PORTopera Announces Cookbook Debut During 2008 Season

portopera announces cookbook debut during the 2008 season PORTLAND, Maine – PORTopera's first cookbook, Cucina del Bel Canto, will be available during the production of Roméo et Juliette on July 24 and 26 at Portland's Merrill Auditorium. Cucina del Bel Canto includes over 500 recipes gathered from area chefs, foodies, singers and board members. "Cooking is like making music. Put all the right notes together and you have perfect harmony. Apply the same concept to Cucina del Bel Canto's many wonderful recipes and Ecco la, a great dish!," said PORTopera cookbook committee chair Angela LeBlanc. The cookbook is filled with stunning images of past PORTopera productions by photographer Martha Mickles and the book design features a useful built-in easel. The cookbook is underwritten by Selma Pluznick and the Oscar Pluznick Foundation. This limited edition print run will retail for $24.95; only 500 copies are available. A second volume will follow in the future. To pre-order copies contact Angela LeBlanc at 207-985-1975. PORTopera is in its 14th season. Tickets for the July 24 and 26 performances of Roméo et Juliette are available online at www.porttix.com, by phone, (207) 842-0800, or in person at the 20 Myrtle Street box office in Portland, Maine between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. PORTopera is Maine's only opera company performing fully staged operas with nationally and internationally acclaimed singers.

PSO Presents "Summer Serenades" Series, Beginning July 19

PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS SUMMER SERENADES BEGINNING JULY 19 PORTLAND, Maine – This July, The Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is delighted to present a series of chamber orchestra concerts entitled Summer Serenades, featuring a guest appearance by MPBN's newest voice, Tom Porter. A great way to spend a summer evening with the whole family while enjoying music in enchanting Southern Maine settings, concerts will take place in Boothbay (July 25), Old Orchard Beach (July 27) and Harrison (July 29). Summer Serenades will showcase Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Tom Porter. The programs also include Rossini's Overture to Barber of Seville, a favorite from the operatic repertoire, and Mendelssohn's delightful Symphony No. 4, also known as "the Italian." Conducting the Summer Serenades will be Matthew Fritz, who has studied conducting under PSO Music Director Robert Moody. A native of Birmingham, England, Tom Porter comes from a family of British journalists. He worked for nearly eight years at Bloomberg Television and Radio in London as a reporter and news producer. He is also a trained jazz pianist. The schedule and ticket information is as follows: July 25, 2008 at 6:00 PM Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens | 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay For tickets call (207) 633-4333 or visit www.MaineGardens.org. July 27, 2008 at 6:00 PM Salvation Army Pavilion | 17 Prospect Street, Old Orchard Beach For tickets call (207) 934-2024 or visit www.OOBPavilion.org. July 29, 2008 at 7:30 PM Sebago Long Lake Music Festival | Deertrees Theatre, 156 Deertrees Road, Harrison For tickets call (207) 583-6747 or visit www.SebagoMusicFestival.org. For more information about the Portland Symphony Orchestra call (207) 773-6128 or visit www.portlandsymphony.com.

PSO 2007-08 Season Concludes with Robert Moody Conducting, May 6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 18, 2008 CONTACT: Amanda Flanagan, 207-775-2126 ext. 121 gBritt PR

PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2007-2008 SEASON CONCLUDES WITH ROBERT MOODY CONDUCTING TUESDAY MAY 6 PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO)'s 2007-08 season will close with a spectacular concert conducted by incoming PSO Music Director Designate Robert Moody on Tuesday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Merrill Auditorium in Portland. Seating for this concert is extremely limited. Ticket holders are invited to attend the Concert Conversation at 6:15 p.m. in the Rehearsal Hall, led by Maestro Moody. The program opens with PHOENIX for orchestra, a work premiered by Robert Moody in 2007. Internationally recognized composer Dan Locklair's music has been performed throughout Europe and North America by many major orchestras, choral groups, chamber ensembles and soloists. Cellist Denise Djokic, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will join PSO as guest soloist on Franz Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto in D Major. Already one of the most captivating young artists of her generation, Djokic has thrilled audiences and critics worldwide with the passion, vigor, and sensitivity of her playing. She has performed as guest soloist with every leading orchestra in Canada as well as many in the US and Mexico, and has toured Canada extensively, during which she was featured as the subject of the documentary film "Seven Days, Seven Nights." Her 2002 debut recording won her an East Coast Music Award for "Best Classical Recording of the Year," and during the same year, Djokic was a featured performer at the Grammy Awards. She was named by MacLean's magazine as one of "25 Young Canadians who are changing our World," and by ELLE magazine as one of "Canada's 30 most Powerful Women." The PSO's 2007-2008 season will close with Gustav Mahler's spectacular Symphony No. 1. Always a delight for symphony devotees and neophytes alike, the renowned piece was described by composer Arnold Schoenberg as, "…a stretch of wild and secret country, with eerie chasms and abysses neighbored by sunlit, smiling meadows, haunts of idyllic repose. …an event of Nature, which after scouring us with its terrors puts a rainbow in the sky." The May 6th concert is sponsored by the Canadian Consulate General. The night before this concert, May 5, Robert Moody will conduct another performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in a special PSO Podium Prelude Concert. The event is designed to introduce Portland and the southern Maine community to incoming Music Director Moody with this celebrated piece of music. Tickets are still available for this hour-long performance at the special low price of $25 for any seat in the house. Tickets for all PSO performances are available now through www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or at the PortTix box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

