Classic Film Series - Mystery
2025-03-02 14:00, 2025-03-16 14:00 (America/New_York) | S. Judson Dunaway Center – Community Auditorium on the main floor, 23 School Street, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list and learn the film title!

Free Admission, Parking and Popcorn
In response to conditions mandated by film licensing requirements, OPA’s 23rd Annual Winter Classic Film Series will reflect a few changes. The changes will enable us to continue to offer free admission, parking and popcorn.
Location Still at the Dunaway Center, and as of now, films will be once again screened in the community auditorium on the main floor.
2025 Film Series Selection Details Titles and Actors can only be promoted by postings at the Dunaway Center, and through the Ogunquit Performing Arts email list. If you are not already on the mailing list, you can enroll by clicking the join mail list button above this text. If you believe you have already enrolled, but have not regularly received updates about performances, you might need to check your spam or junk mailboxes. We have learned that some email host systems screen out email blasts.

Films will be screened two Sundays per month, at 2 pm from January-April

January 5 & 19 Drama
February 2 & 16 Musicals – Saluting a Great Film Composer
March 2 & 16 Mystery
April 6 & 27 Romance

Film titles, casts and brief synopses will be available in December, posted in the Dunaway entryway, and by email if you enroll through our website www.ogunquitperformingarts.org Updates re: film screenings will also be provided through the email list.

Stillson School of Irish Dance
2025-03-08 18:30 | Wells Junior High School, 1470 Post Rd. (Route 1 just south of Route 109 intersection), Wells, ME, 04090, United States
Free parking on school grounds.
Irish stepdancing continues to be a wildly popular art form for performers and audiences alike. Ogunquit Performing Arts celebrates this unique style of dance at this most appropriate time of year. The award-winning Stillson dancers, returning to Ogunquit by popular demand, will perform a brilliant array of jigs and reels, dressed in a variety of dazzling, hand-made costumes.
The performance will consist of both the fluid soft shoe style as well as the rhythmic hard shoe popularized by shows such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.
At the end of the performance, the dancers will invite children and the young at heart to join them onstage to learn or try out some steps.
The Stillson School of Irish Dance is under the direction of the celebrated dancer/teacher Carlene Moran Stillson ADCRG/TCRG. She is accredited by Ad Coimisium in Dublin, Ireland and a member of IDTANA (Irish Dancing Teacher’s Association of North America). Carlene has a long tradition of dancing having started at age 4. She has competed in the New England Regional, North American, and World Championships.

In existence for more than 20 years, the Stillson School is the only certified school of Irish dancing in the state of Maine and its dancers compete all over New England and place in the New England Regional Irish Dancing Championships annually, and in competitions around the world.
In addition to the dance performance, Carlene Stillson will present the history of the dance and explain the reasons for the design of the many different costumes worn by the dancers. Traditional Irish dress is represented in the school dress which features embroidery designs taken from the Book of Kells.
The Stillson School of Irish Dance also has an active show team which has performed throughout New England as well as on the Ellipse at the White House. They have been featured dancers accompanying such renowned Celtic performers as Solas, Cherish the Ladies, Trinity Dance Company, Liz Carroll, Billy McComiskey and Mick Moloney, and Eileen Ivers.
Irish stepdance is a style of performance dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance. It is generally characterized by a stiff upper body and fast and precise movements of the feet. It can be performed solo or in groups. Aside from public dance performances, there are also stepdance competitions all over the world.
From the late 1800s, when the Gaelic League began to organize cultural festivals, Irish step dance developed a competitive element. Throughout the 20th century, structures for competition developed and spread across the globe..These competitions are often called Feiseanna (singular Feis). In Irish dance culture, a Feis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival.
Costumes are considered important for stage presence in competition and performance. In many cases, costumes are sold at high prices and can even be custom made. Each costume is different, with varying colors and patterns, designed to attract the judge’s eye in competitions and the audience’s eye in performance.

Classic Film Series - Romance
2025-04-06 14:00, 2025-04-27 14:00 | S. Judson Dunaway Center – Community Auditorium on the main floor, 23 School Street, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States

29th ANNUAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Featuring: THE DaPONTE STRING QUARTET
2025-05-17 19:30 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
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THE DaPONTE STRING QUARTETCelebrating the Music of Haydn, String Quartet in D Opus 20, #4Korngold, String Quartet #2 in E-Flat Major Opus 26
Ogunquit Performing Arts is delighted to welcome back to Ogunquit, a long time favorite in the area, the Daponte String Quartet. And to welcome our local friends and visitors back to the Ogunquit Baptist Church, which has offered OPA its beautiful sanctuary as an alternative venue during the repair, planned renovation and construction of our new municipal building and S. Judson Dunaway community center.
DSQ’s program will include the String Quartet in D Major, Opus 20, No. 4 by Joseph Haydn, the great Austrian composer who was one of the most important figures in the development of the Classical style in music during the 18th century, helping establish the forms and styles for the string quartet and the symphony. This particular quartet is an example of the dramatic innovations which Haydn introduced, reflecting the influence of the “Sturm und Drang” movement of the era.

