Oceanside Meadows Innstitute
2009 Concert and Lecture Schedule
Dear Friends, We are excited to share our good news with you - we are honored to have received the Gulf of Maine Council’s Visionary Award. We wish to thank all of the patrons, friends, artists, and scientists that have made possible our environmental and cultural activities in this magnificent part of the Maine coast. We are eager to inform you of our new lineup of events to entertain, amuse, and enrich you this summer season. More than ever, we have sought to bring varied, engaging, and exceptionally talented acts to our restored 1820’s timber framed barn, turned concert and lecture hall. Continuing with the goal of supporting and promoting the arts and sciences, we invite you to join us for this year line up of events on our beautiful Schoodic Peninsula.
Thursday,
June 25th, 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy a lively evening with Edgar Allen Beem
author of Backyard Maine: Local Essays a new book that examines,
muses about, scoffs at, reveals, and celebrates everyday life in Maine, from
high school sports to high-priced homes, aging dogs to aging cars, politics
to religion, underwear to naps, berry-picking to clam festivals, and much,
much more. Most of the short, savvy essays have appeared in The Forecaster,
in Ed’s "Universal Notebook" column (named for the spiral-bound reporter’s
notebooks that he buys two dozen at a time), or in the Maine Times, where he
was a staff writer for a number of years. He started reporting when he was a
sophomore at Westbrook High, writing for the Westbrook American, and aside
from a stint as a librarian at the Portland Public Library after college,
he’s been "scribbling for a living" in Maine for his working life.
Opinionated, insightful, humorous, and sometimes controversial, Ed Beem
enjoys his role as a local observer, and these essays will resonate with
anyone tuned in to day-to-day life in backyard Maine. Edgar is a freelance
writer who lives in Yarmouth, Maine. Former art critic for Maine Times, he
has written about art and architecture in Maine for twenty-five years. He is
a frequent contributor to Down East, Yankee, and Photo District News, and he
has written for the Boston Globe Magazine, Art News, Design New England,
Maine Boats & Harbors, Conde Nast’s Traveler, and Teacher. He is the author
of Maine Art Now and Maine: The Spirit of America, and he writes a weekly
opinion column entitled "The Universal Notebook" for The Forecaster, a
Greater Portland weekly newspaper where most of the essays in Backyard Maine
originally appeared. Please join us for what promises to be a memorable
evening. Admission is free with all donations going to support the Carlo
Pittore Foundation for the Figurative Arts, an organization founded in
memory of the Maine artist of the same name; please see
www.carlopittorefoundation.org for more information and to enjoy this
extraordinary artists work. Seat reservations strongly recommended. Tel:
(207) 963 5557
Thursday,
July 9th, 7:30 p.m. The Jazz Soundings Trio is a new collaboration
between two seasoned musicians who have made music for many many years, in
concert, weddings, parties and club venues and a young and very talented
musician whose virtuosity is already widely recognized by veteran jazz
performers. The trio is made up of Frank Fredenburgh on piano keyboards, Don
Knowles on the five string double bass and Andy Clifford on percussion. This
new Trio is being acclaimed for their original arrangements of carefully
selected jazz favorites such as Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and Dave
Brubeck. Frank Fredenburgh has played piano professionally for 50 years
including 37 years in the Poughkeepsie New York area and now lives in
Steuben, Maine. Frank’s extensive experience with a wide variety of music
ensembles combined with his creative arrangements of the jazz classics for
the Trio’s instrumentation make a solid foundation for the Trio Performers
improvisations. Don Knowles has played the double bass professionally for
over 50 years and has achieved distinction in New England as a double
bassist. He has worked with both large and small ensembles where his
virtuosity has enabled him to perform with a large number of renowned
musicians, bands and orchestras including composer/performer Hoagy
Carmichael, The Yale Collegians, Al Corey Big Band, Bangor Symphony
Orchestra, New Trad Septet and New Trad Trio to mention a few. Andy
Clifford, the young talented percussionist joining Frank and Don lives in
Bangor, Maine. His jazz studies began at Nokomis High School in Newport,
Maine where he played both trumpet and drums. Later he attended the
University of Maine where he studied jazz drumming with Steve Grover. During
his University years he worked with jazz instrumentalists, Don Stratton,
Chuck Winfield, Bill Mosley and Russ Lombardi. Andy is president of Main
Street Music Studios in Bangor a facility that focuses on music education
and recording in a creative atmosphere, where he specializes in music
production, studio engineering, instruction and performance. Tickets $10
in advance $12 at the door. Reservations strongly recommended. Tel (207)
963-5557
Thursday,
July 16th, 7:30 p.m. Author Phyllis Austin presents her new book Wilderness
Partners - Buzz Caverly and Baxter State Park.
