February Highlights
Get out of the cold this month and enjoy a concert, play, or art exhibit.
Music and Dance
Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus
February 2 at 7:30 p.m. Operating under the auspices of the Kafka-sounding Magistrate of Prague, the company features soloists, sets, and costumes from the Prague State Opera and chorus and dancers from Bulgaria's Ballet Arabesk. PCA Great Performances, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperf.com
Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio
February 2 at 7 p.m. You say violin, I say fiddle, let's make the whole thing bop. That seems to be the new modus operandi for violinist/composer/fiddler Mark O'Connor. He made his name as a country fiddler in Nashville, and he's played classical violin with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and others. Lately he's rosining up his bow to play jazz in tribute to his friend and mentor, the great jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli. O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio features Jon Burr on bass and Frank Vignola on guitar. Maine Center for the Arts, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca/
Natalie MacMaster
February 3 at 8 p.m. Another fancy fiddler, Cape Breton's Natalie MacMaster is a bonafide superstar, having released seven albums in Canada and the U.S. and received both a Grammy nomination and Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album. PCA Great Performances, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperf.com
Sigur R?s
February 6 at 7:30 p.m. It isn't every rock band that hails from Iceland, sings in a strange and beautiful made-up language, and has massive-selling records. (Okay, besides Bjork.) That's the story, though, of Sigur R?s. Named "Victory Rose" in Icelandic, the four-piece group composes epic musical landscapes that capture the stark beauty of their homeland. State Theatre 609 Congress Street, Portland. 207-775-3331. www.liveatthestate.com
The Persuasions
February 9 at 7:30 p.m. The undisputed heavyweight champions of a cappella, the Persuasions are to singing what Muhammad Ali was to boxing. They've done their own renditions of the works of Zappa and the Dead, they've done children's records, and even though tastes have changed and changed again, they've remained resolutely unaccompanied. They rock the Ramada Inn in Lewiston. 800-639-2919 or 207-782-7228. www.laarts.org
The Reggae Cowboys
February 10 at 7:30 p.m. The Reggae Cowboys blend the riddims of reggae, country, R&B, jazz, and blues into a melting pot sure to keep the feet moving and the seasonal doldrums at bay. The Grand, Ellsworth. 207-667-9500. www.grandonline.org
Helikon Opera Company
February 10 at 8 p.m. Die Fledermaus redux. Here's your chance to catch Strauss' masterwork again, this time Russian style. Helikon will present its distinctive and light-hearted version of the nineteenth-century opera. Maine Center for the Arts, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca/
The Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra
February 11 at 8 p.m. Though it sounds like one of those CDs put out by Starbucks, Coffee Cantata was actually written by Bach in 1732 for a performance at a coffeehouse. The Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Lehmann, performs Bach's ode to java (in this case coffeehouse girls). Corthell Concert Hall, USM Gorham campus. 207-780-5555. www.usm.maine.edu/music
Flying Karamazov Brothers
February 12 at 3 p.m. The Flying K's, as they are affectionately known, offer a seriously silly and crazy comic recipe for survival in the modern world. They sing, dance, and juggle their way through a mid-life crisis that becomes a dazzling vaudevillian romp through the stages of life. Maine Center for the Arts, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca/
Portland Symphony Orchestra
February 14 at 7:30 p.m. Treat your Valentine to some classical classics on this day of love. The PSO will be joined by Canadian violin sensation Karen Gomyo for a performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and one of the greatest late-Romantic orchestral masterpieces of all time, the Symphony no. 5 of Sibelius. Portland's Merrill Auditorium. 207-842-0800. www.portlandsymphony.com
Pianist Jonathan Biss
