Candlelight Concerts Chicago

Candlelight: Mozart vs Beethoven is a luminous classical “showdown” that sets two titans of Western music side by side, performed live in a room glowing with candlelight as a string ensemble brings their most iconic melodies into sharp, emotionally charged focus. The program moves from Mozart’s sparkling elegance—featuring favorites like the “Turkish March,” the overture to The Marriage of Figaro, and the irresistible energy of Eine kleine Nachtmusik—into Beethoven’s bold, dramatic world with beloved excerpts such as the Moonlight Sonata, the aching slow movement of the Pathétique, “Für Elise,” and triumphant symphonic moments like “Ode to Joy” and the famous opening drive of Symphony No. 5, creating an intimate, cinematic evening where every phrase feels fresh, immediate, and unforgettable.

Candlelight Evanston: Featuring Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & More is an immersive classical concert that surrounds you with the warm glow of candlelight while a live string quartet brings Vivaldi’s seasonal masterpiece to life with vivid contrast and storytelling—bright, blossoming “Spring,” storm-tossed “Summer,” golden “Autumn,” and crystalline “Winter.” Along the way, the program expands the palette with the soaring lyricism of Massenet’s “Méditation,” the hypnotic modern shimmer of Max Richter’s reimagined Vivaldi, and the tango-tinged electricity of Piazzolla favorites like “Verano Porteño” and “Libertango,” creating a night that feels both intimate and cinematic from first note to last.

Candlelight: Queen vs. ABBA is a vibrant, candlelit concert that pits two legendary hit factories against each other—reimagined in rich, cinematic string arrangements that make familiar choruses feel brand new. Performed live by the Metropolis String Quartet, the program races from ABBA’s glossy pop euphoria (“Dancing Queen,” “SOS,” “Money, Money, Money,” “Voulez Vous,” “Waterloo,” “Super Trouper,” “Mamma Mia,” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”) to Queen’s larger-than-life rock drama (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “I Want to Break Free,” “Killer Queen,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions”), creating an immersive hour of sing-along energy, soaring melodies, and pure joy under the warm glow of candlelight.

Candlelight: Tribute to Queen is a glowing, immersive concert that transforms the band’s stadium-sized rock into lush, cinematic string arrangements performed live in a sea of flickering candles, letting every hook and harmony hit with fresh emotion and intimacy. Over about an hour, you’ll hear instantly recognizable favorites like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody to Love,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Killer Queen,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Love of My Life,” and “We Are the Champions,” all reimagined by a live string quartet for a night that feels both epic and beautifully close-up.

Candlelight: Tribute to The Beatles is an immersive concert that wraps the Fab Four’s timeless catalog in the warm glow of candlelight, as a live string quartet transforms iconic melodies into lush, cinematic arrangements that feel both intimate and electrifying. Over about an hour, the program moves through beloved classics like “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Penny Lane,” “Strawberry Fields,” “Come Together,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “With A Little Help From My Friends,” “Help!,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Blackbird,” “A Day in the Life,” “Yesterday,” and “Let It Be,” creating a nostalgic, sing-along-friendly night where every hook lands with fresh emotion in a beautifully atmospheric setting.

Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings is a romantic, Regency-tinged concert experience that invites you to step into the world of Netflix's hit series as a live string ensemble reimagines the show's most beloved melodies in glowing, candlelit atmosphere. With sweeping, elegant arrangements that capture Bridgerton's drama, wit, and heart, the performance blends the sophistication of classical music with the thrill of hearing familiar themes and pop favorites from the series transformed into something intimate and cinematic-an enchanting night that feels like an invitation to the event of the season.

