2012 13 - Portland Ovations

Ovations’ staff and ICA Director with the artistsInter-media panel discussionMany months following the residency, we were thrilled to welcome Art and Myrna back to Maine for the world premiere.While here, Art and Myrna worked with MECA sculpture students and participated in an inter-media panel discussing therelationship between dance, visual and media arts.Since that premiere weekend, Voyeur has received national attention and majorsupport. The New Yorker called it “witty, sexual and surreal,” while The New YorkTimes said it was “magical and fascinating.” Voyeur has also been awardedprestigious funding from the National Dance Project, allowing the work to continueon across the country. Audiences near and far are seeing Maine in a whole new way.Opening our season with the world premiere of a work we co-commissioned isexciting in and of itself; opening on a First Friday with six free performances atMECA’s Institute of Contemporary Art adds even more to the exhilaration. To havethat piece directly connected to Maine adds a final layer of adventure andemotion one can not ignore. How does something so thrilling and passion-drivenhappen? With exactly that passion, dedication and drive, and of course amazingartists and fabulous partners. We are grateful to Art and Myrna for entrusting uswith the birth of this new work and our partners at ICA and Bates Dance Festival,as well as our Production Manager Nicole Sirois, who made magic happen.25“Thank you to PortlandOvations and the many Portlandarea residents and businesseswho opened their doors for usto film The creative process isa highly personal and at timesmysterious phenomenon. Atthe same time, the supportof visionary art institutions,granting organizationsand community involvementhelped to propel the processand make the realization ofthis work possible.”– Art Bridgman & Myrna PackerJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsaliswww.portlandovations.org6

CULTURE CLUB—PORTLAND“We think it’s essential that allstudents have access to the richculture that our city provides.”Thanks to the generous support ofan anonymous donor, students in thePortland Public School District have anever-before-realized opportunity to– David Galin, Chief Academicexperience the arts in our city. OvationsOfficer, Portland Public Schoolsis proud to be part of this new initiative,Culture Club-Portland, which provides free access for Portland Public SchoolStudents to attend and experience arts performances and exhibits at fourparticipating organizations: Ovations, the Portland Museum of Art, PortlandStage Company and the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Through Culture Club,collaborators inspire students, provide regular access to high quality arts experiences, foster community, and integrate thearts into Portland students’ education experience.With three years of funding committed, Culture Club-Portland is rolling out over several years with the goal of reaching50% of Portland Public Schools in year one and 75% in year two. By 2014, we aspire to have 100% participation.During the 2012-13 school year, 3,500 of Portland PublicSchool students took advantage of Culture Club-Portlandtickets to Ovations Offstage’s School-Time PerformanceSeries. Overall, Portland Public School students enjoyed13,000 unique arts experiences because of CultureClub-Portland and the munificent visionof someone in our community.JANUARY, CONT.30ETHEL: “Present Beauty”Free Flash ConcertSPACE GalleryComposers Readingwith Young ComposersUSM School of MusicPre-Performance Lecture:“Reimagining Chamber Music”72012–13 Annual Report“The arts are an essentialpart of a well-roundededucation that preparesstudents for success in the21st century workforce.”– US Department of Education