Moving forward to the 20th century, DSQ will also play a work by Austria-Hungary composer Erich Korngold who first was well known for his operas, such as Die Tote Stadt (1920). In the ‘30s, he moved to Hollywood to arrange music for film where his background in opera revolutionized cinematic music and won him an Oscar for “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” Written just before he moved to Hollywood, his Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, Opus 26, has a lilting Viennese lightness and uses dance forms and touches of impressionism.
Having relocated to Maine 33 years ago from the urban musical center of Philadelphia, where they were co- founded by Ferdinand “Dino” Liva, and Myles Jordan, the DaPonte String Quartet has continued to grow- locally, nationally and internationally with their musical reach and popularity. Known for their inventive interpretations of the works they perform, the Boston Globe noted that “….whatever music they present- be it Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, or Post-Modern- the freshness of DSQ’s performances make these works appear novel and contemporary.” While so many classical musicians struggle to remain relevant in the contemporary music space by performing only new compositions, DSQ’s repertoire has been able to keep chamber music as a vital and alive art form.
Because their work is based on research, scholarship, (see quartet members introduction below) and hundreds of hours of preparation necessary to perform music of such complexity, their performances are grounded in an authority which is not stiff or aloof. Their stage manner among themselves and with their audiences is intimate and conversational. They unselfconsciously share their musical insights with their audiences which enable us to connect with the music in new ways.
They perform and teach all over the world. Their performances have been broadcast over nation-wide radio and television programs in the US and Canada.
They have received awards from but not limited to such prestigious organizations as the National Endowment of the Arts, Chamber Music America, the Music Teachers National Association, and the Maine Arts Commission.
And, some 34 years later, their deeply rooted relationship in Maine fuels their pride to call Maine home, and Maine’s pride that they chose to do so. Maine people have embraced DSQ. When they performed at Carnegie Hall, such a large contingent from Maine traveled to cheer them on that the NYT wrote: “Let it not be said that the Daponte String Quartet enters New York musical life without friends. Weill Hall was packed!”

QUARTET MEMBERS (highlights)

Philipp Elssner- Violin
Violinist, violist, and musical theorist.Joined quartet in 2024.Based in Northport, Maine.
Education: Bachelor’s from Cleveland Institute of Music, Masters in Music Theory from McGill University.
Other: Master’s Thesis “Groove in the Mix: Spatial Manipulation in Groove-based Popular music, 1970-present.” Taught music theory and musicianship at McGill and Cleveland Institute of Music and to private students at all levels, believing that music is an art form in which everyone should be able to take part.

Kirsten Monke – Viola
Joined Daponte in 2008, which she describes as a serendipitous occurrence, bring her back to her home state of Maine.
Her undergraduate and graduate studies were at Indiana University, and she continued her graduate studies at UC Santa Barbara. For a decade, she was principal violinist for both the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and the Santa Barbara Symphony. She has taught at UC Santa Barbara, Westmont College, and is currently on the faculty at Bowdoin College and Bay Chamber Music School.

Lydia Forbes- Violin
Performed with Daponte since 2005, living the dream since age 11 of being a member of a string quartet and raising her 3 sons in the beauty of Maine.
Started musical career in the Netherlands, where she also performed with numerous European quartets. Cofounded and toured with Het Zephyr Kwartet, devoted to contemporary music, as well as performing with the Oslo Philharmonic in Norway and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble.
Musical awards from Yale University, among other prestigious international awards.

Myles Jordan- Cello
Cellist, writer, Teacher
Undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, two further degrees at Julliard, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Temple University. Subsequently, he became associate principal cellist of the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, before founding the Daponte String Quartet.
He has taught at Temple University, Wilkes University, and the University of North Texas.
Myles best describes the work of Daponte through his eyes: “ Because music is a language, the driving impetus…is to create greater awareness of historical, social, political and philosophical contexts it’s created.” He describes his own aim as “to draw as many human connections as possible between contemporary audiences and great composers.”

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ZAHILI ZAMORA AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ TRIO and their Ogunquit Premiere
2025-06-06 19:30 | The Barn Gallery, 3 Hartwig Lane (off Bourne Lane at Shore Road), Ogunquit, Maine, 03907
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Performing in Ogunquit for the first time ever, Zahili Zamora and her Afro Cuban Jazz Trio promise a unique and unparalleled jazz experience. Ms Zamora and her Trio have headlined such venues as the landmark Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Celebrity Series of Boston, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and many more.

Her awards include: the Duke Ellington Award, the Wayne Shorter Award, the 40th Annual DownBeat music Award in the Outstanding Performance Category, Finalist at the DC Jazz Prix Competition, and with her Trio MIXCLA, a two time nominee for the Boston Music Awards in the Jazz Group category.
A pianist, composer, bandleader, arranger and educator, Ms Zamora started playing piano at the age of six, in her birthplace of Manzanillo, Cuba, where she graduated from the National School of Music, as a classical pianist, with a performance diploma. Emigrating to Canada, she explored a wide range of musical genres such as traditional Ecuadorian, French, and South African, and then to Asia for 6 years, where she even performed with a pop band.
Discovering Jazz, she returned to school in the U.S. to study at the Berklee College of Music, immersing herself in the study and analysis of jazz performance and composition, and falling in love with the process of creating. She graduated summa cum laude with a dual MM degree in Jazz Composition and Jazz Piano Performance. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Piano Department.
This rich musical background, career experience and extraordinary improvisation skills, render her a leader in the modern jazz idiom and an influential and emulated musician.
She describes the evolution of her artistic identity as a Latin Jazz pianist, singer, bandleader and composer, through reconnecting with her Cuban roots, and using elements of her rhythmic idiosyncrasy with American jazz, while adding and developing skills to encompass her artistry. She describes her music as representing multiculturalism and global unity in these times when there is so much division and oppression.

