🎹🎻 Experience the Magic of Classical Music by Candlelight 🕯️🎶

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boca Raton as we present the Classical Music Candlelight Concert. This enchanting night promises to immerse you in the beauty of timeless music, performed by a talented trio of piano, cello, and clarient.

Set against the soft glow of candlelight, this intimate concert creates a serene atmosphere where the universal language of classical music fosters unity, peace, and reflection. It’s a night to savor music, culture, and community — all while supporting the Fellowship’s ongoing programs.

Come together with friends and family for a meaningful experience that nurtures the soul and brightens the heart. Let the music and candlelight guide you on a journey of shared moments and memories.

MIRIAM SMITH, VIOLIN

Violinist Miriam Smith has been passionate about chamber music since the age of 12, when she attended her first music festival. In recognition of her passion for chamber music, she was awarded the Silverman Scholarship from the Buffalo Chamber Music Society. More recently, as violinist of the award-winning Marcando Quartet, she performed at the Lyric Chamber Music Society of NYC. She has also given several solo recitals and performances as winner of the 2023 John Oliviera String Competition and 2023 Concerto Competition at Lynn Conservatory. Miriam has attended numerous festivals, most recently the Sarasota Music Festival. When she is not practicing violin, you can find her working in the music library. Miriam is currently studying with Guillermo Figueroa at the Lynn Conservatory.

MEGAN HAGEL, CELLO

Hailing from Rapid City, South Dakota, Megan Hagel began her cello journey at the age of 12. Following her graduation from Stevens High School, she embarked on a transformative gap year under the tutelage of Ismar Gomes. Megan's formal education led her to complete her freshman year at SUNY Purchase College under the guidance of Thomas Mesa, whom she also studied with at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in 2022. Megan has since transferred to Lynn Conservatory, where she is currently a junior studying with Professor David Cole.

Megan has had the privilege of learning from many esteemed musicians, participating in masterclasses, and studying at a variety of festivals with cellists such as David Geber, Paul Watkins, Alisson Wells, Matthew Zalkind, Alice Yoo, Minna Rose Chung, and most recently, Gary Hoffman. Megan has competed in both the SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music and the Lynn Conservatory Concerto Competitions. She is a member of the Marcando Quartet, which recently won the Lynn Chamber Music Competition and, as a result, is scheduled to perform a recital at the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York in May of 2024. Megan looks forward to taking full advantage of the many opportunities Lynn Conservatory provides as she continues her studies.

MARINA MACHADO, PIANO

Pianist Marina Machado earned her Master of Music in Instrumental Collaborative Piano from Lynn University in Boca Raton (USA). Ms. Machado studied under Professor Lisa Leonard and received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Graduate Education.

She has performed in venues in Spain, Germany, and Austria, such as the Eutherpe hall in León (León, Spain), the American Institute Auditorium (Santa Fe, Spain), the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (Aachen, Germany) and the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (Salzburgo, Austria), with the Youth Orchestra of the Community of Madrid (JORCAM) in the National Auditorium of Music, the ‘Teatros del Canal’ in Madrid and the “Palau de les Arts” (Valencia, Spain), and with her Piano Trio ‘Aidoni’ in the Auditorium of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), and the “Manuel de Falla” hall in the Longoria Palace (Madrid, Spain), current headquarters of the SGAE (General Society of Authors and Editors). She has attended masterclasses with some of the most renowned pianists in Europe and the US, such as Pavel Gililov, Mariana Gurkova, Wu Han, and William Wolfram as well as harpsichord masterclasses with Webb Wiggins.

She has won competitions collaborating with different instrumentalists, such as the NSAL Collaborative Piano and Brass Duo Competition (2023), and the John Oliveira String Competition (2023). In 2022 she was finalist of the Chamber Music Competition at Lynn Conservatory of Music with the Sapphire Quintet.

Ms. Machado currently works as Education Program Manager at Volta Music Foundation and as Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boca Raton.