Upcoming
Online 5min micro-concerts Mondays and Fridays through Guts Baroque’s Patreon (join for free or donate any amount)
What’s a micro-concert? A tiny bit of live music, brought directly to you over the internet to help you start, take a pause in, or end your day with beauty and connection. Take a break at your desk, soak your feet, sip your coffee, recline in comfort while you listen.
14 & 15 March | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME | tickets
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert
Travel to a galaxy far, far away and experience the continuation of Luke Skywalker’s epic journey. After the destruction of the Death Star, Darth Vader pursues Luke Skywalker, who is studying the ways of the Force with Jedi Master Yoda. Experience the critically acclaimed second installment of the original Star Wars trilogy, as The Empire Strikes Back is projected on the big screen at Merrill Auditorium, with John Williams’ iconic score performed live by your Portland Symphony Orchestra. Chia-Hsuan Lin, conductor
22 March 3:00pm | Woodfords Church, Portland, ME | $41, $18 child/student
North Star Baroque: Corelli, Bach, Handel, & Telemann
Portland’s baroque chamber orchestra! Sylvia is a core member.
Bach, Concerto for two violins in D minor
Bach, Harpsichord Concerto in D minor featuring Christina Edelen
Corelli, Concerto grosso
Handel, Water Music Suite in G
Telemann, Concerto for flute and recorder featuring Aldo Abreu
26–28 March | St John’s Catholic School, Brunswick, ME | $10, $8 child/student/senior
Fiddler on the Roof
Christina Spurling, music director
Sylvia Schwartz, violin
2 April 12:15pm | Portland Conservatory of Music, Portland, ME | free RSVP
Noonday Concerts: English Baroque
Join PCM’s early music faculty for the unique sound of the English baroque! Music by Eccles, Purcell, Handel, Rosseter, and Blow.
John Ross, traverso
Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violin
Timothy Burris, archlute
Marina Minkin, harpsichord
24 April 1:00pm | Ellsworth Community Music Institute, Ellsworth, ME | free
Baroque Orchestra of Maine: Bach & more!
Heidi Powell and Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violins
John Ross, traverso
Daniel Pyle, harpsichord
8 May 7:00pm | Woodfords Church, Portland, ME | $41, $18 child/student
North Star Baroque: Handel, CPE Bach, Rameau, and Pergolesi’s La Serva padrona
Portland’s baroque chamber orchestra! Sylvia is a core member.
Handel, Concerto grosso in D, Op. 6, No. 5
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Cello Concerto in A Major
Rameau, Pièce de clavecin no. 4
Pergolesi, La serva padrona (The Maid turned Mistress)
The comic intermezzo that changed music history!
16 May 3:00pm | St Luke’s Cathedral, Portland, ME | $35/$40, $10 age 13–21, free 12 & under
Aurora Camerata: Fugues & Fire: Masterworks by Bach & Vivaldi
Join Aurora Camerata, under the direction of Artistic Director James Kennerley, and ChoralArt Camerata (Robert Russell, Music Director) for a thrilling afternoon devoted to two towering figures of the Baroque: Bach and Vivaldi. The program features two choral masterworks: Vivaldi’s exuberant Gloria, alive with rhythmic vitality and luminous color, and Bach’s majestic Magnificat in E-flat, a work of architectural grandeur and ecstatic praise. Anchoring the program at the organ is Bach’s dramatic Fugue in G minor, BWV 542—a blaze of driving momentum and fiery counterpoint that unfolds with breathtaking intensity in the cathedral acoustic. Performed on historically informed period instruments, Fugues & Fire invites listeners into the sound world of 18th-century Europe—where brilliance and devotion, structure and passion, converge in music of enduring beauty and virtuosity.
5–7 June | Portland, Falmouth, and Brunswick, ME
Portland Bach Experience
Staged concerts, the beloved Bach & Beer informal concert party, and more! Repertoire for 2026 includes J.S. Bach’s Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, and a cantata featuring soprano Gabrielle Doran.
27 June 5:00pm | Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben, ME | $25, children free, optional dinner with performers
Baroque Orchestra of Maine
Heidi Powell and Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violins
James Kennerly, harpsichord
Baroque chamber music, up close, in the singular setting of the Eagle Hill Institute, a biology research campus tucked into the woods of Down East Maine. Optional (delicious!) dinner with the performers after the 5:00 concert. Overnight lodging also available on-site.