OVATIONS OFFSTAGEPRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURES*Royal Drummers & Dancers of Burundi“Cultural Connections: Burundi & Maine”Nya McCarthy-BrownSoyeon Kate Lee & Ran Dank“Turn of the Century:Stravinsky and his Contemporaries”Bill MatthewsBélO“Haiti’s Other Side:Memories and Perspectives”Konbit SantéNatalie MacMaster“The Culture & Music of Cape Breton”Ed Pearlman & Laura ScottETHEL“Reimagining Chamber Music”BélOWorkshop with BélOThe Bad PlusJazz Clinic & WorkshopPortland High School, PortlandNorth Yarmouth AcademyVoices of AfghanistanIn-School Musical SharingThe Joffrey BalletBallet MasterclassRiverton Elementary School, PortlandLyseth Elementary School, PortlandBates College, LewistonPortland School of Ballet, PortlandImani WindsLecture/DemonstrationTerpsichore Dance, PortlandCOMMUNITY EVENTSImani WindsIn-School WorkshopsBridgman Packer DanceInter-Media PanelSCHOOL-TIME PERFORMANCESRoyal Drummers and Dancers of BurundiDaniel SonenbergOctober 18, 2012Merrill Auditorium, PortlandMarc-André Hamelin“Musicianship & Virtuosity”Treasured Stories by Eric CarlePaul ChristiansenOctober 19, 2012Merrill Auditorium, PortlandThe Bad Plus“Rite of Spring” Listening Session“The Giver”Daniel SonenbergMarch 7, 2013Hannaford Hall, USM PortlandVoices of Afghanistan“Issues of Gender in Muslim Culture”MOMIXModern Dance MasterclassFreeport High SchoolFreeport High SchoolNorth Yarmouth AcademyMasterclass with Ran DankICA at MECA, PortlandNatalie MacMasterHoliday Sock Drive for Preble StreetMerrill Auditorium, PortlandETHELFree Flash ConcertSPACE Gallery, PortlandThe Bad PlusOpen SoundcheckHannaford Hall, USM PortlandVoices of AfghanistanStory-Time with Reza JalaliPortland Public LibraryReza Jalali“Jazz Orpheus” and“Three Whiskers of a Lion”The Joffrey Ballet“The Joffrey and the Rite of Spring ”April 10, 2013Hannaford Hall, USM PortlandCarol Dilley“The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”Pablo Ziegler Trio for Nuevo Tango“Considering Nuevo Tango”April 22, 2013Merrill Auditorium, PortlandJune VailImani WindsImani Winds“New Perspectives on‘Le Sacre du Printemps’”May 2, 2013Hannaford Hall, USM PortlandBill MatthewsWORKSHOPS & MASTERCLASSESMEET-THE-ARTIST/Q&AsIN-SCHOOL WORKSHOPSTreasured Stories by Eric CarleFamily Puppet-Making WorkshopSoyeon Kate Lee & Ran DankPortland Public LibraryBridgman Packer DanceSculpture Class WorkshopRan Dank & Soyeon Kate LeePiano Masterclass with Ran DankMECA, PortlandRoyal Drummers and Dancers of BurundiIn-School Workshop with Annegret BaierPortland Arts & Technology High SchoolSoyeon Kate Lee & Ran DankIn-School Lec/Dem with Ran DankUSM School of Music, GorhamETHELComposers Readingwith Young ComposersUSM School of Music, GorhamPuppet Making WorkshopVoices of AfghanistanCommunity PotluckPortland High SchoolThe Joffrey BalletPost-Performance Riot by Lorem IpsumMerrill Auditorium, PortlandThe Joffrey BalletMovies at the MuseumPortland Museum of ArtMarc-André HamelinPablo Ziegler TrioSpellbound Dance Company* All Pre-Performance Lectures andMeet-the-Artists/Q&A events occured atthe coinciding performance venue(Hannaford Hall, Merrill Auditorium, orWestbrook Performing Arts Center).Levey Day School, PortlandMeet-the-Artist ReceptionFEBRUARY1Sing-A-Long-A“Sound of Music”First Friday Flash Concertby PATHS Dancerswww.portlandovations.org8

TONY TRISCHKA “THE BANJO PROJECT”“The Banjo Project” onstage with students of the Maine Acoustic Festival“The Banjo Project”Two seasons ago, Portland Ovations brought a double bill featuring Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers along withTony Trischka and Territory. That night Portland Ovations made a new friend in Tony Trischka and immediately began to thinkabout ways to bring him back to Portland. Meanwhile, our collaborations with 317 Main Community Music Center and NorthYarmouth Academy flourished. Each project grew on the next and we knew we were headed for something bigger. Thatmoment came when 317 and NYA shared with us their vision for Maine’s first student-driven, statewide acoustic music festival.We knew this would be the perfect setting to bring back Tony. Not only is he a legendary banjo player, but he has taught all ofthe greats how to play, from Béla Fleck to Steve Martin.For this return visit, we asked Tony to think outside the box and he did just that, working with filmmaker Marc Fields to createa whole new project especially for Portland Ovations. The Banjo Project — a multi-media event that brought to life the filmGive Me the Banjo (narrated by Steve Martin) with live music — premiered with us on April 6, 2013 at Hannaford Hall in frontof a capacity crowd. Tony was joined by musicians Darol Anger, Michael Daves and Jared Engel for this extraordinary, highenergy world premiere that included a finale with over 20 Maine Acoustic Festival students. It was a pleasure to be part of thedevelopment of the first Maine Acoustic Festival and this world premiere. The two dovetailed together so perfectly, as onefollowed the history of the banjo and the other was dedicated to developing the next generation of musicians.FEBRUARY, CONT.14The Midtown MenBackstage Meet-and-Greet16Marc-André HamelinPre-Performance Lecture92012–13 Annual ReportPost-Performance Reception