Tributes from musical colleagues and journalists include:
“…[Zahili] is amongst the most notable female pianists/composers in the field of Latin Jazz today, and her skills as an improviser are unmatched.” Oscar Stagnaro
“In addition to explorations of Habanera-steeped rhythms and textures and flourishes of American big band tradition, Zamora incorporates spacious and lovely melodies that soar beyond any descriptives.. Rick Koster, The Day
“A brilliant classically-trained improviser who is a master of polyrhythms, she is also a very appealing and versatile singer.” Scott Yannow, Jazz Journalist

Please join us to experience this enormous talent, in an Ogunquit premiere performance. It will blow your musical mind!
We are pleased to welcome our local friends and visitors back to the beautiful Barn Gallery, which has stepped up once again to offer an alternative venue during the repair, planned renovation and construction of our new municipal building and S. Judson Dunaway community center. Join us in this wonderful venue for a festive evening with Zahili and her Trio!
LISTEN TO ZAHILI: VIDEOS | Zahili Zamora

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BOSTON CHAMBER MUSIC STRING QUARTET
2025-06-13 19:30 | The Barn Gallery, 3 Hartwig Lane (off Bourne Lane at Shore Road), Ogunquit, Maine, 03907
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In recent years, OPA’s Chamber Music Festival has featured an on-going partnership with Boston Chamber Music, which every year puts together a special ensemble for the Ogunquit concerts, unique to OPA.
The players this year include Omar Chen Guey, violin, Peter Sulski, violin, Noriko Futagami, viola, and David Russell, cello – three of whom have played for OPA before, with Ms. Futagami making her Ogunquit debut.
The Program:
Boston Chamber Music’s program this year will feature Haydn’s String Quartet No. 63 in B♭major, Op. 76, No. 4, (the Sunrise Quartet), a piece which evokes the rising of the sun and the stirring awakening of nature. It was selected by Boston Chamber Music as a fitting tribute to the Marginal Way Centennial, which this year marks 100 years since the deed of gift of the scenic cliff walk to the town of Ogunquit by Josiah Chase.
The Haydn quartet is nicknamed “Sunrise” due to the rising theme over sustained chords that begins the quartet, and is perhaps the most magical in all Haydn. Featuring rising themes throughout, it combines earthiness with sophisticated development, blending Hungarian or Balkan folk music with the composer’s natural elegance.
BCM’s program will also include Mozart’s Quartet in Eb Major, K. 171 (the Viennese). Written in 1773, the quartet represents a considerable advance from Mozart’s previous works and reflects the influence of Haydn.
Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums), a haunting lovely elegy written by Giacomo Puccini in 1890 in tribute to the late Amadeo I of Spain. Puccini later incorporated the beautiful, tragic melodies of this short piece into his first successful opera, Manon Lescaut.
Mendelssohn’s Quartet in Eb Major, Op. 12 concludes the program. This masterfully composed quartet of 1829, while still echoing the influence of Beethoven, features stylistic and lyrical departures from that influence as Mendelssohn continued to develop as a composer.

The Players:

Violinist Omar Chen Guey
Violinist Omar Chen Guey has performed as soloist, in recitals and chamber concerts throughout his native Brazil, the US, Europe, Asia and Africa. He is a prizewinner at both Tibor Varga and Lipizer International Violin Competitions. A faculty member of Dartmouth College, he is the assistant concertmaster of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, a member of the Boston Ballet and the New England Camerata Trio.

Violist Noriko Futagami
Violist Noriko Futagami performs with some of the area’s most celebrated ensembles. She is a member of the Radius Ensemble, as well as working with the Boston Musica Viva, Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, and Winsor Music on a regular basis. She holds permanent positions in the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and Rhode Island Philharmonic, and is principal violist for Albany Symphony.

Violinist Peter Sulski
Violinist Peter Sulski was a member of the London Symphony Orchestra for seven years. While in England, he served on the faculty of the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music and Drama, as well as serving as Artistic Director of Chapel Royal Concerts which he founded in 1993. For seven years he gave the annual Viola Masterclass, as well as many performances at the Dartington International Summer School. He made his Carnegie Hall Debut in 1999.

Cellist David Russell
Cellist David Russell was hailed as a “superb cellist” in the Boston Globe, and maintains a vigorous schedule both as soloist and as collaborator in the U.S. and Europe. He was appointed to the teaching faculty of Wellesley College in 2005 and currently serves as Director of Chamber Music. He is a regular performer with several Boston-area ensembles such as Emmanuel Music and Cantata Singers and Ensemble, and served as Principal Cello with Opera Boston from 2005-2011.

Join us for this final chamber music concert of the season, as these wonderful artists bring this superlative program to Ogunquit audiences!

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25th Annual Capriccio Festival of Kites
2025-09-06 09:00 - 14:00 | Ogunquit Main Beach, 115 Beach St, Ogunquit, United States
OPA is delighted to continue sponsorship of the 25th Annual Festival of Kites, this favorite Ogunquit event. Professional kite flying demonstrations, with huge, multi-dimensional kites, are an all-day feature of the festival.
Children are also offered an opportunity to decorate their own kites, and to enter them into a contest with a multitude of categories in order for many prizes to be awarded. Kites can also be purchased at the beach so that everyone can participate. The “Grand Ascension” where the sky is filled with all of the day’s kites occurs at approximately 12 noon. Bring your cameras! It’s a spectacular sight.
The music of Joyce Andersen and Harvey Reid will accompany the festivities with sets occurring at 11 am and 1 pm.
The Capriccio Festival of Kites is presented by Cricket’s Corner Beach and Toy, Ogunquit Performing Arts, Ogunquit Rotary Club, Kennebunk Savings Bank, That Place in Ogunquit, and the Town of Ogunquit.

