AUGUSTA — The “Concerts at Jewett” series will feature Christine Letcher, soprano and pianist, and the band PUMA in concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 in Jewett Hall at the University of Maine at Augusta.
Letcher’s program will explore the mutual influences and borrowing techniques of French classical composers with American jazz musicians in the early-to-mid 20th century. The first half of the program will feature classical works for voice and piano by French Impressionist and Modernist composers Debussy and Ravel, among others. In the second half of the program, Letcher will sing jazz standards with the band, PUMA.
Letcher is a lecturer in music at the University of Maine at Augusta. She teaches applied lessons in piano and voice, music theory courses and 20th and 21st century music history. She is also the director of UMA’s newest steel drum ensemble. Letcher is the choir director and organist at the UUCC Church in Winthrop.
PUMA consists of five friends who have been involved in the UMA music program as students and faculty. The music can be called “modern jazz,” consisting of tunes from the 1940s through the present. It is offered in the common jazz format, which emphasizes improvisation by the musicians. The performers are Letcher, vocal; Bill Moseley, flute; Andy Moulton, guitar; Dave Briggs, bass; and Andy Schultz, percussion.
The concert series is sponsored by the University of Maine at Augusta College of Arts and Sciences and UMA Senior College. The next event in the series will feature Maine-ly Harmony and Back Bay Four. These two a cappella groups were a hit in the 2018 season. Their performance will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8, in Jewett Hall. Snow date is March 15.
Tickets are $10, students $5, 12 and under, free. Tickets may now be purchased online at https://www.umasc.org/concerts-at-jewett/. Tickets are also available at Dave’s Appliance in Winthrop and at the door. Call 207-621-3551 or email office@umasc.org for more information or for mail order tickets. For more information, visit www.umasc.org.
The “Concerts at Jewett” series will feature Christine Letcher, soprano and pianist, and the band PUMA in concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, in Jewett Hall at the University of Maine at Augusta. Courtesy photo from Christine Letcher
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