Regent

Four players, four chairs in a semi circle, and about three metres by two of floor space. That's the whole footprint of the Regent String Quartet, who work out of Footscray and cover a wedding ceremony end to end: background music while guests arrive, the bridal entry, the signing of the register, the exit, and whatever's needed afterwards. Their repertoire runs the standard quartet writing across Baroque, Classical and Romantic, then keeps going into pop, rock, jazz, nostalgia numbers and film and television themes. Corporate work is regular too. So are cocktail parties, dinners for business, trade shows and conventions, the launch of a book, engagements, anniversaries and the Christmas function. One thing worth planning for: real instruments hate weather, so shade or cover is part of the booking, not an afterthought.