The new Portland Performing Arts Festival is out to make a name for itself, out to prove it rates among the best and brightest arts aggregations in the land. We thought a bit of a head’s up might be in order so you can plan ahead.
June 28 through July 1 are the dates for this Up East celebration of music, dance and theater. The aim, says Festival Board President Kara Larson is to create something “sustainable and distinctive.”
To that end, here’s what’s up:
- June 28: There’s Guitar Master Class with Sharon Isbin and Doug Wamble. Then, there’s the performance art Eepybird.
- June 29: Sharon Isbin solos on classical guitar.
- June 30: Wamble and an eight-piece group perform jazz, Alison Chase does contemporary dance, and the Celebration Barn Ensemble opens the world premiere play Thumbs Up.
- July 1: Thumbs Up reprises itself in the early afternoon, with a festival finale piano concert to follow.
In between there’s room to roam – and eat. Portland is no culinary desert. Maine’s largest city is blessed with an abundance of good bars, microbreweries, and restaurants. Evidence? Per capita Portland rivals San Francisco in terms of number of restaurants.
There’s certainly no absence of air routes to this artsy, edible New England enclave. There’s nonstop service from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Images: PPAF)
