Through a highly competitive, merit-based process, Salt Bay Chamberfest (SBC) has been selected by the National Endowment for the Arts to receive a $45,000 Arts Project grant. The nonprofit chamber music festival, headquartered in Damariscotta, is now in its 32 nd season. According to SBC, in a news release, the funds will go toward the organization’s August 2026 season, helping to support its series of chamber music concerts and free community events held throughout Lincoln, Knox, and Penobscot counties.

In a collaboration with the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland, SBC will present a special concert entitled “Sculptures of Sound” on August 5, at 7 p.m. It will explore parallels between CMCA's current exhibition of colorful abstract sculptures by Bianca Beck and Anton Bruckner’s string quintet and the music of composer David Byrd-Marrow.

This year’s festival, titled “Music Unearthed,” will take place August 4-16. Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary, programs will explore how Americans and their ancestors have used music to express their multifaceted heritage and feelings about home, self, and artistic and cultural identity, offering unique perspectives on themes of musical unearthing and discovery. Concerts will juxtapose time-honored masterworks with new works by living composers, all performed by artists of international renown, according to SBC, including violinist Jennifer Koh, Sandbox Percussion, oudist Issam Rafea, Eastern Woodland flutist Hawk Henries, composer/cellist Karen Ouzounian, and composer/steel pannist Andy Akiho.

According to SBC, Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has applauded SBC’s accomplishment, saying, “I want to extend my warmest congratulations to Salt Bay Chamberfest on their recent grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Music is central to Maine’s cultural life, and Salt Bay Chamberfest plays an important role in bringing outstanding chamber music to the Midcoast. This investment will help ensure the festival’s 2026 season continues to inspire audiences and enrich our communities. This recognition is well deserved.”

Information and details on Salt Bay Chamberfest’s upcoming season can be found at saltbaychamberfest.org.