Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine
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Bodies glow in the dark and vanish back into it. Otherworldly creatures walk, swim, sit, and float on the air. Known internationally for their works of exceptional inventiveness and beauty, Momix is a company of dancer-illusionists who create surrealistic images using light, shadow, music, costumes, props, humor and eye-popping movement imbued with extraordinary athleticism. One of the company’s newest and most acclaimed works, Lunar Sea is an extraterrestrial spectacle featuring phosphorescent dancers who appear to defy gravity as if dancing on the moon.
Did you see this show? Join the conversation at our blog.
Did you like the atmospheric music from the show? Buy parts of the soundtrack using the Amazon links below and Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to PCA's Annual Fund.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Dr. Richard Nickerson, choral conductor of the Boy Singers of Maine and the award-winning Windham Chamber Singers, discusses the evolution of contemporary Celtic music.
Saturdays, October 27 and November 3, 2007 12–1:30 pm
The Telling Room, Commercial Street, Portland
Led by Gibson Fay-LeBlanc. If you’ve ever imagined yourself wowing an audience with your words and rhymes, this workshop is for you. We’ll focus on writing and performing pieces in the long tradition from Shakespeare to Jay-Z and Longfellow to Linkin Park with an eye toward the Mayhem Poets’ visit to Portland on November 16–17. Grades 8–12.
Thursday, November 1, 2007 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Conductor, music director, and Executive Director of the Portland Conservatory of Music Dr. Dierdre McClure provides insights into one of opera’s most tragic heroines.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 3–5 pm
USM School of Music, Gorham
$6 to observe · call USM at 207.780.5555
An innovative, exciting cellist whose musical tastes run from classical to rock works with area strings students to prepare their concert repertoire.
Thursday, November 8, 2007 5:30 pm
Hannaford Hall, USM, Portland, Maine
FREE
Robert Lehmann, director of string studies for the USM School of Music, speaks about the evening’s performance. Matt Haimovitz will be present.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Blues expert Bob Caswell discusses the cultures that have created the genre, from old-time gospel and blues harmonica to New Orleans jazz.
Friday, November 17, 2007 4 pm
The Telling Room, Commercial Street, Portland
Fee dependent on class size
Performance ensemble Mayhem Poets brings a hip-hop beat to poetry, taking participants through a workshop that hones skills in enunciation, improvisation, wordplay, connection with an audience, and use of creativity and imagination. Sourcing Longfellow’s legacy, Mayhem Poets coach students to find connections between their brand of poetry and the essence of Portland’s hometown poet.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Beautiful melodies are the hallmark of the season. Castlebay has been musically weaving together the timeless traditions of Maine’s nautical legacy and its British Isles heritage since 1987. Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee, the Castlebay duo share their passion for Celtic music and instruments: Celtic harp, twelve-string guitar, fiddle, flute, and whistles.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008 7:30 pm
Southworth Planetarium, USM, Portland, Maine
FREE with a Momix ticket or USM student ID
(otherwise $5 adults $4 students and seniors)
Join Dr. Jerry LaSala, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Southworth Planetarium, for an interdisciplinary exploration of the moonscape, looking at the heavens as an age-old inspiration for “lunatics,? artists, and scientists, featuring atmospheric music. Read the script here.
Thursday, January 24, 2008 immediately following the performance
Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine
FREE to attendees of Momix
Your opportunity to meet the dancer-illusionists of Momix (and see them in street clothes and regular lighting). After the January 24 performance, stick around for a moment and come down to the front of the auditorium, near the stage. You'll have the opportunity to ask a few questions and to hear the dancers talk about what it's like to be a part of this innovative company.
Friday, January 25, 2008 10–11:30 am
Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS)
$20 class fee $10 audit fee if space allows
For intermediate dancers, this class includes a warm-up, repertory phrases, and guided improvisation. Bring physicality and a sense of humor and prepare for an adventure! Space is limited and early registration is advised. Print out this flyer and registration form or call 207.773.3150 x227 for details.
