PSO POPS! to Perform with Beatles Tribute Band, November 15-16

PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA POPS! WELCOMES BEATLES TRIBUTE GROUP, NOVEMBER 15-16
Featuring original members of the Broadway sensation BEATLEMANIA performing live in concert with the Portland Symphony Orchestra

Imagine The Beatles playing in concert with a symphony orchestra. What would that have sounded like? Find out for yourself at Classical Mystery Tour - a tribute to The Beatles featuring original members of the Broadway sensation "BEATLEMANIA" performing live in concert with the Portland Symphony Orchestra at Merrill Auditorium on Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 16 at 2:30 p.m.

The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour look and sound just like The Beatles, but Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert. The show presents some 20 Beatles tunes sung, played, and performed exactly as they were written. Hear "Penny Lane" with a live trumpet section; experience the beauty of "Yesterday" with an acoustic guitar and string quartet; enjoy the rock/classical blend on the hard edged "I Am the Walrus." From early Beatles music on through the solo years, Classical Mystery Tour is the best of The Beatles like you've never heard them: totally live.

Classical Mystery Tour features Jim Owen (John Lennon) on rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals; Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney) on bass guitar, piano, and vocals; Tom Teeley (George Harrison) on lead guitar and vocals; and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr) on drums and vocals. Music Director Robert Moody conducts.

Classical Mystery Tour is sponsored by New England Coffee and Holiday Inn by the Bay. Ticket prices range from $17 to $62, with special pricing available for students, seniors and groups. All Portland Symphony Orchestra tickets are sold through PortTix at (207) 842-0800 or www.porttix.com, and new this year, the website offers real-time online seat selection. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office at 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. For complete season information, including artist biographies and program notes, visit www.portlandsymphony.com.

PORTopera's Romeo et Juliette Cast

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR PORTOPERA'S "Roméo et Juliette" JULY 24 AND 26 AT MERRILL AUDITORIUM

PORTLAND, Maine – Roméo et Juliette, the renowned French composer Charles Gounod's operatic interpretation of the legendary Shakespearean tragedy, has long remained one of France's most prized operas. PORTopera will present this classic opera on July 24 and 26 at Portland's Merrill Auditorium. The roles of the famed star-crossed lovers in PORTopera's production will be played by Gaston Rivero (Roméo) and Jennifer Black (Juliette).

Uruguay-born tenor Gaston Rivero, finalist and prizewinner at the 2007 Montserrat Caballé International Singing Contest, was described by The New York Sun as a "true Italianate tenor" with a "beautiful, arresting voice." Rivero made his professional opera debut in 2004 with Opera Orchestra of New York, and has recently performed the roles of Don José in Carmen with the Knoxville Opera and Alfredo in La Traviata with Palm Beach Opera among many others. He sang as Romeo earlier this year for Opera Carolina.

American lyric soprano Jennifer Black, who completed the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in 2008, will play Juliette. A native of Houston, Texas, Black was recently awarded a 2008 Opera Index Award. She made her Santa Fe Opera debut as Micäela in Carmen during the 2006 summer season and returned there for her role debut as Mimi in La Bohème in the summer of 2007. The Santa Fe New-Mexican called her performance as Mimi, "gleaming and glorious, with wonderful nuances of light and shade and complete dynamic control" and referred to her arias as "meltingly sung." The Denver Post wrote, "The evening's revelation was soprano Jennifer Black …. She lit up the stage as Micaëla, with her pleasingly dulcet voice highlighted by nice, rounded tones and an adroit sense of phrasing."

The other roles in Roméo et Juliette will be performed by:

