After nearly a decade on the road touring internationally with the Forsythe Company, dance artist Riley Wattsdecided it was time to come home to Maine. For Riley, moving back to Maine was the right thing to do. It’s meant time and space: to heal, to pursue a different lifestyle for his body and mind and, … Read more
We’ve been lucky to get to know musician, storyteller and writer Samuel James this year as one of our Commissioned Maine Artists. This has included winding conversations about music, culture, home and justice, along with impromptu performances over Zoom. And now, through this series, we hope some of you are getting to know this marvelous … Read more
The more than year-long pandemic has taught us much to take into the future together. One of the things many Ovations’ Members have mentioned to us is how our human need to gather and to belong — to groups, to communities, to a place and to each other — have been made more visible by our social … Read more
Community suppers. Church potlucks. Festive receptions. Learning how to cook traditional dishes then sitting down together to enjoy. Gathering to exchange art, food, culture and community is on the menu at Portland Ovations. Throughout the years, our welcoming Portland communities have opened their hearts and cookbooks to Ovations artists visiting us from away. Fondly we … Read more
What an unforgettable night! Being back on stage at Merrill, reveling in the beauty of that space with artists working together LIVE … and you were there, too, only not in your usual red velvet seats. And still: your dedicated support as well as the enthusiasm of so many local businesses and others made POP 90 … Read more
We’re hoping you’re joining us next Thursday, March 25 for Ovations’ big, live-and-virtual kickoff celebration of our 90th anniversary year. When you do, you’ll be experiencing Ovations through the looking glass of our digital realms: we will be live at Merrill Auditorium, but you, our audiences, are not quite able to be with us there … Read more
Usually Samuel James is on the road many weeks of the year, but since March of 2020 he has been spending all his time, like most of us, in Maine. This has been lucky for Ovations and our audiences, as it allowed us to invite him to participate as one of our five Commissioned Maine … Read more
As we close in on the one-year anniversary of pandemic shut downs, we’re overjoyed to be in production for Portland Ovations Presents: POP 90, a benefit celebration of Ovations’ 90th anniversary year. That’s right: Portland Ovations was founded as the Portland Music Commission in 1931: in the midst of another global crisis, the Great Depression. … Read more
As we look forward to next week’s Seeking Resonance conversation “Toward Being Future Beings” in partnership with Indigo Arts Alliance, we want to take a moment to share with you the genesis of this conversation: a dynamic new work by dancemaker Emily Johnson, “Being Future Being,” which Portland Ovations is co-commissioning. Originally from Alaska and … Read more
When we experienced Step Afrika! we couldn’t stay in our seats. The energy, the rhythm, and the speed were infectious. We couldn’t wait to get Maine audiences – of all ages – into Merrill for the performance. We had intended for Step Afrika! to be featured live in the 2020-21 season but those plans had to change. While … Read more
We are a non-profit performing arts organization in Maine connecting artists and audiences through diverse arts experiences. Be thoroughly entertained by live performances spanning the traditional to the contemporary, the popular to the unexpected. Learn from and be inspired by artists who openly share with us their passion and craft.
Email: info@portlandovations.org
Phone: 207.773.3150
Office: 120 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101
For all ticket inquiries contact PortTIX, your trusted local box office.
PortTIX is the trusted box office for purchasing Portland Ovations tickets.
Note: All School-Time Performance tickets are sold through Portland Ovations.
Learn more about the exciting benefits at our various levels of Membership, and how your tax-deductible donation sustains the vital work we do to provide performing arts education in Maine.
We’ll keep you posted on our upcoming events, experiences, and performing arts news.
© Copyright – 2021, Portland Ovations
Designed & Developed by NORTHEAST MEDIA COLLECTIVE