Monday, January 28, 2008 10–11:30 am
Portland Public Library
Dr. Michael Bachem, a professor emeritus of humanities, speaks on the history and background of Moby Dick. To register for the series, contact the PPL at 207.871.1700 x759 or download the flyer for more information.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
Dr. David Ober discusses Ingrid Fliter, the first female to win the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award, for an enlightening view of this fiery Argentine’s program and how musicians are chosen for the coveted award.
Monday, February 11, 2008 10–11:30 am
Portland Public Library
Dr. Michael Bachem speaks on approaches to reading Moby Dick. To register for the series, contact the PPL at 207.871.1700 x759 or download the flyer for more information.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 2–4 pm
Download the flyer and registration form
Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS)
$20 class fee $10 audit fee if space allows
Rich in dynamics, expression and musicality, the Limón Dance Company celebrates sixty years. Learn the technique and repertory of the iconic, classic contemporary dance master José Limón from a Carla Maxwell, the company’s artistic director. For intermediate dancers. Download the flyer and registration form.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Learn about the celebrated dance maker, José Limón, through this award-winning and poetic documentary that offers a compelling look at the life and work of this revolutionary artist. Portland Ballet Company’s Vanessa Beyland will introduce Limón: A Life Beyond Words. Ms. Beyland is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Dance. Prior to coming to Maine, she worked for the Limón Dance Company in New York.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Dr. Deirdre McClure follows her successful 2007 two-night lecture series, which provided audiences a view of opera from the conductor’s perspective. Find out how an opera conductor would prepare to conduct Tosca and La Traviata and learn more about musical motifs found in both operas.
Thursday, March 6, 2008 7 pm
Maine Historical Society
FREE
Moby Dick is often described as the great American novel. Dr. Joseph Conforti surveys this monumental literary achievement that captures the energy, expansiveness, ferment, and moral contradictions of mid-ninteenth-century America.
Monday, March 10, 2008 10–11:30 am
Portland Public Library
Dr. Michael Bachem speaks on the reverberations of Moby Dick. To register for the series, contact the PPL at 207.871.1700 x759 or download the flyer for more information.
Thursday, March 20, 2008 7 pm
Maine Historical Society
FREE
Longfellow spent a good deal of his life within sight of the sea. The poet’s biographer, Charles Calhoun, draws parallels between some of the Longfellow’s lesser-known poems and the paintings of Fitzhugh Lane and other American luminists.
Friday, March 21, 2008 3:15–3:45 pm
USM School of Music, Gorham
FREE and open to the public
Join us for this rare opportunity to witness the ensemble and composer as they come together for the first time to rehearse the new work composed by Mr. Schwartz and commissioned by PCA Great Performances.
Friday, March 21, 2008 4–6 pm
USM School of Music, Gorham
$6 to observe FREE to USM students and faculty
The BSQ coaches USM ensembles to prepare these young musicians for their Chamber Music America Awards recital in April. For reservations, please contact the USM School of Music Box Office at 207.780.5555.
Sunday, March 30, 2008 2:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium State of Maine Room
FREE
Prior to the performance by Spirit of Uganda, learn more about the inspirational, unifying power of music and the role music plays in preserving culture with Dr. Richard Nickerson.
Thursday, April 3, 2008 7 pm
Maine Historical Society
FREE
Lecture with Dr. Peter Coviello. Melville’s expansive novel is not just an archaic “big fish? story with Shakespearean overtones. Among its other challenges and rewards to twenty-first-century readers, Moby Dick asks us to consider the nature of American freedom and its sometimes frightening proximity to terror.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sold out · $350 for a class of 25 or fewer
High school and college drama students
Known for his blend of African, modern, ballet and hip-hop to tell stories about what is important to the human experience choreographer Ron Brown shares his approach to storytelling through dance. Open to all levels, this unique workshop utilizes the universal language of the body to share and tell. Grades K–12.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 11 am–12:30 pm
Download the registration form
$20 class fee $10 audit fee if space allows
Participate in this high-energy masterclass led by Arcell Cabuag, a member of Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence dance company. Arcell will probe the rhythms and moves of Africa, the Caribbean, and the streets of the US that inspire choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s signature vocabulary. For intermediate dancers.
