Welcome!

Candlewood Digital was founded in 2006 by Richard Price and Wayne Hileman, following thirty combined years of working together at one of New York’s premier classical recording studios.

Completed by mobile engineering specialist Robert LaPorta, the Candlewood Digital staff of professionals offers musicians a high-end recording resource unsurpassed in skill, experience, and dedication to the highest standards, both musical and technical.

Our company is based on our values.

At the center of everything we do is the music.

We believe in treating people with kindness, respect, and patience.

We are an old-fashioned business.

All Candlewood Digital personnel are fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19.

“Candlewood has become recognized as one of the most respected classical recording firms in the industry.”

Fanfare Magazine

“…one of those audiophile experiences in which every sound is captured in detail so naturally placed within its acoustic environment that it can serve as a touchstone for capturing musical excellence.”

Gramophone Magazine
Canciones Espanolas
Danielle Talamantes – Henry Dehlinger – MSR Classics

 

“….these may just be the greatest performances of Beethoven’s middle quartets in recorded history.”

Fanfare Magazine
Arianna String Quartet
Beethoven: The Middle Quartets

Contact Us:

29 Lake Drive South
Candlewood Isle Box 67
New Fairfield, CT 06812
203-702-7205
richard@candlewooddigital.com
www.candlewooddigital.com

Massachusetts: Candlewood records organist Barbara Bruns on the two magnificent Fisk organs of Christ Episcopal Church, Andover: the great organ of 2012, Fisk Opus 137, and the continuo organ of 2020, Fisk Opus 157. Music of Bach, Widor, Rossi, Joyce Jones, and others, to be released on MSR Classics.

Connecticut: Candlewood welcomes two new ensembles to our live concert recording roster: the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra (above with new Music Director Stuart Malina and cello soloist Inbal Segev, performing the Elgar Cello Concerto) and the Greenwich Choral Society, under longtime Music Director Paul Mueller. In addition to recording the concerts, Candlewood provides live-mixed feeds for video livestreams.
Arkansas: At the University of Arkansas in Fayeteville. Candlewood records the chamber music of Robert Mueller with the University of Arkansas Chamber Players, under the direction of oboist Theresa Delaplain, for MSR Classics.
New York: At Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, violinist Dan Auerbach and pianist Nina Siniakova record new music for violin unaccompanied and with piano, includingmicrotonal works in premiere recordings, for MSR Classics.
Poughkeepsie, NY: Violist Danielle Farina in an audio/video recording of Richard Wilson’s Music for Solo Viola, at Vassar College.
Florida: At Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, Michael Baron and Priscilla Navarro record a program of French favorites for two pianos and piano 4-hands with Candlewood: Ravel, Saint-Saens, Poulenc and Debussy.
New Hampshire: New compositions of Nicholas White–Poe’s The Raven, and Blake’s Songs of Innocence–recorded at St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire, with Nicholas White (far right below) conducting the Raven Consort and CanDig producer Richard Price (second from left.) Scheduled for release on MSR Classics in early 2022, it follows in the footsteps of 2006’s Grammy nominated MSR release O Magnum Mysterium, also under the direction of Maestro White.
Caramoor: The Westchester Symphonic Winds, under conductor Curt Ebersole, celebrate a return to live performances at the Caramoor Performing Arts Center in New York with their seventh sold-out July 4th concert. Get your tickets for 2022 now!
Seattle: William Champan Nyaho and Susie Garcia, with Candlewood at Pacific Lutheran University, in first recordings of music for two pianos and piano 4-hands by Eleanor Alberga, Stella Sung, and Donald Grantham, for MSR Classics, L-R: CanDig producer Richard Price, William Chapman Nyaho, engineer Bill Levey of Via Audio Seattle, Susie Garcia, and Patrick Giles.

Recording in a Time of Pandemic

St. Louis: The end of a long journey: The Arianna String Quartet completing its highly acclaimed complete survey of the Beethoven Quartets for Centaur Records. John McGrosso, Julia Sakharova, CanDig producer/engineer Richard Price, Kurt Baldwin, and Joanna Mendoza.
Troy, NY: The Vivaldi Project, recording Volume 3 of their widely hailed series for MSR Classics, Rediscovering the Classical String Trio with Candlewood at the superb Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, NY. Violinist Elizabeth Field, violinist/violist Allison Edberg Nyquist, and cellist Stephanie Vial. Photos here and below used by kind permission of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Mt. Kisco, NY: Christopher Preston Thompson and Concordian Dawn recording medieval troubador songs and music of Machaut, for a CD release and a book on the subject by Dr. Sarah Kay of New York University (3rd from right), at the First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Kisco

Recording in a Time of Pandemic: Audio for Video

New York, NY: Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church was the setting for a number of video broadcasts featuring the Church’s performing groups and the St. Andrew Music Society, with Candlewood’s audio team combning with Brian Webster Productions’ videography. Artists pictured here are Mary Huff and Andrew Henderson, directing the Choirs of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church and the New York City Childrens’ Chorus; Jorge Avila, violin; Arthur Fiacco, cello; Andrew Henderson, organ and piano; Scott McIntosh, trumpet; Helen Karloski, mezzo-soprano; Lieu Wen-Ting, violin.
New Canaan, CT: The First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan presented a series of Advent Meditations, filmed by Brian Webster Productions and recorded by Candlewood, under the direction of Victoria Shields. Artists included Kristi Shade, harp; David Bakamjian, cello; and Adam Cockerham, Renaissance lute.

