maine

Arts Integration at Home – Sculptor & Clay

With students at home and caregivers balancing work and school, everyone is adjusting and learning. We want to offer a few simple, creative, educational, and arts-based ways to spice up your distance learning – especially since the day might involve a lot of sitting.  On that note, a huge thank you to all the teachers … Read more

Health, Safety & Event Updates

Portland Ovations brings people together to strengthen community well-being. We are committed to your health and safety as our #1 priority, and we’ve been closely monitoring communications from the Maine CDC and World Health Organization to assess our upcoming events within the context of the COVID-19 crisis. Today at noon, Governor Janet Mills recommended cancelling … Read more

To Your Health & Well-Being

Our community’s health and well-being is always our concern, particularly during flu season. The novel COVID-19 virus re-confirms this priority. We want you to know we are monitoring the situation closely, relying on guidance from the City of Portland and the Maine Department of Public Health, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and WHO. We are also working closely with our partner venues to help ensure your health, safety and comfort. Please find the City … Read more

Miwa Matreyek Performance Notes by Aimée Petrin

Dear Friends, I first saw Miwa perform several years ago in LA, her home base. I was immediately mesmerized by the imagery, soundscape and her presence on stage. I was captivated then and remain so. Miwa works at the intersection of performance and media. Her art exists in a dreamlike visual space that makes invisible worlds visible, often weaving surreal … Read more

Malpaso Dance Company Performance Notes by Aimée Petrin

Dear Friends, Inspired by dance lovers in our community, about a year ago we began to think about how to increase our commitment to the presentation of contemporary dance. This comes after more than a decade of consistently bringing to Maine no fewer than three high-caliber companies expressing a variety of aesthetics, styles, traditions, production scale and cultures. Collaborating … Read more

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Notes by Aimée Petrin

Dear Friends, Thank you for joining us for New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. From Jelly Roll Morton to Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino all the way up to the revered Allen Toussaint – this performance is about the  music and musicians that make New Orleans great. One of the things that stands out about NOJO is their ability to … Read more

Folk Music in Maine: An Enduring Legacy – By Paul F. Wells

Editor’s Note: This week, Ovations welcomes Grammy nominated Avi Avital and Bridget Kibbey to our classical music series on Tuesday, February 18. Avital is an Israeli mandolinist who specializes in renditions of both the Baroque classical repertory and—given his instrument—folk traditions. He has moved over his career from mandolin transcriptions of violin and fiddle music … Read more

Avi Avital & Bridget Kibbey Notes by Aimée Petrin

Dear Friends, After three attempts and at least as many years, it is a thrill to finally bring to Portland Grammy nominated mandolinist Avi Avital. We are doubly fortunate to have with us his equally stellar collaborator Bridget Kibbey, credited as the “Yo-Yo Ma of the harp.” We are grateful you’ve chosen to spend your evening with … Read more

Avi Avital and Bridget Kibbey Program Notes by Linda Russell

court organist and chamber musician to the Duke of Weimar, came just five years later. During his tenure (1717-23) as Music Director at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, Bach composed the majority of his instrumental chamber music. During this time Bach developed his instrumental style to supreme mastery, writing works for violin, cello, … Read more

MOMIX: ‘Viva Momix’ Notes by Aimée Petrin

Dear Friends, Dance is one of the most beautiful, visceral and expressive art forms. It can also be one of the most intimidating. Viewers often lament “I don’t get it” or “dance is too abstract” or that dance’s embodied form of storytelling doesn’t resonate with our verbal, linear brains. Or finally, “I don’t know how to … Read more