Sunday, April 13, 2008 2 pm
Portland Harbor Museum
FREE for Portland Harbor Museum members $5 for non-members
Join maritime historian and author Bob Webb, former curator of the Maine Maritime Museum, for an introspective look into the history of humankind’s relationship with whales and their influence on our history. Beginning in the Bay of Biscay nearly a thousand years ago, he weaves an around-the-world literary and historical journey in search of this animal, whose oil fueled the development of the industrial age, and whose baleen and meat provided the stuff of fashion and sustenance. Learn more about the Portland Harbor Museum.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 noon–1 pm
Portland Public Library
FREE
Brown bag lecture on Moby Dick Rehearsed with Dr. Michael Bachem.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Before the performance of Moby Dick Rehearsed, join a member of the Acting Company to discuss how they mount a play and how the actors prepare for their roles. Get an insider’s view into the process of performing this unique play.
Thursday, April 17, 2008 10 am
Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS)
Sold out · $350 for a class of 25 or fewer
High school and college drama students
While in Portland for their performance of Moby Dick Rehearsed, the Acting Company shares its highly skilled approach to theater with the “Building a Character? workshop, highlighting physical awareness and the development of character through physicality. The class is an exploration of internal and external stimuli, and how an actor’s physical relationship to the environment can influence his emotional life from the outside in.
Thursday, April 24, 2008 7–8:30 pm
Portland Conservatory of Music
At the Woodfords Congregational Church, Portland
FREE and open to the public
Join Maine composer Elliott Schwartz as he shares his observations about his creative process and discusses the newly commissioned String Quartet No 2, entitled For Louise and Aaron.
May 1–9, 2008
Click here for a full list of residency events
The exhilarating Borromeo String Quartet returns to celebrate and premiere a new work by Maine’s own Elliott Schwartz, commissioned by PCA Great Performances. Whether working with string orchestras, string quartets, or individual students of any age, members of the BSQ empower string players of all skill levels to play boldly and confidently, creating a positive environment for immediate improvement in skills. During this weeklong, statewide residency, there will be opportunities for string quartet masterclasses, coaching workshops, composing and music theory lectures, history of Western classical music lectures and demonstrations, and more. All skill levels.
Saturday, May 3, 2008 5:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium State of Maine Room
FREE
Colby College Assistant Professor of Spanish and native Argentine Dr. Marisela Funes asks: How does the Broadway version of Eva Perón relate to the reality of her life and influence in Argentine politics? What is the importance of appearance vs. reality for women politicians in today’s race for political power?
Thursday, May 8, 2008 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
Prior to the world premiere of the PCA-commissioned work by Maine’s Elliott Schwartz performed by the celebrated Borromeo String Quartet, Dr. Daniel Sonenberg interviews both composer and ensemble on the collaborative and creative process of bringing new work to life. As a composer and musician himself, Dr. Sonenberg has written extensively for chamber and orchestral ensembles, and has recently gained notice for his art songs and theater compositions.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 6 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
How does an artist choose his program? What are the interesting features of the pieces chosen? Join professor Rob Lehmann, director of string studies at the USM School of Music, for an illuminating overview of James Ehnes’ career and the historical and cultural background of his program.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Prior to a 7:30 pm of Mozart’s final masterpiece, the opera The Magic Flute, Portland Conservatory of Music Executive Director and Conductor Dr. Deirdre McClure provides insight into this popular opera.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 7:00-8:30 pm
Third Floor Dance Studio
Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS)
$25 registration fee
Click here to download registration form
Thursday, November 13, 2008 11 am-12:30pm
Portland Ballet Company 517 Forest Avenue, Portland
Portland Ballet Company
$25 registration fee
Click here to download registration form
In this masterclass especially for dance instructors, participants investigate the technique, repertoire, and genres that inform Philadanco’s signature style. This is an excellent professional development opportunity for dance instructors from all dance genres looking to advance their craft in a peer setting. Open to dance instructors.Thursday, November 13, 2008 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
From a grassroots, community-based performing arts organization to one of America’s foremost dance ensembles today, Philadanco exists as a model for emerging choreographers, dancers, and other dance companies with repertoire that blends African-American, ballet, jazz, and cutting-edge styles. In advance of the 7:30 pm performance, join Joan Myers Brown, founder and artistic director of Philadanco, for an overview of the evening’s program and the company’s commitment to honoring the spirit of African-American dance.
