In 1991, a Fort Lauderdale local made history as the voice of Disney’s Belle; 36 years later, a string quartet brings love songs from “Beauty and the Beast” and more to life in intimate venues across South Florida

Turns out, Belle is a South Florida girl. Paige O’Hara, the speaking and singing voice behind the book-loving heroine in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991), was born in Fort Lauderdale, just a 30-minute drive from downtown Miami. Before she was dreaming of adventure in the great wide somewhere, she performed with the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre.

At 17, O’Hara traded Florida for New York, eventually landing the role that would make her voice instantly recognizable to generations of Disney fans. Disney named her a Disney Legend in 2011—a fitting honor for someone who made a provincial life sound anything but ordinary.

And Belle isn’t the only one getting a local encore. Candlelight: Disney Love Songs is bringing a string-quartet program of Disney favorites to Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. And while Lumière won’t be in attendance, twinkling candles will make up for his absence.

Candlelight: Disney Love Songs in Miami

Take two violins, a viola and a cello, set them in a candlelit room and hand them the songs many of us learned long before we could read. That’s the whole idea behind this 60-minute concert, presented under license from Disney Concerts, and it covers a lot of ground. The program starts with “Some Day My Prince Will Come” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937, and ends up in 2021 with “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto.

In between sits the run of films that fans call the Disney Renaissance, the decade that began with The Little Mermaid and closed with Tarzan. Expect “Kiss the Girl”, “Something There”, “A Whole New World” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, plus “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” for anyone who has ever refused to admit a crush. Five songs on the program won the Academy Award for Best Original Song: “Beauty and the Beast”, “A Whole New World”, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, “You’ll Be In My Heart” and “Remember Me”.

And if you’re wondering how a piece without a single lyric made it onto a list of love songs, that would be “Married Life” from Up. It’s an instrumental cue that tells Carl and Ellie’s whole marriage in a few minutes, and it sits alongside the friendship of “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2 and newer favorites like “Love Is an Open Door” from Frozen and “I See the Light” from Tangled. Not every Disney love story ends with a prince, after all.

Where are these concerts taking place in South Florida?

Fort Lauderdale: The Sanctuary Church FTL

In Fort Lauderdale, the quartet sets up inside The Sanctuary Church FTL, an active Presbyterian church at 1400 North Federal Highway. Its mid-century modern building and stained-glass windows sit on an eight-acre waterfront property, a far cry from the usual concert hall. The venue is listed as wheelchair accessible.

From downtown Miami, take I-95 north and head east toward US-1/Federal Highway to reach the church, allowing roughly 45–60 minutes by car, depending on traffic.

📍Address: 1400 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Boca Raton: St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church

In Boca Raton, the concert heads to St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church at 100 NE Mizner Boulevard, right in the middle of downtown. Built in 1966, its spacious sanctuary pairs colorful stained-glass windows with a striking pipe organ, adding plenty of character to the candlelit setting. The church is listed as wheelchair accessible.

From downtown Miami, follow I-95 north to Palmetto Park Road, then head east toward NE Mizner Boulevard, allowing around an hour by car.

📍Address: 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton, FL 33432

West Palm Beach: First Presbyterian Church of WPB

Up in West Palm Beach, the concert lands downtown at First Presbyterian Church, on the corner of Olive Avenue and Evernia Street. Originally designed as a bank in 1925, this Spanish Colonial landmark brings arched windows, an iron balcony and ornamental stonework to the concert backdrop.

From downtown Miami, take I-95 north to Okeechobee Boulevard, then head east toward South Olive Avenue, allowing roughly 90 minutes by car.

📍Address: 301 S Olive Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401