Joyce Andersen and Harvey Reid
2025-09-06 11:00 - 14:00 | Ogunquit Main Beach, 115 Beach St, Ogunquit, United States
Performing at Ogunquit Beach as part of the Kite Festival, Joyce Andersen, a singing electro-acoustic fiddle troubadour, and Harvey Reid, autoharp virtuoso, a modern minstrel, pushing the limits of acoustic music, guarantee amazing musical entertainment.

Joyce Andersen, a folk musician who follows her passion in every genre, from bluegrass to rock, began playing violin as an 8 yo child. She discovered, mastered, and fell in love with every style she encountered, once stating: “I just learned how to find the music that had always been there hiding from the mainstream.” Andersen performs her own music on the violin, accompanying it with vocals, putting “a modern spin on an old art form.” With her musical influences ranging from Billie Holiday and Otis Redding to Sheryl Crow, The Rolling Stones and Louis Armstrong, she seeks to bridge all the genres in her albums and live performances.
Over the course of her 30 year career, she has performed at a number of well established venues—including Carnegie Hall and on The Conan O’Brien Show—and released numerous celebrated recordings including her early breakthrough album The Girl I Left Behind, and her solo album Swerve! (2011), where she developed an innovative solo setup using loops, effects, foot percussion and electric/acoustic fiddles to merge improvisation with multiple genres: jazz, gospel, rock, torch songs, and Appalachian tunes. Among her numerous solo albums, she has others recorded with folk musician Harvey Reid.
Joyce is recognized for playing violin and singing simultaneously in counter‑rhythms and layered textures, crafting dramatic one-woman soundscapes without prerecorded tracks. She credits Harvey, her husband and musical partner with, among other things, showing her how “to make CDs on her own label, work hard getting little concert gigs, and to earn one fan at a time.”
Joyce continues writing new songs for a proposed tenth album.

Listen To Joyce

Harvey Reid, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, writer and music educator, began his musical journey listening to sixties music on top forties radio stations, and began playing “recreational” guitar at age 14, performing with friends at parties and local coffeehouses. He began writing songs at the same time but never intended to become a musician. He began a period of self-education, being introduced to many of the roots of American music in the blues, bluegrass, and folk music by a local progressive FM radio station, based in Bethesda, MD and like Joyce, began honing his craft by attending regional concerts and festivals, where he had opportunities to jam with bluegrass legends, and fell in love with bluegrass and old time music, and began playing autoharp.
He is considered to be one of the modern masters and innovators of the acoustic guitar, autoharp and 6-string banjo. He has absorbed a wide range of musical styles of acoustic music, from hip-hop to slashing slide guitar blues to old time Celtic, ragtime and even classical.
His reputation as a “musician’s musician” is unparalleled. He has released over 32 recordings on the Woodpecker record label many recognized with industry accolades. Additionally he was voted as one of the Top Ten Fold CD’s of All Time, in company with Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, and other musical giants. Apple Computer used his version of J.S. Bach’s Minuet in G in their iPhoto software.
He is author of dozens of music education books. Among many notable publications, he wrote the first college textbook for folk guitar, Modern Folk Guitar, the epic, The Troubadour Chronicles, blazing a new trail in music history and education. Among his many awards he has won the National Fingerpicking Guitar Competition, the International Autoharp competition, and in 2023 was inducted into the Maine Music Awards Hall of Fame.
Listen To Harvey

Harvey Reid and Joyce Andersen are traveling less to perform, while raising their two children in York, Maine. They can be found performing locally, and in 2020 began a series of livestream performances, which can be heard on their Puffin and Loon You Tube channel where their current goal is to post a daily new song for one year until 3/11/26!
How fortunate are we to call these talented artists and performers “neighbors” who are gracing us with their unique blend of multi-genre music as part of our Capriccio celebration.

Tom Snow Jazz Quartet Feat. Saxophonist Ralph Norris
2025-09-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
Ticketing for this event will be handled by Jonathan’s. Click Here for Tickets. All $29 tickets will be automatically upgraded to front seating at no additional cost on the night of the performance, subject to availability. *NOTE: Tickets for this event will be handled by Jonathan’s only and will not be available at our typical local retail locations.
Tom Snow is best known as a celebrated and prolific songwriter, singer/songwriter and arranger, recording artist, premier pianist, and bandleader, across almost every genre of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, and has become a highly acclaimed educator. Tom and a rhythm section featuring friends and top-call Boston musicians Rick McLaughlin and Phil McGowan, will be joined by revered saxophonist, Ralph Norris to perform this special jazz concert.
Upon graduating from Berklee College of Music, with a degree in Music Composition, Tom set out to pursue a career in songwriting, postponing his dream of becoming a jazz pianist. He signed with Capitol Records as a solo performer, producing two albums before changing his focus to writing for others.
In the first year of this change in focus, his first BMI airplay award came with Rita Coolidge’s recording of “You” which he had written and performed on his first solo album, and his writing career was “off and running.”
He has been nominated for or won over multiple years, Academy Awards (such as “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”-Footloose), Emmys (such as Fame LA) , Grammys (Song of the Year, Non-Musical Show Album), Golden Globe (Best Song), Tony (Best Musical). His songs have topped the charts sung by such well known recording artists, as Selena, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Rostadt, Aaron Neville, Cher, Olivia Newton-John, Amy Grant, Barry Manilow, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Joe Cocker, Dionne Warwick, Joe Walsh, Levon Helm, and Mick Fleetwood.
Respected and beloved by other musicians and friends such as Jonathan Edwards, American singer/songwriter, “I’ve worked with many of our world’s most gifted musicians and Tom is one of the very best! He brings expertise, generosity, and soulfulness to every stage, whether as a professor, performer or friend,” and Jeff Coffin, saxophonist with Dave Matthews band and 3 time Grammy winner, “There are pianists and music educators…and then there is Tom Snow. He is brilliant, kind, resourceful and engaged (even before he sets foot on the stage!”
We are fortunate to hear him perform as a jazz pianist, a return to his roots and dreams from his student days at Berklee.

