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Ensemble Cascade

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Last reviewed: August 12, 2026 | Banff | Wedding Music |

Business status: Active.

Last reviewed: August 12, 2026. Business status: Active.

Ensemble Cascade is a Banff wedding string duo centred on violin and cello music for ceremonies, receptions and other celebrations. Its official website identifies the group as a classical violin-and-cello duet, with options for solo violin, viola or cello, plus string trio and quartet configurations when suitable for the event.

The ensemble is based in Banff and lists service across Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise, Kananaskis, Emerald Lake, Golden and Invermere. Couples can enquire directly about a wedding ceremony, ceremony and cocktail hour, a customized package or another event format.

Services and specialization

Ensemble Cascade’s core offering is a violin-and-cello string duet. The official site also lists solo violin, viola or cello; a string trio of violin, viola and cello; and a string quartet with two violins, viola and cello. The duo is presented as the standard and most popular configuration, while the larger groups are options for events needing more volume, longer bookings or coverage in a busier setting.

For weddings, the published package types include ceremony music, a pre-organized ceremony package, ceremony and cocktail-hour music, a customized wedding package, and a destination wedding package. A customized package may combine a rehearsal dinner, ceremony, cocktail hour and/or reception. The enquiry form specifically includes wedding ceremony, wedding ceremony and cocktail hour, and customized wedding package options.

Violin-and-cello duet
Solo violin, viola or cello
String trio and string quartet options
Ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and customized wedding coverage

Repertoire and music planning

The website publishes wedding, classical, popular and traditional/fiddle repertoire sections. Its wedding guidance breaks a ceremony into prelude, processional, signing-of-the-register music and recessional, and gives examples from both classical and contemporary selections. The published popular list includes songs by artists such as The Beatles, Coldplay, John Legend and U2 alongside film and standard repertoire.

Couples may browse the sample repertoire and identify particular selections for key ceremony moments. Ensemble Cascade says it normally chooses prelude music around the couple’s musical tastes and can select reception music around the requested atmosphere or style. The group says it tries to accommodate special requests and, where necessary, can arrange for a special arrangement to be written.

Service area and who it may suit

The official service area includes Banff and Canmore in Alberta, as well as Emerald Lake, Golden and Invermere in British Columbia, Kananaskis, and Lake Louise. Banff and Canmore have no listed travel fee; couples should enquire about travel rates for other locations.

This may suit couples planning a Bow Valley or Canadian Rockies celebration who want acoustic string music for a ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner or reception. Solo instrumentation may be relevant for an intimate event or elopement, while the published trio and quartet options give couples a way to ask about a larger ensemble when their event needs greater sound coverage.

Confirmed strengths and practical limitations

Documented strengths include flexible ensemble formats, a published repertoire resource, complimentary phone or in-person consultation, and a mobile setup. Ensemble Cascade says it requires two armless chairs and can bring extra lighting if music-reading light is insufficient. It also says a booking-location move takes only a few minutes for the instruments, stands and music.

Outdoor conditions need practical planning. The ensemble says it can play outdoors but cannot perform without shelter in precipitation or in temperatures below 10°C, and asks for shade or shelter where possible because direct sunlight can harm the instruments. For longer playing periods, it requires a 10-minute break for every hour performed; breaks can be coordinated around the event timeline.

Confirmed feature: consultation is offered by phone or in person.
Confirm in advance: sheltered outdoor backup, temperature, lighting, chairs and any location change.
Confirm in advance: the ensemble size, total playing time and break timing.

Pricing

Current pricing is not explicitly published.

The official site describes package types but does not publish rates, travel charges outside Banff and Canmore, overtime rates, deposit requirements or cancellation terms. It says availability, rates and other details are provided on enquiry, and that overtime rates are included in the contract.

Current prices are not published on the official pages reviewed.

Contact and booking

Use the official Ensemble Cascade contact form to provide an event date, time, event type, location, venue and questions. The official FAQ also lists ensemble.cascade@gmail.com and 403-762-2676 for availability, rates and other booking details.

The profile does not display a public street address on a confirmed official page, so no postal address is listed here. The business identifies itself as based in Banff.

What couples should confirm

Before committing, confirm which configuration will perform, whether the requested music is already in the ensemble’s repertoire, and whether a special arrangement is needed. Share the ceremony order, desired prelude length, register-signing or unity-ceremony needs, reception atmosphere and any plan to move locations.

Ask for the complete written scope: start and finish times, travel costs for locations outside Banff and Canmore, weather backup for an outdoor performance, sound or lighting needs, breaks, overtime, taxes, payment schedule, deposit and cancellation terms. Availability is not published and must be confirmed directly.

Continue planning

Frequently asked questions

What instruments can Ensemble Cascade provide for a wedding?

Its official site lists a violin-and-cello duet, solo violin, viola or cello, a violin/viola/cello trio, and a two-violin, viola and cello quartet.

Where does Ensemble Cascade perform?

The official service area includes Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise, Kananaskis, Emerald Lake, Golden and Invermere. The site says Banff and Canmore have no travel fee; enquire about other locations.

Can Ensemble Cascade play an outdoor wedding?

Yes, subject to conditions. The group says it needs shelter in any precipitation and cannot perform below 10°C; shade or shelter is preferred to protect the instruments.

How do couples choose ceremony music?

Couples can review the sample repertoire and request selections for the prelude, processional, signing of the register and recessional. The ensemble also says it can work from a preferred musical style and consider special requests.