Beth Wiemann, chairwoman of the Music Division in the University of Maine’s School of Performing Arts, was interviewed by the Portland Press Herald about the upcoming Portland Chamber Music Festival. The festival will include the world premiere of Wiemann’s new piece for string quartet, “Minor Blasts, Some Flurries,” at 8 p.m. May 23 at the Space Gallery.
University of Maine artists Noreen and Phillip Silver, also known as the Silver Duo, were mentioned in the Maine Edge article “Highlands Classical Trio embarks on spring tour.” The Silvers listened to the trio perform and offered advice before the group from Dover-Foxcroft and Dexter began their tour.
Foster’s Daily Democrat reported Renaissance, the University of Maine’s all-female singing group, will perform a free concert May 17 at Berwick United Methodist Church in Berwick.
A Family Tradition
When John “Jack” Baldacci Jr., graduates from the University of Maine May 11, he will be joining a long line of family members who are UMaine alums — including his mother and father, six of his aunts and uncles, and two cousins.
His father, Gov. John Baldacci, says it will be “a tremendous honor — and humbling” to see his son get his UMaine degree in May, maintaining the proud family tradition.
“The university will always be a part of me and my family,” Gov. Baldacci says.
The former two-term Maine governor and four-term U.S. Congressman received his bachelor’s degree in history from UMaine in 1986. He met his wife, Karen, at UMaine. Mrs. Baldacci received a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition from UMaine in 1983, and a master’s in elementary education in 2001.
May 11, Jack will receive a bachelor’s degree in international affairs, with a concentration in political science. He is headed to the University of Maine Law School.
Jack chose his international affairs major based on the recommendation of his roommate, Jordan Bailey, a graduate student in the program. “It was one of the best decisions I made,” Jack says.
“The University of Maine is great,” says Jack, a Dean’s List student. “I owe a lot to the faculty and staff. I’m very fortunate to have chosen to come to Maine, and the lessons I have learned here I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Jack took the advice of his parents, who encouraged him to find a field of study that interested him and learn everything he could about it.
“Challenge yourself, your professors and your fellow students,” Mrs. Baldacci told him. “Ask questions, struggle with issues, understand the who, what, where, when and how of the profession.”
The governor’s advice to his son was to stay focused on his studies, ask for help if he needed it — and have fun.
“UMaine is like a lantern,” says Gov. Baldacci. “It helps you find your way and (then) you have the responsibility to lead others.”
At UMaine, Gov. Baldacci studied a subject for which he is passionate — history.
“Where we come (from) leads a path to where we’re going,” he says of his choice of undergraduate study. “(UMaine) gave me a solid foundation and clearer thinking on difficult issues.”
UMaine was the governor’s school of choice not only as the alma mater of six of his siblings — Robert, Peter, Gerry, Rosemary, Lisa and Joseph Baldacci — but also because the university offers a “quality education” and is “affordable and represents value,” he says.
The Baldacci family has since established the Robert E. Baldacci Sr., and Rosemary K. Baldacci Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of their parents.
Growing up in Dexter, Maine, the university was Mrs. Baldacci’s school of choice because it was “close, has incredible opportunities, experienced professors, challenging studies and a great campus.”
“UMaine has incredible faculty and curriculum that challenge you to learn,” Mrs. Baldacci says. “They engage you in necessary, real-world experiences and connections that help you succeed, from your college preparation to your future career choice.”
For Mrs. Baldacci, human nutrition — the study of food and its relationship to human health — has long been an interest. As a UMaine undergraduate, she completed a dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian and was mentored by legendary nutritionist Katherine Musgrave. For 27 years, Mrs. Baldacci has worked in the dietetic profession, in both the clinical arena, as well as community dietetics.
Mrs. Baldacci also pursued a graduate degree at UMaine after her experience as a volunteer in Jack’s kindergarten class. With her master’s degree in elementary education, Mrs. Baldacci taught kindergarten in the Bangor School System until Gov. Baldacci was elected to the Blaine House in 2003.
Today, she says, UMaine is still part of her life. Mrs. Baldacci has mentored and been a preceptor for many UMaine nutrition students. And she continues to be a guest lecturer in the community nutrition class.
“I believe it’s important to reach back, as well as lean forward — to be a mentor,” she says, adding that her advice to students is to be engaged, active learners.
“Take advantage of the opportunities UMaine has to offer,” she says. “Make connections, build relationships, and make UMaine the college of your heart always.”