20 August 12:15pm | Portland Conservatory of Music | free RSVP
Noonday Concerts: Lute Concertos
Timothy Burris, lutes, Raffael Scheck, baroque cello, and Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violin
Past
2026
21 February | Jamaica Plain, MA
Guts Baroque: House Concert
Soup & Songs! Join Guts Baroque with special guest John Ross, baroque flute, for music by Anna Bon, Isabella Leonarda, Marco Uccellini, and Georg Philipp Telemann. Baroque chamber music up close as it was meant to be heard, with soup and snacks courtesy of our gracious hosts!
14 & 15 February | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Jurassic Park in Concert
Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, the action-packed adventure of Jurassic Park pits man against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Experience it now, as the Portland Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams’ iconic score live to picture. Welcome… to Jurassic Park!
25 January | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Dawnland to the Planets
Journeying from the rising sun to the outer edges of the galaxy, this concert features three unique works that explore humanity and our place in the universe. Wabanaki means People of the Dawnland. As the first people to greet the sunrise, they are responsible for holding up the sky. Wabanaki musician and multimedia creator, Firefly, joins the PSO for a performance of his original work, Militakwat (pronounced mill-e-duh-kwut, Penobscot for “it has all kinds of sounds”), rooted in ancient Wabanaki music. To ground his iconic, cosmic work, Holst found significance in the astrological influence of the planets as the basis for The Planets. With each movement serving as a musical metaphor for the influence of each ruling planet, he creates a character piece of each aspect of the human experience. Serving as the beginning of the journey is Max Richter’s powerfully moving On the Nature of Daylight, familiar to many from its uses in movies and TV shows, including Arrival and The Last of Us.
2 January | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brunswick, ME
Amethyst Chamber Ensemble: Messiah Sing-Along
We are delighted to announce that our postponed Messiah has been rescheduled for Friday, January 2, 2026 at 7pm – fittingly the ninth day of Christmas (nine ladies dancing!) and the feast day of St. Basil. This day traditionally honors St. Basil’s legacy of philanthropy through the sharing of vassilopita, a bread baked with a hidden coin and given in the spirit of generosity—making it a perfect occasion for a fundraiser! In the spirit of our original Christmas event, and now enriched by the meaning of St. Basil’s feast day, we invite you to join us for Part I of Messiah, performed with professional soloists and orchestra under the direction of Maestro Sean Fleming, with all proceeds benefiting Mid-Coast Hunger Prevention Program in Brunswick.
2025
30 & 31 December | Hammond Hall, Winter Harbor, ME
Winter Harbor Music Festival: Die Fledermaus
Winter Harbor Music Community Opera invites audiences to ring in the New Year with performances of Johann Strauss II’s sparkling comic opera, Die Fledermaus. The story takes place at a Viennese New Year’s party where Dr. Falke has plotted a comical revenge. Many years earlier Gabriel von Eisenstein had abandoned Falke at a costume party, drunk in a bat costume, to be the laughingstock of the evening. Now at the eccentric Prince Orlofsky’s New Year’s party, Dr. Falke will take his revenge by orchestrating Eisenstein into similarly embarrassing situations. Don’t forget to toast to the New Year, enjoy the annual paper mache lobster drop and celebrate with the performers.
Director: Deiran Manning
Conductor: Michael Haigler
24 December | Trinity Episcopal Church, Melrose, MA
Christmas Eve Service
featuring Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and selections from a Bach cantata for soprano. Ben Rechel, music director.
21 December | Maine Maritime Museum, Bath, ME
vigorous tenderness: winter solstice
Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate: Epitomes 3, 4, and 5 from Pisachi
Margaret Cerjan & Sylvia Schwartz, violins; Kal Sugatski, viola; Fred Edelen, cello
This piece, titled after the Chickasaw word for “reveal,” draws melodies and rhythms from Hopi and Pueblo Indian music as a paean to the landscapes and peoples of the Southwest. Strolling through imaginative and expansive music, the quartet then traverses a celebratory and resonant section with heavy dance rhythms, before soaring to a romantic and radiant lyricism.
14 December | Church of Our Saviour, Middleboro, MA
Beantown Baroque: The Airy Violin
Join Beantown Baroque for a special Benefit Concert celebrating the rich and expressive repertoire for violin and continuo. The program will include Solo and Trio Sonatas by Vivaldi, Corelli, Handel, Boyce, and other masters of the era. Your presence supports Beantown Baroque’s goal to bring early music to diverse audiences throughout the greater Boston area.
13 December | Blue Hill Congregational Church, ME
Handel: Messiah
A collaboration between Blue Hill Bach and Baroque Orchestra of Maine. An intimate chamber version of this masterwork, with a chorus of twelve and ten instrumentalists. George Emlen, music director.
