A fresh spin on classical performance, “Candlelight Concerts” are a global series of live music events presented by Fever Entertainment that transform iconic venues into magical, candlelit settings with thousands of LED candles. Choose from classical music, jazz, pop, movie soundtracks, ballet and many more, including Taylor Swift and Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
The setting will be glittering at the United Methodist Church in downtown Colorado Spring on November 8, when the concert series presents a tribute to Fleetwood Mac, Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, three groups who have packed concert venues both in the U.S. and internationally.
The goal is to reimagine their music, "by performing their songs in a classical style, typically with a string quartet, under the warm glow of thousands of candles," explains Santiago Santamaría Soler, VP of Global Communications for Fever, a live entertainment ticketing platform. "This creates a completely different atmosphere that is intimate and peaceful, focusing on the musicality and emotional connection of the songs, unlike the large-scale, high-energy production typical of Coldplay and Imagine Dragons events in packed arenas.” "It became evident that many Fever platform users had an interest in classical music, but obstacles prevented them from making the leap to attending concerts,” Soler says. “We started talking to several traditional European cultural institutions that all raised the same question: How could we connect with younger audiences? That’s when Fever decided to start testing some concepts and realized these audiences were keen for closer and more intimate experiences beyond the scope of their experience and, therefore, interest."
Amanda Boucault, the public relations director of Fever, says the company quickly recognized the early challenges of the traditional concert format.
"We reimagined the full-length standard concert and condensed the duration from the typical 90 minutes to a more approachable 60 minutes, and moved performances from formal concert halls to more accessible venues,” she says. “We then diversified the repertoire to encompass a broad spectrum of themes and genres, including movie soundtracks and tributes to contemporary artists such as Queen, ABBA, Coldplay, and even Ed Sheeran, all alongside the timeless compositions of classical masters.”
Sarah Zephr attended the October 4 Concert in the Springs, featuring "The Best of Hans Zimmer," music inspired by the Academy Award-winning composer known for "The Lion King" among many other Broadway favorites. She is sold on the concept. "It was my first candlelight concert experience, and my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary," she said. "It was a spot-on performance. "The musicianship was seamless, each instrument was clear and easy to follow, and the glow of hundreds of candles in the great room of the United Methodist Church made the evening magical."
The journey of the Candlelight Concert series began in 2001 in the Puget Sound region after the Nisqually 6.8 magnitude earthquake damaged Trinity Church, and the concert series was started to raise funds for the $50,000 in repairs. After repairs were completed, the series continued to provide a venue for local musicians and has become a fixture in the community. The modern, international brand began in Madrid in 2019 with Fever, which expanded worldwide to democratize classical and other genres of music in unique, candlelit venue. The format expanded from classical music to include tributes to contemporary artists (like Queen and ABBA), movie soundtracks, jazz, and more.
With a diverse range of programs tailored to all tastes, these concerts are designed to captivate, connect, and elevate the audience’s experience, whether they are music aficionados or first-time concert goers.