The sanctuary of Daniel Chapel is a sacred space. This means that sung music must have texts from the Bible or from theologically sound non-Biblical sacred texts. Instrumental music should not have obvious and widely known secular associations; examples of this would be instrumental arrangements of popular songs, songs from Broadway shows, etc.

All music used in Daniel Chapel weddings must be performed live. Recorded music, including accompaniment for live performers, is not permitted.

To protect the floor and furnishings of the chapel, the use of equipment such as amplifiers, speakers, drum sets, and digital keyboards is not permitted.

No decorations or devices of any kind such as cameras, audio recorders, or other items may be placed on, or attached to, the pipe organ or piano. All photography and videography must take place behind the last pew.

Physical damage caused by disregarding these guidelines will be billed to the wedding party.

All wedding parties wishing to use the Daniel Chapel organ at their ceremony must contact Furman’s Wedding Music Coordinator for organ, Dr. Charles Tompkins, Distinguished University Organist and Professor of Music Emeritus ([email protected]; (864) 414-7377).

There is no charge for Dr. Tompkins’s services as Wedding Music Coordinator, which include approving your request to use the chapel organ; assigning an organist to play for your ceremony; and providing you with contact information for your assigned organist.

If you wish to use the chapel organ at your ceremony, please contact Dr. Tompkins at your earliest convenience, and no later than six (6) months prior to your wedding date.

• $400 for the wedding ceremony. This includes:
  • An optional Zoom consultation (60 minutes) regarding music selections
  • At the ceremony:
    • 30 Minutes of prelude music while guests arrive
    • Seating music for mothers/grandparents
    • Processional (“walking in”) music for attendants
    • Processional music for the bride
    • Recessional (“walking out”) music for the bride and groom, attendants, and parents
    • Maximum 10 minutes of postlude music while guests exit the chapel
    • Accompanying (organ or piano) for 1 or 2 vocal or instrumental solo selections (this music must be from standard repertoire and of modest length)
• (Optional) $100 for playing the wedding rehearsal
• (Optional) $100 for each rehearsal with vocal and/or instrumental soloists that takes place at a time other than immediately before or after the wedding rehearsal (excluding a short rehearsal 30 minutes before the prelude on the day of the ceremony).
• An additional fee or fees may also apply if arranging of music is required (for example, for musical selections involving organ with instrumental or vocal ensembles).
• Services of greater than normal complexity and/or which will require substantial additional accompanying by the organist – such as Wedding Masses with multiple congregational hymns and/or liturgical canticles, coordinating with a cantor, or extended playing during Communion (when the entire congregation participates) – will entail an additional fee to be negotiated, beginning with a minimum of $25.This fee might be higher, depending on the difficulty of the music.

If Dr. Charles Tompkins is your organist, his fee will be added to the invoice issued with your contract for the rental of Daniel Chapel. This fee should be paid in full to Furman’s Office of Conferences and Events no later than 60 days prior to your wedding date.

If a Furman-authorized organist other than Dr. Tompkins plays for your wedding, you should compensate them directly. This should be done by giving them a check at the beginning of the wedding rehearsal; if your organist is not attending the rehearsal, their check should be given to them before the prelude begins on the day of the ceremony.

Videos of wedding organ music – selections for seating of the parents/grandparents,
processionals (“walking in music” for the bridal party/groomsmen and the bride) and recessionals (“walking out music” for the bride and groom, wedding party and parents) – may be found at the YouTube channel furmanweddingmusicorgan:

https://www.youtube.com/@furmanweddingmusicorgan8619

These videos represent the core repertory of seating music, processionals (“walking in music”), and recessionals (“walking out music”) that all Furman-authorized chapel wedding organists can perform.

If there are other musical selections that you wish to have, but are not included on
these videos, please review our policies for special requests.

It is the policy of Furman University that Dr. Charles Tompkins plays for all weddings in Daniel Chapel using the chapel organ. The only exceptions to this policy are:

• When he is not available. If this is the case, he will arrange for one of Furman’s authorized wedding organists to play for the ceremony.

• When a requested guest organist has a clear personal connection to members of the wedding party.

• The guest organist must hold an academic degree in organ, and they must have considerable experience as organist in a church setting where the worship services include traditional hymns, organ accompanying of choirs and soloists, and performance of preludes, postludes, and offertories for solo organ. In addition, they must have experience performing on pipe organs of all sizes, including large instruments and those that have tracker (mechanical) key action.

If you wish to have a guest organist play for the wedding, you are required to email Dr. Tompkins ([email protected]) no less than 45 days prior to the ceremony.

