Welcome to Oceanside Meadows Innstitute
for the Arts and Sciences
2007 Concert and Lecture Schedule
Oceanside Meadows Institute for the Arts and Sciences' home base is the restored 1820's timber framed barn on the 200 acre preserve of Oceanside Meadows Inn in Prospect Harbor, Maine. The Institute was established by inn owners Ben and Sonja Walter-Sundaram with a goal of supporting the advancement of the arts and sciences by providing easier access for all, encouraging research, and promoting education.
The historic barn was restored in the spring of 1998,
transformed into a wonderful space for
concerts, lectures and seminars which are held throughout the summer season. Some of
the previous summer highlights included a week seminar lecture series
with Dr. Alan Hale (co-discoverer of comet Hale-Bopp) and
astronomer Gary Becker; a lecture from Dr. David Wingate an
ornithologist of world renown and a magnificent evening of music
with Opera Maine.
The Astronomy seminar series attracted class members from as far away as the United Kingdom, with studies covering the Earth, the Moon, and the solar system, then expanded to the limits of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Astronomy Under Schoodic Skies was designed for active participation
and students had the opportunity of operating a
telescope in the inn's gardens and also accessed telescopes using
the internet. There were thought games and experiments, all were
challenged to probe, investigate, manipulate, question the
universe in which we live. Presentations were held in the
mornings with afternoons and early evenings left free to explore
our wonderful Schoodic Peninsula.
Dr. Alan Hale gave an evening lecture to which all the
local community were invited, filling the restored barn to
capacity for what was the first public lecture held under it's
magnificent timbered roof since it was built over 175 years ago.
It was a thrilling moment for Ben and Sonja Walter-Sundaram, to
see their dreams of creating an arts and science center become a
reality; a great beginning for a season of events that brought
capacity crowds. Seeing and hearing Dr. Hales description of the
Hubbell telescope's "Deep Field" image of galaxies
billions of light years away brought home the wonder of the
universe and the importance of preservation of our planet. Good
planets are indeed hard to find!
An important part of the mission of the Arts and Science
center is to provide access to such events as the Astronomy
seminar week, to some students that may not have the means to
meet the course fees. To this end we have developed an internship
program whereby members of our local community can help us with projects such as developing
interpretative trails on our 200 acre
preserve and other programs that help build the future of the
Arts and Science center. In our first year we were glad to be
joined by two interns, one a brilliant young astronomer who
attends one of our local grammar schools and another local
resident of our community. If you are interested in the
internship programs please contact us for more information.
Many free science lectures are also held at the
institute, largely focusing on the environment and its
preservation. Dr. David Wingate's lecture in the fall of 1998
presented the extraordinary story of the restoration of Non Such
Island in Bermuda into an island museum devoid of introduced
species. Dr. Wingate's work has resulted in the successful
re-creation of the natural habitat found across Bermuda before
man's arrival. The restoration of Non Such Island has seen the
successful re-introduction of the Yellow Crowned Night Heron,
believed to be a close relative of a Heron species once found in
Bermuda but long extinct. The Bermuda Storm Petrel or Cahow, once
thought to be extinct now colonizes islands near to Non-Such;
housed in ground nests designed and built by Dr. Wingate, a
remarkable story of conservation in action.,
Opera Maine brought a magnificent evening of Opera to
the Institute at the height of the summer in 1998, and a capacity
crowd. The evening started with a reception with fine Bartlett
Wines, which were generously donated and served by Kathy Bartlett
of the local award winning winery. Hors-d'oeuvre's were prepared
by Sonja Sundaram and donated by Oceanside Meadows Inn.
Opera Maine's superb performance included Lee Hoiby's "Bon Appetit" and Menotti's "The Telephone". Opera Maine in conjunction with the Institute donated an additional afternoon performance of "The Telephone" specifically for children in the area which was a great success. The children's concert brought Opera to both the ears of many local children and to the hall for the first time.
1999 brought a full season of events including several science lectures that included Hope Douglas a Wildlife Rehabilitator who was joined by a Great Horned Owl a Red Tailed Hawk and other birds that she had rescued. Hope Douglas spoke to children from both the Winter Harbor and Gouldboro Grammar Schools at the Innstitute about her work's 67% success rate in returning injured birds to their natural habitat. Glen Mittlehauser spoke on Harlequin Ducks on the Maine Coast which he is studying as part of his masters program at College of the Atlantic, giving us great insight into local island life of these fascinating birds. Throughout the summer 1999 we were blessed again with a series of concerts from Opera Maine that brought six wonderful concerts, together with tremendous performances from the a-cappella group Impromptu! and pianist Paul Sullivan who played to the sound of the surf crashing our our beach just a few yard away from the hall.
Now in our tenth summer program season our 2007 concert series schedule combines spectacular performances alternating with lectures and presentations from top quality biologists, wildlife photographers, and other top-quality educators. Our 2007 schedule of events is available now.
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
Inn
Tel: (207) 963 5557 Fax: (207) 963 5928 Email: oceaninn@oceaninn.com