COLUMBIA, MD- Following a successful 50th anniversary season, the Candlelight Concert Society announces the 2023-2024 lineup for its nationally acclaimed chamber music series, featuring nine of the world’s most notable soloists and chamber ensembles.
Season Highlights
The 51st concert season features an exciting variety of ensembles, including a piano quartet, string quartet, piano trio, and wind quintet.
“We’re proud to be hosting an array of outstanding musicians, many of whom are gracing the Candlelight stage for the very first time,” Bryan Young, Candlelight’s Board President, says.
On top of being new to Candlelight, most of the 2023-2024 artists will enjoy their regional debuts through Candlelight’s programming. Notable among these is the Australian Haydn Ensemble, who will perform for Candlelight in October as part of their inaugural United States tour.
Another exciting highlight of the season arrives in a November concert with Jean Rondeau, who will present Candlelight’s first-ever recital for solo harpsichord.
“Jean Rondeau is a superstar,” Irina Kaplan Lande, Candlelight’s Artistic Director, says. “There is no other harpsichordist in the world I’d rather hear in a recital.”
In addition to these international virtuosi, Candlelight is excited to present local talent through a partnership with the Heifetz International Music Institute. Founded by Daniel Heifetz in Howard County in 1996, the Institute trains violinists, violists, and cellists aged 9 to 30. Candlelight is thrilled to honor its Howard County roots through this partnership, which will see the Institute’s chamber players perform in HCC’s intimate Monteabaro Hall. This December concert will be free to attend, with seat reservation opening on November 1.
Tickets are available at www.candlelightconcerts.org or by calling 410-997-2324. Subscription packages can be purchased for eight-, six-, and four-concert combinations—see below for further details.
“On behalf of the Board and staff, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and warmly welcome you to our 51st season!” Young says.
Chronological Listing of Concerts
All concerts will take place at Howard Community College (HCC)’s Horowitz Smith Theatre unless otherwise noted.
Fauré Quartett, piano quartet
Sunday, October 1, 4:00 PM
“This quartet thinks and breathes as one, focused on a singular, clear vision for their music making.” –Toronto Star
The Fauré Quartett, one of the world’s finest piano quartets, will open Candlelight’s 51st concert season. Named in honor of the French composer Gabriel Fauré, this group is known both for their topnotch recordings of classical gems and exciting pop hits. The ensemble will present captivating arrangements of Fauré’s art songs, intertwined with rarely performed piano quartet gems by Fauré and Brahms.
Program:
Gabriel Fauré: Songs arranged for Piano Quartet:
i. Les Berceaux
ii. Notre amour
iii. Clair de lune
Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
Johannes Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
Australian Haydn Ensemble, chamber orchestra
Saturday, October 21, 7:30 PM
“The long, long standing ovation and many bows from the capacity audience said it all.” –City News AU
The Australian Haydn Ensemble comes to Candlelight as part of their highly-anticipated, United States debut tour. Lauded for their “ravishing sound” (SMH) and “inspirational musicality” (Sounds Like Sydney), this dynamic ensemble has emerged as one of Australia’s foremost chamber orchestras and will bring an evening of brilliant Baroque and early-Classical excitement in the works of Boccherini, Mozart, and Haydn. After the concert, concert-goers are invited for champagne and chocolate in celebration of Candlelight’s 51st season.
Program:
Johann Christian Bach: Symphony No. 6 in G Minor, Op. 6
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 6 in D major, Hob. I:6 (Le Matin)
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 8 in G major, Hob. I:8 (Le Soir)
W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A major
Jean Rondeau, harpsichord
Saturday, November 11, 7:30 PM
**Linehan Concert Hall, UMBC
“One of the most natural performers one is likely to hear on a classical musical stage.” –The Washington Post
Jean Rondeau, the French harpsichord virtuoso and early-music superstar who has captivated audiences worldwide, brings Candlelight its first-ever recital for solo harpsichord. With training in harpsichord, organ, piano, continuo, jazz and improvisation, and conducting, Rondeau leads an active career as a soloist, recitalist, conductor, instructor, and award-winning recording artist. Rondeau’s program for Candlelight is adapted from his latest CD, Gradus ad Parnassum. Aspiring to the mythological mountain home of the Muses, this program explores the possibilities of the harpsichord in piano repertoire spanning over more than 400 years, enlightening listeners on what repertoire written for the piano can reveal about the harpsichord—and what the harpsichord can reveal about repertoire written for the piano.
Program:
Johann Joseph Fux: Harpeggio
Joseph Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Hob. XVI:46
Muzio Clementi: Gradus ad Parnassum, Op. 44, No. 45
Ludwig van Beethoven: Praeludium No. 2 for Piano or Organ, Op. 39
W. A. Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545
W. A. Mozart: Rondo in A minor, K. 511
W. A. Mozart: Fantasie in D minor, K. 397
Free-for-All concert with chamber players from Heifetz International Music Institute
Sunday, December 10, 4:00 PM
**Monteabaro Hall, HCC
In celebration of its roots in Howard County, Candlelight’s 50th season saw its first-ever “Free-for-All” concert, a free-to-attend recital featuring some of the area’s most talented musicians under the age of 25. After the success of the pilot event, Candlelight returns in partnership with the Heifetz International Music Institute to present a second Free-for-All concert.
Founded by Daniel Heifetz in Howard County in 1996, the Heifetz Institute has grown into one of the world’s most renowned training programs for violinists, violists, and cellists aged 9 to 30. Dedicated to nurturing the artistic growth and career development of the most promising young musicians, the Institute’s performers will captivate audiences with an exhilarating recital of emerging talent. Concert-goers are also invited to join the performers for pizza after the performance.