From the Before Times

London: at Henry Wood Hall, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro David Angus, Candlewood records the music of American composer Barbara Harbach. This marks the sixth CD in this historic collaboration. Below, CanDig producer and former hornist Richard Price thanks the LPO’s superb brass players after the sessions.
New York City: Director Mary Huff, with the New York City Children’s Chorus and Andrew Henderson, pianist, recording Christmas in New York for MSR Classics at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, following up their widely acclaimed MSR Classics debut Simple Gifts.

Below: CanDig engineer Wayne Hileman, Mr. Henderson, Maestra Huff, and CanDig producer Richard Price at the sessions.

Mt. Kisco , NY: A rare confluence of exceptional keyboard talent: the organist members of the choral ensemble Charis Chamber Voices present a joint recital on the magnificent Von Beckerath Water Organ of the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco, NY, recorded live in concert by Candlewood. L to R: James Turner, Christopher Fasulo, Victoria Shields, Terence Flanagan, Robert Kwan.
Troy, NY: John Jensen in a program of first recordings of the piano works of Paul Reale, at the renowned Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, NY. Photos by Claire Rydell, used by kind permission of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Michigan: Dr. Leslie Tung, recording a program of Beethoven Sonatas on fortepiano for MSR Classics, at the Dalton Center Recital Hall of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. This is the second of Dr. Tung’s fortepiano recordings for MSR Classics, following his much-praised CD of variation sets by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.
New Jersey: Hornists Patrick Smith, Annamia Larsson, James Naigus, and pianist Tomoko Kanamaru at the College of New Jersey, recording music of James Naigus for MSR Classics.

Below: with CanDig producer/engineer Richard Price.

Massachusetts: Baritone Gary Wood and pianist Philip Sweanson recording Aviary, a program of new works by Mr. Swanson as well as jazz standards, all based on bird texts, at Salem State University.
London: Candlewood returns for a fifth CD in the critically acclaimed MSR Classics series of recordings of the orchestral works of American composer Barbara Harbach with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Angus, at Cadogan Hall, London.

Below: Maestro Angus and Dr. Harbach, and members of the LPO at the sessions.

Florida: Recording music of Paul Reale at Lynn University, Boca Raton, with the Lynn Chamber Orchestra and piano soloist Chris Guzman, conducted by Guillermo Figueroa and Jon Robertson.
Albany, NY: Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band, under conductor Elisa Koehler, recording its second CD with Candlewood, featuring rare high-pitch brass and wind instruments of the late nineteenth century in new editions of long-unplayed works of the period discovered by Michael O’Connor.
Troy, New York: At the fabled Troy Savings Bank Music Hall: a remarkable program of specially commissioned arrangements of hymn tunes for horns, soprano. and piano. Clockwise from left: Lisa Bontrager, Tim Shafer, Sarah Shafer, Grace Salyards. Photo by Jana Bontrager, used by kind permission of Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Washington, DC: The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, under music director Thea Kano, performs the world premiere of the TTBB version of Duruflé’s Requiem, recorded live by Candlewood at the Church of the Epiphany, Washington, DC.
New Jersey: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the New Jersey Choral Society and Orchestra Nexus, under Music Director Eric Dale Knapp, recorded live by Candlewood in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
New York City: David Shuler conducts the Choir of St. Luke in the Fields at the storied “Smoky Mary’s”–the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Times Square, New York City–recording music of Palestrina with Candlewood for MSR Classics, a followup to their critically acclaimed CD of works of De Manchicourt.

London: At Blackheath Concert Hall: Candlewood returns for a fourth CD with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Angus, in world premieres of new works for orchestra by Barbara Harbach for MSR Classics.