Listen To Tom Snow

Featuring:

Ralph Norris, Saxophonist, has been a fixture of the New England music scene for more than 50 years. In addition to performing alongside many world renowned musicians, he has performed and recorded with beloved Maine musicians Don Doane and Terry White. For 35 years, Ralph was a part of countless concerts and two full recordings with bandleader and pianist Tom Snow. Off stage, he has dedicated many years as a coach and mentor to area high school jazz musicians.
Though he is choiceful of the gigs he performs these days, Ralph remains committed to excellence, always evaluating his playing with honesty and grace: “I try to constantly evaluate my playing so I will have the sense to pack it in before I slide too far down the slope, if you get my drift.”
Balancing a fulfilling musical life with a successful career, Ralph credits his journey to a supportive wife, understanding business partners, and the joy of collaborating with talented musicians. “Music has been a driving force in my life… Some of the most memorable moments of our lives occurred on a bandstand creating music with our friends. They are experiences that I shall never forget.”

Joined By:

Bassist Rick McLaughlin
Rick McLaughlin, Bassist, is a multi-faceted musician. In addition to being a highly talented bassist, he is an educator at Berklee College of Music, composer, arranger, author, producer, and music superfan. These roles have taken him to stages on four continents, performances and recording sessions with legendary musicians, to clinics, classrooms and private lessons. And to the microphone as a podcast guest. He has shared the stage and recorded with a wide array of international artists, such as Grammy-nominated Either/Orchestra to Ethiopian legends Mahmoud Ahmed and Mulatu Astatke.

Drummer Phil McGowan
Phil McGowan, drummer, maintains an active schedule as a drummer and music educator. Phil has been performing throughout the New England area since he picked up drumsticks at a very young age, and formed a band with his brother. He has performed at concert halls, clubs, music festivals, and cruise ships which ventured into Europe, Africa and Asia. He has shared the stage with many inspiring artists, including Judy Collins, and American Idol finalists John Stevens and Siobhan Magnus, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Billy Pierce, Herb Pomeroy and many others, while continuing to perform regularly throughout the Greater Boston area.

TICKETS

Randall Hodgkinson and Leslie Amper: Four Hands, One Piano
2025-10-11 19:30 - 21:30 | The Barn Gallery, 3 Hartwig Lane (off Bourne Lane at Shore Road), Ogunquit, Maine, 03907
Renowned classical pianist, Randall Hodgkinson, returns to Ogunquit, where he has appeared multiple times as a soloist, and with Boston Chamber Music. This time he will be joined by equally acclaimed pianist, Leslie Amper, also his spouse, for a special performance on OPA’s Steinway, developed just for Ogunquit Performing Art’s 18th Annual Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham’s Piano Festival. They regularly perform together, a four hand, two piano repertoire. Perhaps their best known recording together is “The Manatee: Piano Music of Bernard Hoffer.”

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The Program:
Brahms Selections from Waltzes opus 39
Mendelssohn Nocturne and Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mozart Sonata in C
Schubert Grand Duo

Tickets to this performance are available three weeks before the concert date on this website. Click here to purchase in advance. Tickets may also be purchased at Crickets Corner Beach and Toy, 41 Shore Rd, the Ogunquit Welcome Center, 20 Shore Rd, and the Dunaway Center, 23 School St.

Randall Hodgkinson
“The finest performance I have ever heard of this very difficult piece. It was as if he was reading my mind….” Aaron Copland on hearing pianist Randall Hodgkinson performing his Piano Fantasy in Jordan Hall, Boston
Randy achieved recognition as the Grand Prize winner of the International American Music competition, sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the Rockefeller Foundation, winner in the JS Bach International Competition, and as the recipient of the Tanglewood Music Center’s prestigious Cabot Award. His solo orchestral performances include appearances with the Atlanta and Boston Symphony Orchestras, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and internationally with the Iceland Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia in Rome. He has had successful collaborations with such well-regarded musical giants as Leonard Bernstein and Gunther Schuller.
As both Randy’s parents were musicians, Randy began his musical career at a very young age, with his mother as his first teacher. “Discovered” at a music festival at age 15, he was encouraged to apply for admission to the New England Conservatory of Music, where he earned a BA, MM, and AD.
His musical repertoire spans from JS Bach to Donald Marino, and he performed the world premier of the piano concerto of Gardner Read at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
He currently serves on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and Wellesley College.
www.wellesley.edu/people/randall-hodgkinson