The University of Maine School of Performing Arts will present “Promise Versus Prohibition: The Divided Life of Composer Dorothy Smith Dushkin (1903–1992),” a lecture by Kaitlin Briggs, associate professor of interdisciplinary studies, University of Southern Maine, with performances of musical selections composed by Dushkin, at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 21 in Minsky Recital Hall. Dushkin selections, “Sonatine for Violin and Piano” (1928), “Berceuse (for Nadia)” (1949), “Inconsequential (for David Alex)” (1949), “Sonata for Flute and Piano” (1972/1976) and “Episode No. 1” (1965) will be performed by UMaine Professor of Music Anatole Wieck, violin; Instructor of Music Liz Downing, flute; and Associate Professor of Music Laura Artesani, piano. Dushkin was a composer, diarist and co-founder of music schools in Illinois and Vermont.
The Bangor Daily News and Fenceviewer, the community news and information website for Maine’s Hancock County, reviewed the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Antonin Dvorak’s “Stabat Mater” at the Collins Center for the Arts on Sunday. The BSO was joined by more than 100 performers from the University Singers and the UMaine Oratorio Society.
The University Symphonic and Concert bands will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m., April 18 in the Collins Center for the Arts. The concert will feature works of Ryan Nowlin, Harry L. Alford, Johannes Brahms, Frank Ticheli and William Schuman.
Admission is $12; free with a student MaineCard. Tickets can be purchased at the Collins Center for the Arts box office or at the door prior to the performance. For more information or disability accommodations, call the Collins Center for the Arts, 207.581.1755.
Jason Priest, winner of the Symphonic Band solo competition in December, and a senior music performance and music education double major from Old Town, Maine, will solo on the euphonium in “Rhapsody for Euphonium and Concert Band” by James Curnow.
Faculty member Dan Barrett, who has been teaching low brass at UMaine since 2009, will perform a featured trombone solo in “Variations on Barnacle Bill the Sailor” by Steven Frank.
The evening also will feature the presentation of the University of Maine Alumni Association Black Bear Award to Symphonic Band conductor Christopher White by UMAA board chair Samantha Lott Hale. The Black Bear Award recognizes outstanding service to increase or enhance public awareness of the university in the areas of academics, athletics, arts and/or alumni.
The Symphonic Band is an auditioned group of 45 of UMaine’s best wind and percussion musicians. They perform concerts both on and off campus, including an annual spring tour through the state. They have performed in Symphony Hall in Boston and Merrill Hall in Portland.
The Concert Band, under the direction of Dana Ross, is a nonauditioned group of 45 students who perform a variety of concert band literature throughout the spring semester. They will perform works by David Shaffer, Henry Fillmore, David R. Holsinger and Clare Grundman.
The University of Maine School of Performing Arts will present a concert featuring the Collegiate Chorale and its Chamber Choir at 7:30 p.m. April 13 in Minsky Recital Hall.
Admission is $9; free with a student MaineCard. Tickets can be purchased at the Collins Center for the Arts box office or at the door before the performance. For more information or disability accommodations, call the Collins Center for the Arts, 207.581.1755.
Collegiate Chorale, directed by graduate music student Justin Zang, is a mixed choral ensemble open to all UMaine students. The group draws from a diverse repertoire, performing works from all style periods — from the Middle Ages to the present. In Saturday’s concert, they will perform works by Joseph M. Martin, Ruth Morris Gray, Ola Gjeilo, Scott Farthing, Andrew Hirst and Z. Randall Stroope. They are accompanied by Clayton W. Smith.
Chamber Choir, under the direction of fourth-year vocal education and performance double major Allisen Donovan, is a division of Collegiate Chorale. The group will perform works by Joshua Shank, Jay Althouse and Hall Johnson. They are accompanied by Sierra Ventura.
Soloists for the concert are; J’ahn Deschambeault, Molly Abrams, Peggy Hoare, Kellie Eldridge, Ellyn Touchette, Seth Lockman, Rogan Winch, Tyler Greenlaw, Sara Phillips, Joshua McKay and Margaret Howson.
The newest CD of chamber music by UMaine artists Noreen Silver, cello, and Phillip Silver, piano, performing with violinist Solomia Soroka, was reviewed on MusicWeb International. It features the works of little-known Jewish composer Bernhard Sekles who was directing the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt until the Nazi regime came to power. Reviewer Steve Arloff notes that Sekles wrote a small number of compositions, including the two sonatas on the disc that demonstrate the composer was “clearly a master of the genre.” Arloff calls the CD a “discovery,” both for the obscure Sekles works and the “flawless” performance by the Silvers and Soroka.
The Bangor Daily News previewed the upcoming Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s annual choral concert featuring 100 performers from the University Singers and the UMaine Oratorio Society. The groups are led by Dennis Cox and Ludlow Hallman, respectively. The show is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, April 14 at the Collins Center for the Arts.