Our summer festival, third week of August, is a five-day musical gathering along one of the most scenic coastlines in the world. It features multiple performances each day by world-renowned musicians, presented at our specially adapted festival tent in the relaxed setting of Camden Library Amphitheatre. Screen Door offers vibrant variety; while you can hear remarkable performances of standard repertoire, you can also experience world premieres, one-of-a-kind creative happenings, free concerts on Camden Village Green, and a thoroughly welcoming, convivial atmosphere.

Schedule of Events:

August 16, 2023

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Bach For Breakfast Part 1

BRIDGET KIBBEY, harp

JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe

Part 1 of our morning lecture recital series featuring multiple artists performing at our 2023 Screen Door Festival. This year, we consider works by J.S. Bach within the historical, stylistic and familial context in which he lived and worked, and explore how Bach’s compositional techniques convey his sense of profound optimism and faith.

In our first session, Bridget Kibbey and James Austin Smith explore transcriptions and arrangements that reimagine works on unexpected instruments, informed by Bach's own practice of changing the instrumentation of pieces as needed. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of creative adaptation and discuss how transcription can bring fresh perspectives to Bach's timeless music.

PROGRAM

BACH Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 (transcribed by Bridget Kibbey)

BACH French Suite in G Major, BWV 816 (transcribed by Bridget Kibbey)

BACH Flute Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV 1031 (arr. for oboe and harp)

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Festival Opening Concert

A grand opening concert featuring many of the performers appearing throughout the week including Viano String Quartet, oboist James Austin Smith, violinists Blake Pouliot and Livia Sohn, harpist Bridget Kibbey, pianist Henry Kramer, The Westerlies brass quartet, baritone Jesse Blumberg and tenor Nicholas Phan, as well as our much-loved resident ensemble, Palaver Strings.

The program includes music from the 2008 movie, The Reader for oboe, string quartet and piano by our 2023 featured composer, Nico Muhly.

A vibrant and hope-filled launch of our Screen Door Festival 2023, igniting a creative spark that will inspire and resonate throughout the week.

Honorary Concert Sponsors: John and Susan Jackson

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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August 17, 2023

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Bach For Breakfast Part 2

JACQUELYN HELIN, piano

Part 2 of a series of morning lecture recitals featuring multiple artists performing at our 2023 Screen Door Festival. This year, we consider works by J.S. Bach within the historical, stylistic and familial context in which he lived and worked, and explore how Bach’s compositional techniques convey his sense of profound optimism and faith.

This is the first of two sessions delving into Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, two collections of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard. Known as the “48,” this monumental work is one of Bach’s masterpieces and one of the greatest works for keyboard in the Western canon. Countless musicians, from Robert Schumann to Pablo Casals have considered it their “musical Bible,” and have studied it and played from it on a daily basis. Thursday’s session will focus on Book I, composed in 1722.

The lecture recital is presented by Steinway Artist Jacquelyn Helin, who consistently wins acclaim for her vibrant playing in the major musical capitals of Europe and across the United States. A committed music educator, Ms. Helin regularly presents popular lecture-recitals and has led hundreds of workshops for organizations including Lincoln Center Institute, the 92nd Street Y, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Zoot coffee and muffins are available before the concert.

PROGRAM

A selection of Preludes and Fugues from BACH’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Viano String Quartet

LUCY WANG, violin

HAO ZHOU, violin

AIDEN KANE, viola

TATE ZAWADIUK, cello

A program that communicates hope in many different forms, whether it's the exuberant energy of Dvo?ák's delightful miniature, the transcendent beauty of Pulitzer and Grammy–winning Caroline Shaw’s offering to a tree in an evergreen forest, or the triumphant themes of Grieg's sumptuous quartet. Each work suggests that in turbulent or challenging circumstances, joy, beauty, and resilience inspire hope and optimism in the human spirit.