Leslie Amper
“The highlight of the program was a most commanding and serious performance of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations…She built the series in a mighty span, intensely engaged throughout.” New York Times
Leslie Amper launched her career with a critically acclaimed debut in the Carnegie Recital Hall. While still a conservatory student, she won the first annual Jordan Hall Honors Competition and was selected to play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto #3 at her graduation ceremony from The New England Conservatory of Music. Taking advantage of a program offered through the Pittsburgh public schools for serious high school musicians, Leslie further honed her musical talents during summers at highly regarded music camps and festivals.
A winner of the National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Fellowship Grant, she performed in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. She also toured the United States as the musical component for the Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibition 1934: A New Deal for Artists. An acknowledged scholar and practitioner of contemporary music, she is equally adept at accompanying silent film, and has compiled piano accompaniments at the Harvard Film Archives for the short films of King Vidor’s The Crowd, among others. She also performed onstage piano in Peter Sellars’ production of Chekhov’s A Seagull at the American National Theater. Leslie has continued to lecture and perform internationally in England, Italy and Austria, and at Art Museums around the country, including but not limited to the National Gallery of Art, the Norton Museum of Art. In 2020, she performed virtual concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
She currently teaches at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, the New England Conservatory Preparatory Department, and Wheaton College. She has held residencies at the Universities of Washington and Arizona, and has lectured at Boston University and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as at the New Hampshire Music Festival, where she is a regular performer.
www.leslieamper.com

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Jonathan Bass, pianist
2025-10-17 19:30 - 21:30 | The Barn Gallery, 3 Hartwig Lane (off Bourne Lane at Shore Road), Ogunquit, Maine, 03907
Virtuoso pianist, Jonathan Bass, brings his wide-ranging repertoire and talent to Ogunquit for the first time. Jonathan enjoys a multi-faceted career, and appears frequently throughout the United States and around the world as soloist and chamber musician. Of his 1994 Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall debut, New York Concert Review wrote, “A technical presence to be reckoned with…soaring with a feeling of lyrical discovery.”
“Bass is everything a pianist should be: encompassing technical brilliance without showiness, musical and emotional depth, careful thought and an architectural sense of structure. He has a huge dynamic range, and what impressed me the most about his performance was his extremely delicate and controlled pianissimo, probably the hardest thing to do well on the piano.” Christopher Hyde, Maine Classical Beat

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Tickets to this performance are available three weeks before the concert date on this website. Click here to purchase in advance. Tickets may also be purchased at Crickets Corner Beach and Toy, 41 Shore Rd, the Ogunquit Welcome Center, 20 Shore Rd, and the Dunaway Center, 23 School St.

The Program:
Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50 HaydnAllegroAdagioAllegro molto
Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 59 No. 1 ChopinMazurka in A-Flat Major, Op. 59 No. 2Mazurka in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 59 No. 3
Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 35 ChopinGrave; Doppio movimentoScherzoMarche funèbre: LentoFinale: Presto
-Intermission-
Piano Variations (1930) Copland
Gaspard de la nuit RavelOndineLe gibetScarbo

Jonathan Bass
American pianist Jonathan Bass appears frequently throughout the United States and around the world as soloist and chamber musician. He is a regular presence at Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall in Boston, and at Tanglewood. His solo and chamber music recordings have received high acclaim from Gramophone Magazine. Internationally, he has performed in China, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, and Russia. He has been featured on many radio programs throughout the United States, including National Public Radio’s ‘Performance Today’. Bass has performed as concerto solo soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Boston Pops and the North Carolina Symphony. Of his 1994 Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall debut, New York Concert Review wrote, “A technical presence to be reckoned with…soaring with a feeling of lyrical discovery.”Bass was awarded First Prizes in the 1993 Joanna Hodges International PianoCompetition, the 1984 American National Chopin Competition, the 1989 American Pianists Association Beethoven Fellowship Competition, and the 1983 National Arts Club Competition. He also received the Bronze Medal and Mozart Prize at the 1987 Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition.
Collaborative highlights include multiple guest appearances with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, and recitals with violinist Joseph Silverstein. He also partners with his wife, BSO violinist Tatiana Dimitriades, in the Boston Duo. For more than 20 years, as the pianist and a founding member of the Walden Chamber Players, he performed on a variety of chamber music series and residencies across the United States and Canada.
He has recorded music by Larry Bell, Samuel Barber, Marion Bauer, Amy Beach, Paul Bowles, Daniel Pinkham, Quincy Porter, Walter Piston, Ned Rorem, Gerhard Schedl, Augusta Read Thomas, as well as Bach, Chopin, and Scriabin.
A graduate of the Juilliard School as a student of Adele Marcus and Sasha Gorodnitski, Jonathan Bass holds a Doctor of Music degree from the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied with, and was teaching assistant to, Menahem Pressler. He also studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, a rare opportunity for an American at that time. Bass is a Professor of Piano at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and serves on the faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. His students have won many competition prizes, and he has given numerous master classes across the country.
Jonathan Bass is a Steinway Artist.
www.jonathanbass.net

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Piano Festival: Student Piano Recital
2025-10-19 15:00 - 18:00 | The Barn Gallery, 3 Hartwig Lane (off Bourne Lane at Shore Road), Ogunquit, Maine, 03907
The 18th Annual Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham Piano Festival concludes with the Student Piano Recital, showcasing the area’s best young pianists, performing on Ogunquit Performing Arts Committee’s world class Steinway piano before a live audience in a beautiful setting.
The festival, and particularly this popular event, honors the memory of Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham (“Betty”), and is inspired by her own life as a piano student, performer and teacher. As a student, she first received a music degree from Smith College and continued her studies with renowned concert pianists and faculty members from Dunbarton College in Washington, D.C. and Julliard School of Music, in New York City.
The founder and 1st chair of Ogunquit Performing Arts (OPA), Betty saw to it that OPA acquired its spectacular Steinway Model C Grand Piano, which still remains its greatest treasure.