Candlelight: Tribute to Coldplay on Strings is an immersive live-music experience that transforms Coldplay's biggest anthems into lush, cinematic arrangements performed by the Metropolis String Quartet beneath the warm glow of candlelight, letting familiar melodies land with fresh intimacy and emotional punch. The setlist spans fan favorites like "Clocks," "Shiver," "Speed of Sound," "Trouble," "Fix You," "Paradise," "Something Just Like This," "Yellow," "The Scientist," "feelslikeimfallinginlove," and "A Sky Full of Stars," creating an hour of soaring crescendos, tender quiet moments, and sing-along energy-reimagined in a way that feels both elegant and deeply moving.

Candlelight: Tribute to Fleetwood Mac on Strings is a glowing, immersive concert that transforms Fleetwood Mac’s iconic soft-rock sound into lush, cinematic string arrangements performed live in a sea of flickering candles. Expect an intimate, emotionally rich journey through favorites like “Everywhere,” “Gypsy,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Don’t Stop,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Landslide,” “Little Lies,” “Songbird,” “Rhiannon,” and “The Chain,” where familiar melodies take on new warmth and drama—part sing-along nostalgia, part classical reimagining, and entirely transportive.

Candlelight: Neo-Soul Favorites is a smooth, candlelit concert experience that reimagines modern R&B, neo-soul, and hip-hop favorites through lush live string arrangements, letting familiar grooves and hooks land with new intimacy and cinematic warmth. Performed by the Listeso String Quartet, the set moves through a feel-good, slow-burn playlist that can include SZA's "Good Days," Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor," Solange's "Don't Touch My Hair," Miguel's "Adorn," Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You," Prince's "Purple Rain," Sade's "Smooth Operator," D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," Childish Gambino's "Redbone," H.E.R.'s "The Best Part," Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name," and Boyz II Men's "End of the Road," creating an immersive night that feels equal parts soulful, elegant, and deeply vibey under the glow of candlelight.

Candlelight: Rings and Dragons is a spellbinding, candlelit concert that brings the sound worlds of epic fantasy to life through lush live string arrangements, blending the sweeping wonder of The Lord of the Rings with the brooding power of Game of Thrones in a way that feels both cinematic and surprisingly intimate. Over the course of about an hour, you’ll travel from Middle-earth’s most beloved themes like “The Shire,” “Rivendell,” and “The Breaking of the Fellowship” to Westeros favorites including the “Game of Thrones” main theme, “Rains of Castamere,” “Light of the Seven,” and more—each piece reimagined to heighten the drama, warmth, and atmosphere under the soft glow of hundreds of candles.intimate. Over the course of about an hour, you'll travel from Middle-earth's most beloved themes like "The Shire," "Rivendell," and "The Breaking of the Fellowship" to Westeros favorites including the "Game of Thrones" main theme, "Rains of Castamere," "Light of the Seven," and more-each piece reimagined to heighten the drama, warmth, and atmosphere under the soft glow of hundreds of candles.

Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer is an immersive, candlelit concert that transforms some of modern cinema’s most unforgettable scores into lush, emotionally charged string arrangements, bringing blockbuster themes into a setting that feels both epic and intimate. Performed live by a string quartet, the program sweeps through Zimmer favorites like “Time” from Inception, “This Land” from The Lion King, “A Dark Knight” from The Dark Knight, highlights from Gladiator, Interstellar (“Cornfield Chase”), Dune, Dunkirk (“Supermarine”), Sherlock Holmes (“Discombobulate”), and a Pirates of the Caribbean suite, creating an atmosphere-rich night where every crescendo hits like a movie moment—only closer, warmer, and lit by the soft glow of hundreds of candles.

Candlelight: Tribute to Bad Bunny is a vibrant, candlelit concert that reimagines the global superstar’s biggest reggaetón and Latin-pop hits in lush, cinematic string arrangements, turning club-ready grooves into something surprisingly intimate and emotional. In a room lit by hundreds of flickering candles, a live quartet guides you through fan favorites like “NUEVAYol,” “Si Estuviésemos Juntos,” “La Canción,” “La Noche de Anoche,” “Yonaguni,” “Moscow Mule,” “Callaíta,” “Ojitos Lindos,” “Me Porto Bonito,” “Tití Me Preguntó,” “un 100xto,” and more—capturing the swagger, romance, and late-night energy of Bad Bunny’s catalog with a fresh classical twist.