Tickets for this event are free and registration opens on November 1.
Lucas Debargue, piano
Sunday, January 28, 4:00 PM
“Since Glenn Gould’s visit to Moscow and Van Cliburn’s victory at the Tchaikovsky Competition in the heat of the Cold War, never has a foreign pianist provoked such frenzy.” –The Huffington Post
Lucas Debargue, the prodigious pianist who has taken the world by storm since his award-winning performance at the 2015 Tchaikovsky International Competition, will open Candlelight’s 2024 portion of the season. Debargue’s “technical boundlessness and fervent self-expression” (Washington Square News) have led to mesmerizing performances worldwide, both as a soloist and alongside top-tier orchestras. Drawing inspiration from his deep study of literature, painting, cinema, jazz, and philosophy, Debargue crafts distinctive interpretations of carefully chosen repertoire. For Candlelight, he will present a captivating program of works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Medtner.
Program:
J. S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 852
Frederic Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27
Frederic Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
Nikolai Medtner: Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 5
Natalie Clein, cello
Sunday, February 17, 7:30 PM
“A graceful, lyrical player with a sound like a fine-spun silver thread.” –London Times
One of the world’s most acclaimed female cellists, Natalie Clein comes to Candlelight with a stunning program of old and new works. Joined by accomplished collaborative pianist Qing Tiang, Clein’s program will feature Rachmaninov’s titanic sonata for cello and piano, plus music by Bach, Schubert, and Bloch, and a fascinating piece by Clein’s fellow countrywoman, Elisabeth Lutyens.
Program:
Ernest Bloch: Méditation hébraïque
Elisabeth Lutyens: Nine Bagatelles, Op. 10
Franz Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821
J. S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007
Sergei Rachmaninov: Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19
Quatuor van Kuijk, string quartet
Saturday, March 23, 7:30 PM
“Style energy, and a sense of risk. These four young Frenchmen [make] the music smile.” –The Guardian
Candlelight presents Quatuor Van Kuijk, a French ensemble that has rapidly gained international acclaim, as the season’s featured string quartet. As BBC New Generation Artists and ECHO Rising Stars, Quatuor captivates audiences in major venues worldwide, including the renowned Wigmore Hall. For Candlelight, the group brings a program featuring masterful rearrangements of Poulenc’s enchanting art songs alongside Beethoven and Mendelssohn’s final, magnificent string quartets.
Program:
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
Francis Poulenc: Selected Mélodies
C
Fêtes galantes
Hôtel
Violon
Fancy
Fleurs
Les Chemins de l’amour
Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80
Geneva Lewis, violin, with Gabriel Martins, cello, and Evren Ozel, piano
Saturday, April 6, 7:30 PM
“A name to watch.” –The Violin Channel
New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis is a rising star whose incredible artistry and heartfelt performances have thrilled audiences worldwide. Lauded for her “remarkable mastery of her instrument” (CVNC), Lewis is quickly establishing herself as one of the most promising young talents on the global stage. For her Candlelight debut, Geneva presents a breathtaking selection of violin masterpieces, both classic and contemporary. In the program’s second half, Geneva will be joined by award-winning, Brazilian-American cellist Gabriel Martins, who is praised as “one of the most exciting artists of his generation” (92NY). The pianist for the evening will be fellow Concert Artists Guild winner, Evren Ozel.
Program:
Béla Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Fazil Say: Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 7
Igor Stravinsky / Samuel Dushkin: Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97 (Archduke)
Imani Winds, wind quintet
Sunday, May 12, 4:00 PM
Candlelight closes its 51st season with Imani Winds, the trailblazing, twice GRAMMY nominated ensemble that has revolutionized the wind quintet landscape for over 20 years. Renowned for their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, and imaginative collaborations, Imani Winds captivates audiences across the classical and jazz worlds, showcasing both timeless classics and groundbreaking new works. In their highly-anticipated return to Candlelight for the first time since 2007, the ensemble presents “DE MEMORIAS: A Latin Perspective,” a vibrant collection of tunes infused with Latin American spirit, and whose title is taken from the stunning work by celebrated Latina composer Tania León.
Program:
Paquito D’Rivera: La Fleur de Cayenne
Tania León: De Memorias
Pixinguinha, arr. Jeff Scott: Um a Zero
Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion
Astor Piazzolla: Vayamos Al Diablo
Julio Medaglia: Belle Epoque en Sud America
Ticket Pricing
Subscription Prices
$306 (8 concerts), $230 (6 concerts), $153 (4 concerts)
Accessible seating can be reserved online.
To purchase tickets by phone, please call 410-997-2324.
Venue Locations
Smith Theatre, Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center
Campus of Howard Community College
10901 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044
Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall
Performing Arts and Humanities Building
Campus of University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
1028 Hilltop Road Catonsville, MD 21250
Monteabaro Hall, Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center
Campus of Howard Community College
10901 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044
About Candlelight Concert Society
Candlelight Concert Society has presented world-class chamber music since 1972, featuring guest artists from around the globe. Based in Columbia, Maryland, Candlelight Concert Society has received national recognition for its annual chamber music series. In addition, the society offers programs to spark children’s interest in the performing arts; educational outreach programs to build an audience for the future through performances, lectures, workshops and master classes; and community outreach performances for Howard County residents unable to attend in a formal concert setting. (CandlelightConcerts.org)
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