• Mezzo-soprano Lauren McNeese: Romeo's page, Stéphano.
  McNeese's voice has been described by critics as "creamy," "with bright shimmer like ripples in clear water." She is a graduate of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago. McNeese is well known to PORTopera fans, having appeared as Rosina in the 2007 production of Barber of Seville. Engagements for 2008 and beyond include performances with Los Angeles Opera as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi conducted by James Conlon and directed by Woody Allen, the Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte and Wellgunde in Das Rheingold both conducted by James Conlon. She will be making her Philadelphia Opera debut as L'enfant in L'enfant et les sortilèges and as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi conducted by Corrado Rovaris and directed by Robert B. Driver. In the 2009-2010 seasons McNeese looks forward to being a part of the Los Angeles Ring Cycle under the baton of James Conlon as Wellgunde in Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung.
• Baritone Michael Mayes: Mercutio.
  His operatic roles include Wagner in Faust, Sciarrone in Tosca, and Marullo in Rigoletto, Escamillo in Carmen, and Malatesta in Don Pasquale. He has appeared internationally in conjunction with La Fenice in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy. Mayes' honors include 3rd place winner at the Metropolitan National Council Auditions in Chicago, the Entergy Young Texas Artist Competition Vocalist Award, John Alexander Award, the John Moriarty Award, and an advanced division winner at the Anton Guadagno Vocal Competition.
• American bass-baritone Jeffrey Wells: Count Capulet.
  Wells entered the opera world in his late-20s after a background in Broadway musical theater, and has now appeared with every major opera company in the United States. He is a regular performer with the Metropolitan Opera, where he has sung roles including the role he will sing for PORTopera, Capulet in Roméo et Juliette. Past roles at the Met include Colline in La Boheme, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Timur in Turandot, Escamillo in Carmen, and The King in Aida. Wells sang in PORTopera's 2005 production of Carmen. He will return to the Metropolitan Opera for the 2008-09 season.
• Tenor John McVeigh: Tybalt.
  A resident of Portland, McVeigh has been acclaimed for his "fresh-toned and touching" performance by Opera News and lauded by the New Orleans Times-Picayune for his "rich lyrical tenor, fabulous top notes, and striking good looks." He frequently performs works of the classical and baroque repertoire, and is an accomplished presence on the concert stage as well as in opera houses worldwide. McVeigh has become renowned for his performances of the Novice in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd, having sung the role in his debuts with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice, as well as in a return to Houston Grand Opera. He has sung Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream in his debut at the Teatro Real, Central City Opera, and Utah Opera as well as Johnny Inkslinger in Paul Bunyan, also with Central City Opera and Hot Biscuit Slim in the same opera in performances at New York City Opera that were broadcast on Live from Lincoln Center on PBS. He sang Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette with the Houston Grand Opera Studio and is a familiar face to Portland audiences, having sung with the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
• Jordan Bisch: Frére Laurent.
  A native of Vancouver, WA, Bisch is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finals winner and joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program during the 2005–06 season. This season, as a guest performer, Bisch performed Sarastro in Juilliard Opera Theater's production of The Magic Flute. Last season he returned to the Met stage as a Trojan in Idomeneo, conducted by Maestro Levine. Bisch is a recipient of a 2005 Sara Tucker Study Grant and 2006 Richard Tucker Career Grant.
• Standish, Maine native Sara Sturdivant: Gertrude.
  Sturdivant holds both a Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree in voice performance from the University of Southern Maine, and most recently acquired a Professional Studies Diploma in voice from the Mannes College of Music in New York City. She is currently a teaching artist in New York City with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, where she teaches 1^st, 3^rd, 6^th, and 8^th grades in the Urban Voices and Speak, Play, Sing! Programs. Sturdivant is a former member of PORTopera's Maine's Emerging Artists Program; this is her first main stage role for PORTopera.
• Malcolm Smith: The Duke (Duc de Verone).
  One of America's leading basses, Smith has appeared with the world's major operatic and symphonic organizations. Smith sang the role of Duc de Verone in Roméo et Juliette at the Spoleto Festival USA. He has performed with such renowned companies as the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg Opera Munich Opera Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera Bastille, among many others. In 1996, the honorary title of "Kammersaenger" (awarded for exceptional achievements in opera) was bestowed on Smith by the Opera in Düsseldorf, where he had been Principal Bass since 1971. He is a resident of Cape Elizabeth and a member of the USM School of Music faculty. Smith sang in PORTopera's production of Don Giovanni in 2006.

Roméo et Juliette has a large chorus of 40 singers, will be accompanied by a full orchestra and will feature dancers from Portland Ballet in a newly choreographed prelude. The opera will be sung in French, with translation provided in English supertitles, appearing above the stage.

Artistic Director Dona D. Vaughn has been with PORTopera since its premiere production of Carmen in 1995. Now in its 14^th season of performances, this will be Vaughn's 6^th as Artistic Director. Her extensive directing credits include international and national productions for New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Berkshire Opera, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, New York Shakespeare Festival, and New York Repertory Theater.

