FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Portland Bach Experience returns June 2 through 24

Presenting twenty-two events from Sanford to Brunswick

Portland, Maine (May 15, 2023) – You don’t normally see images from NASA or circus performers alongside classical music, but that’s what you can expect at the 2023 Portland Bach Experience.

Portland Bach Experience stands out in the Northeast for its immersive and inventive performances that are designed for a multi-generational audience. With programs that cultivate community and curiosity, surprising and delighting audiences of all ages, Portland Bach Experience makes Mainers and visitors feel alive, inspired, and connected.

This year’s festival sees the revival of Bach & Beer, the expansion of the BachBends Yoga series, and the return of the popular Carnival Concert—now moved to Reiche Community School in Portland’s West End to engage more families.

“You can go to NYC or Boston and see amazing music,” says artistic director Emily Isaacson, “but in big cities you can’t see a symphony orchestra performing at a playground, or watch your grandchild dance next to the oboes, or chat with a GRAMMY winner between sets. This festival is unlike anything I’ve witnessed anywhere else in the country.”

Even a “traditional” concert at the Portland Bach Experience isn’t your typical classical music performance. This year’s line-up features a revolutionary experience of Haydn’s The Creation coupled with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope images from 13.5 billion years ago and performances by the Flying Gravity Circus. Back by popular demand is GRAMMY-winning soprano Sarah Brailey to share an intimate evening salon full of stories and songs. New and old stand side-by-side in the annual Brandenburg Concerto cycle, which pairs one of Bach’s masterpieces alongside a “New Brandenburg,” a contemporary response to his legendary works—this year Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 alongside Stephen Hartke’s A Brandenburg Autumn.

“I’m fascinated by the artistic and emotional conversations between composers across centuries. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are the epitome of the Baroque jam band, with different groups of instruments trying to out-wow each other. The ‘New Brandenburgs’ are like asking Beyoncé to respond to the Beatles in her own musical language—it's fascinating and electrifying!”

The Portland Bach Experience June Festival runs from June 2 to June 24, 2023. With over twenty events between Sanford and Brunswick, everyone can find their own vibrant, soul-centering, or exhilarating experience through music. Tickets and full schedule are available now atwww.portlandbachexperience.com.

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About Portland Bach Experience

Portland Bach Experience (PBE) enlivens, strengthens, and connects communities by creating world-class, immersive classical music experiences for everyone, including full orchestral performances, intimate salons in art galleries, outdoor performances, educational lectures, and hands-on events for children. Portland Bach Experience began in 2017 and is led by founder and artistic director Dr. Emily Isaacason, who was named the “Maine Artist of the Year” by the Maine Arts Commission and ArtsEngageME and one of “50 Mainers Leading the State” by Maine Magazine. Portland Bach Experience is a program of Classical Uprising, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to community development, creative expression, inclusivity, lifelong learning, and artistic excellence.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Emily Southard, Managing Director

Classical Uprising

music@classicaluprising.org | (207) 200-7933