SPONSORS & FOUNDATION SUPPORTBaker Newman NoyesGorham Savings BankNational DistributorsBangor Savings BankGreenhut GalleriesNational Endowment for the ArtsBates Dance FestivalHannafordNational Performance NetworkBath Savings Trust CompanyHoliday Inn By The BayNew England Foundation for the ArtsCatama ProductionsHorizon FoundationNorway Savings BankCenter for Cultural ExchangeIDEXX Laboratories, Inc.OceanView at FalmouthCharles Stewart Mott FoundationL.L. BeanRoy A. Hunt FoundationCoffee By DesignLibra FoundationSam L. Cohen FoundationCulture Club PortlandMacy’sTexas Instruments FoundationDavis Family FoundationMaine Arts CommissionTD BankDead River CompanyMaine Community FoundationThe Aaron Copland Fund for MusicDiversified CommunicationsMaine Humanities CouncilTravelers FoundationEdward H. Daveis Benevolent FundMargaret E. Burnham Charitable TrustUnum Corporation Matching Gifts ProgramElmina B. Sewall FoundationMorgan StanleyWEXFund for Performing Arts in MaineNappi DistributorsCOMMUNITY PARTNERS317 Main Community Music CenterMaine Historical SocietyPortland School of BalletBates CollegeMerriconeag Waldorf SchoolPortland Stage CompanyBates Dance FestivalNorth Yarmouth AcademyPortland Symphony OrchestraCity of PortlandOak Street StudiosRotary Club of Portland MaineCouncil on International Educational Exchange Portland Arts and Cultural AllianceSPACE GalleryFreeport High SchoolPortland Arts and Technology High SchoolICA at MECAPortland Education FoundationILAPPortland Mentoring AllianceKonbit SantéPortland Museum of ArtLevey Day SchoolPortland Music FoundationLorem Ipsum Theater CollectivePortland Public LibraryMaine College of ArtPortland Public Schools17University of Southern MaineSchool of MusicUniversity of Southern MaineOffice of Multicultural AffairsWescustago Youth ChoraleMARCHThe Bad PlusOn Sacred Ground: Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”Open SoundcheckPre-Performance Lecture:“Rite of Spring” Listening Session187School-TimePerformance:“The Giver”Workshop/ClinicNorth Yarmouth Academywww.portlandovations.org10

“Rite of Spring”A Centennial CelebrationInspired by the 100th birthday of Portland’s landmark Merrill Auditorium — one of our “homes” over our 80 year history — PortlandOvations celebrated the centennial of Igor Stravinsky’s seminal work Rite of Spring by curating a series of events onstage and off.The series encompassed a spectrum of performing artists (re)interpreting this influential composition, plus several opportunitiesfor our community to connect with and learn more about Stravinsky’s historic work, including: a scholarly symposium conceived byUniversity of Southern Maine; a film series hosted by the Portland Museum of Art; and the creation of new historical wall boards thatprovide a fresh, updated look at the history of City Hall, Merrill Auditorium, and performing arts in Portland.Pianists Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank kicked off our Rite of Springseries with an astonishing recital that culminated in the original four-handarrangement of Stravinsky’s masterpiece. Surrounding this awe-inspiringperformance was a pre-performance lecture, a piano masterclass at USM’sSchool of Music, a lecture-demonstration with students at Portland’s LeveyDay School, and a post-performance reception on Merrill’s stage with theartists. This beautiful and moving concert was rebroadcast on MPBN’sMaineStage on March 13, 2013.“Dual pianists Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank showed whatheights can be achieved with two pianos Thursday night at MerrillAuditorium, but the crowning achievement of the evening was thepiano-four hands version of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring.’”-Christopher Hyde, Portland Press HeraldJazz trio The Bad Plus continued our celebratory series with one of the mostadventurous and forward-looking performances of Rite of Spring. In a multimedia event that integrated video, the trio attacked the score, distilling it toits most primal essence while bringing new and original life to the piece. Anopen soundcheck, pre-performance “listening session” that compared andcontrasted the Bad Plus’ interpretation with the original arrangement, and ajazz clinic with students at North Yarmouth Academy rounded out the trio’sresidency with Ovations.“It is a considerable feat to have transcribed the work at all, butkeeping its musical integrity . while adding to the rhythmicexcitement, made it a work of art.”-Christopher Hyde, Portland Press HeraldConnections to MaineIn addition to working with our partners to create connections between our community and thisexciting work of art, Ovations discovered Maine already enjoyed two significant connections tothe 1913 premiere: Philosopher, artist, scholar, Nicholas Roerich, recognized for inspiring the concept andcreating the sets and costumes for the original Rite of Spring, visited the Monhegan artcolony in 1922, resulting in a series of paintings that includes Monhegan, Maine (pictured tothe left). French-born conductor Pierre Monteux, who is credited for keeping the music going duringthe riotous Paris premiere, later emigrated to the US and established in Hancock, Maine thePierre Monteux School for Conductors & Orchestra Musicians, which still operates today.