30 November & 6 December | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Maine State Ballet: The Nutcracker
Celebrating 50 years!
20 November | Portland Conservatory of Music, ME | free
Noonday: Baroque with John Ross
Enjoy an afternoon of Baroque chamber music, including works by two prominent women of the era, Isabella Leonarda and Anna Bon di Venezia, and featuring Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violin and Phoebe Durand, baroque harp.
16 November | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Scheherazade
Inspiration comes in all forms—whether it’s the sounds of a neighborhood, a different style of music, or even stories from over one thousand years ago. Inspired by the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, Scheherazade takes its name from the legendary heroine who spins adventurous tales to keep the attention of a murderous Sultan and save her life. From those stories springs Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic narrative of fairy-tale wonders. Kicking off the concert is an aural homage to New York’s multicultural palette by modern composer Jessie Montgomery. Also featured on the program is Ravel’s lighthearted and brilliant Piano Concerto with its clear influences from blues and jazz, brought to life by pianist Clayton Stephenson’s joyous charisma and natural ease.
Poems by students at The Telling Room, inspired by Scheherazade
26 October | Woodfords Church, Portland, ME
North Star Baroque
Vivaldi’s spectacular Concerto for Four Violins and Corelli’s popular Christmas Concerto. Two world-class soloists, baritone Aaron Engebreth and soprano Emily Siar, then join us in works of Bach and Vivaldi.
18 & 19 October | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Spooky Symphony
Some music is hauntingly beautiful, and some is just haunting… From the eerie and unsettling to the downright bone chilling, experience a concert of spooky, ghostly, and thrilling tunes that will send shivers down your spine. Get ready to be bewitched by guest conductor Morihiko Nakahara and your PSO in this celebration of the spookiest time of year.
4 October | Waterville, ME
Baroque Performance Workshop for Capital Strings
Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violin, and Raffael Scheck, baroque cello
27 September | Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben, ME |
Ad Libitum Ensemble plays Bach: Masterworks
Kayla Gayton, voice. Zachary Fisher, voice. Isaac Bray, voice.
Na’ama Lion, baroque flute. Sylvia Schwartz and Sascha Zaburdaeva Lorimer, baroque violins. William Somes, baroque viola. Joachim Woitun, baroque cello. Marina Minkin, harpsichord.
• Sinfonia from the Cantata: Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209
• Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major, BWV 1050
• Coffee Cantata, BWV 211
Special patrons preview dinner 26 September.
13 August | Bar Harbor Congregational Church, ME | $30, students free
16 August | Blue Hill Congregational Church, ME | $30, students free
Baroque Orchestra of Maine
Featuring J.S. Bach’s Double Concerto for two violins, and more!
Heidi Powell and Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violins; Max Treitler, baroque cello.
12 July | The Waldo Theatre, Waldoboro, ME | $23
Guts Baroque feat. Andrus Madsen: Fantasticus!
Guts Baroque with featured guest Andrus Madsen will perform whimsical, varied, and fantastical instrumental music from the 17th-century courts of what is now Germany and Austria. Emperor Leopold I, himself a musician and composer, brought several prominent Italian musicians across the Alps to Vienna. These guests, including violin virtuoso Antonio Bertali, received good salaries and plenty of opportunities to perform, to compose, and to teach the new generation of German musicians the Stylus Fantasticus: the Italian style of purely instrumental fantasies made popular by Italian composers such as Girolamo Frescobaldi. Bertali’s student Johann Heinrich Schmelzer further developed the style, and his innovations helped spread it throughout what is now Germany, teaching and inspiring other prominent composers including Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber.
Girolamo Frescobaldi: Canzon Prima a canto solo, F 8.01c
Antonio Bertali: Violin Sonata 2 in d minor from Partiturbuch Ludwig
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer: Sonata Unarum Fidium 1
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Sonata 2 from 8 Sonatas (1681)
and keyboard works by Johann Jakob Walther and Johann Jacob Froberger, who the composer and treatise author Mattheson used as an example when he defined “stylus fantasticus”
11–15 June | Greater Portland, ME area
Portland Bach Experience
Period instrument chamber orchestra concerts and the perennial favorite Bach & Beer! Details coming soon.
May 19–June 16 | online
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Carmina Burana & Double Piano Concertos
Digital concert tickets available May 19–June 16 here
18 May, 3:00pm | Church of the Covenant, Boston | $25–$65
In the Clearing: Mozart and Kenneth Fuchs
Join us for an enchanting choral experience as Coro Allegro presents Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpusand Vesperae solennes de Confessore, the renowned master’s final composition for the Salzburg Cathedral, featuring the exquisite Laudate Dominum omnes gentes. We will also be performing “In the Clearing” by Kenneth Fuchs. Commissioned 30 years ago by Coro Allegro, these settings of Robert Frost poems will amaze and enchant you. Don’t miss this gorgeous afternoon of music!