Praised for their “virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention” (Boston Globe), the Viano String Quartet achieved incredible success in their formative years, with an unbroken streak of top prizes at Osaka, Fischoff, Wigmore Hall, and Banff International String Quartet Competitions. Recent highlights include performances on three continents, including debuts in Berlin, Paris, Bremen, Brussels, Vancouver, and Beijing, among other cities.

PROGRAM

DVORAK  Humoresque

CAROLINE SHAW Evergreen

GRIEG String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 27

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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8:30 PM - 9:30 PM: Liederabend By Candlelight

JESSE BLUMBERG, baritone

NICHOLAS PHAN, tenor

JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe

HENRY KRAMER, piano

“Golden-toned baritone”, Jesse Blumberg leads a candlelit concert of vocal music including excerpts from Schubert’s bucolic Die schöne Müllerin in the 200th anniversary year of its composition, as well as other gorgeous songs by Schumann, Fauré and Amy Beach.

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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August 18, 2023

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Bach For Breakfast Part 3

JOHN MCKEAN, host & harpsichord

BLAKE POULIOT, violin

JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe

VIANO STRING QUARTET

The third part of a series of morning lecture recitals featuring multiple artists performing at our 2023 Screen Door Festival. This year, we consider works by J.S. Bach within the historical, stylistic and familial context in which he lived and worked, and explore how Bach’s compositional techniques convey his sense of profound optimism and faith.

This session is presented by acclaimed musicologist, chair of the Historical Performance Department at Longy School of Music of Bard College, and Maine-native, John McKean. It features excerpts from The Art of Fugue, a collection of fugues and canons, all based on a single theme, and widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the history of Western classical music. Also performed in this session, Bach’s double concerto featuring a rich interplay between oboe and violin that is both expressive and virtuosic.

Viano String Quartet has a “huge range of dynamics, massive sound, and spontaneity…all the warmth, balanced sound, rhythmic solidity, and elegance one could wish for” (The American Record Guide). James Austin Smith’s festival appearances include Marlboro, Lucerne, Music@Menlo, Spoleto USA, Bowdoin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Orlando, and he has recorded for the Nonesuch, Bridge, Mode and Kairos labels.

Zoot coffee and muffins are available before the concert.

PROGRAM

BACH Art of Fugue

BACH Concerto in C Minor, for violin and oboe, BWV 1060

Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Prospectives

LIVIA SOHN, violin

KAL SUGATSKI, viola

TOMMY MESA, cello

JULIETTA CURENTON, flute

JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe

JACQUELYN HELIN, piano

A program of music for winds, strings and piano featuring a remarkable ensemble of musicians. Whether finding new points of resonance and connection in Reena Esmail’s piece, the confidence and ambition in Britten’s early masterpiece, the ebuliance in Damase's Trio, Caroline Shaw’s generous world of sounds, or the energy and spirit of Cambini’s quintet, the works in this program embrace the idea of optimism and forward orientation.

PROGRAM

REENA ESMAIL Nediya? (viola and flute)

BRITTEN Phantasy Quartet, Op. 2

JEAN-MICHEL DAMASE Trio for Flute, Oboe and Piano

CAROLINE SHAW Limestone and Felt (viola and cello)

GIUSEPPE MARIA CAMBINI Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Violin, Viola and Cello in G Major, Op.8 No.1

Honorary Concert Sponsor: Carole Brand

Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: A Change Is Gonna Come: Songs Of Protest

PALAVER STRINGS with special guest – NICHOLAS PHAN, tenor

The acclaimed Portland-based, musician-led chamber orchestra returns to Screen Door as ensemble in residence. Featuring Grammy nominated tenor Nicholas Phan, this program explores our country’s rich legacy of protest songs. Repertoire includes traditional songs of protest and music inspired by social movements and historical events, including Akenya Seymour’s Fear the Lamb, and a new commission by Errollyn Wallen. Spanning genres, eras, and movements, A Change is Gonna Come provokes conversation, confronts our past and present, and celebrates the act of protest as one of our most precious rights.

