The Penobscot Bay Orchestra, now in its 4th season, performs concerts in Belfast and Camden in December 2024.

Concert dates are:

Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m., at Belfast Unitarian Universalist Church, 37 Miller Street, Belfast, Maine, 04915

Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m., at John Street United Methodist Church, 98 John Street. Camden, Maine 04843

Penobscot Bay Orchestra concerts are performed in support of local charities, and these free concerts will support Waldo County Bounty and the Interfaith Fuel Fund, which provide vital assistance to local residents, made especially more important during the winter months. Voluntary donations are collected at the door to benefit the charities. 

The concert features orchestral works augmented by the Terzetto string trio by Antonín Dvořák, performed by Penobscot Bay Orchestra violinists Heidi Karod and Julia Tranner, and violist Edwin Hantz. Saturday’s concert will also feature a violin solo by Philipp Elssner, member of the Da Ponte string quartet and resident of Northport.

Titled “Pipe Dreams And Fairy Tales,” the program opens with selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, a seasonal favorite based on the story by E.T.A Hoffmann. Anchoring the program is Zoltán Kodály’s enchanting Hary Janos Suite, a musical adventure depicting the exploits of Hary Janos, a fictional veteran of the Austrian army.

Kodály conjures the quixotic Hary Janos in a 6-movement suite containing titles such as 'Entrance of the Emperor and His Court' and 'Viennese Musical Clock.'

 Filling out the program is Bela Bartok’s well-known Roumanian Dances, arranged for orchestra by Edwin Hantz.

This free concert will last about one hour.

For more information, please visit the orchestra’s website: www.penobscotbayorchestra.org

Waldo County Bounty is a food access organization that partners with farms, distributors, food pantries, and other hunger relief partners to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to the residents of Waldo County, Maine. Our mission is to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, nutritious food by collaborating with local farmers, organizations, and community members towards an equitable food system. Since its start in 2020, WCB has distributed over 260,000 pounds of produce to those facing food insecurity through our core programs: Veggies for All Gleaning, Farm to Pantry, and Give and Take. WCB enlists a 200+ member volunteer base to reduce food waste and improve food access countywide while also supporting the local agricultural economy.