Classic Film Series: Drama
2026-01-04 14:00 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list for more information

OPA’s 24th Annual Classic Film Series will take place this season at OgunquitBaptist Church, 157 Shore Road in Ogunquit, in their first floor communitymeeting room.
Screenings will occur on two Sunday afternoons per month. January’s classic movie theme: Drama
Due to licensing restrictions, titles and actors can only be promoted bypostings at Ogunquit Baptist Church, and through our email list. If youare not already on the mailing list, you can enroll HERE.
The Sunday afternoon series is a great opportunity for fellowship with friendsand family, and provides antidote to winter’s cabin fever malaise.Admission, parking and popcorn are free.

Classic Film Series - Drama
2026-01-18 14:00 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list and learn the film title!

OPA’s 24th Annual Classic Film Series will take place this season at OgunquitBaptist Church, 157 Shore Road in Ogunquit, in their first floor communitymeeting room.
Screenings will occur on two Sunday afternoons per month. January’s classic movie theme: Drama
Due to licensing restrictions, titles and actors can only be promoted bypostings at Ogunquit Baptist Church, and through our email list. If youare not already on the mailing list, you can enroll HERE.
The Sunday afternoon series is a great opportunity for fellowship with friendsand family, and provides antidote to winter’s cabin fever malaise.
Admission, parking and popcorn are free.

*CANCELLED* Classic Film Series: ROMANCE
2026-02-01 14:00 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list for more information

We are sorry to announce that the screening scheduled for Sunday afternoon February 1st, has been unfortunately cancelled. The Ogunquit Baptist Church has experienced a broken water pipe and has cancelled all activities in the Church until repairs can be made.

We regret any inconvenience!

Check back for updates on upcoming screenings.

Classic Film Series - ROMANCE
2026-02-15 14:00 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list and learn the film title!

OPA’s 24th Annual Classic Film Series will take place this season at OgunquitBaptist Church, 157 Shore Road in Ogunquit, in their first floor communitymeeting room.
Screenings will occur on two Sunday afternoons per month. February’s Classic Movie Theme: ROMANCE
Due to licensing restrictions, titles and actors can only be promoted by postings at Ogunquit Baptist Church, and through our email list. If you are not already on the mailing list, you can enroll HERE.
The Sunday afternoon series is a great opportunity for fellowship with friends andfamily, and provides antidote to winter’s cabin fever malaise.Admission, parking and popcorn are free.

Classic Film Series - Mystery
2026-03-01 14:00 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list for more information

OPA’s 24th Annual Classic Film Series will take place this season at Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road in Ogunquit, in their first floor community meeting room.
Screenings will occur on two Sunday afternoons per month. March’s Classic Movie Theme: MYSTERY
Due to licensing restrictions, titles and actors can only be promoted by postings at Ogunquit Baptist Church, and through our email list. If you are not already on the mailing list, you can enroll HERE.
The Sunday afternoon series is a great opportunity for fellowship with friends and family, and provides antidote to winter’s cabin fever malaise.Admission, parking and popcorn are free.

Live Event: Stillson School of Irish Dance
2026-03-07 18:30 - 19:30 | Wells Junior High School, 1470 Post Rd. (Route 1 just south of Route 109 intersection), Wells, ME, 04090, United States
Irish stepdancing continues to be a wildly popular art form for performers and audiences alike. Ogunquit Performing Arts celebrates this unique style of dance at this most appropriate time of year. The award-winning Stillson dancers, returning to Ogunquit by popular demand, will perform a brilliant array of jigs and reels, dressed in a variety of dazzling, hand-made costumes. The performance will consist of both the fluid soft shoe style as well as the rhythmic hard shoe popularized by shows such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. At the end of the performance, the dancers will invite children and the young at heart to join them onstage to learn or try out some steps.
The Stillson School of Irish Dance is under the direction of the celebrated dancer/teacher Carlene Moran Stillson ADCRG/TCRG. She is accredited by Ad Coimisium in Dublin, Ireland and a member of IDTANA (Irish Dancing Teacher’s Association of North America). Carlene has a long tradition of dancing having started at age 4. She has competed in the New England Regional, North American, and World Championships.

In existence for more than 20 years, the Stillson School is the only certified school of Irish dancing in the state of Maine and its dancers compete all over New England and place in the New England Regional Irish Dancing Championships annually, and in competitions around the world.
In addition to the dance performance, Carlene Stillson will present the history of the dance and explain the reasons for the design of the many different costumes worn by the dancers. Traditional Irish dress is represented in the school dress which features embroidery designs taken from the Book of Kells.
The Stillson School of Irish Dance also has an active show team which has performed throughout New England as well as on the Ellipse at the White House. They have been featured dancers accompanying such renowned Celtic performers as Solas, Cherish the Ladies, Trinity Dance Company, Liz Carroll, Billy McComiskey and Mick Moloney, and Eileen Ivers.
Irish stepdance is a style of performance dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance. It is generally characterized by a stiff upper body and fast and precise movements of the feet. It can be performed solo or
in groups. Aside from public dance performances, there are also stepdance competitions all over the world.
From the late 1800s, when the Gaelic League began to organize cultural festivals, Irish step dance developed a competitive element. Throughout the 20th century, structures for competition developed and spread across the globe. These competitions are often called Feiseanna (singular Feis). In Irish dance culture, a Feis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival.
Costumes are considered important for stage presence in competition and performance. In many cases, costumes are sold at high prices and can even be custom made. Each costume is different, with varying colors
and patterns, designed to attract the judge’s eye in competitions and the
audience’s eye in performance.

