Summer concerts and Screen Door Festival
Join us for our Summer Season featuring 28 concerts over 18 days. Our diverse, riveting program is sure to delight and inspire. The Summer Concert Series (SCS), beginning July 31, features eight dazzling concerts by internationally renowned artists, such as acclaimed pianist Conrad Tao and Verona Quartet, named one of the best string ensembles in the world.
Our Screen Door Festival, Aug.t 13 - 17, features 19 concerts over five days, including top artists, new series, and exciting collaborations. Free outdoor concerts at the Camden Village Green are back as well as several audience favorites, such as The Westerlies brass quartet, Palaver Strings, and guitar-cello duo Boyd Meets Girl.
Buy tickets now! For a full list of concerts and links to tickets and packages, go to https://baychamber.org/calendar.
Here are some Summer Season highlights: Mozart in the Morning: Aug. 13-17. Delve into the mind and music of one of history's vaunted geniuses, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. For five consecutive mornings during Screen Door Festival, we’ll move beyond the myth into Mozart's very human heart. Guided by scholar and pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner along with pianist Rachel Breen.
Conrad Tao, pianist: Aug. 7 - 8. Pianist Conrad Tao is known for his brilliant interpretation of the classical repertoire, and his nimble, earthshaking turns around the keyboard. Conrad, the 2024 winner of Bay Chamber's prestigious Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, will give three concerts as part of our Summer Concert Series.
The Westerlies: Aug. 14 & 16. Two concerts, including a free performance at Camden Village Green. Known for having the precision of a string quartet and the audacity of a rock band, this New York-based brass quartet defies category and expectation. The ensemble performs original works and inventive arrangements that dance across genres and traditions, blurring the lines between chamber music and improvisation.
Verona Quartet: July 31 & Aug. 1. Acclaimed as an “outstanding ensemble” by The New York Times, Verona Quartet has established itself as one of the best on the international chamber music scene. The ensemble is joined by luminous soprano Nola Richardson to open our Summer Concert Series. Verona returns the following evening for Candlelit Baroque, an evening of Handel and Purcell that celebrates the height of the English Baroque period.
"The Nightingale’s Encores" with Thomas Wolf: Aug. 9. Part storytelling, part live music, The Nightingale’s Encores is a narrated concert experience built on Bay Chamber co-founder Thomas Wolf’s previous sold-out performances. Accompanied by music and dozens of historical photographs, the author and musician premiere a new set of fascinating, amusing stories involving his own multi-generational musical family as part of the SCS.
Vuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall: Aug. 15. In this acclaimed collaboration, South African jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist/composer Chris Pattishall come together for an intimate, soulful evening of music. Ranging from American masterworks to South African Xhosa hymns, Vuyo and Chris, along with Palaver Strings, bring the healing power of music to Screen Door Festival.
Boyd Meets Girl: Aug. 14. Back at Screen Door by popular demand, guitarist Rupert Boyd, and cellist Laura Metcalf perform a repertoire ranging from Bach to Beyoncé. The duo’s Screen Door performance features a signature mix of musical styles, genres, and moods
Palaver Strings. Aug. 16. Portland-based, Grammy-nominated chamber orchestra Palaver Strings has distinguished itself with its spirit of curiosity and eagerness to collaborate across musical genres and traditions. The ensemble’s Screen Door concert explores themes of heritage, belonging, displacement, and resilience anchored by the rhythms of dance.
Bay Chamber Concerts & Music School is a nationally acclaimed chamber music organization and a cultural hub in Midcoast Maine. Bay Chamber presents more than 50 concerts each year by top musicians from the US and abroad, including traditional chamber music ensembles, soloists and small groups from diverse traditions. The music school is a center of excellence staffed by experienced, dedicated instructors with advanced music degrees. Most continue to perform professionally. More than 390 students participate in lessons and ensemble classes at Bay Chamber.