Musical performance soars when artists create moments of shared exhilaration with their audience. Th...

1. 11 classical music concerts featuring incredible talent and
summer music magic
Musical performance soars when artists create moments of shared exhilaration with their audience.
Those moments may exist only briefly, perhaps within a movement of a symphony or a single piece of
music that's part of a larger concert program. If we're lucky, the moment lasts all concert long.
Regardless, we know it when it happens. More a feeling than a tangible thing, it begins on stage and
rolls out across the audience like a summer storm, unleashing power, awe and mystery.
It happens a lot in Maine, particularly in the summer. We're lucky to live here, because really good
performers like visiting us, especially in July and August. We get the chance to see and hear the
finest musicians in the world in an environment where they can relax, collaborate and stretch their
creative muscle.
Lobster helps too.
We picked 11 concerts where we think magic will happen.
"Engaging the Spirit of Shaker Music"

2. 7 p.m. Friday (June 26), Maine Festival of American Music, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New
Gloucester.
Tickets info: $20; 926-4597 or maineshakers.com/maine-festival-of-american-music
Why go? Chris Moore, director of music education at 317 Main Community Music Center in
Yarmouth, uses early Shaker songs as a starting point for writing new Shaker music. Moore, multi-
instrumentalist Matt Shipman and their students will perform as part of the larger Maine Festival of
American Music, hosted by the Portland String Quartet.
"Stars and Stripes Spectacular," Portland Symphony Orchestra and Melissa Manchester
July 4, Eastern Prom, Portland
Tickets info: free; july4thportland.org
Why go? Melissa Manchester joins Robert Moody and the PSO for the patriotic program, which also
includes the area's best fireworks show. If you don't mind crowds and enjoy a festival atmosphere,
this one can be a lot of fun. VIP tickets are available.
"The Fat Knight," Suzanne Nance and John McVeigh
July 9-10, Stonington Opera House/Burnt Cove Church
Tickets info: $50; 207-367-2788 or operahousearts.org
Why go? Soprano Suzanne Nance and Tenor John McVeigh, two of the finest voices in Maine, sing
standards and arias by Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Johann Strauss. Technically, Nance, no longer
lives in Maine. We lost her to Chicago, where she hosts a radio show and maintains a robust singing
career. But she comes home often, and McVeigh is a confirmed Mainer. In a quiet setting known for
its acoustics, Nance and McVeigh may never sound better.
Portland Symphony Orchestra, Yarmouth
Clam Festival
July 18, North Yarmouth Academy
Tickets info: free; clamfestival.com
Why go? The PSO helps the clam festival
celebrate its 50th anniversary with an
outdoor concert on the NYA lawn. Dave
Mallett and the Mallett Brothers Band
also perform, setting up this night as one
of intrigue and possibilities.
Acadia National Park Outdoor Concert, Bar Harbor Music Festival
July 22, Blackwoods Campground Amphitheatre, Otter Creek

3. Tickets info: free; 207-288-5744 or barharbormusicfestival.org
Why go? Why not? A free concert at Acadia National Park is enticing enough, and this summer
marks the 43rd time it's happened. It's a long and proud tradition, as music director Francis Fortier
leads the festival's string orchestra with guest cellist Clara Yang.
"Jewish Roots"
July 28, Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival, Deertrees Theatre, Harrison
Tickets info: $25, 21 and younger free; sllmf.org
Why go? Eliot Bailen's "Perhaps a Butterfly" highlights an evening of Jewish music. Bailen has played
cello at the festival since 1994, and wrote this piece in memory of the children of the Nazi
concentration camp at Terezin in what is now the Czech Republic. He sets to music four poems
written by those children, choosing them for their humor, musicality and poignancy.
"Tosca," PORTopera
July 30, Merrill Auditorium
Tickets info: $41 to $130; 207-842-0800 or porttix.com or portopera.org
Why go? Conductor Stephen Lord and director Dona D. Vaugh lead a cast of established and
emerging opera singers through what is being billed as "a dramatically staged concert." The
orchestra will perform on stage to accompany the singers' acting and movement. Tony Award-
winning lighting designer and Portland resident Christopher Akerlind will create the stage effects
for the Puccini opera.
Latitude 41 Friends
July 30, Bay Chamber Concerts, Rockport Opera House
Tickets info: $10 to $45; 236-2823 or baychamberconcerts.org
Why go? Latitude 41 thrilled audiences the last time they were here, and this year's program
includes music by Elliot Carter, Haydn and Brahms.
Festival Fridays
Aug. 7, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Brunswick
Tickets info: $40; 207-373-1400 or bowdoinfestival.org
Why go? This concert features the 2013 composition "Seven Seascapes" by Pulitzer Prize-winning
composer Kevin Puts, who will attend. Portland Symphony Orchestra maestro Robert Moody will
lead the Bowdoin Festival Orchestra through a three-piece Tchaikovsky sampling, but the goose-
bump potential lies with a performance of Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring." Moody will
conduct an ensemble anchored by Frank Huang on violin. Huang has a long history with the
Bowdoin festival and is concertmaster designate of the New York Philharmonic. It's one of the best
jobs in classical music, and one of the most influential. Huang begins his duties with the Phil in

4. September, but we get to hear him first.
Opening Night Celebration
Aug. 13, Portland Chamber Music Festival, Portland
Tickets info: $30; 800-320-0257 or pcmf.org
Why go? See above. After teaching and performing at Bowdoin, Huang is resident artist for opening
weekend of the Portland Chamber Music Festival. Among the pieces he will perform is Alan
Fletcher's "Dreams of Rain," written in response to climate change by the president and CEO and of
the Aspen Music Festival. Also performing will be Kristen Lee, recipient of the Avery Fisher Career
Grant awarded by the Lincoln Center, which recognizes outstanding young musicians with promising
solo careers. Lee and Huang are on the Aug. 16 program, as well.
Festival Concert
Aug. 14, Salt Bay Chamberfest, Darrows Barn, Round Top Farm, Damariscotta
Tickets info: $30; 207-522-3749 or www.saltbaychamberfest.org
Why go? Salt Bay founder and artistic director Wilhelmina Smith pairs New York Philharmonic
principal percussionists Daniel Druckman and Markus Rhoten for a program of music by the Steve
Reich Quartet and Bartok. There is great potential in accomplished musicians performing in a
converted cow barn on the banks of Great Salt Bay. Food trucks and wine add to ambiance.
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