Ghoulish Glow
Concert series floods 2 Austin venues with candles and Halloween tunes
Despite what it feels like outside, it is now officially fall, which means October and all things Halloween are just days away. To celebrate this return to spooky season, the event company Fever is bringing its popular Halloween-themed Candlelight Concerts series back to the Austin area. It'll be in Georgetown on October 19, and Austin proper on October 30.
Imagine walking into a beautiful cathedral or low-lit theater. All around, the floors and surfaces are lined with (fake) candles, emitting a soft, golden light. The room is quiet; there's something eerie happening here. As everyone takes their seats, the lights dim further and all that is left is the glow from these candles. A group of musicians take the stage, each with a string instrument; all wearing black. It's the Austin Camerata Quartet.
Throughout, audiences can expect to hear the Austin Camerata Quartet move through truly beautiful classical pieces like Funeral March of a Marionette, as well as more modern Halloween tunes like "Thriller" and the theme from Beetlejuice.
The Georgetown show, A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics will be held at Lois Perkins Chapel. The theme for this night's program is more varied than the show later in October; on this night they'll be playing Halloween classics across the board. Showtimes will be at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 pm.
On October 30, they'll have Candlelight: Best Horror Movie Soundtracks at Austin Film Society's AFS Cinema. Here, they'll focus solely on spooky songs from movies, like "Prelude" from Psycho, the theme from Halloween, fun songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and truly haunting songs like "Lullaby" from Pan's Labyrinth. Showtimes will be at 6:30 and 8:45 pm.
Though both events will include some eerie music, they're both family-friendly, and children above the age of eight are welcome.
This isn't the first time Fever has come through Austin with a Candlelight series. In fact, Fever consistently offers themed Candlelight Concerts here in town as a way to "democratize the access to classical music," according to a press release. The international company also offers a variety of other original Fever events, including Dining the Dark, Painting in the Dark, and other interactive "experiential" events, in cities all over the world.
If readers' alarm bells for cookie-cutter experiences are going off, they're not alone. In fact, this author had the same trepidation before a Fever Holiday Candlelight Concert last year. The reality is, Fever employs all local musicians for these events (in this case, the talented and very personable Austin Camerata Quartet), and uses beautiful local venues to create a setting that really does feel magical — and it also benefits the venue.
With October ticket prices starting at $32, plus the themed song selection, Fever's Candlelight Concerts really are a more accessible way to experience concert music in an intimate setting.
More information about upcoming Candlelight Concerts is available at candlelightexperience.com.