17 May, 4:00pm | First Parish in Portland, Unitarian Universalist Church | $30 adv, $35 door
Orpheus Britannicus: Music by Henry Purcell and his contemporaries
Artistic Director James Kennerley leads the dynamic ensemble of singers and instrumentalists in Orpheus Britannicus, a celebration of Henry Purcell, the greatest English Baroque composer. Showcasing Purcell’s finest music for the opera house, the chamber, and the church, the concert will include Come, ye sons of Art, a splendid work written to celebrate the birthday for Queen Mary in 1694. Purcell’s gift for melodic simplicity is represented by the sublime Evening Hymn, while his mastery of orchestral dance forms is revealed in the suite from Abdelazar, or The Moor’s Revenge, featuring the famous rondeau later immortalized as the theme for Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Selections from King Arthur bring the legendary British hero’s story to life, depicting his struggles to defend Britain from Saxon invaders. Highlights include the patriotic “Fairest Isle,” stirring instrumental dances, and the hauntingly beautiful passacaglia, “How happy the lover.” Similarly, scenes from The Fairy Queen, Purcell’s semi-opera inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, showcase his playful side with the lighthearted Dance for the Fairies and the hilarious Scene of the Drunken Poet. Baroque strings, flutes, oboes, natural trumpets, kettle drums and keyboards provide an authentic period sound, complementing the stunning vocal soloists drawn from the ensemble. Performed by specialists in historical performance, this concert promises an unforgettable journey through Purcell’s finest works, presented in one of Portland’s most iconic venues.
CANCELLED15 May, 12:15–1:00pm | Portland Conservatory of Music, Portland, ME | free
Guts Baroque: The Weimar Social Club
Imagine J.S. Bach, Telemann, and Pisendel hanging out at taverns and coffeehouses in their 20s in Weimar, trying to get their careers off the ground and trading compositional ideas. Good friends and great music!
9 May, 7:00pm | Woodford’s Congregational Church, Portland, ME | tickets $18–$40.50
North Star Baroque: Bach’s Coffee Cantata
North Star Baroque will close its debut season with a program that features Bach’s Coffee Cantata, a comedy from a time when coffee and coffee houses were first becoming all the rage in Europe. It tells the story of a comical dispute between a young girl who loves her coffee and her strict, blustery father who feels it isn’t proper for a girl to be drinking it. With three singers plus instruments, this little drama is the closest Bach ever came to writing an opera. The concert will also include a brilliant Vivaldi Concerto for Two Violins, as well as music of Corelli and Rameau.
PROGRAM:
Bach: Coffee Cantata
Corelli: Concerto grosso, Op. 6, No. 6
Vivaldi: Concerto grosso, Op. 3. No. 11
Rameau: Pièce de clavecin, No. 3
3 May, 7:00pm | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
4 May, 1:00pm | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
4 May, 7:00pm | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Star Wars: A New Hope
Watch the full film with live orchestra playing the music!
27 April, 2:30pm | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
29 April, 7:00pm | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Carmina Burana & Double Piano Concertos
Digital concert tickets available May 19–June 16 here
27 April, 7:30pm | First Parish in Cambridge, MA | pay-what-you-decide
Eudaimonia, A Purposeful Period Band: Harmonizing Divided Worlds
A reprise of Eudaimonia’s transporting salon concert presented at last year’s Portland Bach Experience, featuring music for instruments and voices by Salamone Rossi, who brought early Baroque musical language and Jewish liturgical music together in a moving and beautiful way. See Sylvia’s essay written while rehearsing this piece for that first set of performances here.
28 March, 7:00pm | Woodford’s Congregational Church, Portland, ME | tickets $18–$40.50
North Star Baroque: Bach Brandenburg & Vivaldi
North Star Baroque’s second concert of the season will feature Bach’s beloved Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and a Vivaldi concerto for sopranino recorder with Venezuelan recorder virtuoso Aldo Abreu. The Brandenburg is a triple concerto for flute, violin and harpsichord soloists, with a famous harpsichord cadenza that was no doubt played by Bach himself. The Vivaldi has a very high solo part for which modern orchestras often use a piccolo, but our performance will feature Vivaldi’s original instrument, a sopranino recorder. Also on the program will be sparkling works by Purcell and Handel.
