Violinist Tessa Lark performs in Brunswick and Portland this summer. Photo courtesy of Bowdoin International Music Festival
The Bowdoin International Music Festival returns June 22 to Aug. 3, with dozens of ticketed concerts in Studzinski Recital Hall on the Bowdoin College campus, as well as 175 free concerts and events in libraries, breweries, museums and community centers from Portland to Rockland.
Among the ensembles and performers coming to Bowdoin are the Imani Winds, Grammy-nominated pianist Yefim Bronfman, Avery Fisher Career Grant winners the Calidore String Quartet, violist Masumi Per Rostad, the American, Jupiter and Ying Quartets, and the Horszowski Trio. Violinist Tessa Lark, also an Avery Fisher Career Grant winner, makes her festival debut. bowdoinfestival.org.
Portland Chamber Music Festival artistic director Melissa Reardon, second from left, returns to Space with an eclectic mix of musicians on May 31. Photo courtesy of Portland Chamber Music Festival
The Portland Chamber Music Festival has multiple offerings in artistic director Melissa Reardon’s inaugural season, including another installment in its series at Space and its August festival. PCMF@Space: Retro/perspective, at 7:30 p.m. May 31, will feature – in addition to Reardon – violinst Lark, Nick Kendall, co-founder of Time for Three and East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and Efe Baltacigil, principal cellist for the Seattle Symphony. Festival concert dates are Aug. 8, 10, 11, 15 and 17, all at Hannaford Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. www.pcmf.org.
The Portland Bach Experience is back, with concerts, events and activities related to Bach, his lifestyle and all he inspired, in and around Portland from June 14-23. During that time, the festival has no fewer than 19 events on its calendar. Nearly half are free, many are family oriented and some involve beer. They include formal and salon-style concerts, open rehearsals, seminars and masterclasses, and immersive experiences that are rooted in Portland’s broader culture. portlandbachexperience.com.
Opera Maine marks its 25th season of live opera at Merrill Auditorium with two performances of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” on July 24 and July 26, as well as several performances of “Sumeida’s Song” by Mohammed Fairouz as part of its Studio Series. The opera is based on Tawfiq al-Hakim’s play “Song of Death.”
After a hiatus, the Portland Symphony Orchestra is back on the Eastern Prom for Portland’s Fourth of July celebration. No word yet on the musical guest – and no need to hold our breath, either. The PSO is enough.
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