Our Stories

Program Notes for Octavia E. Butler’s “Parable of the Sower”

Dear Friends, The quote above is from the protagonist in Octavia E. Butler’s seminal and prophetic novel, Parable of the Sower. It is the perfect sentiment to name the powerful energies that came together to bring to Maine Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, an opera by Toshi Reagon. The conversation began many years ago along … Read more

Portland Ovations Welcomes Four New Members to Board of Directors

Portland Ovations is grateful to welcome Maile Buker, Luisa Deprez, Ken Grady and Nyamuon (Moon) Nguany Machar to the Board of Directors. “We are excited and honored to welcome these new Directors to the Ovations family,” said Aimée M. Petrin, Executive & Artistic Director. “The breadth and depth of experiences, knowledge and perspective this group of community … Read more

Portland Ovations Welcomes Jamie Barilone as Development Manager

Portland Ovations is happy to add a new member to the Ovations team: Jamie Barilone, Development Manager. In her role, Jamie will focus on deepening relationships with Members, grants management, stewarding relationships with corporate partners, and special events management. “I am deeply honored to have been offered this new position with Ovations,” said Jamie. “Working in the … Read more

Portland Ovations Welcomes Sayad Moudachirou to the Board of Directors

Portland Ovations is grateful to add Sayad Moudachirou to the Board of Directors. Originally from the Benin Republic, Sayad is a native French speaker, fluent in English and proficient in Spanish.     Sayad is a managing consultant at London Economics International LLC. He works in their energy practice advising utilities, regulatory authorities, developers and other key … Read more

Portland Ovations Welcomes Katelyn Manfre as Director of Ovations Offstage | Community Partnerships

Portland Ovations is grateful to add a new member to the Ovations team: Katelyn Manfre, Director of Ovations Offstage | Community Partnerships. Katelyn will be moving to Maine with her family from New Hampshire.  In her role, Katelyn will nurture community partnerships and collaborations around Ovations programming and conceive and direct all Ovations Offstage (O2) … Read more

Our Stories – What We Love About Ovations

Our Stories – What We Love About Ovations

We just passed the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It seems fitting that this turning point in the universe, at which the sun is at its maximum declination and then begins slowly to subside for those of us in the northern hemisphere, is also the end of Portland Ovations’ organizational year: a … Read more

Our Stories – An Unforgettable Season

Our Stories – An Unforgettable Season

What a season, unlike any other, 2020-2021 was. Thank you for joining us virtually, on demand and outdoors this past year. We couldn’t have done it without you. Daniel Bernard Roumain at Performances in Our Parks, Oct. 2020 OCTOBER 2020 We couldn’t gather in our usual spaces but we could gather outside. Our first in another … Read more

Our Stories – For the Love of the Work: Maine Artist Galen Koch

Our Stories – For the Love of the Work: Maine Artist Galen Koch

Maine media artist Galen Koch enjoys connecting with other artists. Born and raised on Deer Isle, Galen, like most Maine islanders, does a variety of things for work. As her website notes, she makes radio stories. Podcasts. Videos. She writes stories. Sometimes she creates fiber arts. And sometimes she teaches. Galen likes it this way.  … Read more

Our Stories – A Sneak Peek: from Street to Screen to Stage…

Our Stories – A Sneak Peek: from Street to Screen to Stage…

In-person performance is coming back to Ovations in the Fall of 2021. On June 15, we present Screen to Stage, a virtual sneak peek of the artists we will be bringing LIVE to Portland stages in our upcoming season, as we gratefully move off of our screens and back to in-person gatherings together. In 2019, with … Read more

Our Stories – Wabanaki Storytelling

Our Stories – Wabanaki Storytelling

In January, we were in conversation with Starr Kelly to begin to share the partnership that Portland Ovations and the Abbe Museum are building in order to create a performance for young people that centers Wabanaki storytelling and the artists that tell these stories. We see this partnership and the performance as an opportunity for Wabanaki storytellers … Read more