PROGRAM:
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #5
Vivaldi: Concerto in A minor for sopranino recorder
featuring Venezuelan recorder virtuoso, Aldo Abreu
Handel: Concerto grosso in A Major, Op. 6, No. 11
Purcell: Fantazia: Three Parts on a Ground
14 March, 1:00pm | Ellsworth Community Music Institute, Ellsworth, ME | free
15 March, 4:00pm | Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben, ME | $25/$20, children free, optional dinner
22 March, 4:00pm | Blue Hill Congregational Church | $25 at the door, students free
Sylvia plays with Baroque Orchestra of Maine (BOOM)
Featuring a Concerto for Harp by George Frederick Handel and Sonatas and Duets by Vivaldi, Telemann, Merula, Uccellini and LeClair.
Heidi Powell and Sylvia Schwarz, baroque violins; Phoebe Durand-McDonnell, baroque harp.
4 March | Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME | tickets $18–$105.50
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Also sprach Zarathustra
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Even if you don’t know its name, you’ll recognize the iconic opening fanfare of Strauss’ epic tone poem—immortalized through its various uses in popular culture starting with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Inspired by Nietzsche’s work of the same name, Also sprach Zarathustra paints a musical journey through the progression of the human race.
In contrast to Strauss’ human inspiration, contemporary composer Gabriela Ortiz found it in the intangible, looking to the kauyumari or “blue deer,” a spiritual guide of the Huichol people that helps them communicate with their ancestors.
Balancing the program is Beethoven’s beautifully serene, and equally remarkable, piano concerto performed by beloved, award-winning, Maine pianist, Diane Walsh. More info and program notes
PROGRAM:
Gabriela ORTIZ: Kauyumari
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major featuring Diane Walsh
STRAUSS: Also sprach Zarathustra featuring James Kennerly
1 March | Private home in Cambridge, MA
Eudaimonia, A Purposeful Period Band: Fundraising Celebration and Concert
We’ll have musical offerings from Eudaimonia’s members that dip into our myriad musical worlds: instrumentalists Sylvia Schwartz, Rebecca Shaw, Na’ama Lion, Nelli Jabotinsky, Diane Heffner, Guinevere Fridley, along with singers Carrie Cheron, Pam Murray, Maverick, Monty Hill, René Minalga-Rheault, Iris Pfrommer, Cameron Dobson, and others! There’ll be things to drink and nibble, easy conversation, and an opportunity for you to learn more about the First Parish Meals Program. Everyone who makes a contribution of $10 or more to our fundraising campaign will receive an invitation with details. We hope to see you there!
25 January, 4:00pm | St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church, Bar Harbor, ME
Consort Music from 17th Century England
Join Harmonie Universelle for some delightfully weird and beautiful music by Lawes and Purcell, featuring Heidi Powell and Sylvia Schwartz, baroque violins, Phoebe Durand, baroque triple harp, Raffael Scheck, baroque cello, and director Daniel Pyle, continuo organ.
19 January, 3:00–4:00pm | Piper Shores, Scarborough, ME | residents and guests
Guts Baroque: The Weimar Social Club
Imagine J.S. Bach, Telemann, and Pisendel hanging out at taverns and coffeehouses in their 20s in Weimar, trying to get their careers off the ground and trading compositional ideas. Good friends and great music!
Public performances of this program TBA
2024
24 December, 4:00pm | Trinity Episcopal Church, Melrose, MA
Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and more
Christmas Eve service music directed by Ben Rechel featuring period instrument performances of Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and “Et exultavit” from Bach’s Magnificat.
21 December, 7:30pm | Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst, MA
Handel’s Messiah and Chandos Anthem No. 7
Join Arcadia Players for an all-Handel holiday concert featuring Part 1 of Messiah (the Christmas portion) and Hallelujah from Part 2, as well as the Chandos Anthem My Song Shall be Alway. Handel’s magnificent setting of the Advent Psalm 89 was written for performance at Cannons, a musical establishment presided over by the Duke James Brydges, later known as Lord Chandos. You can enjoy the familiar music from Messiah, and discover some of Handel’s best choral music you may not yet have heard. Andrus Madsen directs.
14 December, 7:00–9:30pm | First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, ME
Handel’s Messiah
Ring in the season with one of the most popular classical works of all time! A collaboration between Blue Hill Bach and Baroque Orchestra of Maine. Part 1 and selections from Parts 2 and 3. George Emlen directs.
8 December, 3:00pm | Christ Church, Andover, MA
Joyeux Noël!
Poulenc, Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël
Charpentier, Messe de minuit pour Noël
and seasonal favorites. David Hodgkins directs.