Frank Graham, Jr., Field Editor for Audubon said of her work "Phyllis
Austin, a legendary reporter in Maine, brings all her skills to the task she
has set for herself, showing how a remarkable man defended and preserved
over more than four decades one of America’s great wilderness enclaves. She
aptly celebrates the sweep and boldness of a rare achievement. But the
fascination for this reader lies in the nitty-gritty revealed here: the
daily crises and irritations, acts of heroism and pettiness, political and
bureaucratic maneuvering, that line the way as Buzz Caverly pursues his
mission to keep Baxter State Park as "wild" as it can be in the give and
take of modern life. As she tells this complex story, Austin’s own deep
passion for Katahdin’s rugged landscape is everywhere apparent." Baxter Park
attracts more than 60,000 visitors a year because it is a premier wild place
unlike any other in New England—and, in some respects, the whole country.
Buzz Caverly’s imprint is everywhere in the park—the land, the mountains,
the roads, the campgrounds, the trails, the flora and fauna, and the people
who oversee the daily life of the place. Buzz knew in his heart what he
wanted to accomplish—defending and enhancing the park’s wilderness
character. In the minds of Buzz’s many admirers across the country, he is a
rare kind of wilderness hero. By the time Buzz Caverly left the park as
director in 2005, Phyllis Austin had been reporting on park politics and
controversies for thirty-five years, first for the Associated Press and then
for the statewide weekly, Maine Times. A professional journalist whose focus
has been on environmental issues for many years, Phyllis has written for
numerous national, regional, and state newspapers and magazines and is a
past recipient of two honored fellowships: the John Knight Fellowship at
Stanford University and the Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship.
Admission is free with all donations going to
support the Maine Loon Project at Maine Audubon Society. Seat reservations
strongly recommended. Tel: (207) 963 5557
Thursday,
July 23rd, 7:30 p.m. Eric Horschak, song writer and accomplished guitar
player of folk Americana will be presenting his latest work in our
historic timber framed hall. His finger-style guitar, singing and harmonica
playing are reminiscent of: Townes Van Zandt, Leonard Cohen, and
Springsteen. Outdoor enthusiast he composed both the instrumental theme for
the Thoreau/Wabanaki Trail and the International Appalachian Trail (IAT).
You’ll hear stories of his trip to Scotland looking for musicians to
collaborate on his IAT Theme. Featured performer on WERU, Eric’s song
Picabia is the theme for the show Healthy Communities, and he’s has done
many interviews and on air performances. Ric Pomilia host of the
guitar-based show ‘Southern Wind’ says, "Eric is one of the finest finger
style guitarists I have heard in years. Catch him if you can!" -Will Reisman-FACE
Magazine- (Writing about "Keep it Sweet" off the album Guilding the Lily) "Horschak
plays both exquisitely and uniquely, as the song is layered with splashes
upon splashes of delicate, sweetly toned picking, suggesting tunes
reminiscent of Duane Allman’s masterpiece Little Martha." Eric’s shows are
very entertaining with comic interludes and musical artistry. Come join us
for what promises to be another great evening of fine music. Tickets $10
in advance $12 at the door. Reservations strongly recommended. Tel (207)
963-5557
During our mid summer hiatus enjoy the Schoodic Arts for All Arts Festival July 27th to August 9th with daily lunch time and day time concerts held within five minutes of our inn.
