Divas World, a Houston-based performing arts organization, returns to Boothbay for a series of summer concerts under the umbrella of the Mainely Music Festival.

The festival begins Friday and runs through July 29, with performances mostly at the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, and also at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

Additional Photos

Divas World brings its local and national artists to the Boothbay Opera House and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in July. Courtesy photos

The concerts also include a New Orleans night featuring Delfeayo Marsalis.

The Mainely Music concerts include a Marilyn Monroe-themed one.

Sonja Bruzauskas of Divas World says, "We like to not have that wall between the audience and the music."

This is the fifth season that Divas World has taken up residency in Boothbay. This summer’s concert series will include a blend of music and theater that encompasses a variety of styles.

“People like a variety of styles, and that is one of our strengths,” said Divas World artistic director Sonja Bruzauskas. “We do not do one style. We do classical music, we do jazz, we do popular music. We give people a colorful bouquet of music.”

Divas World features about a dozen local and national artists, male and female. They perform in the European salon style, with concerts that are interactive and include other art forms and thought processes, including science, history and philosophy.

“We like to pick a topic, find an expert who knows about that topic and then find music that explores that topic,” said Bruzauskas. “It’s like a talk show with a panel discussion about a topic and music that explores it. We like to involve and integrate our audience a little bit more. We like to not have that wall between the audience and the music.”

The group’s name was selected from the term “diva,” which means “one that divines — or channels — truth,” she said.

Bruzauskas co-founded Divas World with Marie Bosarge, a seasonal resident of Boothbay. They tour all over, and frequently perform overseas. But for the last few years, they have spent much of their summer in Maine.

The seasonal concerts in Maine began with Bruzauskas and another singer performing a birthday concert at the Bosarge home. From that start, the concerts grew bigger and more organized, and this summer will involve five concerts in four weeks. Themes range from movie songs, arias from opera, and music from Broadway and New Orleans jazz.

Proceeds from the concerts benefit the operations of the opera house and the botanical garden.

The garden concerts are new this summer. The Bosarge Family Education Center opens at the Boothbay garden on July 15. “They approached us, and said ‘We want to do a big grand concert for the education center.’ We found music that has something to do with gardening and flowers, from the famous flower aria from ‘Carmen’ to Bette Midler’s ‘The Rose,’” Bruzauskas said.

Here is the schedule of concerts:

• “At the Movies,” 8 p.m. Friday, Opera House at Boothbay Harbor; $20 in advance; $25 day of show; tickets may be purchased at the box office, by calling 633-5159 or visiting boothbayoperahouse. org. The concert will include a compilation of songs from movies. Film critic Sara Voorhees will discuss the nuances of lyric and melody, and the influence they have on films. Medleys will include Disney songs, music from James Bond movies, a love song medley, a variety of rock selections and a classical piece by special guest vocalist Jean Strazdes.

• “Opposites,” 8 p.m. Saturday, Opera House at Boothbay Harbor; $20 in advance; $25 day of show; tickets at the box office, by calling 633-5159 or by visiting boothbayoperahouse.org. “Opposites” is a musical journey from opera (“Les Pecheurs du Perles,” “Rusalka” and more) through Broadway (“Cabaret,” “Les Miserables”) to a celebration of the singer/songwriter through original works and selections.

• “Make Our Garden Grow,” 7 p.m. July 16, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; free/open to the public; reservations required by calling 633-4333, ext. 115. The concert features Broadway tunes, opera arias and popular songs around the theme of flowers, gardens and anything that represents growth, beauty and new life. The evening will include guest performances by Danielle Vayenas, as well as pianist and musical director Phillip Hall.

• “Marilyn! Babydoll Reflects,” 7 p.m. July 23, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; $17 for members, $20 general public; tickets can be purchased by calling 633-4333, ext. 115, or visiting mainegardens.org. This concert will illuminate the life of Marilyn Monroe and Hollywood glamour. Told through the music she made famous as well as her own published quotes, the show will include costuming and creative sets and lighting. Marie Bosarge and creator/producer David LaDuca will star.

• “A Night of Jazz with Delfeayo Marsalis,” 8 p.m. July 29, Opera House at Boothbay Harbor; $25 in advance; $30 day of show; tickets at the box office, by calling 633-5159 or visiting boothbayoperahouse.org.

The final Mainely Music performance will feature the music that made the Crescent City famous. Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, clarinet player Michael White, Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown and a line-up of jazz musicians will focus on the music that fueled the great battles between two of the most renowned artists in jazz, Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet.

Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:

bkeyes@pressherald.com

Follow him on Twitter at:

twitter.com/pphbkeyes

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