Spooky season is approaching and we’re already looking forward to seeing the giant pumpkins that every year decorate the historic downtown area of the city. Besides snapping photos of these huge jack-o’-lanterns, you can already add another incredible plan to your celebrations because the chilling Candlelight Halloween series is coming to Annapolis. And tickets are already on sale.
Candlelight: Halloween Classics
This special series recreates popular creepy compositions and songs that by now define the spooky season. For instance, Franz Schubert’s “Der Erlkönig” tells the haunting tale of a father racing through the night while supernatural forces pursue his child, a narrative that resonates across centuries of storytelling. This dramatic piece joins Jackson’s “Thriller” and Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre” in exploring how different eras have portrayed supernatural encounters.
When a string quartet tackles these narrative pieces, the storytelling becomes intensely personal. Schubert’s galloping rhythms and desperate vocals translate beautifully to strings while Jackson’s zombie epic gains classical gravitas. Saint-Saëns’ violin-led death dance becomes even more intimate, each instrument contributing to the supernatural drama while dancing flames create shadows that seem to move with the music itself.
Candlelight Halloween at Maryland Hall
Maryland Hall‘s intimate performance spaces and elegant architecture create the perfect backdrop for thousands of flickering candles that transform the venue into a hauntingly beautiful concert hall. The warm candlelight illuminates the hall’s refined details while creating an otherworldly atmosphere that perfectly complements spine-tingling performances of “Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield, “Psycho (Prelude)” by Bernard Herrmann, and “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky during the 60-minute performance.
With doors opening 30-45 minutes early, audiences can fully take in the mesmerizing ambiance before the string quartet begins. This enchanting candlelit experience might just be Annapolis’s most popular Halloween attraction this season so early planning is essential to secure your place in this uniquely spooky yet sophisticated Halloween celebration.