Inspiring a curious and imaginative community where the experience of the performing arts is a vital part of everyday life.
ABOUT THE LECTURE During the 1860s to 1890s – a period of rapid industrialization, new social freedoms, and extreme political violence – the arts in Russia flourished, competing on the world stage in literature, painting, and music. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky stood at the center of this ferment, looking to both native Russian and defiantly cosmopolitan [...]
Maine scientists, policy makers, activists and community members engage in a conversation that explores our human connections to the watershed and ocean of Maine’s past, present, and future. What were pre-colonial Maine’s waterways like? How is the changing landscape impacting Maine’s future? What is our human role and responsibility as stewards of this land and [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
You can ensure your child’s February break is filled with creativity, growth, play, and the exploration of endless imaginative possibilities by registering them for Ovations Offstage/Portland Recreation’s Theater Vacation Camp! Join guest artists Compass Creative Dramatics for 5 full days of theater camp including games, activities, rehearsals, and a final performance designed to highlight children’s inner performers. No [...]
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 [...]
Flute sonata in E-flat Major, BWV 1031 J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750) Coming from a long line of German musicians, Johann Sebastian Bach began his professional career at eighteen as a church organist. His first important position (1708-17), as court organist and chamber musician to the Duke of Weimar, came just five years [...]
By Linda Nelson, Portland Ovations Deputy Director Immigration. It is the hottest and most critical issue of our era. Pianist and Venezuelan ex-pat Gabriela Montero knows this dearly enough to have built a performance around what she called "a very emotional theme." Montero's unique program, "Westward," was presented by Portland Ovations as part of an [...]
With “Westward,” Gabriela Montero pays homage to three pianist-composers who emigrated to the West in the early twentieth century in order to escape physical, cultural and psychological oppression in their Russian homeland. Sarcasms: Five Pieces for Piano, op. 17 Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) Born in the Ukraine, Sergei Prokofiev enjoyed a happy childhood in which his [...]