27 October, 3:00–4:15pm | Brunswick, ME | tickets
2 November, 5:00–6:15pm | Portland, ME | tickets
3 November, 3:00–4:15pm | Bangor, ME | tickets
Mozart Requiem Renewal
Less than half of Mozart’s Requiem, his famous Mass for the Dead, was written by the composer before he died. Reimagined by classical conductor/composer Dr. Emily Isaacson, Indie-rock singer-songwriter Don Mitchell, and film composer Joel Lindberg, Mozart Requiem Renewal uses every note that Mozart penned and realizes the rest to create a 21st-century celebration of life.
26 October, 7:00pm | Wesley Methodist Church, Hadley, MA | tickets
Concerti for a King: music from the Court of Frederick the Great
In 1732, eight years before Frederick the Great ascended to the Prussian throne, he formed a court orchestra at his estate in Rheinsberg. Frederick was a great judge of talent and quickly assembled a core of the most promising young musicians; his two greatest prizes were the violinists Franz Benda and Johann Gottlieb Graun. The two shared concert master duties and also wrote the most impressive violin music of the era. Later, Frederick the Great persuaded the young Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to join the orchestra, pairing one of the greatest keyboard players of the day with two of the best violinists. This concert will feature violin concerti by Graun and Benda alongside a keyboard concerto by Carl Philip Emanuel Bach. All three concerti are marvelous and astounding. Julia Glenn will be the featured violin soloist and Artistic Director Andrus Madsen will solo on the Bach concerto.
18 October, 7:00pm | Hannaford Hall, USM, Portland, ME | tickets
North Star Baroque’s Inaugural Concert
Corelli: Concerto grosso in D, Op. 6, No. 7
Handel: Sonata in G, Op. 5, No. 4
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Christina Day Martinson, soloist)
22 September, 2:00–3:30pm | Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME
Vigorous Tenderness
Vigorous Tenderness is an immersive outdoor concert series that amplifies marginalized voices in classical music and democratizes new / experimental music. This fall equinox event resembles an art museum experience, with chamber music in harmony with the landscape while the audience follows a path of listening and reflection.
Sylvia and Kirsten Monke, violist, play And What I Mean is This by Courtney Bryan
RESCHEDULED FROM JULY 22 August, 7:00pm | Somesville Union Meetinghouse, Somesville, ME (Mount Desert Island)
Quietside Chamber Music Festival
A baroque evening of music for violin, cello, and harp on period instruments!
Repertoire includes Vivaldi’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat
15 August | Portland Conservatory of Music, Portland, ME
Guts Baroque Workshop and Concert
Join us for an introduction to baroque performance practice, with a lunchtime concert in the middle.
9 July, 7:30pm | Lincoln, MA
10 July, 7:30pm | Andover, MA
11 July, 7:30pm | Boston, MA
26 July, 7:30pm | Virtual premiere
Guts Baroque plays Fantasticus! at SoHIP
Guts Baroque with featured guest Andrus Madsen will perform whimsical, varied, and fantastical instrumental music from the 17th-century courts of what is now Germany and Austria. Emperor Leopold I, himself a musician and composer, brought several prominent Italian musicians across the Alps to Vienna. These guests, including violin virtuoso Antonio Bertali, received good salaries and plenty of opportunities to perform, to compose, and to teach the new generation of German musicians the Stylus Fantasticus: the Italian style of purely instrumental fantasies made popular by Italian composers such as Girolamo Frescobaldi. Bertali’s student Johann Heinrich Schmelzer further developed the style, and his innovations helped spread it throughout what is now Germany, teaching and inspiring other prominent composers including Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber.
Girolamo Frescobaldi: Canzon Prima a canto solo, F 8.01c
Antonio Bertali: Violin Sonata 2 in d minor from Partiturbuch Ludwig
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer: Sonata Unarum Fidium 1
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Sonata 2 from 8 Sonatas (1681)
and keyboard works by Johann Jakob Walther and Johann Jacob Froberger, who the composer and treatise author Mattheson used as an example when he defined “stylus fantasticus”
30 June, 2:00pm | Piper Shores, Scarborough, ME | residents and guests
Guts Baroque at Piper Shores
Guts presents our Fantasticus! program for residents and guests
21 June, 6:00–8:00pm | Mackworth Island State Park, Falmouth, ME
Vigorous Tenderness, Summer Solstice 2024
Celebrate summer with vibrant chamber music that connects new sounds, the environment, and the community.
Vigorous Tenderness is an immersive outdoor concert series that amplifies marginalized voices in classical music and democratizes new / experimental music. This summer solstice event resembles an art museum experience, with chamber music in harmony with the landscape while the audience follows a path of listening and reflection.