Candlelight: Tribute to Drake is a live, multi-sensory concert that reimagines Drake’s biggest hits in lush, cinematic string arrangements, performed in an intimate setting illuminated by the warm glow of candlelight. Over the course of about an hour, a live string quartet transforms fan favorites like “Passionfruit,” “Marvins Room,” “Teenage Fever,” “Headlines,” “Take Care,” “Laugh Now Cry Later,” “God’s Plan,” “Controlla,” “Fair Trade,” “Crew Love,” “Over,” “In My Feelings,” “One Dance,” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home” into something fresh and surprisingly emotional—capturing the smooth late-night mood, the big hooks, and the swagger that made these songs iconic.

Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift is a dreamy, candlelit concert that transforms Swift’s eras into sweeping live string arrangements, turning familiar hooks into something intimate, cinematic, and unexpectedly emotional. The program blends iconic sing-along favorites like “Love Story,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Shake It Off” with newer hits including “Anti-Hero,” plus era-spanning medleys inspired by Red, Reputation, folklore, and 1989—with “Cruel Summer” and the evocative “The Fate of Ophelia” adding extra drama and atmosphere—creating the feeling of a greatest-hits journey heard in a whole new light.

Candlelight: Tribute to Adele is a glowing, immersive concert experience that reimagines Adele’s powerhouse ballads and breakup anthems in lush live string arrangements, performed in a room lit by the soft shimmer of candlelight. Over roughly an hour, you’ll hear beautifully transformed favorites like “Hello,” “Rumour Has It,” “Make You Feel My Love,” “Water Under the Bridge,” “Oh My God,” “Someone Like You,” “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” “Chasing Pavements,” “Skyfall,” “When We Were Young,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” “Easy On Me,” and “Rolling in the Deep,” creating a night that feels intimate, cinematic, and deeply emotional from the first note to the final crescendo.

Candlelight: Hip-Hop on Strings is a high-energy, candlelit concert that gives classic and modern hip-hop a bold new sound, as the Metropolis String Quartet transforms legendary beats and hooks into lush, cinematic arrangements performed live by the glow of hundreds of candles. The setlist blends iconic sing-along tracks with crowd-pleasing medleys—featuring moments like Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” Cardi B’s “I Like It,” plus suites celebrating Jay-Z, Outkast, Lauryn Hill & Fugees, Kendrick Lamar, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, and Eminem—creating an hour-long experience that feels both elegant and electric, with every familiar melody hitting in a fresh, surprisingly emotional way.

Candlelight: Coldplay & Imagine Dragons is a high-energy, candlelit concert that transforms two arena-sized catalogs into lush, cinematic string arrangements, performed live by the Metropolis String Quartet for an immersive hour of soaring melodies and big emotional payoffs. The program moves through fan favorites like Coldplay’s “Clocks,” “Adventure of a Lifetime,” “Fix You,” “The Scientist,” “Viva la Vida,” and “A Sky Full of Stars,” alongside Imagine Dragons hits including “Radioactive,” “Eyes Closed,” “Nice to Meet You,” “Follow You,” “Bad Liar,” and “Believer,” creating a “best of both worlds” evening where familiar choruses feel intimate, dramatic, and completely reimagined under the glow of candlelight.

Candlelight: 90s Hip-Hop on Strings is a high-energy, candlelit concert that flips golden-era hip-hop into lush, cinematic arrangements performed live by a string quartet, letting iconic hooks and beats hit with fresh drama and surprising emotion. Over about an hour, you’ll hear crowd-pleasing medleys celebrating legends like Fugees and Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Nas, Outkast, Missy Elliott, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., and Dr. Dre—plus a full-string take on Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice”—creating an immersive night that feels equal parts nostalgic, elegant, and electrifying under the warm glow of candlelight.