PSO Offers the Opportunity to Hear Mahler's Symphony No. 1 for $25

PORTLAND, Maine – In order to showcase a tremendous piece of music – as well as their new Music Director Designate – the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents Mahler's spectacular Symphony No. 1 in glorious Merrill Auditorium on Monday, May 5^th for only $25 per person. For those who've never been to a PSO performance, and even for those who have, this Podium Prelude Concert offers an unparalleled opportunity to hear an hour-long concert designed to introduce incoming Music Director Robert Moody to Portland and the southern Maine community. All tickets are available for the same low price.

Deborah Galarneau, President of the PSO's Board of Trustees, said, "We have never been able to offer the community such a special event at such an economical price. And there is still the opportunity to get seats that would usually cost at least twice as much! We're thrilled to introduce the community to Maestro Moody at this special event."

Mahler's Symphony No. 1 is one of the most exciting and accessible works ever written for symphony orchestra. The first movement is full of birdsongs, the second movement is a folk dance, and the third movement is a spooky funeral march, with klezmer accents, based on the "Frere Jacques" melody. The stormy finale begins with an alarming bang and builds to a huge climax. Program notes and an audio invitation from Robert Moody are available at www.portlandsymphony.com.

In addition to the $25 tickets for the May 5 concert there are a limited number of $150 tickets, which include Grand Tier seating and an exclusive cocktail reception at the Cumberland Club with Robert Moody. Those tickets can be purchased by calling the PSO office at (207) 773-6128.

Robert Moody will direct Mahler's Symphony No. 1 again on Tuesday May 6 as part of the PSO's season finale concert. That program will also include Dan Locklair's PHOENIX for orchestra, a piece commissioned in 2006 by Robert Moody, and Haydn's Cello Concerto in D Major, with celebrated Canadian guest soloist Denise Djokic. Tickets are extremely limited to this event.

Tickets for the Podium Prelude and other PSO performances are available now through www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or at the PortTix box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

PSO Announces KinderKonzert Percussion Program, May 9-16

Introducing young children to instrument families and musical concepts

PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) percussion ensemble will take students on an around-the-world adventure with "KinderKonzert Percussion: Cowboy Ed Rides Again!" Students will hear a variety of new rhythms and beats throughout the tale, which will be presented May 9-16 in Windham, Portland, Brunswick, South Portland, Lewiston and Saco, Maine.

In Cowboy Ed Rides Again, Ed is lost and keeps ending up in different parts of the world. At each stop, Ed learns about the various cultures, instruments and dance traditions and then brings home a new song from each land. Narrated by Jerry and Lisa Leake, audiences will hear a range of global rhythms and beats, and see dances from Spain, China, India, Brazil and other countries. Kids will learn dances from the African Dagomba to the tango and will learn to sing the African song "Na Yella Bo," in addition to much more.

KinderKonzerts are fun, interactive programs with Portland Symphony musicians where kids ages 3 - 7 can sing, dance, wiggle, clap, and have fun listening and learning about music and instruments. School systems can coordinate the KinderKonzert visit with Science and English Language Arts instruction in addition to Visual and Performing Arts. Specially prepared worksheets designed to support Maine's Learning Results are available online or by contacting the PSO.

KinderKonzerts are sponsored by Time Warner Cable, with the following local businesses providing underwriting support of Cowboy Ed: CBRE/The Boulos Company for the May 12^th Portland performances, Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution for the May 14^th South Portland shows, and Casella Waste Systems, Inc. for the May 16^th programs in Saco.

