The Portland Bach Experience will host its annual carnival June 10 at the Reiche Elementary School playground. Photo by Christina Wnek

The song of the summer? Chamber music.

Here are some of the concerts on the schedule this year.

Portland Bach Experience

The Portland Bach Experience, June 6-16, aims to make classical music accessible by presenting concerts in settings and formats not traditionally known for classical music.

This year’s calendar includes BachBends Yoga in local parks and Bach & Beer at Orange Bike Brewing Co. in Portland, as well as concerts at local art galleries and houses of worship. The signature Carnival Concert will be held at the Reiche Community School playground in Portland on June 10 with a live symphony orchestra and choir, a dance party, a parade with giant puppets and kids activities.

The program also includes a three-class series at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute called “Harmonizing Two Worlds” about Jewish composers during the Italian Renaissance, leading up to a concert that will include Salomone Rossi’s seminal work “Songs of Solomon.”

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Some events are ticketed, while others are free. For the full schedule, visit portlandbachexperience.com or call 207-200-7933.

Bach Virtuosi Festival

More Bach is on deck with this concert series, June 19-25. The Bach Virtuosi Festival expanded to New York City this year with sold-out concerts in May, but it will return to Portland for its ninth summer in Maine.

The overarching theme for this year’s festival is “The Eternal Bach,” inspired by the NASA spacecraft Voyager 1, which launched in 1977 and is still traveling through the solar system. On board is a recording of 20 works of music to be shared with extraterrestrials should they be found, and the festival’s opening concert will feature the three pieces by Bach that are included on that “Golden Record.”

The Bach Virtuosi Festival will return to Maine for its ninth summer. Photo by Brian Kaplan/Bach Virtuosi Festival.

Other programs include three Brandenburg Concerto, and the festival has added a second Bach by Candlelight show this summer in response to the high level of interest last year. The festival also presents a free concert at the Portland Museum of Art by graduate students from the Julliard School and the Eastman School of Music in New York.

Single tickets for most concerts are $45; admission to Bach by Candlelight is $55. Package discounts are available. For a full schedule and more information, visit bachvirtuosifestival.org or call 207-492-5508.

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Portland Symphony Orchestra

The Portland Symphony Orchestra will present its summer concert series at the Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach.

The Great American Songbook with Aubrey Logan will feature a mix of American standards and original works with “the Queen of Sass” on June 22 at 7 p.m. Popular local band Rustic Overtones will perform with the orchestra for the first time June 28 at 7 p.m. And Symphonic Con on July 13 at 7 p.m. will celebrate pop culture and comic-book-inspired art with film scores from “Lord of the Rings,” “Legends of Zelda,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” “The Incredibles,” “Spiderman,” “Superman,” “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter.”

Tickets costs between $30 and $40; season subscribers receive a 20% discount. For more information, visit portlandsymphony.org or call the PortTix box office at 207-842-0800.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra will perform three concerts this summer at the Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach. Photo courtesy of the Portland Symphony Orchestra

Bowdoin International Music Festival

This year marks the 60th season for the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

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The lineup from June 24 to Aug. 2 includes a ticketed concert series featuring faculty and visiting artists, as well as 175 free events including student performances, composer lectures, master classes, family events and community concerts across Midcoast and southern Maine. Every year, 275 students come from across the United States and more than a dozen countries to study at the festival.

The kickoff this year is a June 24 concert with the Ying Quartet and pianist Soyeon Kate Lee at Studzinski Recital Hall in Brunswick. The rest of the season will welcome five additional string quartets and other distinguished musicians. The Talea Ensemble from New York will headline the Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, three days dedicated to new music. A festival birthday celebration on the Brunswick Mall will be held July 20 at 4 p.m. (rain date July 21) with a concert, instrument petting zoo and free cupcakes.

Individual admission for ticketed events is $49, and subscriptions and bulk passes are available at a savings. For a full schedule of ticketed and free events, visit bowdoinfestival.org or call 207-373-1400.

Ying Quartet perform for a sold-out hall during the Bowdoin International Music Festival’s 2023 season. Photo by Michele Stapleton/Bowdoin International Music Festival

Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival

The 52nd season for the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival will be July 12, 23 and 30 and Aug. 6 and 13. Those signature Tuesday night concerts are held at the historic Deertrees Theatre in Harrison. Two dozen artists will perform during the course of the festival, which also includes community concerts in Bridgton, Norway, South Paris, Waterford, Scarborough, Falmouth, Chebeague Island and in New Hampshire and Connecticut.

Individual tickets are $35 per concert, and season tickets are available. Anyone under 21 years old can attend for free. For more information and tickets, visit sebagomusicfestival.org.

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Portland Chamber Music Festival

This August mainstay will return with two weeks of programs and 23 musicians from around the world.

Artistic Director Melissa Reardon said this year’s festival was inspired by “that summer-in-Maine feeling, that joyful yet relaxed spirit.”

Selections include beloved masterworks from composers including Bach, Geminiani, Mendelssohn, Fauré and Dvořák. The East Coast Chamber Orchestra and pianist Shai Wosner will give the Maine premiere of “Handmade Universe,” which will also be performed at the Salt Bay Chamberfest the next day. A special Sunday evening vocal showcase called “Nate’s World” will blend famous opera arias, popular tunes and instrumental interludes.

The festival will run from Aug. 8-17 at Hannaford Hall at the University of Southern Maine campus. Single tickets start at $30 for first-time attendees, and children under 18 years old and full-time students get in for free. Package discounts are available. For the full program and more information, visit pcmf.org. For tickets, visit porttix.com or call the PortTix box office at 207-842-0800.

The East Coast Chamber Orchestra performs at the Portland Chamber Music Festival in 2022. Photo courtesy of the Portland Chamber Music Festival

Portland Conservatory of Music

The Portland Conservatory of Music will host a masterclass with pianist Diane Walsh on June 2. Students interested in in-depth instruction should apply by May 23 at pcm.org. The class is open to the public and free for both participants and the general public.

The nonprofit will also has concerts scheduled as part of its “Dimensions in Jazz” and “Classical Dimensions” series this summer.

For tickets and a full schedule, visit pcm.org or call the Portland Conservatory of Music at 207-775-3356.


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