The Original Magnolia String Quartet

Artistry: Acoustic classical music for weddings, parties and religious ceremonies

Online: originalmagnoliaquartet.com, @origmagquartet

If the highs hit higher, and the details feel deeper, that’s the vulnerability and strength found in the dynamic sound of strings. Unmistakable. Powerful. Classical.

They can even lift a burden or two, if the audience only lets them. Collectively, they architect the ambiance for a wedding, and the bride doesn’t walk down the aisle without them.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to create this soundtrack for people’s fairytales,” says Danis Salassi, violinist, local music teacher and member of The Original Magnolia String Quartet. “Really, is there a better job in music than that?”

Alongside Salassi, Christy Lee Gandy (violin), Lisa McGibney (viola) and Kimberly Sands (cello) form the veteran quartet that played more than 100 events in 2025, including weddings both traditional and themed—everything from Gatsby to goth, and yes, “Paint it Black” sounds incredible riffing off their strident strings.

The foursome has built a 30-year career of mood-setting at the most important events in many Baton Rougeans’ lives, and they’ve played through it all.

Absent officiant? They extended their set until a replacement could be found—and suited up. 2016 flood, the night of a gig? Gandy, a registered nurse, was on an extra hospital shift, and Sands was evacuating her swamped home with her cello on her back, so Salassi and McGibney put on a pot of red beans and rehearsed with two substitutes before the rain-stormed ceremony. The show must go on.

“The most rewarding thing is having children come up to us and wondering what these instruments are and wanting to touch the cello,” says Sands, who has also played with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra for three decades. “For a lot of guests at weddings, it may be their first time seeing orchestral music played live. That, and being able to use this music to express myself, makes this really important to me.”

Through pivots and trends, the quartet has built a beautiful brand and word-of-mouth clientele by communicating well with their brides and never feeling too good to stop learning.

They mastered “Opalite” and “Pink Pony Club” last year, and their orchestrated pop hits have joined Handel and Bach classics in an ever-growing repertoire.

The close friends have lived a lot of life together, keep each other humble, and call practice “making every mistake possible.” With one shot to strike the right notes, the group takes preparation seriously.

When they do that, they feel so ready that the performance itself is an ode to joy.

“It’s almost not like working, it’s so energizing,” Salassi says. “Because we are playing, but we are playing hard.”