If the guest organist is approved, and has not played the Hartness Organ before, they must meet with Dr. Tompkins at Daniel Chapel for an instruction session. A $100 fee will be charged to the wedding party for this consultation.

If a guest wedding organist is approved, the wedding party will pay them directly, at a fee which they negotiate with that organist.

Dr. Tompkins is responsible for approving/declining all requests for guest organists. His decisions are final.

Daniel Chapel wedding organists work from a fixed repertory of musical selections when playing for weddings, which can be found here. However, your organist may have additional selections they play and can offer you.

Be aware that repertories differ from organist to organist; thus, music you may have heard at another wedding may or may not be part of your organist’s repertory.

You are welcome to ask your organist about musical selections that are not on the videos; if those selections are part of their personal repertory, i.e. if they have already learned them and perform them regularly, they will be happy to play them for you. If they do not already play the selections, however, they can only do so if learning that music will involve minimal additional preparation time, and if the music involved is clearly suitable for performance on the organ. This is also true with regard to requests for accompanying of vocal and instrumental soloists, and performing music with instrumental and/or vocal ensembles.

When making a special request, be prepared to provide a printed copy of the music. Your organist will need to receive it prior to finalizing your music selections. Special requests received less than three (3) months prior to the wedding cannot be honored.

If your organist agrees to perform music for your ceremony that they do not already play, and that requires more than minimal additional preparation time, a minimum additional fee of $25 will be charged. This fee might be higher, depending on the difficulty of the music.

While Daniel Chapel wedding organists are able to accompany singers and instrumentalists on the piano, the same does not hold true for their performing solo selections on the piano. If solo piano selections are desired as part of the ceremony, a separate pianist must be hired. (Dr. Anna Joiner, Furman’s Wedding Music Coordinator for Instruments (including piano) and Instrumental Ensembles, can assist you in this process.)

See also the links “The Organ at Daniel Chapel”/”Special Requests for Music Selections” and “The Organ at Daniel Chapel”/”Organ Fees for Furman-Authorized Organists” (starred item “Accompanying”).

Wedding Music Coordinator for Vocal Soloists, Small Groups of Vocalists, and Choirs:

Mrs. Katie Knauer ([email protected], (864)-294-2268)

If you would like to have a vocal soloist, a small group of vocalists, or a choir as part of your wedding, there are two ways to do this:

Option 1: You may hire the vocalists yourself. In this case, you will negotiate the fees directly with them, and pay them either at the wedding rehearsal (if they attend) or prior to the beginning of the service (if they do not attend the rehearsal). If this option is chosen, you do not need to contact Mrs. Katie Knauer, the Wedding Music Coordinator for vocalists.

Option 2: You may contact Mrs. Knauer at [email protected] and request her assistance in hiring a vocal soloist, small group of vocalists, or a choir. If you choose this option, please contact Mrs. Knauer as soon as possible, and no later than six (6) months before the ceremony. There is a consultation/contractor fee of $100, paid directly to Mrs. Knauer.

Mrs. Knauer’s services include:

• Answering questions about policies and use of the chapel and selecting music
• Guidance about fee structures for vocal soloists, small groups, and choirs
• Contracting the requested musicians, and providing their contact information

Following the consultation with Mrs. Knauer, the wedding party should contact musicians immediately with date and time of ceremony and begin a discussion about the music selections.

Rehearsals for single vocal soloists, small groups or choirs being accompanied by small instrumental groups will take place no later than 30 minutes before the prelude begins at the ceremony. This is standard practice. Rehearsals for vocalists, groups or choirs being accompanied only by piano or organ may take place before or after the wedding rehearsal, if the pianist or organist has been hired to attend the rehearsal; in addition, a brief rehearsal may take place no later than 30 minutes before the prelude begins at the ceremony itself. Rehearsals at times other than these will carry an additional fee of $100 per rehearsal.

(Bear in mind that hired solo vocalists, small groups, and choirs will require additional compensation if they are asked to attend the wedding rehearsal.)

Texts of vocal music to be sung at Daniel Chapel weddings must be approved in advance by Dr. Vaughn CroweTipton, Associate Vice President for Spiritual Life, Professor of Religion, and University Chaplain.

The chapel maintains a list of previously approved wedding solo texts; to find out if your solo(s) is/are already on that list, please call or e-mail the Administrative Assistant for the Office of Spiritual Life, Ms. Karen Olsen ([email protected]; 864-294-2133).

