Picture the scene. You’re sat in a pew at Birmingham Cathedral. The Summer evening has rolled in, and the historic building is lit by hundreds of candles. In front of you, an orchestral band. The music? Taylor Swift. Not quite what you were expecting? Candlelight Concerts are certainly unique in that regard.
Offering orchestral tributes to artists from Taylor Swift to Pink Floyd, and Hans Zimmer to Cardi B, with string quartets, pianists and saxophonists alike, the music from some of our most-loved artists, classical and contemporary, is given a new lease of life.
Occurring in over 100 cities from around the world, and with over three million attendees, Candlelight Concerts are making quite the stir. Outside of St Phillip’s Cathedral, other local venues include the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and St Paul’s Church. Further afield, Worcester Cathedral, Shrewsbury Abbey and Lichfield Cathedral all host spectacular concerts by candlelight. If you’re looking for a new way to spend an evening, we’ve got you covered.
With such a broad spectrum of events, the concerts are a fantastic way to spend an evening, and gift cards are available to treat a loved one to a night of orchestral magic.
Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift
Buckle up Swifties – the Sekine Quartet will be landing at Birmingham Cathedral this Saturday (6th April), ready to perform a spectacular setlist of Taylor Swift’s classic anthems. With a programme featuring music from all eras, including ‘Blank Space’, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ and ‘Lavender Haze’, the concert is likely to be beyond your ‘Wildest Dreams’. If you’re feeling ‘Enchanted’, tickets are still available in several zones, including the premium seats. Remaining tickets range from £33 to £47.50, and would seat you right at the front of the beautiful venue.
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
Later on in April, there’s something for the movie buffs at St Paul’s Church. A programme of Hans Zimmer’s most popular works from a range of epic film soundtracks will delight audiences on Saturday 20th April. The set will include music from Inception, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Dune, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, and much more!
Remaining tickets range from £25.50 to £44, but it will be worth picking these up sooner rather than later to grab the best seats in the house!
Candlelight: Tribute to Pink Floyd
‘Hey You’! If neither of the above take your fancy, we think you’ll find something at the Botanical Gardens to love, on Thursday 25th April. The Sekine Quartet will return to Brum to bring you the best of Pink Floyd, played on strings. With a programme including ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ and ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, we think the Gardens gig will rival ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’. Tickets are priced between £22 and £40, which is a very reasonable amount of ‘Money’, for a great way to pass the ‘Time’!
The jam-packed lineup will go on to include tributes to Coldplay, Adele, Queen and Ed Sheeran, with specially curated evenings such as ‘Hip Hop on Strings’ and ‘Bond by Candlelight’. There really is something for everyone, and you can catch us front and centre enjoying some of our favourite tunes, in all their candlelit glory, around the second city.
