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The ads for Candlelight Concerts seem so prevalent, with photos so grand, that some are skeptical. On the online Reddit forum r/Sacramento, a go-to for questions about the city, at least three have asked about Candlight: Has anyone ever gone to their concerts? How was it? Are they worth attending? Another question remains: Who is behind them?

Fever, a decade-old digital event ticket marketplace in the vein of Ticketmaster and SeatGeek, created Candlelight Concerts in 2019. A Spanish entrepreneur founded the company, which has raised millions from venture capitalists to expand services to 200 cities across more than 40 countries. Instead of focusing on sports games, big concerts or comedy shows, Fever specializes in activities and interactive experiences such as bike tours and indoor skydiving.

“Never before had anyone managed to create a technology platform for something as vital and necessary as figuring out what to do with your free time,” wrote company spokesperson Amanda Turchiari Boucault, who declined a phone interview but agreed to answer questions via email.

Fever markets through social media and a network of blogs that includes Sacramento Uncovered. The company has partnered with the Belgium-based Exhibition Hub for the popular traveling immersive Van Gogh exhibit. Its self-produced events fill out the booking service, with the Candlelight Concerts series being the most prominent. Boucault said Candlelight is one of Fever’s most recognizable events and often the first show introduced when the company moves into a new market, “serving as a welcoming card to the Fever brand and technology.”

The goal is to drive new users to the app in hopes they’ll book other experiences through Fever. With Candlelight, Boucault said the idea was “reimagining the traditional format” of a classical concert by shortening performances to an hour and hosting them in “unique and unexpected venues.” Thousands of LED candles are used for a “signature ambiance” that creates a “warm and intimate atmosphere.” Fever started with classical composers like Vivaldi, Mozart and Chopin, then expanded to movie soundtracks, holiday classics and contemporary artists like Queen, Adele, ABBA, Imagine Dragons and Coldplay. Millions have attended shows and the success “exceeded our expectations,” Boucault writes.

Facebook is where many people first discover Candlelight Concerts, like Daina Lykins, of Rocklin. The concept confused her a bit. Musicians she didn’t know were going to perform Imagine Dragons and Coldplay cover songs inside the California State Railroad Museum? “It just struck a curious chord,” Lykins says. She and her husband are music fans, but more of the “bom, bom, bom dancing” variety.

A few months ago, they decided to give it a try. The couple took their teen daughter out for hot dogs in Old Sacramento and then attended a Candlelight show with around 200 others. It was Lykins’ first time inside the museum, and she enjoyed the show. “It was pretty mind-blowing. We were in awe,” Lykins said.

Megan Inman, of Sacramento, also scrolled past the Candlelight Concert on social media and thought the show would make for a fun date night with her husband. She wouldn’t call herself an orchestral music fan, though she has also seen the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Golden 1 Center. It was nothing like this.

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“It actually was the candlelight that got to me. That’s really what piqued my interest because when you see how they promote it online, I mean, it looks beautiful,” Inman says. The couple went to two shows the same night in September at the Croatian-American Cultural Center, Fleetwood Mac and Hans Zimmer. “I definitely recommend it if you’re from a city or a town that doesn’t have a whole lot to do,” Inman said.

Giuliano Kornberg has also been to a show. And as the chief executive officer of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, he knows a thing or two about the craft. His wife suggested they check out Candlelight Concerts after hearing about it from some friends. “And I love classical music. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing this job, right?” Last year, Kornberg attended the railroad museum for the first time to hear Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” He called the show intimate and a good performance. “It was just a really nice evening that seemed really accessible.”

Related: On the Rise: Giuliano Kornberg

Compared to the Philharmonic, Kornberg said, “It’s not better or worse. It’s just different.” Shows with his orchestra feature up to 80 musicians performing to an audience typically around 2,000 at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. Length is a big difference, with Candlelight being an hour, and Philharmonic usually two to three hours.

Kornberg appreciates the opportunity Candlelight provides for professional musicians to get paid and supplement their income. He knows of three musicians affiliated with the Philharmonic who have played for Candlelight. He wants there to be as many opportunities for people to experience classical music in Sacramento as possible, whether it’s from his organization or elsewhere. The hope is that more classical music shows lead to more classical music fans.

“It’s just cool that there’s another avenue that people in Sacramento can explore to get their classical music fix in, while also hopefully, you know, still coming to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera,” Kornberg says.

For its Capital Region shows, Fever has collaborated with the nationwide booking agency Listeso Music Group, the Range Ensemble, which appears to be based in Colorado, and the Tower String Quartet of Sacramento. Lianna Elmore, a member of The Tower Quartet in Fresno, has performed with Candlelight since fall 2023. Fever hired the quartet after the Fresno Philharmonic recommended them.

“We enjoy playing the concerts, and it has opened up a lot of new audiences to string ensemble music and even classical music, and that’s a big part of our mission as a quartet,” Elmore says. “So it was nice that this opportunity came to us.”

Elmore, a professional violinist, typically performs once a month for the Candlelight Concerts held at The Grand 1401. She said the music is “lighter” and the format “very different” from a typical orchestra show. It’s more interactive and casual as each performer speaks directly to the audience, sharing stories and reciting trivia. Elmore has seen folks cry during their Coldplay covers or told her it was their first time hearing Vivaldi performed live.

“The audiences are nice, and they have good pay, which is honestly like priority No. 1 for us working musicians who are always trying to get gigs,” Elmore says. “So, yeah, I think we’ll stick with them for the foreseeable future.”

Small venues have also benefited from Candlelight Concerts. The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento has hosted the shows since 2023. Museum director Ty Smith said it’s “not that common” for them to host concerts, and renting out to events like musical performances, school proms or corporate dinners “represents a kind of rethinking of what museum spaces should be.”

The Croatian-American Cultural Center in Arden-Arcade has also hosted Candlelight Concerts since 2023. The center is typically used as a banquet hall for weddings, graduations and parties, hall manager John Obad said. Croatian singers have performed there. Obad doesn’t know of any other concerts the center has hosted for the general public aside from the Candlelight Concerts. “It’s not very common. It’s actually a welcome change,” Obad said. Shows are well attended. The center even purchased curtains to darken the room just for it.

The Guild Theater has booked Candlelight shows since September, after another interactive stage play by Fever called The Jury Experience proved successful. Even though Fever has been organizing these concerts in Sacramento for a few years at multiple venues, theater manager Dru Burks said tickets for opening night sold out. “They just contacted us last week, and they’re going to book out the rest of 2026,” Burks said.

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