January Recital Week: Adult Recital
2026-01-17 19:30 (America/New_York) | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
See PCM adult students as they perform for you in this free concert showcasing their hard work and dedication.

January Recital Week: Student Recital #5
2026-01-18 12:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
See PCM students as they perform for you in this free concert showcasing their hard work and dedication.
Featuring students from the following violin, saxophone, guitar, clarinet, and piano studios:

January Recital Week: Recital #6
2026-01-18 15:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
See PCM students as they perform for you in this free concert showcasing their hard work and dedication.

January Recital Week: Recital #7
2026-01-18 17:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States

January Recital Week: Chamber Ensembles
2026-01-21 18:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States

January Recital Week: Jazz Ensembles
2026-01-22 18:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States

January Recital Week: Middle Eastern Ensemble
2026-01-23 18:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
See the PCM Middle Eastern Ensemble perform for you in this free concert showcasing their hard work and dedication.

January Recital Week: Cello Choir
2026-01-24 18:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
See the PCM Cello Choir as they perform for you in this free concert showcasing their hard work and dedication.

WMPG's Jazz at the Movies | Music Pictures: New Orleans
2026-01-31 19:00 - 21:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
JAM presents the film”Music Pictures: New Orleans”, Sat., January 31st.
WMPG’s Jazz At The Movies and the Portland Conservatory of Music are pleased to present our first film of the 2026 season, the documentary “Music Pictures: New Orleans”. Beautifully shot and recorded, the film is a loving portrait of four Crescent City jazz, soul, and blues legends, and a celebration of 100 years of New Orleans musical history.
Directed by New Orleans native filmmaker Ben Chace, “Music Pictures: New Orleans” is a vibrant documentary exploring the rich musical heritage of New Orleans. It showcases the city’s diverse musical landscape, from legendary jazz clubs to lively street performances, highlighting the influences of Creole, African American, and French cultures, and how historical events, like Mardi Gras and Hurricane Katrina, have shaped the city’s music scene. Through interviews with local musicians and historians, Music Pictures: New Orleans reveals music's central role in the city’s cultural and social fabric.
The film showcases four New Orleans music legends: Grammy-winning Irma Thomas “The Soul Queen of New Orleans” ; Benny Jones Sr., the leader and drummer of the world renowned Treme’ Brass Band; guitarist Little Freddie King, the “Last King of the Blues”; and the pianist and educator, Ellis Marsalis, Jr., patriarch of the famed jazz family, in what would be his last concert before his death. Music Pictures: New Orleans follows each of the four artists, one by one, as they talk about their lives, rehearse, and record a new album in the studio in early 2020s. By combining vintage footage with live interviews and rare backstage access, this film provides a wonderful snapshot of New Orleans as the home for so much great American music, from soul to brass band to jazz and the blues. What better way to get ready for the Mardi Gras season!
WMPG’s Jazz At The Movies invites you to come join us on Saturday, January 31st, 7PM, at Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St., Portland, for “ Music Pictures: New Orleans”. Admission is FREE, and donations are gladly accepted. Let the good times roll!

WMPG's Jazz at the Movies | Shhhh....It's Top Secret!
2026-02-21 19:00 - 21:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
Shhhhhhhhh….It’s top secret!!

As part of Black History Month, WMPG’s Jazz At The Movies is excited to present
a film so special we can’t even mention its name! A Sundance Film prize winner featuring
everyone from Stevie Wonder to Sly Stone and Nina Simone – a concert so epic that it’s been called “Harlem’s answer to Woodstock”…
Be ready to see and hear some of the baddest concert footage ever recorded. You won’t want to miss it, and it’s showing by special arrangement right here in Portland – One night only!

Saturday, February 21st, 7:00PM at the Portland Conservatory of Music, 29 Neal St.
Admission is FREE

Admission is FREE, and donations are gladly accepted.