All tickets for the PSO's KinderKonzerts are $3. For additional information and reservations visit www.portlandsymphony.com or call (207) 773-6128. For school reservations, please contact the PSO Reservation Coordinator at (207) 773-6128, Ext. 306 or education@portlandsymphony.com.

The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ Welcome Ben Van Oosten April 19 for a French Romantic Concert

PORTLAND, Maine – The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ (FOKO) welcome guest organist Ben van Oosten from the Netherlands on Tuesday, April 29^th for a French Romantic Concert in Portland's Merrill Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Van Oosten will join Portland Municipal Organist Ray Cornils for a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m.

The concert will feature works from the great French organ romantic literature, including Alexandre Guilmant's, Sonate nr. 1 in D minor, Op. 4, Charles-Marie Widor's, Trois Nouvelles Pièces, Op. 87, César Franck's, Choral nr. 1 in E major, and Louis Vierne's, Symphony nr. 3 in f-sharp minor, Op. 28.

Van Oosten is one of the foremost international organists of today, best known for his highly-regarded recordings of French romantic organ literature for the MD&G label, including the eight sonatas of Alexandre Guilamnt and the complete organ works of Louis Vierne and Charles-Marie Widor. Van Oosten, born in The Hague in 1955, studied the organ and piano at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amersterdam and later studied in Paris. Aside from his concert career, van Oosten is an organ professor at the Rotterdam Conservatory, where he teaches students from all over the world. Today, van Oosten serves as organist at the Grote Kerk in The Hague and is artistic director of the annual International Organ Festival.

Suggested admission at the door is $15, attendees under 21 are free.

About the Kotzschmar Organ
The Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, built in 1912 by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford Connecticut, is this nation's oldest working municipal organ. With 5 manuals for the hands, a 32-note pedal board, 6857 pipes from ½ inch to 32 feet in length, 87 stops, 101 ranks, it is truly one of this nation's musical treasures.

About Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ
Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ was founded in 1981 as a result of the city of Portland's need to withdraw funding for the organ due to financial limitations. Today, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Kotzschmar Organ, the Friend's responsibilities include raising funds, presenting concerts and educational programs and engaging the services of a Municipal Organist.

For more information on any of the concerts contact Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ Executive Director Kathleen Grammer, 207-883-4234 or visit www.foko.org.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ present:

Ray Cornils, Municipal Organist and

Ben van Oosten, Guest Organist

at Merrill Auditorium – Portland, Maine

Sonate nr. 1 in D minor, Op. 42 (1874) – Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911)

Introduction et Allegro

Pastorale (Andante quasi Allegretto)

Final (Allegro assai)

From "Trois Nouvelles Pièces", Op. 87 (1934) – Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)

Mystique

Choral nr. 1 in E major (1890) -- César Franck (1822-1890)

INTERMISSION

Symphony nr. 3 in f-sharp minor, Op.28 (1911) – Louis Vierne (1870-1937)

Allegro maëstoso

Cantilène

Intermezzo

Adagio

Final

PORTopera Hosts Dinner/Dance & Auction, May 9

'WHAT HAPPENS IN VERONA STAYS IN VERONA' – PORTopera HOSTS 2008 DINNER/DANCE & AUCTION AT THE PORTLAND MARRIOTT MAY 9

PORTLAND, Maine – PORTopera's annual Dinner/Dance & Auction, an evening of "Romance and Revelry in Fair Verona," celebrating and supporting PORTopera's 2008 mainstage production of Gounod's ever-popular Roméo et Juliette, will be held on Friday, May 9th, at the Portland Marriott.

The night begins with a sumptuous northern Italian dinner – from thematic Italian Wedding Soup to Saltimbocca Chicken and Shrimp Scampi in Lemon Caper Sauce – finished with a Warm Chocolate Lava Cake served with fresh whipped cream. The Bob Charest band, voted Maine's Best Band again last year, will make an encore visit to play for dinner and dancing. Some of USM's brightest and finest voice students will provide a few arias, accompanied by Aaron Robinson. Master of Ceremonies is stage and screen actor Frank E. Reilly, a San Francisco award-winning director and husband of event co-chair Sharon Reilly. Special guest Frere Laurent (Friar Lawrence) from Roméo et Juliette will be portrayed by Peter Panagore, the Channel 6 Daily Devotions Pastor and best-selling Maine author of "Two Minutes for God."

