After a hiatus last year because of the pandemic, Portland Bach Experience returns in June for 10 days of classical music events and a dozen live and virtual concerts from Portland, Sanford and Brunswick.
The festival kicks off on June 11 with a free, carnival-style concert and community celebration, called A Midsummer Night’s Dream, involving more than 25 local arts organizations, eateries and other creative enterprises.
The festival will be held on Anderson Street from 3 to 8 p.m. with performances by musicians from the Portland Bach Experience, Ballet Bloom Project, 240 Strings, Shoestring Theater, A Company of Girls, Love Lab Studios and others. Food and drink will be supplied by Blue Lobster Urban Winery, Goodfire Brewing Company, Eighteen Twenty Wines, Lone Pine Brewing and Urban Farm Fermentory.
Events happening over the following nine days include cello suites performed outside throughout Portland from 9 a.m. to noon June 12, a performance of “The Fairy Queen” livestreamed from Sanford Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. June 12, ice cream concerts at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. June 15 at Little Giant in Portland, Bach & Beer from 5-7 p.m. June 17 at Urban Farm Fermentory in Portland, Bach’s Double Violin Concerto at 7 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church in Brunswick, and more.
For a full schedule and to purchase tickets, go to portlandbachexperience.com.
The Bach Virtuosi Festival wasn’t canceled altogether last year, but transitioned to a virtual format. It will return to in-person performances this year, Aug. 1-7.
Concerts will feature world renowned baroque musicians performing the music of J.S. Bach at St. Luke’s Cathedral and Etz Chaim Synagogue, both in Portland. For more information as the festival nears, go to bachvirtuosifestival.org.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