240 Strings | Echoes Through Time and Story
2026-03-15 15:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
We explore the expressive voice of the flute as it travels across centuries and styles—from the ornate elegance of Baroque Italy with Vivaldi, through the evocative melodies of 20th-century film music by Nino Rota, to the vivid colors and playful spirit of Jacques Ibert’s modern French repertoire. Each piece invites listeners to experience the flute as a storyteller, painting vivid scenes and emotions with every note. We are thrilled to welcome our guest, Nicole Rabata, flute.
Guest Tim Paek, Cello
Anastasia Antonacos, Piano
Tracey Jasas-Hardel, Violin
Run Time: 90 minutes
Learn More

WMPG's Jazz at the Movies | Low Down
2026-03-21 19:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
WMPG’s Jazz At The Movies and The Portland Conservatory of Music are pleased to present “Low Down”, a film adaptation based on the first person memoir of A.J. Albany, the daughter of the great bebop jazz pianist Joe Albany. Back in the late 1940s, Albany had played with Mingus, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young, but by the early 1970s had faded into obscurity.
Shot in grainy 16 mm by cinematographer Jeff Preiss (who shot the beautiful 1990 Chet Baker documentary ”Let’s Get Lost”), and with a superb soundtrack with music from Joe Albany, Coleman Hawkins, Monk and Max Roach, Low Down is not just a jazz movie. It is the compelling and touching story of an adoring daughter’s love and forgiveness for a father who has fallen prey to hard times and unforgiving hard drugs. It is about one girl’s growing up, and about one man’s refusal to. And as Amy- Jo says, it’s really about the jazz that shaped her, and “a love story, a poem to my father, and also to Los Angeles.”
Among the stellar cast are Glen Close as the girls wise grandmother, Elle Fanning as Amy-Jo, and Ethan Hawkes as the jazz crazed pianist Joe Albany. Joe Albany, of course, was not alone in falling victim to the demon dope; it had taken the lives of such jazz greats as Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. There is a sad but poignant beauty throughout this film about the downside of the jazz life. Like the music, it can be sweet and low down too.
Join us Saturday, March 21st, 7 PM for the “Low Down” at the Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St., Admission is free, and donations are gladly accepted.

Portland Community Mandolin Orchestra
2026-03-27 19:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
An open letter to all lovers of the mandolin in Portland, Maine and it’s surrounding environs:
You are cordially invited to the final concert of the Portland Community Mandolin Orchestra on Friday, March 27th at 7pm, held at the Portland Conservatory of Music.
We have had an absolute blast working all this music up and can’t wait to share it with you! No tickets necessary – we can’t wait to see you.
Show – 7:00pm
Doors – 6:30pm

PCM Jazz Night
2026-03-31 18:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
PCM Student Jazz Ensembles present JAZZ NIGHT!
Fill your evening with classics from some of the great Jazz musicians and groups, with a few surprises possibly thrown in!
Free Admission

DIJ @ Mechanics' Hall | Vardan Ovsepian Spiderweb Project
2026-04-02 19:00 | Mechanics’ Hall, 519 Congress St, Portlan, ME, United States
OVERVIEW
Mechanics’ Hall, the Armenian Cultural Association of Maine & the Portland Conservatory of Music present the pianist/composer with his band

