Series of five concerts runs through August and may be purchased as a series
STONINGTON — Opera House Arts has announced the launch of Deer Isle’s first chamber music series, Tuesdays at 7 p.m., at its Burnt Cove Church facility beginning Tuesday, June 25 and continuing through August. Working with local violinist Heidi Powell, OHA has booked an eclectic group of musicians and compositions for this initial year, beginning with The Hancock Quartet performing a range of string music from Beethoven to contemporary composers on June 25.
The series continues on July 9 with Johnny Gandelsman, lead violinist for the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Rider contemporary classical ensemble, in a unique solo exploration of the single voice of the violin across three centuries of music. Boom — The Baroque Orchestra of Maine — is scheduled on July 16, performing virtuoso solo works for harpsichord and violin. The series continues with Sonatas and Show Pieces for Violin and Piano on July 30 and ends on August 20 with Trio Nuevo featuring Leah Zelnick performing lush, satisfying 20th-century works.
OHA has overseen additional improvements to the church since its initial 2012 season, including new seat cushions for the pews and a brand new air conditioner that is high functioning but creates minimal sound.
The newly-renovated church functions as a secondary performance and rehearsal space for Opera House Arts, the not-for-profit organization responsible for restoring and returning to life the 1912 Stonington Opera House on the National Register of Historic Places. The Burnt Cove Church Community Center’s board of directors invited OHA to oversee an eight-month restoration of the building in 2012. OHA subsequently booked 12 performances into the church for the summer of 2012, as well as managing additional community use of the space. For more information, email info@operahousearts.org or call 207-367-2788.
“The space has remarkable acoustics, and the renovation of its original tin interior and wooden pews by Stewart Construction is beautiful,” said Richard Howe, chair of Opera House Arts’ Board of Directors. “We think community members will be delighted by it.”
Tickets for each of the five performances are $20. Audience members are encouraged to buy the entire series, for a per ticket 20 percent discount ($16 per ticket), or purchase a Flex Pass to go to any three of the five concerts for a 10 percent discount ($18 per ticket). OHA’s Island Students Free program, which now includes students in the Sedgwick and Brooklin schools, extends to its performances at the church. To purchase tickets online, or for further information and a full schedule of events at both the Opera House and the Burnt Cove Church, visit Opera House Arts online at www.operahousearts.org. Programs sell out and advance ticket purchases are strongly recommended.
Tickets for events at the Burnt Cove Church may also be purchased at the Opera House box office or picked up at the door of the church at the time of the show. The Burnt Cove Church is located at 17 Airport Road in Stonington, just off Route 15A behind Burnt Cove Market. Parking at the church is extremely limited. Audience members are advised to car pool and to be prepared to walk. Accessible parking and entrance to the church is available. Facilities at the church are limited to port-a-potties.
Opera House Arts is one of only a handful of year-round theaters in Maine to operate under an Actors Equity Small Professional Theater contract. OHA not only presents but commissions and produces new work from Maine artists. The Opera House, part of the Maine Performs network, has become a noted destination for performance in Maine. Showing movies nearly continuously since 1918, the Opera House is open 52 weeks a year with a full schedule of film and exciting original events unlike the schedule of any other theater in Maine.
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