Auctioneer John Locke will again try to break all previous records for bids on donated auction items and adventures; among the items this year will be walk-on roles in Roméo et Juliette, a sunset cruise with Pam and Peter Plumb aboard their handsome ketch "Boheme," a gourmet dinner for ten, a trip for two to the Metropolitan Opera, a commissioned portrait by British artist Davinia Hart, cooking lessons in a gourmet chef's own kitchen, and a 12-day trip to China, featuring 5-star hotel stays in Shanghai and Beijing and six days of cruising the Yangtze River (included are the Three Gorges, Xian-home of the terra cotta warriors, the Great Wall, and, of course, the Peking Opera).

Tickets to the Dinner, Dance & Auction are $125 per person, and can be obtained by calling the PORTopera office at (207) 879-7678. Co-chairs Sharon Reilly, Larry Soule, and Bonnie Riddle welcome additional Table Hosts; the cost per table of eight is $1,000, to be paid in advance.

An extra-special offer is being extended to young lovers: one table of eight is reserved for couples age 35 and under – the ticket price is $75 per person.

PORTopera's presentation of Roméo et Juliette will be Thursday and Saturday July 24^th and 26^th at Merrill Auditorium in Portland. Tickets will be available beginning in mid-April and can be purchased online at www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or in person at the 20 Myrtle Street box office in Portland, between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

About Roméo et Juliette:
Roméo et Juliette is renowned French composer Charles Gounod's operatic interpretation of the legendary Shakespearean tragedy and very closely follows Shakespeare's well-known play. On the heels of Gounod's success with his rendition of Faust (performed by PORTopera in 2002), Roméo et Juliette opened on April 27, 1867 at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris, where its immediate and remarkable acclaim demanded 100 consecutive nights of performances. It has long remained one of France's most prized operas.

Portland Symphony Orchestra's Kinderkonzert Series Presents "Dancing with Strings"

A full schedule follows at the end of the release. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 21, 2008 CONTACT: Gillian Britt, 207-775-2126 gBritt PR PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S KINDERKONZERT SERIES PRESENTS DANCING WITH THE STRINGS Introducing young children to instrument families and musical concepts PORTLAND, Maine - The Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) continues its KinderKonzert series with "Dancing with the Strings," where kids will explore different styles of dance through music performed by a string quintet. The program opens on March 31 at South Hiram Elementary School and then travels to nine other locations in Maine and New Hampshire for a total of 25 performances. "Dancing with Strings", narrated by Alex Ende, takes children on a trip back in time to discover how music has influenced dancing over time. Ende encourages and teaches the audience to move along with him to Renaissance Dances of the 1600's, gentle Minuets, jumping and kicking the Trepak, a popular Russian Dance, and the ballroom Waltz. The PSO Strings Quintet, comprised of 2 violins, viola, cello and bass, will demonstrate how music can tell a story in much the same way that words or pictures can. KinderKonzerts are fun, interactive programs with Portland Symphony musicians where kids ages 3 - 7 can sing, dance, wiggle, clap, and have fun listening and learning about music and instruments. The Spring 2008 KinderKonzert concludes with "Percussion: Cowboy Ed Rides Again," May 9 through May 16. School systems can coordinate the KinderKonzert visit with Science and English Language Arts instruction in addition to Visual and Performing Arts. Specially prepared worksheets designed to support Maine's Learning Results are available online or by contacting the PSO. KinderKonzerts are sponsored by Time Warner Cable. Tickets for the Portland Symphony Orchestra's KinderKonzerts are $3. For additional information and reservations visit www.portlandsymphony.com or call (207) 773-6128. # # # KinderKonzert Schedule for Strings Concerts March 31, 2008 South Hiram E.S. 9:15, 10:15 April 2, 2008 South Portland H.S. Auditorium 9:30, 10:30, 12:45 April 3, 2008 Saco, Fairfield School 9:30, 10:30, 1:00 April 4, 2008 Brunswick H.S. 9:30, 10:30, 1:00 April 7, 2008 Portland, Reiche School 9:30, 10:30, 12:45 April 8, 2008 Waldoboro, Waldo Theatre 9:30, 10:30 April 9, 2008 Center Conway, NH, Pine Tree School 9:30, 10:30 April 10, 2008 Lewiston, Bates College 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 April 28, 2008 Shelburne, NH, Town & Country Motor Inn 9:30, 10:30 April 30, 2008 Manchester, Maine, Manchester E.S 9:30, 10:30