PROGRAM

ROBERTA SLAVITT, ALFRED HAYES, MALVINA REYNOLDS Freedom is a Constant Struggle/I dreamed I saw Joe Hill/It isn’t nice (arrangement by DOMENIC SALERNI)

HARRY BURLEIGH, LANGSTON HUGHES Lovely, Dark & Lonely One (arrangement by IAN GOTTLIEB)

ABEL MEEROPOL/BILLIE HOLIDAY Strange Fruit

AKENYA SEYMOUR Fear the Lamb

BOB DYLAN Blowin’ in the Wind (arrangement by DOMENIC SALERNI)

JONI MITCHELL, PHIL OCHS, PETE SEEGER Fiddle and the Drum, What Are You Fighting For?, Where Have all the Flowers Gone? (arrangement by DOMENIC SALERNI)

ERROLLYN WALLEN Songs for the People - World Premiere

SAM COOKE A Change is Gonna Come

Honorary Concert Sponsor: Robert Johnston

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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8:30 PM - 9:30 PM: THE WESTERLIES: MOVE

THE WESTERLIES

RILEY MULHERKAR, trumpet

CHLOE ROWLANDS, trumpet

ANDY CLAUSEN, trombone

WILLEM DE KOCH, trombone

with guest artist, KENYATTA EMMANUEL

Formed in 2011, the self-described accidental brass group are “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk”, to create the rarest of hybrids: music that is both "folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). Equally at home in concert halls and living rooms, The Westerlies navigate a wide array of venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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August 19, 2023

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Bach for Breakfast Part 4

JOHN MCKEAN, host and harpsichord

JULIETTA CURENTON, flute

JESSE BLUMBERG, baritone

PALAVER STRINGS

The fourth part of a series of morning lecture recitals featuring multiple artists performing at our 2023 Screen Door Festival. This year, we consider works by J.S. Bach within the historical, stylistic and familial context in which he lived and worked, and explore how Bach’s compositional techniques convey his sense of profound optimism and faith.

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

Click here to buy tickets

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Bridget Kibbey & Friends

BRIDGET KIBBEY, harp with guest musicians

With the harp as her muse, Bridget is in huge demand for her virtuosic and soulful performances —excavating centuries of music as a soloist and alongside today’s top performing artists — from the French Belle Époque, to the Baroque, to Persian Modes, to Latin Jazz traditions and beyond. Her much-anticipated Screen Door concert offers an insight into the diverse musical interests of this voracious artist, and features collaborations with guest musicians. Don’t miss this intimate lunchtime salon with one of today’s most acclaimed concert artists.

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Romance

BLAKE POULIOT, violin

HENRY KRAMER, piano

A program exploring different meanings of romance; towards one’s own culture in the Jewish composer Rózsa’s virtuosic variations. Derrick Skye’s piece, commissioned by Blake, navigates the connections between Persian classical, West African, Western classical and experimental electronic music and overlays pre-recorded sounds including samples of a lullaby written for Blake by his dad, making the piece immensely personal. The Clara Schumann and Brahms works are ravishingly lyrical and expressive, reflecting the composers' loving embrace of romance in their lives and music.

PROGRAM

MIKLOS ROZSA Variations on a Hungarian Peasant Song, Op. 4

CLARA SCHUMANN 3 Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22

DERRICK SKYE God of the Gaps for Violin and Electronics

BRAHMS Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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8:30 PM - 9:30 PM: Gabriel Kahane: Book Of Travelers

GABRIEL KAHANE, vocals and piano

Gabriel Kahane is “one of the finest, most searching songwriters of the day” (The New Yorker). He invites you on a lyrical journey in this solo vocal and piano performance of songs from his 2018 album Book of Travelers, which tells the story of attempting to rediscover and celebrate our collective humanity. The album was called “a stunning portrait of a singular moment in America” by Rolling Stone.

