Summer organ concert series at Basilica begins July 8

LEWISTON –The summer concert series at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul, 122 Ash St. is returning in 2020.
Starting on Wednesday, July 8, the free organ concerts will be held at 12:15 p.m. each Wednesday.
Becaue of the COVID-19 pandemic, each concert will have a limit of 50 attendees and those attending must register ahead of time at www.princeofpeace.me/organ-concert-series.
Masks must be worn and social distancing is required. Available seating will be clearly marked. Here is the schedule for the free series:
July 8 — The Vaillancourt Family: Linda and Scott Vaillancourt along with two of their children, Madeleine and Genevieve, will present a concert of organ and strings music including works by Bach, Telemann and Mulet. Scott is the music director at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul, and Linda is a music teacher at North Yarmouth Academy and a violist in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Maine Music Society Orchestra and Maine Pro Musica. Madeleine, 14, plays cello and flute and has appeared in many musicals for the Maine State Music Theater and Community Little Theater. She performs with the Portland Youth Symphony Orchestra and cantors at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Genevieve, 11, is a budding violist and hornist who performs not only with her school ensembles but with the Portland Young Persons String Consort.
July 15 — Danielle Faucher: Faucher, a soprano, will be accompanied by Scott Vaillancourt at the performance. Faucher is a popular local musician who is a part of the music ministry at Prince of Peace Parish, of which the Basilica is a part.
July 22 — Ray Cornils: Cornils was the municipal organist for the city of Portland from 1990 to 2017. He has performed throughout the U.S. and in Germany, France, Spain, Russia, New Zealand and Ecuador. He has been a featured recitalist for conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. In addition to his solo work, he performs regularly with the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
July 29 — Harold Stover: Stover is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York, and a charter member of the faculty of the Portland Conservatory of Music. His recital career spans more than 50 years and includes performances on most major New York recital series and at Westminster Abbey in London, the National Cathedral in Washington, Harvard and Princeton universities, and many other distinguished venues. He has been featured as performer, composer, and lecturer at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists. His performance will include pieces by Couperin, Messiaen, and Guilmant.
Aug. 5 — Randall Mullin: Mullin is a freelance musician who accompanies the choir of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Portland. He was also a featured performer with ChoralArt for “Grand Opera meets the Mighty Kotzschmar” in 2016 and for the Maurice DuruflĂ© “Requiem” in 2019. He has played throughout the country with more recent recitals at Trinity Church in Boston, Methuen Memorial Music Hall in Methuen, Massachusetts, and Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. His performance will include Franz Liszt’s monumental “Fantasy” and Fugue on the chorale “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam.”
Aug. 12 — Mark Thallander: Thallander is a teacher, arranger, composer, author, and freelance organist. He is also the president of the president of the National Children’s Chorus. He has produced numerous recordings and many of his organ and choral arrangements have been published by the Fred Bock Music Company. Following an automobile accident in 2003, he has been interviewed on radio and television programs, and also for newspapers, books and national periodicals. A book about his accident and recovery, Champions…Plus, has been a great source of inspiration for many readers.
For more information about the summer concert series, call 207-777-1200.