Monday, November 17, 2008 10 am-12:15 pm and 2-3:30 pm
at USM School of Music,Gorham, Corthell Hall
A very special opportunity for USM School of Music pianists, referred by their piano teachers, to improve technique and phrasing with this exciting European pianist. Open to observers. For more information please contact the USM School of Music Box Office at 207.780.5555.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
Dr. Elliot Schwartz speaks about the great piano repertoire – including Brahms, Bartók, and Chopin – to be performed just afterwards, at the 7:30 pm recital by the renowned young French pianist Cédric Tiberghien.
Introduction
“We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” – John F. Kennedy
Live art is a vital expression of the human experience and condition. PCA Great Performances believes that the understanding, appreciation and relevancy of the performing arts are enhanced through humanities-based lectures, meet-the-artist opportunities, and artistic residencies coupled with interactive or web-based resources linked to our community’s needs. Community outreach places artists and their art forms in historical, literary, cultural, aesthetic and social contexts. Through diverse activities, events, and suggested resources, it is our hope that our audiences of all ages and backgrounds will invite the arts and humanities into their lives, share their experiences with others, and make them a vehicle for life-long learning and exploration of the different cultural views of the arts.
Traverser la Frontière
Maine and Its Ties to Africa
Traverser la Frontière: Events and ActivitiesTo download a PDF with complete details of this book discussion series and biographies of the participants, click here.
Maine and Its Ties to Africa: Events and ActivitiesThursday, January 15, 2009 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Soprano Ellen Chickering provides an insider’s view of Verdi’s opera Aida, to be performed at 7:30 pm. Whether singing or lecturing, Ms. Chickering imparts a comprehensive view of an opera within its cultural milieu – and her perspective as a performer.
Sunday, January 18, 2009 5:30–6:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
The Windham Chamber Singers’ Dr. Richard Nickerson, a recognized local authority on choral music, will lead a community sing in the tradition of African-American choral music from hymns to gospel and spirituals. He will be joined by a lecturer from the community for an overview of the impact of gospel music. This interactive event precedes the Sweet Honey in the Rock performance at 7 pm.
January 21, 2009 3:30-5 pm
Portland Ballet Company
$25 registration fee
Gymnasts, martial arts practitioners, and other athletic bodies are invited to challenge their physical and emotional limits. Diavolo’s approach combines athleticism with conditioning exercises that address body toning, injury prevention, partner stretching, and relaxation exercises. Open to high school students and older.
Click here to download registration form
Available January 21, 2009 3:30-5 pm
Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS)
Diavolo offer a movement-oriented professional development workshop geared to help the teacher take dance and kinesthetic learning into the classroom, bridging the gap between the arts and other school subjects. A professional development workshop, in conjunction with a school performance or an in-school workshop, can be a valuable aid to the teacher in understanding the upcoming performance. Handouts to help take dance and kinesthetic learning into the classroom will also be available.
Call PCA at 207-773-3150 x 227 to add your name to the waiting list for this workshop. The workshop fee is $35 per person.
Available January 21–22, 2009
$350 fee for hosting organization
Founded upon the principles of trust, teamwork, and collaboration using basic trust theater game exercises, this workshop takes dance off of the stage and into the classroom. By class end, children will work together to create a simple choreograph piece. As Diavolo Artistic Director Jacques Heim says, “building a team that allows for complete trust has been essential to creating a kind of work where dancers are inspired to leap, fly, and fall.” Discover the same magic in your classroom through this workshop. Depending on artists’ schedule, as many as three in-school workshops with Diavolo will be available.
Friday, January 23, 2009 10:30 am
Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine
All tickets $7
Open to grades 2–8: call 207.773.3150 for details
VERY LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE, ACT NOW FOR TICKETS!