Please arrive between 6 and 6:45pm and move through the installation at your own pace.
Sliding scale donations are welcomed: suggested ticket price is $25 but please pay what you can based on need.
Cash and venmo are accepted; everything goes to the musicians and to sustaining future concerts. venmo: @VigorousTenderness
This concert involves moving over uneven ground, navigating some wide trails that are relatively flat, and visiting musical sites up to .5 miles from the parking lot. For more information about accessibility and trail conditions, please reach out to vigorous.tenderness@gmail.com.
Please bike or carpool; parking will be limited!
The rain/snow date for this event is Friday, June 21st.
People of all ages are welcome; this is a family friendly event.
Featuring music by Julius Eastman, Leilahua Lanzilotti, Carlixto Alvarez, Lili Boulanger, Mary D Watkins, Michael Tippett, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, and more.
Performed by Molly Harmon, Sylvia Schwartz, Jordan Guerette, Ry Johnson, David Keezing, Heather Milberger, Kal Sugatski, Katherine Liccardo, Brian Shankar Adler, Kate Beever, Eric Yim, Rebecca Hartka, Maya French, Sol Adams, Nicole Rabata, Michael Albert, and more.
join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/dJ0XBA
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vigorous.tenderness/
more about Vigorous Tenderness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjdcswdJgqw
Read about Vigorous Tenderness in The Maine Mag: https://www.themainemag.com/a-musician-brings-classical…/
Vigorous Tenderness is seeking a CPA or someone with accounting experience to be the treasurer of our board. If you believe in our vision and would like to be a part of our work, please reach out to vigorous.tenderness@gmail.com .
This concert is supported by Shahida Keen Associate Broker Realtor, The Onion Foundation, and many wonderful volunteers. We are deeply grateful.
6–16 June | Multiple locations, Portland and Brunswick, ME
Portland Bach Experience
Many events, some free, from a carnival concert with activities for kids to Bach played at a brewery to concerts intimate and grand!
Salon Concert with Eudaimonia, featuring music of Salamone Rossi;
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
Vivaldi: Gloria
Frazin: Peace Cantata (premiere)
25 May | St Saviour’s Episcopal Church, Bar Harbor, ME
Recorder Concertos with Aldo Abreu and Harmonie Universelle
Details coming soon! With Daniel Pyle, harpsichord, part of the St Saviour’s Evening Music series.
19 May, 7:00pm | First Parish in Cambridge, MA | pay-what-you-decide
Gates of Justice: A Four-Century Musical March Toward Equality and Understanding
with Eudaimonia, A Purposeful Period Band
A concert capturing parallels among peoples experiencing and rising out of persecution from 1624 to 2024, lifting up initiatives that pursue justice within these communities. This concert lifts up the work of the Negro Spiritual Royalties Project from United Parish in Brookline. Connecting contemporary choral works with earlier musical portraits of oppression and redemption, the program includes:
Dave Brubeck’s jazz-infused Gates of Justice
Salamone Rossi’s prayer of remembrance (Kaddish)
Horace Silver’s Peace
works by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
and choral and solo Baroque works portraying biblical heroines
Dave Brubeck’s Gates of Justice is an attempt to heal the rift between the Jewish and American Black civil rights supporters that emerged after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. This choral work highlights commonalities through histories of struggle, similarities in musical texts and heritage, and an ongoing yearning for understanding and peace.
24 April | Wadsworth Mansion, Middletown, CT
Songs, Sinfonias, and Sonatas Against the Odds
with Molly McGuire, mezzo soprano and Vivian Montgomery, harpsichord & accordion
This concert spans four centuries (1600-2000) of music evoking freedom despite oppressive forces, including psalms and dances by Italian Jewish composer Salamone Rossi, Baroque arias in the voices of biblical heroines, Yiddish theater music from the Old World, and ancient Sephardic melodies made new.
