Question Box #13: Why Isn’t The Candlelight Concert Livestreamed?

Yesterday’s “06880” lead story told the tale of 2 sisters from Oklahoma — members of the Staples High School Classes of 1961 and ’63 — who returned to Westport this month, for the 85th annual Candlelight Concert. They sang the closing “Hallelujah Chorus” on the same stage they’d stood on more than 60 years earlier.

In the piece, Lucy Weberling wondered why the music department’s annual “gift to the town” is not livestreamed. Thousands of alumni — and grandparents, relatives and friends — across the country would watch. Many have asked the same question.

I put it to Steve Zimmerman, townwide coordinator of arts for the Westport Public Schools. His response provides an interesting look behind the scenes at Candlelight — and into other areas of modern life we may not always think about. Steve writes:

This question comes up often. The reality is that it is the cumulative impact of many complex factors, rather than any single challenge.

First, and foremost, while our concerts are free to the public, the district currently funds a significant amount each year in production costs to ensure a high-quality in-person experience. We can’t simply raise ticket prices or add a new budget line to add streaming.

The Candlelight Concert is an enormous undertaking. (Photo/Jennifer Petrosinelli)

Since the 75th anniversary, the scope of our program has changed. Candlelight now includes a wide range of student-led small ensembles that vary from year to year, from chamber groups such as the piano, violin and oboe trio, to the 16-member women’s a cappella ensemble, to a full rock band with multiple guitars, keyboards and drums. Each instrument has unique requirements to be miced and balanced.

And these groups appear both before and after the combined choir and orchestra of more than 200 students, which has its own challenges (particularly in amplifying the choir). With performers spread across the stage and hall, managing sound reinforcement for the live audience alone is already extremely complex.

Adding a livestream introduces a separate and substantial technical challenge. The audio mix that works well in the room does not translate cleanly to broadcast. To do this properly, we would need a second audio engineer and mixing console to create a dedicated livestream mix, along with many additional microphones. We would also need a producer to manage camera selection and transitions, as we did for both the 75th anniversary and COVID-era broadcasts.

Student ensembles add technical production challenges. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

Beyond production logistics and costs, licensing has become a significantly more complex hurdle over the past decade as streaming has expanded all over. Media consolidation and corporate buyouts have placed large catalogs of music, including works by relatively minor composers, under the control of major media conglomerates. As a result, rights decisions that were once straightforward are now handled by large corporate entities whose licensing models are designed around commercial streaming and revenue generation.

We currently pay approximately $1,500 annually for our School Music License, and maintain additional licenses with BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC to cover public performance and audio broadcast. Adding live video streaming would require an additional license, which we estimate would increase annual costs by at least $1,500.

Some works still fall outside these agreements and require individual permissions. In cases involving large rights holders such as Disney, works that originated with relatively minor composers are now owned by major corporations, which often requires extensive outreach to identify the correct contact, and can result in fees of up to $1,000 for a single short choral work.

Music rights add significant costs. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

Candlelight performances also include original compositions, such as the vignettes created this year. Some composers, particularly those who are mindful of their professional online presence, are not comfortable having these smaller works broadcast publicly under their name, which adds another layer of complexity.

The level of administrative effort needed to secure rights is currently not possible for teachers. More broadly, we are operating in an era when content owners are increasingly attentive to streaming and enforcement. I act cautiously to protect the district and town, particularly given our community’s strong ties to the arts and media industries and the scrutiny that can accompany questions of fair use. Things are changing, but slowly.

In short, while we would absolutely like to explore live streaming in the future, doing so responsibly would require additional staffing, equipment, licensing and budget. Our goal is to pursue this only if it can be done in a sustainable and high-quality way.

The livestream produced for our 75th anniversary was successful in part because it was a one-time expense and a much simpler production. Similarly, the COVID-era Candlelight broadcast was a significant production. and required nearly 2 years to fully absorb financially. Our current program structure and the unique nature of these events make routine livestreaming a far more demanding undertaking.

I appreciate the desire to experience Candlelight from afar and recognize that these challenges are not insurmountable. Over time, this may become more feasible financially and logistically.

For now, the only way to experience Candlelight is to be in the audience — including onstage, for the “Hallelujah Chorus.” (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

(Do you have a question about any aspect of Westport life? Ask us! Email 06880blog@gmail.com.)