Lewiston, ME — The Maine Music Society Chorale announces its upcoming concert, Out of the Ashes: Music Born of Tragedy, on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at the Franco Center in Lewiston. Based in Lewiston-Auburn, The Maine Music Society Chorale recently celebrated 50 years of singing. Led by Artistic Director Richard Nickerson, the upcoming concert will be an emotional musical journey through some of the bleakest times in human history. According to Nickerson, “This concert will show the incredible power of music to express any human emotion as well as the healing power of music. Throughout history, music has been used as a response to tragedy.”

Among the works performed will be the world premiere of a new piece by Michael John Trotta, These Things Shall Never Die, commissioned by the Maine Music Society and dedicated to all victims of the October 25, 2023, Lewiston tragedy. “This piece is our gift to, not only our local community, but the greater choral community as well. It symbolizes that we must continue to look for good, even in the face of evil,” said Nickerson.

In the first half of the program, the Chorale will perform Donald McCullough’s Holocaust Cantata (Songs from the Camps). The work consists of songs written by concentration camp prisoners as well as readings based on interview transcripts, historical data, and prisoner stories. The second half will consist of several works, each one representing a different event. The concert will conclude with the uplifting Leon Dubinsky’s We Rise Again, which has become an anthem of resilience in the face of adversity. 

“We know this will be a powerful concert that deals with a very difficult subject, but it is our hope that audiences will be inspired by the power of the human spirit.” concluded Nickerson.

Both performances will include sign language interpretation. A limited number of reserved seats close to the sign language interpreters are available. Please call the MMS box office at 207-333-3386 by February 28 for tickets to that section. 

A limited number of vouchers for free tickets for either performance can be obtained at both the Lewiston and the Auburn Public Libraries’ reference desks and at the Maine Resiliency Center upon in-person request. These vouchers must be redeemed for the actual tickets following the instructions on the vouchers.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit us online at mainemusicsociety.org or call the MMS office at 207-333-3386. 

 Tickets:

Adult - $27*

Senior - $25*

Student - $6*(age 13+)

Children under 12: free (when accompanied by an adult)

*Price includes all handling fees

Group rates available for 10 or more tickets to the same performance purchased at the same time. Call our business office: 207-333-3386.

 The Maine Music Society thanks its Season Underwriters Hardy, Wolf & Downing and the Sun Journal, its Event Sponsor Maple Way Dental, and its Event Supporter Andwell Health Partners.  MMS is also grateful to the Davis Family Foundation for a grant helping to make this concert accessible to all. 

The Maine Music Society (MMS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the Lewiston-Auburn area through performances of choral music in a broad range of musical genres.