Fans of classical music, hit period drama Bridgerton and Billie Eilish will have the chance to come together when the latest Candlelight concert comes to Geelong this month.
The Best of Bridgerton on Strings will feature Melbourne-based quartet Eclective Strings delivering arrangements of artists like Pitbull, Ariana Grande, Ne-Yo and Sia, as heard in the Netflix series.
Eclectic violinist Amy You said a big part of the appeal of playing Candlelight events was connecting with people who were not already classical music fans.
“We love Candlelight so much because it creates such a unique atmosphere and we’re really passionate about bridging the gap between classical music and the wider audience,” You said.
“We’re really excited to explore different styles of music and connect with our audiences in a way that perhaps you wouldn’t get with classical music, because the audiences we play to are really invested in the music we’re sharing with them.
“Like Queen, for example; lots of our audience members have grown up listening to Queen… so there’s a really deep and meaningful connection there.
“For us to be able to take that music on, transform it in our own way and then share it back and see that it really means a lot to the audience, as a group we really love that.”
Originally from Geelong, You has toured the world playing classical music, but she said she had grown a lot as a performer through performing arrangements of contemporary music at Candlelight events.
“One (example) that immediately comes to mind, personally, is the Metallica concert,” she said.
“I never really listened to Metallica growing up – I’m more of a Taylor Swift girl – but through exploring Metallica with Eclective and Candlelight, I’ve really grown to love their music. It’s incredibly fun and challenging.”
Eclective Strings perform Best of Bridgerton on Strings at Geelong West Town Hall on Friday, March 14. Visit feverup.com/m/288803 for tickets and more info.