6 April, 3:00pm | Williston Immanuel United Church, Portland, ME
7 April, 3:00pm | First Parish Church, Brunswick, ME
Room to Breathe with Classical Uprising and Oratorio Chorale
$37.50 in advance, $42.50 at the door; students $16.50 in advance, $21.50 at the door
Shaw: To the Hands
Muhly: Like As the Hart
Burhans: Super Flumina Babylonis
Telemann: Fantasia for Solo Violin in E-flat, 1. Dolce
23 30 March, 4:00pm | Brooklin Inn, Brooklin, ME | $25 at the door, students free
16 March, 5:00pm | Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben, ME | $25/$20, children free, optional dinner
15 March, 1:00pm | Ellsworth Community Music Institute, Ellsworth, ME | free9 March, 4:00pm | St. Savior’s Episcopal, Bar Harbor, ME | donations at the door
25 February, 2:00pm | Trinity Episcopal, Castine, ME | free
Sylvia plays with Baroque Orchestra of Maine (BOOM)
J.S. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in d, BWV 1043
Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Violins in a, RV 522
Corelli: Sonatas da Camera Op. 2 No.s 1 in D and 12 in G “Ciaccona”
dall’Abaco: Capriccio 8 for Solo Cello
Platti: Ricercata 3
11 February, 4:00pm | St. Bartholomew’s, Yarmouth, ME | free
Sylvia plays with Duo Edelen: A French Baroque Valentine Concert
Boismortier: Trio for violin, cello, & continuo in D
Rameau: Pieces de clavecin en concert, 5ème concert
Handel: “S’un di m’adora”
Valentini: Sonata for cello and harpsichord
Monteverdi: Selections from Scherzi Musicali cioè Arie & Madrigali
21 January, 4:00pm | Piper Shores, Scarborough, ME | residents and guests
Guts Baroque plays Italian Virtuosi
Corelli: Sonata Op. 5 No. 9 in A
Vivaldi: Sonata Op. 2 No. 3 in d
Veracini: Sonata Op. 1 No. 2 in a
Carbonelli: Sonata Op. 1 No. 1 in D
18 January, 12:15pm | Portland Public Library, Portland, ME | free
Guts Baroque on Noonday Concert Series: Italian Virtuosi
Corelli: Sonata Op. 5 No. 9 in A
Vivaldi: Sonata Op. 2 No. 3 in d
Veracini: Sonata Op. 1 No. 2 in a
Carbonelli: Sonata Op. 1 No. 1 in D
2023
16 December, 4:30pm | Bistro La Cave, Camden, ME | donation
Barroom Messiah
Sing along with us!
4 November, 3pm | First Parish, Brunswick, ME
5 November, 3pm | Temple Beth El, Portland, ME
Messiah. Multiplied. with Oratorio Chorale, Classical Uprising, and ChamberQUEER
1 October, 3pm | Emmanuel Church, Boston, MA
Memorial concert with Eudaimonia, A Purposeful Period Band
23 September, 4pm | St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church, Bar Harbor, ME
Triple Concertos with Harmonie Universelle
Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in b, BWV 1067
Telemann: Concerto for flute d’amore, oboe d’amore, and viola d’amore in E, TWV 53:E1
Graupner: Concerto for flute d’amore, oboe d’amore, and viola d’amore in G, GWV 333
10 September, 2:30pm | Early Music at St. Luke’s Cathedral Chapel, Portland, ME
Guts Baroque plays Les Maîtres du violon
Francoeur: Sonate 2 in e from Sonates à violon seul, Livre I
Leclair: Sonate 3 in Bb from Premier Livre de Sonates
Jacquet de la Guerre: Sonate 2 in D from Sonates pour le viollon
2 June, 5pm | Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME
16 June, 4:30pm | Carnival Concert, Reiche Elementary School, Portland, ME
17 June, 5pm | Orion PAC, Topsham, ME
18 June, 5pm | Sanford PAC, Sanford, ME
22 June, 7pm | Williston Immanuel United Church, Portland, ME
23 June, 4pm | Bunker Brewing, Portland ME
24 June, 7pm | First Parish Church, Brunswick, ME
Portland Bach Experience festival
Telemann: Fantasia for Solo Violin No. 2 in G, TWV 40:15
Matteis: Passaggio rotto
Haydn: Creation
J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
Hartke: A Brandenburg Autumn
C.P.E. Bach: Cello Concerto in a
21 June, 6pm | Range Pond State Park, Poland, ME | donation
Guts Baroque at Vigorous Tenderness
Leonarda: Sonata 12
21 May, 3pm | Methuen HS Performing Arts Center, Methuen, MA
New England Classical Singers
Schubert: Mass in G
Martini: Domine, Ad adjuvandum me festina
12 May, 8pm | First Parish, Cambridge, MA
Eudaimonia, A Purposeful Period Band plays Back to Bach
An incredible musical tour from Bach to Brubeck to Marais to Grappelli and many places in between! Not to be missed.
7 May, 3pm | Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, Cambridge, MA
Coro Allegro
Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass (Missa in angustiis)
Pinkham: White Raven
White-Clayton: Many Mansions
More past concerts coming soon!
Sylvia Schwartz, Violinist 