Click here to download registration form
Available Thursday, February 5, 2009 to music students
$350 fee for hosting organization
Students delve into contemporary composing in this interactive workshop for high school students that uses laptops as both composing tools and instruments. Inspired by Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier and Philip Glass’s Music in Twelve Parts, these twenty-four musical vignettes (one in each key) explain, examine, and express aspects of hip-hop music, from rhythm to timbre to form. DBR incorporates his 24 Bits: Hip-Hop Studies and Études, which represent his compositional view – his “take” – on hip-hop music as a point of inspiration.
Friday, February 6, 2009 10:30 am
Hannaford Hall, USM, Portland, Maine
All tickets $7
Open to grades 6–12: call 207.773.3150 for details
VERY LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE, ACT NOW FOR TICKETS!
Click here to download registration form
Thursday, February 6, 2009
Available statewide
Composer-violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain continues PCA Offstage’s commitment to statewide music education and advocacy with participation in the Maine Distance Learning Project. DBR will bring his popular and engaging lecture demonstration “What Music Might Mean” to students across Maine. With excerpts performed from his recent repertoire, this autobiographical lecture/demonstration illuminates his artistic inspiration and contextualizes his solo and collaborative projects. To participate in this program or to learn more about the Maine Distance Learning Project, contact Barri Lynn Moreau at 207.773.3150 ×227 or .
Friday, February 6, 2009 6–7 pm
Hannaford Hall, USM, Portland, Maine
FREE
Maine composer Dr. Elliott Schwartz exchanges ideas about the inspiration for composing music with composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, who will take the Hannaford Hall stage for a 7:30 pm performance.
Thursday, February 26, 2009 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
Robert Lehmann, a professor at the University of Maine’s School of Music, will discuss Yo-Yo Ma’s program, which includes selections from J.S. Bach’s cello suites. Yo-Yo Ma will perform a concert to benefit the PCA Great Performances endowment just after the lecture, at 7:30 pm.
Thursday, April 2, 2009 Details TBA
$600 fee for hosting organization
The world-renowned chamber orchestra leads this two-hour masterclass for one to three small-group ensembles working on a classical repertoire.
Thursday, April 2, 2009 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
Maine composer and music professor Dr. Elliott Schwartz discusses the importance of folk music influences on the works of Dvořák, Bartók, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky, with emphasis on the program to be performed by “l’Orchestre de Chambre” I Musici de Montréal, a fifteen-member ensemble that will perform at 7:30 pm.
April 23–24, 2009 Details TBA
Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS)
$25 registration fee
Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal blends dance styles to create an original mix that is vibrant and infused with elements of the avant-garde. While in Portland, a company member offers this masterclass in contemporary ballet. Open to intermediate and advance dancers.
April 23–24, 2009 Details TBA
Portland Ballet Company
$25 registration fee
Join exciting international dance company Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal for a partnering masterclass that improves dancers’ technique and partnering skills within different dance genres. Open to intermediate and advanced dancers.
Friday, May 1, 2009 Time TBA
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
Master artist, griot, and ambassador of African music and culture Toumani Diabaté speaks on the history of the kora, African music and instrumentation, and the background of his ensemble the Symmetric Orchestra, who bring to the modern world a flavor of the Malian Mandinka empire of thirteenth-century west Africa.
Friday, May 1, 2009 6:30–7:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
FREE
The musical influence of Africa has come full-circle with forms such as jazz and blues and even hip-hop, rooted in the African-American tradition, now influencing and being assimilated by contemporary African musicmakers. Innovator Toumani Diabaté and his Symmetric Orchestra – who create music out of west African sounds peppered with jazz, blues, and salsa – are a perfect example of this phenomenon. Join an ethnomusicologist for this trip around the world, following the influences of African music and learn how African music itself has been influenced by the results. Diabaté will perform with his orchestra at 8 pm following this event.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 6–7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green Room
FREE
Dr. J. David Ober brings his extensive knowledge of pianists and classical music to speak about young pianist Paul Lewis in advance of the 7:30 pm recital.
“This eye-popping and mind-boggling production suggests that the moon is a jolly place with lots of cool nightlife… everything looks magical.? New York Times
Vermont native Moses Pendleton, creator of Momix and cheographer of Lunar Sea, was kind enough to answer some questions posed to him by PCA. Click the box below to listen to his answers or contact us for a transcript.
Get Flash to hear Moses speak.