New to PORTopera, conductor Israel Gursky has been an assistant conductor under Placido Domingo for the Washington National Opera since 2001 and has also been principal coach and chorus master at Wolf Trap Opera for seven seasons. He is currently in Paris with Placido Domingo, preparing for the world premiere of The Fly, an opera adaptation of the horror film. The Fly will open in Paris on July 1 and will have its US premiere in Los Angeles in September. Recent performances include a critically acclaimed Don Giovanni with the Washington National Opera, Werther at the University of Maryland, Transformations at Manhattan School of Music as well as a tour of China and Singapore, conducting the Shanghai Opera Orchestra. Gursky serves on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes College of Music in New York and recently won a conducting award from the George Solti Foundation.

For more information about PORTopera's presentations of Roméo et Juliette visit www.portopera.org. Tickets for the July 24 and 26 performances 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 and Osher Sponsor Romeo and Juliet Film Series

PORTLAND, Maine – PORTopera and the Osher Lifetime Learning Institute are sponsoring a four-week film festival to coincide with PORTopera's presentation of the opera Romeo et Juliette on July 24 and 26. The films will all be shown at 7 p.m. in the Luther Bonney Auditorium located on Bedford Street on the USM Portland campus. A rare work by Charles Gounod will be featured during the fourth week of the festival.

The Romeo and Juliet Film Festival Schedule

• Thursday, June 26 – 7p.m. – "I Capuleti e i Montecchi"
  Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto work written in 1830, in a production from the Ravenna Festival in 2005.

• Thursday, July 3 – 7p.m. – "Village Romeo and Juliet"
  Written in 1900 by Frederick Delius in the English Impressionistic style, this 1990 film is by Peter Weigl. A brief video on the life of Delius will be shown first.

• Thursday, July 10 – 7p.m. – "West Side Story"
  Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. The classic 1960's musical features Romeo and Juliet in a 20^th century setting. The film, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, won ten Oscars.

• Thursday, July 17 – 7p.m. – "Mireille"
  Written by Charles Gounod in 1864, produced by Canadian Television, and aired in 1957. This production features Pierrette Alarie and Leopold Simoneau singing Gounod's most romantic music.

Tickets are $5 each and available at the door. Call 207-879-7678 for additional information.

PORTopera will present two performances of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette on July 24 and 26 at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland. Visit www.portopera.org for more information. Tickets for the opera performances 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.

About PORTopera:
PORTopera is Maine's only opera company performing fully staged operas with nationally and internationally acclaimed singers. PORTopera will be celebrating its 14th season in 2008.

Romeo et Juliette July 24 and 26 at Merrill Auditorium

PORTLAND, Maine – PORTopera will present Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at Portland's Merrill Auditorium on Thursday, July 24 and Saturday, July 26, under the direction of Dona D. Vaughn, Artistic and Stage Director, with guest conductor Israel Gursky. Tickets for this romantic opera, based on Shakespeare's classic tragic drama Romeo and Juliet, are on sale now through PortTix, 207-842-0800. For more information about Roméo et Juliette visit www.portopera.org. Tickets are available online at www.porttix.com, by phone, 207-842-0800 or in person at the 20 Myrtle St. box office in Portland, Maine between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. About PORTopera: PORTopera is Maine's only opera company performing fully staged operas with nationally and internationally acclaimed singers. PORTopera will be celebrating its 14th season in 2008 with two performances of Gounod's Romeo et Juliette in late July.

Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ Announce Scholarship Recipients

PORTLAND, Maine – The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, administrators of the Kotzschmar Memorial Trust Scholarship Fund, recently named this year's scholarship recipients. The four scholarships will be officially awarded at the Legacy of Hermann Kotzschmar concert on Tuesday, April 15th, 7:30 p.m. at Merrill Auditorium.

