The Candlelight Concerts made their Sea to Sky debut on Jan. 10 with a Tribute to Taylor Swift. If you enjoyed that performance or were disappointed to miss it, fear not: more is on the way.
Candlelight's February show in the Maury Young Arts Centre will feature the time-honoured repertoire of Antonio Vivaldi, followed in March by a Tribute to Coldplay.
"You have a beautiful setting, which is 2,000 LED candles. I think that plays a big part in getting people through the door—a big visual element everyone can understand and look forward to just by seeing a picture or an ad," explains Andrew Bryan, Candlelight team lead in the Canadian market. "The concerts are also pretty short: one hour. It's not like committing to a three-hour symphony or anything like that."
Having launched in Canada four years ago, Candlelight is realizing global success with past events in more than 150 cities. The brand is known for selecting memorable venues that are interesting to look at or reflect a host city's cultural heritage: from outdoor amphitheatres under the stars to landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Niagara Falls, the Atomium in Brussels and Dubai's Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.
A press release elaborates that Candlelight partners with outstanding local performers to "democratize access to classical music." In conjunction with its unique aesthetic, the series is known for highlighting traditional composers like Vivaldi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Frédéric Chopin alongside mainstream superstars like ABBA, Queen, Ed Sheeran and more.
This philosophy seems to be fruitful. Bryan notes roughly 80 per cent of Candlelight's guests had not previously witnessed a classical concert.
'Talent and training'
The Listeso String Quartet will be on hand to bring Vivaldi and Coldplay to life in Whistler.
"It's amazing the amount of talent and training these musicians have. They've really dedicated their whole lives to perfecting their craft," Bryan says. "My hope is that when you see them for an hour, you're left definitely wanting more. What they bring to the table is a ton of versatility, incredible skill and good chemistry with each other."
When asked about the challenge of adapting material from both classical composers and the well-known musical acts of today, Bryan replies with: "That's really a testament to the technical skill of not only our musicians, but our arrangers as well. I think we've been able to really explore the versatility of these classical instruments and arrangements to see how it can actually cross through different genres."
Bryan has hoped to bring Candlelight to Whistler for some time now. He believes it's an iconic town with a diverse nightlife that has room for more options, and according to him January's Tribute to Taylor Swift elicited a warm reception at the "intimate atmosphere" of the Maury Young.
Going forward, Candlelight's fans can expect a greater diversity of instrumental arrangements (like jazz bands) to reach the series' touring destinations. New programs showcasing more beloved artists from across history are also in the works.
"We're really unifying everybody under things that we all enjoy," says Bryan. "That amazing visual experience … to that warm atmosphere, and the same thing can be said about music. These are undeniable things that everyone around the world can relate to, and it really does cross borders and cultures very easily.
"We value our audiences' feedback a lot, so if anybody's looking [to voice] where they would like to see Candlelight, or if they have any suggestions, we love to hear from them."
The Vivaldi concert is scheduled for Feb. 15 at both 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., while the Coldplay event runs March 22 with the same showtimes. Find tickets and details at artswhistler.com/calendar-upcoming/fever-exclusive-candlelight-featuring-vivaldis-four-seasons-and-more.