February 15 at 7:30 p.m. Noted for his intriguing programs, artistic maturity, and versatility, Biss performs a diverse repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven, through the Romantics to Janácek and Schoenberg as well as works by contemporary composers. PCA Great Performances, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperf.com
Kate Aldrich
February 23 at 7:30 p.m. Maine native Kate Aldrich is now internationally known for her mezzo-soprano voice, having performed in operas in all the right places. She'll give a concert to benefit the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre in preparation for an upcoming solo recital debut at a little venue called Carnegie Hall. Abramson building on the USM Portland Campus. 207-879-7678. http://portopera.org
Guy Davis
February 25 at 7:30 p.m. The son of actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Guy Davis decided at age thirteen he wanted to be a bluesman. Today Davis is a legend in the making, helping to revitalize the state of country blues. The Grand, Ellsworth. 207-667-9500. www.grandonline.org
Alexander Kobrin
February 26 at 2:30 p.m. The fleet-fingered pianist will make his first Maine appearance in Rockport, performing a dramatic program of major romantic works by Schumann, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin. Rockport Opera House. Bay Chamber Concerts. 207-236-2823 or 888-707-2770. www.baychamberconcerts.org
Nine Inch Nails
February 28 at 7:30 P.M. Trent Reznor's ear-splitting, electric, and widely lauded combo pays a visit to the Cumberland County Civic Center. Portland. 207-775-3331. www.teapartyconcerts.com
Museums
Portland Museum Of Art
Julian Levy (1906-1981) was one of the preeminent dealers of Modernist art, and he was particularly passionate about Surrealist work and all its abstractions, juxtapositions, satire, and excess. His collection forms the basis of Accommodations of Desire: Surrealist Works on Paper Collected by Julien Levy. Through March 19. ? The Maine Perspective: Architectural Drawings, Part III — Toward Modernism, 1925-1985. The third and final installment of this series of exhibitions at the PMA devoted to Maine architectural drawings, this show demonstrates both the continued importance of history on architectural styles Down East and the rise of Modernism. February 11 through May 21. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
Farnsworth Art Museum
Stewart Henderson: Recent Work. Henderson's sculptural collages have done the Maine gallery circuit. Now the artist, who teaches at the Arts Center at Kingdom Falls in Montville, is hitting it big with a solo show at the Farnsworth. His colorful, geometric collages will be on display through February 22. Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
Bates College Museum of Art
Activator. The museum becomes the art during this celebration of artists who use architecture as the basis for their work, encouraging a physical relationship between the body, the art, and the space it inhabits. Through March 19. ? Off the Coast: A Landscape Chronology explores innovations in contemporary landscape art and shows how recent Maine painters are changing the way people perceive the Pine Tree State. Through May 30. 75 Russell Street, Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu/museum.xml
Colby College Museum of Art
The Joan Whitney Payson Collection at the Colby College Museum of Art. Payson was a big fan of Impressionism, and her homes all boasted works by the likes of Gaugin, Sisley, and Renoir. But she was also partial to Wyeths and Rousseaus. February 26 through June 11. 5600 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu/museum
Special Events & Festivals
International Snowmobilers Festival
February 3 to 5. During this three-day event it's all cross-border love — and growling engines. Mainers and New Brunswickers come together for snowcross races, Canadian dinner and dancing, moonlight drags, and international "lucky runs," using the exceptional trail networks in both locales. 207-728-7000. www.townofmadawaska.com
National Toboggan Championship
February 3 to 5. Teams from across the U.S. compete in two-, three-, and four-person toboggan races, usually outlandishly dressed. Camden Snow Bowl. 207-236-3438. www.camdensnowbowl.com
John Berendt
February 19 at 2:30 p.m. One wonders what John Berendt would write about Camden. . . The bestselling author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which famously dished the dirt on Savannah, will speak in the Penobscot Bay town. Camden Opera House. 207-236-7963.