Any student of the organ, orchestral instruments or voice who is a resident of greater Portland, including Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, Westbrook, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Gorham and Cumberland, and who is between the ages of 10-18 (grades 4-12) or 19-25 is eligible for the scholarship. There are four recipients for 2008, receiving $100-$1,000 each, for additional music education. In addition, there are two Honorable Mentions:

• Nell Britton, a sophomore at Cape Elizabeth High School, received a scholarship. She has studied piano for 6 years and is a student of Robert Glover.
• Henry Kramer is a graduate of Cape Elizabeth High School (class of '05) and is currently a third year student at The Juilliard School in New York City. Henry has studied piano for 8 years and was awarded a scholarship. He currently studies with Julian Martin.
• Jiyeon Kim is a Junior at Deering High School is Portland. Jiyeon received a scholarship. She has studied piano for 6 years and currently studies under Barbara Payson.
• Benjamin Jones is a ninth grade student at Yarmouth High School. Ben was awarded a scholarship. He has studied violin for 8½ years and is taught by Ronald Lantz.
• Aaron Dobieski received an Honorable Mention. Aaron is a 5^th-grader at Cape Elizabeth Middle School. He studies piano with Elizabeth Manduca and has been playing for 5 years.
• Evan Moore also received an Honorable Mention. He is a 6^th-grader at Lincoln Middle School. His piano teacher is Liz Manduca. Evan has been studying piano for 4½ years.

The Kotzschmar Memorial Trust Scholarship was established in 1911 by Mrs. Herman Kotzschmar to "aid in the musical education of such pupil or pupils, of marked ability." FOKO administers the auditions and presents the awards.

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. Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Kotzschmar, FOKO's responsibilities include raising funds, presenting concerts and engaging the services of a Municipal Organist.

Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ Celebrate the Legacy of Hermann Kotzschmar - April 15

PORTLAND, Maine – The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ will celebrate the Legacy of Hermann Kotzschmar, Portland's pre-eminent musician of the late 19th century and the organ's namesake, on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. This marks the 100^th anniversary of Hermann Kotzschmar's death.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Portland's Merrill Auditorium. Organists/choir directors Harold Stover, Albert Melton and Chip Kaufman will join Portland Municipal Organist Ray Cornils in a concert featuring works of J. S. Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, Will Macfarlane, John Knowles Paine, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Mr. Kotzschmar. Highlights of the program include Haydn's "The Heavens Are Telling" (from The Creation), Bach's "Fugue in Eb Major" (St. Anne), Macfarlane's "Evening Bells and Cradle Song," and Kotzschmar's "Rejoice in the Lord" and "Commercial Street Polka."

Choirs from First Parish Church UU, Portland; First Parish Church, UCC, Brunswick; St. Luke's Cathedral, Portland and Woodfords Congregational Church will join the Organists and Directors for this special celebration.

Hermann Kotzschmar, a German native, moved to Portland in 1849, where he worked as organist at First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist for 47 years, and as a choral conductor in Portland. Kotzschmar was a talented musician, composing music as well as instructing hundreds of students at the "Kotzschmar Piano School" for more than 50 years. His great friend, Cyrus H. Curtis, donated the Kotzschmar Organ to the City of Portland as a permanent fixture of City Hall in memory of Hermann Kotzschmar.

Admission is a suggested $12 at the door; under 21 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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The Legacy of Hermann Kotzschmar

July 4, 1829- April 15, 1908

Homeland Traditions

The Heavens Are Telling (from The Creation) Franz Joseph Haydn

Chorus 1732-1809

Ray Cornils, conductor, Harold Stover, organ

Fugue in Eb Major (St. Anne) Johann Sebastian Bach

Albert Melton, organ 1685-1750

Happy and Blest Are They (from St. Paul) Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

Chorus 1809-1847

Albert Melton, conductor, Ray Cornils, organ

When Will Ye Think of Me? Hermann Kotzschmar

Soloist TBA

Hermann Kotzschmar in Portland

Rejoice in the Lord Hermann Kotzschmar

Chorus

Chip Kaufmann, conductor, Ray Cornils, organ

The Leviathan March Hermann Kotzschmar

Ray Cornils, organ

Commercial Street Polka Hermann Kotzschmar

Henry Kramer, piano

Variations on the Austrian Hymn John Knowles Paine

Ray Cornils, organ 1839-1906

The Kotzschmar Hymn Hermann Kotzschmar

Chorus and audience

Hermann Kotzschmar's Legacy

Malaga Isaac Albeniz

Henry Kramer, piano

Evening Bells and Cradle Song Will C. Macfarlane

Harold Stover, organ 1870-1945

I Was Glad C. Hubert H. Parry

Chorus 1848-1918

Harold Stover, conductor, Albert Melton, organ

America, The Beautiful Will C. Macfarlane

Chorus and audience

Harold Stover, conductor, Ray Cornils, organ