Art song, made in Maine.
Songs From Here is a Maine-based initiative that supports locally-written art song. We celebrate the creativity of our fellow Mainers in high-quality performances taking place across the state, featuring the work of Maine’s composers and poets.
Left to right: Sarah Tuttle, soprano ; Erica Ball, composer-in-residence ; Bridget Convey, piano.
Photo c/o Justine Johnson Photography.
Songs From Here was founded in 2021. The project emerged from a desire to perform classical vocal music in Maine, for Mainers, composed by the innovative, passionate composers who make their home here. We partner with Maine’s classical composers to commission new works every concert season, and each fall we present our concerts in venues across the state. Each program has locally-written song at its core.
We also collaborate with poets from across Maine. Their words are set to music by our commissioned composers, and they share readings of their poetry in our performances. Each concert features a different local poet, so no two performances are alike.
Our performances are welcoming and engaging for our collaborators and our audience members - if you’re new to art song or classical music, we’re excited to introduce you!
….but what’s art song?
An art song is a piece of vocal music, usually written for one voice with piano, often a musical setting of a poem. Late in the 18th century, folks wanted to enjoy music at home, but didn’t have the means to hire musicians whenever they wanted…but they could afford a piano. People learned to play and sing to keep themselves entertained, gradually opening up their homes to fellow singers, pianists, composers and music-lovers creating what’s known as a “Liederabend” (song-evening), in which folks could share, discuss, and celebrate song in a comfortable, welcoming setting. Join us!