Camden Conference
February 24 to 26. Ambassador James Lilley will be joined by speakers from around the globe who will focus on China, examining its current position, how the country might evolve over the next ten to twenty years, and the global implications of its development. Camden Opera House. 207-236-7963. www.camdenconference.org
Theater
Spinning into Butter
February 1 to 12. Both humorous and serious, Rebecca Gilman's award-winning Spinning into Butter is a unique moral comedy that takes a look at race relations at a small New England liberal arts college. Bangor Opera House. Penobscot Theatre Company. 207-942-3333. http://ptc.maineguide.com
Fame — The Musical
February 10 to 18. Fifteen minutes of Fame? Try twenty-five years. That's how long this musical has been a phenomenon. Apparently, it wants to live forever. Waterville Opera House. 207-873-7000. www.operahouse.com
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
February 16 through March 12. This is the solve-it-yourself Broadway musical of Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Dickens died before completing the story, so the audience is engaged to help solve the mystery, select a detective, and unite a pair of lovers. Saint Lawrence Arts Community Center, Portland. 207-775-5568. www.stlawrencearts.org
Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus
February 2 at 7:30 p.m. Operating under the auspices of the Kafka-sounding Magistrate of Prague, the company features soloists, sets, and costumes from the Prague State Opera and chorus and dancers from Bulgaria's Ballet Arabesk. PCA Great Performances, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperf.com
Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio
February 2 at 7 p.m. You say violin, I say fiddle, let's make the whole thing bop. That seems to be the new modus operandi for violinist/composer/fiddler Mark O'Connor. He made his name as a country fiddler in Nashville, and he's played classical violin with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and others. Lately he's rosining up his bow to play jazz in tribute to his friend and mentor, the great jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli. O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio features Jon Burr on bass and Frank Vignola on guitar. Maine Center for the Arts, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca/
Natalie MacMaster
February 3 at 8 p.m. Another fancy fiddler, Cape Breton's Natalie MacMaster is a bonafide superstar, having released seven albums in Canada and the U.S. and received both a Grammy nomination and Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album. PCA Great Performances, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperf.com
Sigur R?s
February 6 at 7:30 p.m. It isn't every rock band that hails from Iceland, sings in a strange and beautiful made-up language, and has massive-selling records. (Okay, besides Bjork.) That's the story, though, of Sigur R?s. Named "Victory Rose" in Icelandic, the four-piece group composes epic musical landscapes that capture the stark beauty of their homeland. State Theatre 609 Congress Street, Portland. 207-775-3331. www.liveatthestate.com
The Persuasions
February 9 at 7:30 p.m. The undisputed heavyweight champions of a cappella, the Persuasions are to singing what Muhammad Ali was to boxing. They've done their own renditions of the works of Zappa and the Dead, they've done children's records, and even though tastes have changed and changed again, they've remained resolutely unaccompanied. They rock the Ramada Inn in Lewiston. 800-639-2919 or 207-782-7228. www.laarts.org
The Reggae Cowboys
February 10 at 7:30 p.m. The Reggae Cowboys blend the riddims of reggae, country, R&B, jazz, and blues into a melting pot sure to keep the feet moving and the seasonal doldrums at bay. The Grand, Ellsworth. 207-667-9500. www.grandonline.org
Helikon Opera Company
February 10 at 8 p.m. Die Fledermaus redux. Here's your chance to catch Strauss' masterwork again, this time Russian style. Helikon will present its distinctive and light-hearted version of the nineteenth-century opera. Maine Center for the Arts, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca/
The Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra
February 11 at 8 p.m. Though it sounds like one of those CDs put out by Starbucks, Coffee Cantata was actually written by Bach in 1732 for a performance at a coffeehouse. The Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Lehmann, performs Bach's ode to java (in this case coffeehouse girls). Corthell Concert Hall, USM Gorham campus. 207-780-5555. www.usm.maine.edu/music
Flying Karamazov Brothers
February 12 at 3 p.m. The Flying K's, as they are affectionately known, offer a seriously silly and crazy comic recipe for survival in the modern world. They sing, dance, and juggle their way through a mid-life crisis that becomes a dazzling vaudevillian romp through the stages of life. Maine Center for the Arts, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca/
Portland Symphony Orchestra
February 14 at 7:30 p.m. Treat your Valentine to some classical classics on this day of love. The PSO will be joined by Canadian violin sensation Karen Gomyo for a performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and one of the greatest late-Romantic orchestral masterpieces of all time, the Symphony no. 5 of Sibelius. Portland's Merrill Auditorium. 207-842-0800. www.portlandsymphony.com
Pianist Jonathan Biss
February 15 at 7:30 p.m. Noted for his intriguing programs, artistic maturity, and versatility, Biss performs a diverse repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven, through the Romantics to Janácek and Schoenberg as well as works by contemporary composers. PCA Great Performances, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperf.com
