Maine’s Portland Symphony Orchestra.
In Sunday’s (10/6) Portland Press Herald (Maine), Megan Gray writes, “In June, the Portland Symphony Orchestra opened ticket sales to the public for its gala concert with celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Thirty minutes before sales opened, more than 3,000 people were in the online waiting room … ‘The capacity of Merrill Auditorium is 1,900 people,’ said Carolyn Nishon, executive director at the Portland Symphony Orchestra. ‘I was blown away.’ The concert is years in the making and the marquee event in a milestone season. The orchestra decided to celebrate 100 years by hosting a special guest … But the orchestra wants to do more than borrow [Ma’s] star power for one night … Plans for the 100th season—which launched in September with a free block party, community sing-along and … concerts—began years ago…. [Portland Symphony] leaders noted that this year’s programs cast a wider net than ever before. Musicians will play free concerts at breweries. The orchestra will perform with Opera Maine, the ChoralArt Masterworks chorus, Portland Ballet and Portland Stage. They will perform free concerts in all nine Portland elementary schools this year. ‘We are figuring out ways to reach people that we haven’t reached,’ ” said Music Director Eckart Preu.
