By Katelyn Manfre, Director of Community Programs & Partnerships At Ovations, we often say that touring performances arrive to us “fully cooked,” meaning they have been developed, rehearsed, and produced elsewhere before they ever end up on our stages. This means we rarely get to peek into the “kitchen”—if you’ll excuse my continued metaphor—to see … Read more
Amazing melodies, thrilling jazz, and groundbreaking Korean rock fusion have been added to Portland Ovations’ dynamic 2026-2027 season. All three concerts perform at Portland’s newest music venue, Live at Madrid’s this spring. Tickets are on sale exclusively to Ovations Members, with public ticket sales beginning Friday, October 23. Thank you to Coffee By Design for … Read more
By Liz Schildkret, Director of School & Family Programs We’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with Portland Public Schools and Antonio Rocha, a Maine-based artist who has been part of Ovation’s Maine Artists in Schools program twice before. This school-year, every 9th grader in Portland will experience Waves of Tears | Winds of Hope, a new … Read more
By Aimée M. Petrin, Executive & Artistic Director I recently returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. For those who do not know “the Fringe,” it is considered the world’s largest performing arts event with artists and audiences descending on the small coastal city in August for more than 4,000 performances across all genres and 300+ venues. … Read more
Coming soon and free to attend, territory is a new virtual reality project from disability arts organization Kinetic Light. This 20 minute VR experience is coming to Portland Ovations on Friday, October 2 with rolling start times from 5 – 8 PM at Ovations’ office at 120 Exchange Street.A fantastical universe of stars surrounds you. Shimmering Agents of the Wire fly overhead. Chilling figures … Read more
By Katelyn Manfre, Director of Community Programs & Partnerships Accessibility Coordinator On October 2, Ovations is hosting a special free community event at our office space! Audiences are invited to join us at 400 Congress Street during October’s First Friday Art Walk for an exciting program that merges performance, technology, and Access for something wholly unique. territory is … Read more
by Liz Schildkret, Director of School & Family Programs Ovations loves to partner with the City of Portland Parks, Recreation, and Facilities department. This summer, Ovations had the exciting opportunity to partner with them to create a new performing arts program at their summer camps. From March to June of this year, I worked closely with curriculum … Read more
By Katie Day, Director of Communications Have you read the statement “Portland Ovations programs artists and performances in venues all around Greater Portland, matching the right venue that best suits the performance and its audience” in any of our materials lately? At some point you may have found yourself wondering what that actually means. Here … Read more
By Katelyn Manfre, Director of Community Programs & Partnerships Accessibility Coordinator Over the past 10 months, Ovations participated in a new technical assistance program through the Onion Foundation for its grantees: The Cultural Accessibility Peer Learning Community. Led by Dani Rose, Director of Cultural Access at Open Door Arts, this professional development program included representatives from arts … Read more
Portland Ovations is honored to announce new Board leadership, including Rachael Alfond, President and Jack Lufkin, Vice President. “I am deeply honored to step into the role of board president for Portland Ovations,” says Alfond. “I support this organization because its commitment to the arts fosters the wellbeing of our broader community, building a healthier and more unified world. By bringing us … Read more