Back in 1973, Dolly Parton sat down and wrote a goodbye.
After seven years as Porter Wagoner’s duet partner, she was ready to strike out on her own, and she put everything she wanted to tell her mentor into a song.
That song was “I Will Always Love You.”
More than five decades later, it’s still the one that gets everybody.
And this month, New Yorkers can hear it in a whole new light, played by a string quartet inside one of Brooklyn’s most beautiful churches, surrounded by the warm glow of thousands of candles.
12 November 2026 20:45 + more dates
St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church
It’s happening for two nights only in Brooklyn, and is set to be one of the most emotional tributes since her tragic passing back in August.
We have all of the details and how you can still grab last-minute tickets before they’re gone.
A candlelit tribute to Dolly in Brooklyn Heights
Candlelight: Tribute to Dolly Parton comes to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church on Thursday, November 12, and Saturday, November 14, at 8:45 pm and 6:30 pm, respectively.
For an hour, a string quartet will work its way through some of Dolly’s most beloved hits, including:
- “9 to 5”
- “Islands in the Stream”
- “Coat of Many Colors”
- “Here You Come Again”
- “Two Doors Down”
- “I Will Always Love You”
It’s a gentle, goosebump-y way to celebrate a legend we lost this summer.
Dolly died in August at 80, and the tributes haven’t slowed down since, from a star-studded CMA special named after “I Will Always Love You” to her goddaughter Miley Cyrus tearing up at the Hollywood Bowl.
The song she wouldn’t even give to Elvis
Part of the beautiful evening includes an own original score of one of music’s greatest hits, and one with fascinating bit of trivia.
After “I Will Always Love You” hit No. 1 in 1974, Elvis Presley wanted to record his own version of it.
Dolly was thrilled, until his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, laid out the catch: Elvis would only cut the song if Dolly handed over half of its publishing rights.
That’s the share of the money a songwriter earns every time a song is sold, played on the radio or recorded by someone else, and it lasts for decades. Giving up half meant giving up half of everything the song would ever make.
So Dolly said no, according to the song’s history, because something in her heart told her not to give it up, even for the King.
It turned out to be one of the smartest calls in music history. When Whitney Houston recorded it for “The Bodyguard” in 1992, it spent a then-record 14 weeks at No. 1, and Dolly later said it made her enough money to buy Graceland.
A church with a jaw-dropping secret
The setting is just as special as the music.
St. Ann & the Holy Trinity, on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, opened in 1847 and was designed by architect Minard Lafever.
Step inside and look up: its stained glass windows, made by William Jay Bolton in the 1840s, are considered the first complete set of figural stained glass windows made in North America.
The church is also a National Historic Landmark, and it’s home to the largest E.M. Skinner organ in New York City, with more than 4,700 pipes. Picture all of that glowing in candlelight while a cello eases into the opening notes of “Coat of Many Colors.”
Yeah, it will be beautiful to say the least!
What to know before you go
- When: Thursday, November 12, and Saturday, November 14, at 8:45 p.m.
- Where: St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights
- How long: About 60 minutes
- Tickets: From $38 plus fees, with three seating zones
- Ages: 8 and up, and anyone under 16 needs to come with an adult
- Good to know: The candles are flameless LEDs, so the glow is all ambiance and zero fire hazard
With just two nights on the calendar, these seats tend to go fast.
Grab your tickets here and give Dolly the send-off she deserves!
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