NEPA Philharmonic’s (Candle)Lit Festival Returns, kicking off with sellout success

Back by popular demand, the NEPA Philharmonic’s highly anticipated (Candle)LIT Festival returns for a second season of concerts, with an eclectic lineup of immersive musical experiences from October through February. The festival opened October 15 with a sold-out performance of (Candle)LIT Nosferatu 1922, pairing the iconic film with live string quartet at Montage Mountain Resorts. Tickets for all upcoming (Candle)LIT Festival concerts are available at NEPAPHIL.org or by calling the Philharmonic box office 570-270-4444.

After a successful inaugural Fall 2025 festival featuring multiple sellout performances, the NEPA PHIL has expanded the series to over a dozen performances running through February 6th, 2027. Blending world-class musicianship with a thousand electric candles, distinctive venues and genres, and opportunities to enjoy local food and drink, the festival offers audiences a fresh way to experience live music. From holiday traditions to high-energy rock, and stunning classical and choral works, each performance brings something unexpected to the concert experience.

The festival’s opening concert brought the silent-film classic, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors to life with a live string quartet performing the U.S. premiere of Rob Wright’s new score. Presented by the Eureka Foundation, the evening paired the haunting Gothic atmosphere of the film with hundreds of electric candles, signature drinks, and small bites. The sold-out performance demonstrated the continued enthusiasm for immersive musical experiences in NEPA.

The festival continues October 28 and 29 with (Candle)LIT 360° Brass, an in-the-round performance featuring Music Director Mélisse Brunet, the 10-piece NEPA PHIL Brass Ensemble, and the Marywood Chamber Singers. Performances take place in two cities, at Marywood University’s Rotunda in Scranton on the 28th at 6PM and 7:30PM, and the Luzerne County Courthouse Rotunda in Wilkes-Barre on the 29^th at 7PM. The succinct 45-minute performances will explore otherworldly surround-sound acoustics, with antiphonal brass and choral music echoing across both venues and fully enveloping the audience from the balcony above.

On November 12 at 7PM, (Candle)LIT Brahms Requiem comes to Elm Park United Methodist Church in Scranton for a deaf-inclusive performance, featuring the orchestra joined by the Marywood Concert Choir. Following two sold-out (Candle)LIT Mozart Requiem performances in October 2025, the NEPA PHIL now brings Brahms’ transcendental work to the region, with returning audience-favorite soloists Jessica Leigh and Sunghoon Han. Deaf-inclusive accommodations for this program are made possible by a generous grant from the Margaret Briggs Foundation. Then on November 19 at 7PM, (Candle)LIT Film Favorites, presented by Riggs Asset Management, brings iconic movie scores to the Westmoreland Club’s Grand Hall in Wilkes-Barre, performed by a NEPA PHIL string quartet led by concertmaster Ruotao Mao, and complemented by gourmet hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

Holiday celebrations take center stage in December in the NEPA PHIL’s most robust scope of holiday offerings, starting with a free Memory Friendly Carols program on December 1 at 1:15PM at the Marian Chapel at Marywood University, presented by AllOne Charities. The NEPA PHIL’s beloved orchestral holiday program, this year titled (Candle)LIT Holiday Magic and presented by Magic93, features the orchestra with Abington Heights High School Choir, Ballet Theatre of Scranton, and special guests Santa and Mrs. Claus on December 10 at the Scranton Cultural Center and December 11 at the F.M. Kirby Center, both at 7PM. The Scranton program will also be Deaf-inclusive, with select sensory accommodations available as well. Holiday festivities continue beyond Wilkes-Barre and Scranton: the NEPA PHIL Brass Quintet and Marywood Chamber Singers present (Candle)LIT Brass Madrigals at the Cooperage Project in Honesdale on December 12 at 6PM, with traditional old-time holiday carols, followed by the (Candle)LIT Madrigal Dinner at Beaumont Inn in Dallas on December 13 at 5PM, pairing the joyous music with an exquisite three-course holiday meal.

The festival continues into 2027 with (Candle)LIT 90’s Pops on January 15 at 7PM at Chandelier Hall at the F.M. Kirby Center, where the NEPA PHIL String Quartet revisits Y2K hits from the ’90s and early 2000s. On January 29 at 7PM, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 brings Baroque brilliance to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton, featuring harpsichord, NEPA PHIL strings, and flutist Barbara Hopkins. The festival concludes February 6 with (Candle)LIT Electric Strings at Mohegan PA Casino, reimagining rock favorites with amplified strings, bass, drums, and special guests.

The (Candle)LIT Festival reflects the NEPA PHIL’s commitment to connecting audiences with music in unexpected places while celebrating the region’s cultural spaces and community partners. The festival is part of the Philharmonic’s 55th season, with PNC serving as season presenting sponsor. The NEPA PHIL also extends its gratitude to their series sponsors, The Thalenfeld Family, Dr. Seth & Carolyn Fisher, and the Stoppini Family.

Tickets for upcoming (Candle)LIT Festival concerts are available at NEPAPHIL.org or by calling the box office 570-270-4444. Following last year’s sellout successes and the sold-out Nosferatu festival opening, audiences are encouraged to secure tickets early.