It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since audiences first followed Frodo Baggins out of the Shire and into Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in theaters in December 2001, introducing Peter Jackson’s film triology and a soundtrack that would become just as recognisable as the story itself. Composed by Howard Shore, the music helped give Middle-earth its own distinct sound, from the gentle melodies of the Shire to the sweeping themes of the Fellowship.
Now, a quarter-century later, Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings is marking the anniversary with a special concert in Houston. Taking place at the Lone Star Flight Museum, the performance brings selections from all three films to life through a live string quartet, giving local fans a chance to revisit the music that has accompanied this story for generations.
25 years of music from Middle-earth
When The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in December 2001, few could have predicted quite how enduring the trilogy would become. The films went on to introduce a new generation to Tolkien’s world, while Howard Shore’s score became an essential part of their identity.
Rather than simply accompanying the action, the music gives different corners of Middle-earth their own character, with the warmth of the Shire contrasting against the darker sounds associated with Mordor.
The first film’s soundtrack also laid the musical foundations for the two chapters that followed. Themes introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring return and evolve throughout the trilogy, taking on new meaning as the story unfolds. It’s this attention to musical detail that makes revisiting the score so rewarding, even 25 years after the journey began
Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings in Houston
20 February 2027 18:30 + more dates
Lone Star Flight Museum
What is it, and what’s on the setlist?
Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings is a concert of about an hour of music from Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, played live by a local string quartet among thousands of candles. It’s an official 25th-anniversary series, co-presented by Fever and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences.
Here’s the quick tour. You’ll hear 13 pieces from all three films, approved, along with the sheet music, by Howard Shore, who wrote the original music. It begins with “Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All” and “Concerning Hobbits”, heads through “The Riders of Rohan” and “Evenstar”, builds to “The Ride of the Rohirrim” and “The Return of the King”, and ends at “The Grey Havens”. The film songs, from “In Dreams” to “Into the West”, are carried by the strings.
It’s part of Candlelight, the concert series that has welcomed millions of guests in more than 100 cities. This time, the candlelit setting meets a score fans have known for 25 years.
Among the aircraft at Lone Star Flight Museum
There’s plenty of history on display at Lone Star Flight Museum, but the museum itself has quite a story to tell. Now based at Ellington Airport in Houston, it originally opened in Galveston before Hurricane Ike flooded its hangars in 2008, forcing the collection to find a new home further inland.
After years of planning and a move to Houston, the museum finally opened its doors at Ellington Airport in September 2017. Today, visitors can get up close to more than two dozen historic aircraft and explore the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, celebrating some of the state’s most influential figures in aviation.
The Lone Star Flight Museum is located at 11551 Aerospace Avenue, Houston, TX 77034, within Ellington Airport in southeast Houston. If you’re driving, there’s free parking on site, with the museum entrance at the corner of Aerospace Avenue and Challenger. It’s roughly a 25-minute drive from Downtown Houston, depending on traffic.
Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings
20 February 2027 18:30 + more dates
Lone Star Flight Museum
Twenty-five years on, the music of The Lord of the Rings still has a way of taking listeners straight back to Middle-earth. And with Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings coming to the Lone Star Flight Museum, Houston fans have a chance to hear Howard Shore’s compositions in a completely different setting under the glow of thousands of candles. Whether you’ve followed the Fellowship since 2001 or simply love the film scores, it’s a good excuse to revisit a soundtrack that has stood the test of time.