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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August 20, 2023

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Bach for Breakfast Part 5

JACQUELYN HELIN, piano

Join us for the final session of our morning lecture recital series. Pianist Jacquelyn Helin returns to continue our journey through The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, assembled in 1742, delving deeper into Bach's compositional techniques in these masterful preludes and fugues.

We’ll look at how Bach's harmony, counterpoint, and musical structure create a profound sense of unity, coherence and expression across this vast collection of pieces. Jacquelyn Helin is the perfect guide with her deep knowledge of Bach's music and her exceptional ability to bring out the beauty and complexity of his works for keyboard. Don't miss this final opportunity to explore one of the greatest musical achievements of all time, and to discover the lasting legacy of Bach's genius.

PROGRAM

A selection of Preludes and Fugues from BACH’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Bixler Family Concert: Cello And Piano

TOMMY MESA, cello

HENRY KRAMER, piano

Cuban-American cellist Tommy Mesa has likewise established himself as one of the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging performers of his generation. As a recitalist, he has been featured at The Academy of Arts and Letters among many other series and venues. As a recording artist, he recorded his first solo album, Division of Memory, receiving rave reviews: “Do not hold your breath for Yo-Yo Ma to record this repertoire, for the just-as-excellent Mesa has the field entirely to himself” (PianoMania). Other projects in the works include a duo album with our Andrew Wolf Award winning pianist, Michelle Cann, and a recording collaboration with one of last year’s Screen Door artists, bandoneonist JP Jofre.

Join two exceptional artists for a vivid program of cello and piano works anchored by Samuel Barber’s lyrical and virtuosic Cello Sonata in C Minor, Op. 6, written in the summer of 1932.

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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7:00 PM - 8:15 PM: Season Finale: Resounding Hope

NICHOLAS PHAN, tenor

JESSE BLUMBERG, baritone

GABRIEL KAHANE, singer songwriter

KENYATTA EMMANUEL, singer songwriter

JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe

JOHN MCKEAN, harpsichord

PALAVER STRINGS

The culmination of a week of music-making, conversation, and collective hope and optimism, our closing gala features performances by artists performing at Screen Door 2023, led by spectacular international vocal talents.

Hope can thrive in so many places within our hearts and minds, in our love for other people as in Gabriel Kahane’s enchanting and wistful song in which two people describe a favorite seaside spot and sing, “I hope we die here when we’re old”. Bach’s cantata contemplates the futility of earthly matters and the promise of heavenly peace in some of the most beautifully serene music ever written. Our featured composer, Nico Muhly’s song cycle written for Nicholas Phan juxtaposes settings of accounts of immigration through Ellis Island with those of texts protesting the United States’ Chinese Exclusion policies of the late-19th century. Nicholas describes his encounters with Muhly’s music as being both “artistically and personally transformative,” and recalls the Stranger’s premiere as the first time he felt his identity had been respectfully represented in a work of classical music. Our Screen Door performance of the work is a new arrangement for string orchestra, featuring Palaver Strings.

Songwriter Kenyatta Emmanuel is an artist and activist who has shared his music from Sing Sing to Carnegie Hall, offering a full live concert the same day of his return home after serving 24½ years in prison. His music and message explore the beauty of life, reminding us of all that we hold in common. Our Screen Door 2023 ends with a song by Kenyatta that embodies so much of what the music programmed this year expresses – “holding on to love, holding off despair and I’m holding out hope”.

PROGRAM

GABRIEL KAHANE Little Love

J.S. BACH Ich Habe Genug BWV 82

NICO MUHLY Stranger

KENYATTA EMMANUEL Holding Out Hope

Tickets: Age 35 +: $38 | Age 22-34: $20 | Age 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish

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Fest Date: August 16 - 20, 2023

Location: Camden Public Library Amphitheatre, 55 Main Street, Camden, ME 04843

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