Kate Aldrich
February 23 at 7:30 p.m. Maine native Kate Aldrich is now internationally known for her mezzo-soprano voice, having performed in operas in all the right places. She'll give a concert to benefit the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre in preparation for an upcoming solo recital debut at a little venue called Carnegie Hall. Abramson building on the USM Portland Campus. 207-879-7678. http://portopera.org
Guy Davis
February 25 at 7:30 p.m. The son of actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Guy Davis decided at age thirteen he wanted to be a bluesman. Today Davis is a legend in the making, helping to revitalize the state of country blues. The Grand, Ellsworth. 207-667-9500. www.grandonline.org
Alexander Kobrin
February 26 at 2:30 p.m. The fleet-fingered pianist will make his first Maine appearance in Rockport, performing a dramatic program of major romantic works by Schumann, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin. Rockport Opera House. Bay Chamber Concerts. 207-236-2823 or 888-707-2770. www.baychamberconcerts.org
Nine Inch Nails
February 28 at 7:30 P.M. Trent Reznor's ear-splitting, electric, and widely lauded combo pays a visit to the Cumberland County Civic Center. Portland. 207-775-3331. www.teapartyconcerts.com
Museums
Portland Museum Of Art
Julian Levy (1906-1981) was one of the preeminent dealers of Modernist art, and he was particularly passionate about Surrealist work and all its abstractions, juxtapositions, satire, and excess. His collection forms the basis of Accommodations of Desire: Surrealist Works on Paper Collected by Julien Levy. Through March 19. ? The Maine Perspective: Architectural Drawings, Part III — Toward Modernism, 1925-1985. The third and final installment of this series of exhibitions at the PMA devoted to Maine architectural drawings, this show demonstrates both the continued importance of history on architectural styles Down East and the rise of Modernism. February 11 through May 21. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
Farnsworth Art Museum
Stewart Henderson: Recent Work. Henderson's sculptural collages have done the Maine gallery circuit. Now the artist, who teaches at the Arts Center at Kingdom Falls in Montville, is hitting it big with a solo show at the Farnsworth. His colorful, geometric collages will be on display through February 22. Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
Bates College Museum of Art
Activator. The museum becomes the art during this celebration of artists who use architecture as the basis for their work, encouraging a physical relationship between the body, the art, and the space it inhabits. Through March 19. ? Off the Coast: A Landscape Chronology explores innovations in contemporary landscape art and shows how recent Maine painters are changing the way people perceive the Pine Tree State. Through May 30. 75 Russell Street, Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu/museum.xml
Colby College Museum of Art
The Joan Whitney Payson Collection at the Colby College Museum of Art. Payson was a big fan of Impressionism, and her homes all boasted works by the likes of Gaugin, Sisley, and Renoir. But she was also partial to Wyeths and Rousseaus. February 26 through June 11. 5600 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu/museum
Special Events & Festivals
International Snowmobilers Festival
February 3 to 5. During this three-day event it's all cross-border love — and growling engines. Mainers and New Brunswickers come together for snowcross races, Canadian dinner and dancing, moonlight drags, and international "lucky runs," using the exceptional trail networks in both locales. 207-728-7000. www.townofmadawaska.com
National Toboggan Championship
February 3 to 5. Teams from across the U.S. compete in two-, three-, and four-person toboggan races, usually outlandishly dressed. Camden Snow Bowl. 207-236-3438. www.camdensnowbowl.com
John Berendt
February 19 at 2:30 p.m. One wonders what John Berendt would write about Camden. . . The bestselling author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which famously dished the dirt on Savannah, will speak in the Penobscot Bay town. Camden Opera House. 207-236-7963.
Camden Conference
February 24 to 26. Ambassador James Lilley will be joined by speakers from around the globe who will focus on China, examining its current position, how the country might evolve over the next ten to twenty years, and the global implications of its development. Camden Opera House. 207-236-7963. www.camdenconference.org
Theater
Spinning into Butter
February 1 to 12. Both humorous and serious, Rebecca Gilman's award-winning Spinning into Butter is a unique moral comedy that takes a look at race relations at a small New England liberal arts college. Bangor Opera House. Penobscot Theatre Company. 207-942-3333. http://ptc.maineguide.com
Fame — The Musical
February 10 to 18. Fifteen minutes of Fame? Try twenty-five years. That's how long this musical has been a phenomenon. Apparently, it wants to live forever. Waterville Opera House. 207-873-7000. www.operahouse.com
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
February 16 through March 12. This is the solve-it-yourself Broadway musical of Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Dickens died before completing the story, so the audience is engaged to help solve the mystery, select a detective, and unite a pair of lovers. Saint Lawrence Arts Community Center, Portland. 207-775-5568. www.stlawrencearts.org
