, and I always love going back and spending a few days there! I was fortunate to have a lot of down time in between rehearsals and practice sessions to be able to go out and enjoy the city. I went to the Thursday night Farmer’s Market, attended a free outdoor concert at the Mission, and went to Big Sky Restaurant, one of my favorite places there in town (and a major supporter of the Mozart Festival). It was also great to find so many familiar faces in the orchestra; there were many musicians who came up from Los Angeles so I had plenty of friends to hang out with and catch up with. It was like a mini-vacation…in between some very long and taxing rehearsals for the opening night concert!

There was only one piece in the concert that included harp, and that was the Daphnis and Chloe ballet suite by Maurice Ravel. There are two harps in Ravel’s orchestral score; that’s always a treat! Another Los Angeles harpist was up to perform 1st harp, and I played 2nd harp.

You’re probably thinking…Ravel in the Mozart Festival concert??? It’s all OK, since the theme of the concert was ‘A Night at the Theater‘ (and Mozart was still properly represented).

The open rehearsal and concert were held on Saturday, July 14. I performed with a 70-member orchestra and chorus. The program included various operatic arias by Mozart, and also the Daphnis and Chloe ballet suite by Ravel. The performance featured a video production set to the Daphnis and Chloe music, with a large video screen set behind the orchestra and chorus. Lithographs by Marc Chagall were projected on screen which depicted the adventures of Daphnis and Chloe and their life together.

Last week seems to have inadvertently become the “Ladies Only” week of events!

One event was an afternoon tea held at a private home in Huntington Beach. I have performed for this client for many years, so it’s always fun to go back. My client invites all her lady friends for an afternoon tea party every year or two. All the ladies come dressed in their fancy dresses and hats, some were even prepared with their white gloves! This afternoon tea was complete with tea sandwiches, scones with Devonshire cream, and assorted pastries (and tea, of course). YUM! Wish I had brought a camera to share a photo…next time for sure!

Another event was a bridal shower in Newport Beach at the Island Hotel, complete with a mime and a caracaturist! A kind and talented photographer shared his talents and sent the photo above. Thanks Michael!

Need an Orange County harpist for your upcoming event? Event and party music for all occasions, please contact me with any questions!

Photography by Michael Munson

I performed last night for a wedding and cocktail hour at the Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica. I had never been there before; what a beautiful venue! The wedding was held in a very large banquet room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean.

I performed in a trio consisting of violin, cello, and harp. This is an unusual combination, but very effective! It’s always fun to play music with friends…

Thinking of a duo or trio for your wedding music in Los Angeles or Orange County? Harp music is beautiful on its own, but harp also sounds amazing when paired with flute or violin, or in a trio with flute, violin, and/or cello. All combinations with these instruments are possible! Contact me for more information about forming the perfect live music and classical music ensemble for your wedding or special event.

Photo: Carla Bray - harp, Alisha Bauer - cello, Lisa Weinstein - violin

I performed for Easter Brunch at the Virginia Country Club, a location that I perform for several holidays throughout the year. Always a nice place to be, such great staff and well organized events. And the food! I could go on and on…

The Easter Bunny was kind enough to take time out from playing with the kids to pose for a picture!

I had the pleasure to perform last night for a champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception at Eddia, a store that specializes in men’s clothing & accessories on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. They had me set up in the store window…I’ve never been a window display before! There I was, in between the shirts and shoes. I did get some great entertainment of my own just watching the people on the street react to seeing a live harp player in the store window display! See, you can get all kinds of entertainment in Los Angeles…

Very nice staff there; they really made the evening the success that it was. I met a very cool and talented photographer as well, as illustrated by this photo taken at the reception! Thanks Adam.

Need a Los Angeles harpist for your upcoming event? Event and party music for all occasions, please contact me with any questions!

Photo by Adam Latham Photography

Back in November, a very nice man named Ken contacted me. He wanted to surprise his wife Isabel on her 40th birthday (which happened to be on New Year’s Day) with live harp music to wake up to, followed by a private yoga class in their home! Wow, what a great husband! I was very enthusiastic about the idea; I had never played for a yoga class before, and surprises are always fun…

So, at 8:30AM on New Year’s Day, Ken and I stealthily sneaked the harp into their living room. I started playing at 9AM. During my second piece, out of the corner of my eye I saw a head peek around the doorway (their 5-year old daughter). A few minutes later, I saw another head peek around the same doorway (Isabel), followed by hysterical laughter down the hallway. She was so surprised and absolutely thrilled! I continued to play music while the family enjoyed their morning together.

An hour later, the yoga instructor came. Isabel was treated to a one-on-one yoga class accompanied by live harp music! It was a bit of a physical challenge for me to provide an entire hour of uninterrupted music with no breaks, but lots of fun nonetheless. Wish I could have joined in on some of the yoga!

My time was finished after the yoga class, but Isabel’s birthday was just getting started – she was going out to lunch with her family, followed by a massage at a day spa. What a great way to start the New Year!

On December 14 I performed at the Doubletree in San Pedro. Formerly the Marina Hotel, they have completely renovated the hotel and had their grand opening celebration under their new name. It’s a beautiful hotel just right along the Marina. Their Grand Opening was definitely a success judging from the large crowd that showed up!

I didn’t get to sample the incredible looking appetizers floating around, darn! But when the valet brought my car around front, she smiled and handed me a shiny Christmas-y bag. Inside the bag was a tin of chocolate chip cookies! Yum…

Photo: Courtesy of the San Pedro Doubletree