Heather Petrie, renowned contralto, will perform Saturday, April 23 at Meetinghouse Arts in Freeport. Ms. Petrie, who was raised in Freeport and attended Freeport schools, will return to Maine to perform a number of popular and classical pieces during her evening at Meetinghouse Arts. She will be accompanied by David Watts of Freeport, formerly Director of Music for RSU 5 and currently the Director of the Maine Pops Concert Band and Chandlers Military Band. Ms. Petrie will also present a special piece at the Sunday morning service at First Parish Congregational Church, the home of Meetinghouse Arts.

By performing at Meetinghouse Arts, Heather will be returning to the First Parish Congregational Church, which she attended as a child.  "My earliest memories of growing up in Freeport are musical ones.  It seems that music was incorporated into daily life at home and school, and it felt natural to keep pursuing every opportunity that presented itself: from joining elementary treble choir and band, participating in community theater productions, and, in high school, becoming a member of the All-National honor choir and proudly representing Maine. I am so pleased to see that the importance Freeport places on Arts and Culture has continued to grow over time, and I am thrilled to perform for the community that laid the musical framework that has lasted me a lifetime."

Ms. Petrie, who is now based in New York City, has an extended and varied repertoire. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Voice from Bard College and a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the State University of New York Purchase Conservatory of Music. She has been hailed as “a true contralto, with a big, deep, resonant projection that can fill a hall” (New London Day). Hers is a familiar voice throughout the Northeast. In 2019, she was the second prize winner in the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Competition, and she made her Carnegie Hall solo debut in Handel’s Messiah with the New York Oratorio Society. As a soloist, she has appeared with the American Symphony Orchestra, Voices of Ascension, Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, and the New Orchestra of Washington. She performs frequently with the New York Philharmonic, Musica Sacra, the Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola, the Cathedral Choir of Saint John the Divine, Musica Viva, and Essential Voices USA. She has also been a member of the opera chorus at Bard Summerscape, Princeton Festival, and the New York City Opera. She is currently a member of the Metropolitan Opera Extra Chorus. She has an extended repertoire that includes classical pieces by Bach, Beethoven, Britten, Brahms, Handel, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, and Vivaldi. She is a founding member of the critically acclaimed, eight-voice treble group Etherea Vocal Ensemble.

Meetinghouse Arts is the home of Arts & Cultural Alliance of Freeport (ACAF) and houses a gallery and a performance space. It is fast becoming the place to experience art, performance, and cultural events in downtown Freeport. Visit the ACAF website (www.freeportartsandculture.org) for details on all upcoming events, to purchase tickets, and review ACAF’s updated COVID-19 Health and Safety policy.

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Arts & Cultural Alliance of Freeport (ACAF) is a non-profit organization formed in 2015 by residents of Freeport and representatives of local businesses and organizations. It is dedicated to fostering the Greater Freeport creative community and establishing Greater Freeport as a vibrant center for arts and culture for residents and visitors alike. For more about ACAF, visit FreeportArtsAndCulture.org.