What’s New

Music of Barbara Harbach: Candlewood completes 7th CD with London Philharmonic
The summer of 2022 saw the completion of the 7th CD of the orchestral music of American composer Barbara Harbach, recorded by Candlewood Digital in London with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of David Angus, for MSR Classics. The LPO under Maestro Angus has recorded all of the CDs in this unprecedented series with producer Richard Price of CanDig, engineered by London’s justly celebrated Mike Hatch, of Floating Earth. Above: The LPO under Maestro Angus at St. Augustine Church. Below: Barbara Harbach, Richard Price, and Mike Hatch in the control room at the sessions.
A return of sorts,
one concert at a time
Once again, Candlewood is recording live concerts. The New Jersey Choral Society (above), Concerts at Caramoor (below), the Catskill Mountain Foundation (below), Charis Chamber Voices (below) and Maverick Concerts (below) have resumed with strict vaccine protocols and masking precautions, and results have been very encouraging. Along with everyone else, we here at Candlewood fervently hope for a return to more-normal circumstances. Among other artists recorded: Joanne Polk, the Academy of Fortepiano Performance, the Westchester Symphonic Winds under Curt Ebersole, the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, the Manhattan Chamber Players, the Catalyst Quartet, the Greenwich Choral Society, the Labyrinth Ensemble, and the Cavani Quartet.
Richard Wilson at Vassar College: A Composer’s Legacy is Curated by Candlewood
Candlewood Digital continues its long association with distinguished American composer Richard Wilson, being chosen by Vassar College to conserve, transfer and digitize reel-to-reel tapes encompassing five decades of performances from Prof. Wilson’s 50year tenure at Vassar, where he was Mary Conover Mellon Professor of Music. Prof. Wilson is also the longtime composer-in-residence for the American Symphony Orchestra. Candlewood has previously curated similar collections for John Browning, Leonard Pennario, Blanca Uribe, and others.
Arianna Quartet Completes Beethoven Quartet Cycle

A benchmark for any world-class string quartet, the Arianna Quartet has reached the finish line in its epic traversal of the complete Beethoven Quartets for Centaur Records. Hailed by Fanfare Magazine as recordings that “… may just be the greatest performances of Beethoven’s middle quartets in recorded history”, this brilliant cycle has gained international praise and attention. Release is expected for the Late Quartets in 2022.

Candlewood Producer named Finals Judge for 2022 Indianapolis Baroque Competition

Candlewood producer Richard Price has been named to the five-member panel of Final Judges for the 2020 Indianapolis Baroque Competition, rescheduled for July 2022. Up to five finalists will be selected to perform in the final round competition, as the final concert of the Indianapolis Early Music Festival. Finalists will each lead the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra in performing a high Baroque solo concerto without a conductor. First Place prizes include the $10,000 Devona and Amos Gerber Prize, a CD contract with Naxos Records, and a gold-plated medal by artist Sarah Spomer. All Finalists, excluding the Gerber Prize winner, will receive a $500 Laureate Award and a bronze medal. A $500 Audience Prize will be voted on by the audience in attendance at the Finals.

Prize winners will be invited to perform with the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra on the IBO Laureatee Series in subsequent years. The final judges will be Tina Chancey, Jeanne Lamon, Ronn McFarlane, Richard Price, and Jory Vinikour.

Live Candlewood Recordings

The concert world is coming back, little by little, slowly but surely. First to return to the CanDig recording schedule was Curt Ebersole and the Westchester Symphonic Winds (above), in thier sold-out annual July 4th performance at Caramoor. Live recordings followed at the Catskill Mountain Foundation, Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, NY (the oldest summer music concert series in the country!), and the Academy of Fortepiano Performance in Hunter, NY. Upcoming concert recordings are planned with the Grammy Signature music programs of Greenwich High School under Bethany Fuscaldo, Patrick Taylor, and new band director Michael Breaux in their magnificent new concert hall; Charis Chamber Voices, under the direction of new Maestro Jeremy Wiggins; the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, showcasing finalists for their new Music Director; the Greenwich Choral Society under Music Director and Conductor Paul Mueller; the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival; new seasons for the Connecticut Choral Society conducted by Eric Dale Knapp and the New Jersey Choral Society, under new Music Directoer Lauren Fowler-Calisto; and many more!

In the Editing/Mastering Rooms

The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Angus, in a sixth CD of the works of American composer Barbara Harbach; new music for two pianos, with pianists William Chapman Nyaho and Susie Garcia, recorded by Candlewood in Seattle; chamber music of Robert Mueller, recorded in Arkansas by Candlewood and the University of Arkansas Chamber Players; cello sonatas of Brahms and Rachmaninoff played by Mary Costanza and Ray Pierpont, for MSR Classics; works for two pianos by French composers, played by Michael Baron and Priscilla Navarro, recorded by Candlewood in Florida; the final volume in the Arianna String Quartet’s epic traversal of the Beethoven Quartets; rare medieval troubador songs and works of Machaut with Christopher Preston Thompson, medieval harp and baritone, and guests; works for piano and orchestra of Milhaud, Britten, Finzi, and Strauss, featuring Joshua Pierce joined by Paul Freeman, Kirk Trevor, and the RTV Symphony Orchestra Slovenia and Slovak National Symphony Orchestra; new and vintage projects from Music Minus One, Classic Jazz, and Inner City Records, and much more!