Long before streaming, Looney Tunes pulled off the greatest musical prank in history: it “accidentally” taught millions to love classical music.
Bugs Bunny — half in a tux yet filled with attitude — hopped through “The Barber of Seville” and “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2,” turning highbrow pieces into hare‑brained brilliance.
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And decades later, that same spirit of mischievous accessibility is alive again, this time flickering through thousands of candles at Fever’s Candlelight concerts.
Fever, the global entertainment discovery platform founded in Madrid, Spain, in 2014, has become a force in immersive cultural experiences. The organization’s roster includes the beloved Candlelight series, in which string quartets perform popular music.
“The purpose of Candlelight is to make classical music more accessible. We want it to be accessible, emotional, and relevant for audiences today — and that means audiences of all demographics,” said Becca Malech, who oversees Fever’s Arizona programming.
“We want people — some of whom have never experienced classical music — to feel comfortable listening to 65 minutes of music they may already know. That’s showcased in a different way.”
That accessibility comes from the formula: local musicians, iconic venues, and thousands of candles transforming familiar music — from Vivaldi to Queen — into something intimate and cinematic.
That’s why audiences flock to unexpected favorites: ’90s hip‑hop on strings, ’90s Unplugged, Coldplay, ABBA, Adele and, yes, Metallica and Tool. Last Halloween in Montreal, the quartet performed “Thriller” and “Ghostbusters,” encouraging the crowd to shout “Ghostbusters!” Tickets, on average, start at around $57.
“Some of those ones don’t seem like they would make sense on strings, and yet it really does,” she said.
In Arizona, Candlelight has become a staple in Phoenix and Tucson, performing at the Phoenix Art Museum and Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, respectively.
“We’re looking to do shows in Flagstaff, Prescott, Yuma — really expanding our reach so everyone has the ability to experience classical music in our candlelight environment,” Malech said.
Beyond Candlelight, Fever continues to scale immersive experiences across the globe. The company partners with Exhibition Hub on installations like “Titanic: The Exhibition,” a walk‑through world of 360‑degree projections, recreated rooms, and virtual reality. The event has docked at the Galleria Centre in Scottsdale.
“It is very much a walkthrough of the Titanic,” Malech said. “It’s a really unique experience.”
But Candlelight remains the heartbeat. The concerts echo of those animated symphonies that once slipped classical music into Saturday mornings. Only now, instead of anvils and Acme dynamite, the education comes through candlelight, strings, and the quiet thrill of hearing something familiar in a completely new way.
“It’s more than just a concert, right?” she posed. “We would love for people to come in and engage with classical music in a different way.”