Thursday,
August 13th, 7:30 p.m. Author Pat Nyhan and photographer Jan Pieter van
Voorst van Beest present their new book and photographs New Mainers:
Portraits of Our Immigrant Neighbors Who are these new Mainers, and why
have they come here? They are from war-torn countries such as Somalia,
Sudan, Afghanistan, and Cambodia; from poor Latin American nations; and from
economically vibrant places like Hong Kong, India, and Europe—in other
words, from across the global spectrum. They came to Maine for a job or to
reunite with their family or because they fell in love or to attend college
here or to flee persecution in their homelands. Although the twenty-five
immigrants who tell their stories had widely varying reasons for coming to
Maine, many have made remarkable contributions to the state. Some contribute
high-level skills in medicine, engineering, academia, law, public-school
education, hotel management, and social services. Others have enriched the
state’s arts and sports worlds. Several are used to going back and forth
across borders, either as transnational professionals or as migrant workers.
About one-third of these immigrants are successful entrepreneurs. Pat Nyhan,
a former journalist with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and
Maine Times, will speak about the people, the themes of the book,
immigration in ME, and how the book came about. Pat has worked for
Human Rights Watch on African issues, taught English in Afghanistan in the
Peace Corps, and taught media studies at the University of Southern Maine.
Photographer Jan Pieter has published three books of photography: San
Miguel de Allende, a photographic essay; Portland, Maine, in Black and
White; and Flesh and Stone. Admission is free with a portion of
the donations from tonight’s event going to support the Immigrant Legal
Advocacy Project in Portland. Seat reservations strongly recommended.
Thursday,
August 20th, 7:30 p.m. Megan Light and Nathan Spears in Concert.
Nashville-based singer-songwriter and Winter
Harbor native, Megan Light returns to perform selections from her latest
recording effort. The new work is a five-song vignette of simply crafted
folk pop and ethereal soundscape, with Light’s delicate vocal quality the
framework for each track. "We played several shows before the recording,
which resulted in a more authentic band sound. We took our time and achieved
something special." Since her debut album in 2007, Light has received
airplay on Nashville’s progressive WRLT-FM, and performed live throughout
the region. Joining Megan for this show is guitarist, singer and
collaborator, Nathan Spears, who also worked on the new recording. A young
veteran of the Nashville music community, Spears has played with numerous
recording artists, appeared live on several network television programs, and
licensed his own material to MTV, Showtime & CBS. On working with Megan, he
says, "Her songs are genuine, motivated by melody and catharsis alone.
That’s what appeals to me - not just her vocal command, but the honest
spirit behind it." For the album, Spears recruited some of Nashville’s top
players, including drummer Fred Eltringham of The Wallflowers, and bassist
Dean Tomaseck, best known for his tenure with Bobby Bare, Jr. For this show,
Light and Spears shall combine material, sharing songs from one another’s
catalogue, and perhaps touching on a few of their favorite works. Tickets
$10 in advance $12 at the door. Reservations strongly recommended. Tel (207)
963-5557
Come visit our Art Gallery in the historic hall showcasing Maine fine art and photography. Exhibits by Deane and Oris Folsom, Eleanor Patton, Craig Snapp, Normand Turcotte and other local and visiting artists. Enjoy our selection of original works in oils, watercolors, pastels and prints, from classic to contemporary, specializing in local scenes. Open daily in season.
Details of previous events are still available here
To see what the newspapers and guide books have said about our inn and to see our rate guide please follow this link. Please call us if you would like any information or to make a reservation, and do visit this new site again where we hope to show you more of Oceanside Meadows Inn the Institute and our local area.
Your hosts, Ben and Sonja Walter-Sundaram, look forward to welcoming you.
Oceanside Meadows Inn P.O. Box
90, Prospect Harbor, Maine 04669
Map and Directions to our Innstitute
Tel: (207) 963 5557 Fax: (207) 963 5928 Email: oceaninn@oceaninn.com