If the solo(s) you are considering is/are not on the previously approved list, you will need to e-mail those texts), typed in poetic format, to Dr. CroweTipton ([email protected]). Requests should be submitted as early as possible, and no less than sixty (60) days in advance of the wedding.

The wedding party will be responsible to pay the musicians directly according to their agreement.

Furman Faculty/Professional Singer(s) – $200 per singer

Furman Student Singer(s) – $100 per singer

These fees do not include attendance at the wedding rehearsal. An additional fee of $100.00 per musician (Furman faculty/professional) and $50.00 per musician (Furman students) is charged for attendance at the rehearsal. They also do not include the optional Wedding Music Coordinator fee (see “Option 2” under the link “How to Hire a Vocalist”).

Wedding Music Coordinator fee – $100 (optional; see “Wedding Music Coordinator for Vocalists”)

Vocal soloists engaged by the wedding party are expected to have their selections completely learned and secure prior to rehearsing with the organist, pianist, or instrumental ensemble. It is not the organist’s, pianist’s, or ensemble leader’s responsibility to teach them their music.

Vocal soloists must be able to perform their selections from a printed musical score, with the notes and rhythms exactly as printed in that score. Soloists who learn their selections by listening to a recording, without reference to actual musical notation, are often unable to coordinate with accompaniment in a live performance. This may result in your organist, pianist, or instrumental group being unable to accompany them at the wedding.

The Daniel Chapel sanctuary is a challenging room to perform in, due to its large size and live acoustic; this is true even when using the available microphone. If you wish to have a family member or friend sing or play at your wedding, and (especially) if they are not a trained performer, it is strongly recommended that they visit the chapel well in advance of the wedding date, to be sure that they are comfortable performing in this space.

Wedding Music Coordinator for Individual Instrumentalists (including Pianists) and Instrumental Groups:

Furman conference and events team ([email protected])

If you would like to have a pianist, other solo instrumentalist, or a small instrumental group (such as a string or brass quartet) as part of your wedding, there are two options you can pursue:

Option 1: You may hire the instrumentalists yourself. In this case, you will negotiate the fee(s) directly with them, and pay them either at the wedding rehearsal (if they attend) or on the day of the ceremony, prior to the beginning of the prelude (if they do not attend the rehearsal). If this option is chosen, you do not need to contact the Furman conference and events team (Wedding Music Coordinators for Instrumentalists and Instrumental Groups.)

Option 2: You may contact the Furman conference and events team, (the Wedding Music Coordinators for instrumentalists), at [email protected], and request their assistance in hiring the desired instrumentalist or instrumental group. If you choose this option, please contact the Conference and Events team as soon as possible, and no later than six (6) months before the ceremony. There is a consultation/contractor fee of $100.

Services include:

• Answering questions about policies and use of the chapel plus selections of music
• Guidance about fee structures of various soloists/ensembles
• Contracting the requested instrumental soloist or ensemble and providing their contact information

Following the consultation, the wedding party should contact musicians immediately with the date and time of the ceremony and begin a discussion about the music selections.

If a rehearsal is needed for a small instrumental group accompanying an instrumentalist and/or singers, it will take place no later than 30 minutes before the prelude begins prior to the ceremony. This is standard practice.

Furman Faculty/Professional Instrumentalist(s):

• Pianist (as primary musician*) – $300
• Pianist (Accompanying and/or playing with ensemble only) – $200
• Harpist – $300
• Other Instrumentalists – $200 per instrumentalist

Furman Student(s):

• Pianist (as primary musician*) – $200 (ceremony and rehearsal) $100 (ceremony only)
• Pianist (Accompanying and/or playing with ensemble only) – $100
• Harpist – $200
• Other Instrumentalists – $100 per instrumentalist

*Primary Musician means that pianist is playing solo piano selections for most or all of the music at the ceremony, including the prelude, seating music, processionals, recessional, post-recessional music, and congregational hymns.  (In such cases, the pianist is most likely the only instrumentalist performing at the ceremony.)

Wedding Music Coordinator fee – $100 (optional; see “Wedding Music Coordinator for Instrumentalists”)

These fees do not include attendance at the wedding rehearsal. An additional fee of $100.00 per musician (Furman faculty/professional) and $50.00 per musician (Furman students) is charged for attendance at the rehearsal.

Rehearsals for pianists with instrumentalists or vocal soloists may take place before or after the wedding rehearsal, if the pianist has been hired to attend the rehearsal; in addition, a brief rehearsal may take place no later than 30 minutes before the prelude begins at the ceremony itself. Rehearsals at times other than these will carry an additional fee of $100 per rehearsal.