At the heart of our Rite Spring centennial celebration was our presentation ofthe Joffrey Ballet, who meticulously researched and reconstructed the 1913Paris premiere, which has risen to mythic proportions and is considered one ofthe most influential moments in modern art. This restaging of an original workthat changed dance and music forms — as well as the way audiences hearand see — remains one of the Joffrey Ballet’s greatest singular achievements.Accompanying this historic performance at Merrill Auditorium was a preperformance lecture, a ballet masterclass, a Member’s reception with ArtisticDirector Ashley Wheater, and a post-performance “riot” in the Merrill lobbyorchestrated by Portland’s Lorem Ipsum theater company.“I was thrilled to be in the audience. I had never thought I would seethe ‘Rite of Spring.’ Thank you so much, Portland Ovations!”-Madge Baker, Audience MemberClosing our series was North America’s premiere wind quintet, Imani Winds.With two resident composers and an approach to music that cherisheshistory, the forward-thinking ensemble brought our audience a commissionedarrangement that stripped Stravinsky’s original 35-minute Rite of Spring downto an exquisite 12-minute piece for woodwind quintet. A showcase for theensemble members’ musicianship, bassoonist Monica Ellis expertly deliveredone of the most famous openings in music. Inspired and inspiring musiceducators, Imani Winds performed a School-Time Performance for over 500students and held workshops with another 200 music students from Freeportand Yarmouth.“It was awesome! Each individual member of Imani Winds sparkledwith energy and a clear joy in their shared making of music.”-Christine, Audience MemberToday, Rite of Spring remains a powerful work credited with ushering in the 20th century aesthetic, modernism, andredefining the role of art and artists as revolutionary. Its impact on works that followed was evident through this series andacross every medium from dance, music and theater to visual arts and film. One hundred years later, Rite of Spring — no matterits form — still has that edgy, intense, almost out-of-control feeling that makes live art as exhilarating and liberating as ever.Imani Winds at North Yarmouth Academy

POP! AUCTION BENEFIT“The party atmosphere was alive.” – Portland Press HeraldPOP! is an exciting evening thattransforms a waterfront warehouseinto a street festival with pop-upperformances from local artists,delicious food from some ofMaine’s finest dining establishmentsand extraordinary silent auctionitems from local retailers,restaurants and artists. Thanksto our local partners, POP! 2012raised approximately 40,000 tobenefit Ovations Offstage; withouttheir participation and support thisevening and the work we continueto do throughout our greatcommunity would not be possible.Michael Odokara-OkigboUNDERWRITERSPARTICIPATING RESTAURANTSAcadia InsuranceCBRE The Boulos Co.CIEECross InsuranceDawson Smith Purvis & Bassett, PAFlyte New Media, Inc.H.M. Payson & Co.Hanover Insurance GroupJ. B. Brown & SonsKnight Vision International, LLCLeBlanc & Young, P.A.Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International RealtyMain Street America Group of InsuranceMEMICMiddlesex Mutual Assurance CompanyMorgan StanleyPatrons Oxford Insurance CompanyPeerless Insurance CompanyPretiFlahertyRaymond JamesTower GroupVermont Mutual Insurance Co.Wells FargoWoodard & Curran, Inc.Azure CaféBiBo’s Madd Apple CaféCoffee By DesignDavid’s RestaurantDean’sSweetsFlatbread CompanyK. Horton Specialty FoodsKamasouptraLocal Sprouts CaféPersonal Touch CateringPhat Boys DinerThe Good TableThe Holy DonutThe Royal Oak RoomThe Tavern at Brunswick StationMia & David Dodge; Bruce & Ginny WoodmanUnion Bagel Co.PERFORMERSMichael Odokara-Okigbofrom NBC’s The Sing Off’s Dartmouth Aires317 Main Community Music Center EnsemblePan Fried SteelP.A.T.H.S Arts Academy DancersMerriconeag Waldorf Circus ArtistsMarcia & Daniel MinterMARCH, CONT.Voices of Afghanistan16Storytime at the Library21The Joffrey BalletCommunity PotluckPre-PerformanceLecture: “The Joffreyand the Rite of Spring”In-School Musical SharingBallet MasterclassPre-Performance Lecture:“Issues of Gender inMuslim Culture”13Post-Performance Riot2012–13 Annual Report

MEMBERSHIPEach season we offer a wealth of school and community-based arts programs that accompany our performances and engagepeople of all ages and backgrounds in the thrill of the performing arts. Ticket revenue does not pay for these programs; instead,we rely on support from Portland Ovations Members and other donors who believe the performing arts contribute not only to thequality of life in Maine today, but also to the development of the generations who comprise the Maine of tomorrow.Members receive the best seat

Hannaford Hall, USM Portland Broadway National Tour: “West Side Story” November 9, 2012 8 pm November 10, 2012 2 pm & 8 pm Merrill Auditorium, Portland Shaolin Warriors November 17, 2012 7 pm Merrill Auditorium, Portland Natalie MacMaster “Christmas in Cape Breton” December 4, 2012 7:30 pm Merrill Auditorium, Portland