Inside The Night Temple’s Winter Solstice String Night Celebration

Photo by Owen Nathanael

The Night Temple closed out the year with warmth, music, and community at December’s Winter Solstice Party: String Night, a festive gathering held this past Saturday that brought composers, creatives, and friends together to celebrate the season through live performance and shared connection.

Hosted by The Night Temple’s founders, Carisa Bianca Mellado (@carisa_bianca_mellado) and Andrew Dalziell (@andrew_dalziell), the evening embodied the collective’s mission of fostering an intimate, welcoming space for creative exchange. With candles lit, plates of pasta and risotto circulating, and glasses of wine in hand, guests settled into a night that felt both celebratory and deeply personal.

The lineup featured an inspiring group of composers, each offering a distinct emotional and musical voice. Meghan Rose Scott (@meghanrosescott) opened with a moving piece dedicated to her late grandfather. She shared that the work explored “the emotion of grief and how grief is really just the shadow of love, it’s what love leaves behind when you lose it,” blending joy and sorrow into a tender, resonant tribute that set the tone for the evening.

For Greg Nicolett (@gregnicolett.music), String Night marked his first appearance at The Night Temple. He performed a piece from the video game Potionomics, written for the villain character. Describing it as “a tango which I think will be a lot of fun,” Greg brought a rhythmic energy to the room, creating a lively and immersive moment for everyone in attendance.

Photo by Owen Nathanael

Yuwan Zhang (@yuwanzhangmusic) followed with an unforgettable eight-minute work titled The Winter Honour. Deeply immersive and emotionally charged, the piece incorporated ethnic drums and lyrical vocals, drawing listeners inward. Toward the end, Yuwan invited the audience to participate, encouraging them to emit sounds as they felt moved, transforming the performance into a shared, almost ritual-like experience.

Returning composer Marco Chiavetta (@marcochiavetta) made the night especially meaningful with the performance of his piece Sagittarius A. This String Night was a personal milestone for Marco, as his parents had traveled from Italy to see him perform. The moment added an extra layer of intimacy and celebration to his return to the Night Temple stage.

Photo by Renata Vontobel

One of the evening’s highlights came from sponsor Catherine Joy (@cathjoymusic) of Joy Music House, who performed two powerful works. The first, Following, explored musical dialogue, with the first violin and cello mirroring one another while the second violin and viola moved in tandem. Her second piece, Torches, was an homage to her mother, who passed away earlier this year. A choir director who believed everyone could sing, her mother’s spirit filled the room as Catherine handed out sheet music and invited the audience to sing along, creating a profoundly communal moment. Catherine also reminded attendees that String Night is a largely self-funded event, supported by sponsors and community donations, which help ensure its continuation.

In addition to the performances, guests had the chance to win raffle prizes, including an exclusive package from Orchestral Tools (@orchestraltools) and EastWest Sounds (@eastwestsounds), as well as six months of ReelCrafter (@reelcrafter), offering valuable resources for composers working across media.

To close the night, hosts Carisa and Andrew took the stage with their piece I’ve Seen the Future and It’s Bright, an optimistic homage to one of their favorite filmmakers, David Lynch. They ended the evening on a joyful note with a spirited rendition of Last Christmas by Wham!, sending everyone home smiling.

Photo by Owen Nathanael

December’s Winter Solstice Party: String Night was more than a concert—it was a reminder of the power of music to hold grief and joy side by side, and of the importance of community during this season. As The Night Temple looks ahead to the new year, this closing gathering stood as a heartfelt celebration of creativity, connection, and shared humanity.