Portland has a new music festival, and it’s debuting this weekend. Maine’s Celtic heritage will be showcased as the Saltwater Celtic Music Festival moves into downtown Portland for three days of performances in multiple venues. First Fridays normally focus on the visual arts, but on Oct. 3 two of the Port City’s premier performing arts […]

Greater Portland Auditions/Calls for Art The Boy Singers of Maine, open house and auditions, 9-10:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, and 4-6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9, St. Mary’s Church, 43 Foreside Road, Falmouth, 797-6354, boysingersofmaine.org. Books/Authors Wednesday 9/24 “Darkness First,” author’s reading with James Hayman, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. […]

Portland’s leading claim to international musical fame is the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, a behemoth among instruments that has been a centerpiece of the city’s cultural life since 1912. Two years ago – immediately following its centennial celebration – the organ was dismantled and shipped to Connecticut for rebuilding. The Kotzschmar was re-installed in Merrill Auditorium last month, […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Monday 9/22 “Bookends: Stories of Love, Loss and Renewal,” author’s reading with Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold, 6:30 p.m., free, Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive, Freeport, 865-3307. Wednesday 9/24 “Darkness First,” author’s reading with James Hayman, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. 723.  Saturday 9/27 “Bread Pudding and […]

Greater Portland Auditions/Calls for Art Saturday 9/13 “The Nutcracker,” Portland Ballet, audition for dancers age 7 and older, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $10 fee, 517 Forest Ave., Portland, 772-9671, info@portlandballet.org. Books/Authors Tuesday 9/16 “Ed Muskie: Made in Maine,” discussion with Muskie biographer James L. Witherell, noon to 1 p.m., $5, Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress […]

Greater Portland Auditions & Calls for Art Saturday 9/13 “The Nutcracker,” Portland Ballet, audition for dancers age 7 and older, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $10 fee, 517 Forest Ave., Portland, 772-9671, info@portlandballet.org. Books & Authors Thursday 9/4 “The Sea and Civilization,” talk with author Lincoln Paine, 6:30 p.m., free, American Legion Hall, 65 Depot […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Thursday 9/4 “The Sea and Civilization,” talk with author Lincoln Paine, 6:30 p.m., free, American Legion Hall, 65 Depot St., Falmouth, 879-6024, rgraef@gwi.net. Film Tuesday 9/2 “Finding Fela,” 7 p.m., $8, SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland, 828-5600. Saturday 9/6 “Voices Across the Divide,” documentary and discussion, 7 p.m., free, […]

Leaves are turning red, ferns are turning brown and children are heading back to school. Those are sure signs that the summer season is over and Labor Day weekend is upon us. An equally sure sign of the season is the annual Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Special in Brunswick. Running Aug. 28-31, it’s the biggest […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Wednesday 8/20 “Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman,” discussion with author Peter Korn, noon, free, Rines Auditorium, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. 723. Film Tuesday 9/2 “Finding Fela,” 7 p.m., $8, SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland, 828-5600. Galleries […]

We’re in the waning weeks of the summer season, at least as far as the performing arts calendar goes, and two stalwart producers bow out this weekend. On Saturday, the Portland Chamber Music Festival will play its 2014 coda in a concert that features a new work by a Maine composer. In Brunswick, Maine State […]