Classic Film Series - Mystery
2026-03-15 14:00 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list and learn the film title!

OPA’s 24th Annual Classic Film Series will take place this season at Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road in Ogunquit, in their first floor community meeting room.
Screenings will occur on two Sunday afternoons per month. March’s Classic Movie Theme: MYSTERY
Due to licensing restrictions, titles and actors can only be promoted by postings at Ogunquit Baptist Church, and through our email list. If you are not already on the mailing list, you can enroll HERE.
The Sunday afternoon series is a great opportunity for fellowship with friends and family, and provides antidote to winter’s cabin fever malaise.
Admission, parking and popcorn are free.

Classic Film Series - Crime
2026-04-12 14:00 | Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
click HERE to join the email list and learn the film title!

OPA’s 24th Annual Classic Film Series will take place this season at Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road in Ogunquit, in their first floor community meeting room.
This is the only screening for the month of April. April’s Classic Movie Theme: CRIME.
Due to licensing restrictions, titles and actors can only be promoted by postings at Ogunquit Baptist Church, and through our email list. If you are not already on the mailing list, you can enroll HERE.
The Sunday afternoon series is a great opportunity for fellowship with friends and family, and provides antidote to winter’s cabin fever malaise.Admission, parking and popcorn are free.

Tom Snow and Friends Jazz Ensemble
2026-05-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln, Ogunquit, ME, 03907, United States
Ogunquit Performing Arts is excited to present pianist & bandleader Tom Snow once again for a performance of his jazz ensemble upstairs at Jonathan’s in Ogunquit.

Tom Snow, Best known as a celebrated and prolific songwriter, singer/songwriter and arranger, recording artist, premier pianist, and bandleader, across almost every genre of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, Tom Snow has become a highly acclaimed educator.
Upon graduating from Berklee College of Music, with a degree in Music Composition, Tom set out to pursue a career in songwriting, postponing his dream of becoming a jazz pianist. He signed with Capitol Records as a solo performer, producing two albums before changing his focus to writing for others.
In the first year of this change in focus, his first BMI airplay award came with Rita Coolidge’s recording of “You” which he had written and performed on his first solo album, and his writing career was “off and running.”
He has been nominated for or won over multiple years, Academy Awards (such as “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”-Footloose), Emmys (such as Fame LA) , Grammys (Song of the Year, Non-Musical Show Album), Golden Globe (Best Song), Tony (Best Musical). His songs have topped the charts sung by such well known recording artists as Selena, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, Cher, Olivia Newton-John, Amy Grant, Barry Manilow, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Joe Cocker, Dionne Warwick, Joe Walsh, Levon Helm, and Mick Fleetwood.

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For this concert, Tom has invited four master musicians to join him. This night will be filled with excitement as they come together to magically create arrangements of beloved songs from the jazz canon.

Ralph Norris, Saxophonist, has been a fixture of the New England music scene for more than 50 years. Having performed and recorded for 35 years alongside many world-renowned musicians, including bandleader and pianist Tom Snow, he has also performed and recorded with beloved Maine musicians Don Doane and Terry White.

Phil McGowan, Drummer, has performed at concert halls, clubs, music festivals and cruise ships in Europe, Africa and Asia. He has shared the stage with many inspiring artists, including Judy Collins, American Idol finalists, John Stevens and Siobhan Magnus, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Billy Pierce, Herb Pomeroy, and many others.

Katie Oberholtzer, Jazz vocalist, has worked and performed with several world class musicians including Christian Mc Bride, John Pizzarelli Shelly Borg, Byron Lynch and Cyrille Aimee. She has performed at many prestigious venues, including Dizzy’s Club in Jazz at Lincoln Center, Currently based in NYC, when in New England, she can be seen performing regularly with Maine’s premiere big band, the Portland Jazz Orchestra.

Marshall Wood, Bass, has performed in top jazz festivals in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America, and has appeared on many major network television shows. For over 40 years, he has played and recorded with such jazz masters as Big Joe Turner, Anita O’Day, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, Nelson Riddle, Joe Williams, and dozens of others. He toured for many years as recording and touring bassist, with Tony Bennett, up to his last performance.. He is featured on Bennett’s Double Platinum Grammy Award winning album Duets II, and his duet recording with Lady Gaga.

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30th ANNIVERSARY OF OPA CHAMBER MUSIC FEATURING BOSTON CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLE
2026-06-05 19:30 - 21:30 | The Barn Gallery, 3 Hartwig Lane (off Bourne Lane at Shore Road), Ogunquit, Maine, 03907
30th anniversary of OPA Chamber Music Festival
Boston Chamber Music Ensemble (seven strings with piano)
In recent years, OPA’s Chamber Music Festival has featured an on-going partnership with Boston Chamber Music, which every year puts together a special ensemble for the Ogunquit concerts, unique to OPA.
Location: Barn Gallery
Witness the first ever transcription for piano and strings of Rossini Overture to Semiramide
More information coming soon!

Frederick Moyer Jazz Trio
2026-06-12 19:30 - 21:30 | The Barn Gallery, 3 Hartwig Lane (off Bourne Lane at Shore Road), Ogunquit, Maine, 03907
Check back soon for more information.