Our ballroom transforms into a jazz sanctuary with Vardan Ovsepian and his unforgettable Spiderweb Project:
“Vardan Ovsepian’s Spiderweb Project emphasizes the choices and actions we make, sending vibrations through the wider web, affecting others, and shaping our own reality. What you weave today becomes the foundation for your life tomorrow.”
Ovsepian blends classical refinement with fearless jazz improvisation, weaving melodies that ripple outward like a living web. The artist is joined by Vinicius Gomes (guitar), Joshua Davis (bass), and Austin McMahon (drums).
Peter Erskine writes, “Vardan brings his own sound and ingredients… I have never heard any musician quite like him in terms of harmonic awareness and melodic power. I suspect that he will prove to be quite a sensation…”
Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM). $15 for Mechanics’ Hall Members, $20 for general admission. There is a $5 surcharge on the day of the show. No one turned away for lack of funds.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Vardan Ovsepian is an Armenian-born pianist/composer whose studies include Yerevan State Conservatory, Estonian Music Academy, Helsinki Jazz Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music.
From the early years, Vardan was fascinated by the blend of western classical music with jazz, and has been in perpetual search for unique ways of incorporating the hybrid formation in his composing and improvising. Consequently, his semi-large chamber ensemble (VOCE) was formed in 2005, focusing on the cinematic approach in the musical narrative.
Throughout the years, Vardan developed a remarkable angular geometric world, connected to his background in chess, and his attraction to minimalism and contemporary architecture, resulting in the publication of 2 books: Mirror Exercises (2011) and Permutation Studies (2020).
Another spotlight is the “Fractal Limit” duet with Tatiana Parra, which received immense international recognition. The project showcases Vardan’s remarkable technical proficiency and capacity to articulate contrapuntal textures.
In addition to VOCE and Fractal Limit, Vardan has collaborated with artists like Mick Goodrick, Peter Erskine, Jerry Bergonzi, Tim Miller, Ben Monder, David Binney, and has released 20+ albums as a leader and co-leader.
PARKING & TRANSPORTATION
Mechanics’ Hall is located at 519 Congress Street. Our main entrance is between Loquat Shop and the Art Mart. The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.
Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, located on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.
ACCESSIBILITY
To enter Mechanics’ Hall, patrons will need to navigate a single step or use a modular ramp. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator.
If you have a wheelchair or need accessibility accommodations/questions, please contact us at programming@mainemechanics.org or 207-773-8396.

Tickets

Portland String Quartet | Carried in Song
2026-04-12 14:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
Carried in Song is a reflection on identity, personal voice, and cultural memory through the medium of a string quartet. The program opens with Iranian composer Aftab Darvishi’s Daughters of Sol, a piece that draws on a rich variety of musical traditions. With gentle transitions and delicate shifts in color, the piece evokes cycles of life and the quiet persistence of memory, moving fluidly between light and shadow, dissolution and return.
Boston-based Vartan Aghababian’s Armenian Suite follows as an exploration of heritage and spirituality, drawing from Armenian musical traditions to create a sound world of reverence and reflection. The program closes with Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 2, written during a time of war and displacement. Woven with Jewish musical themes, it speaks with urgency and expressivity, capturing the resilience and traditions of voices passed down through generations.
The PSQ invites audiences to join them on this journey as they explore music as a vessel for what we carry, and for what carries us.
Learn More

Open Jazz Jam
2026-04-13 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-04-27 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-04 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-18 18:30 - 20:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
A free open Jazz Jam session. Bring your Real Book and jam with us!
No Registration Necessary

WMPG's Jazz at the Movies
2026-04-18 19:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
WMPG’s Jazz At the Movies presents the film Sonny Rollins: Beyond The Notes, Saturday, March 21st at 7pm
WMPG’s Jazz At The Movies and The Portland Conservatory of Music are pleased to present “Sonny Rollins: Beyond The Notes”, a film about the living jazz legend saxophonist Sonny Rollins.
Called the Saxophone Colossus, Rollins is a giant who strode across the history of jazz, bridging bebop and the avant-garde over his fabulous 7 decade career. He is the only living musician who played with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and John Coltrane in the Golden Age of Jazz.
Cinematographer Dick Fontaine's film, Sonny Rollins: Beyond The Notes was made for the BBC in 2010. Fontaine first started following and filming Sonny during the musician’s self imposed sabbatical 50 years earlier, when Sonny was playing on the Williamsburg Bridge late at night, back when he had chosen to leave the scene to work on his
music and find himself.
The footage Fontaine shot back then became the 1968 TV documentary “Who Is Sonny Rollins? “. Four decades later, Dick Fountain caught up again with Rollins who had invited several other jazz masters he had played with, including drummer Roy Haynes, guitarist Jim Hall, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, Ornette Coleman, and bass player Christian McBride, to help him celebrate his 80th birthday at the Beacon Theater. What resulted was a movie of that historic concert with the 80 year old saxophonist at full throttle, joined by other great musicians celebrating his jazz journey. Beyond The Notes is an inspiring movie about an artist who made momentous choices in his quest for perfection and his search for meaning in life, and who grew to true greatness.
Fontaine used Sonny’s 80th birthday to look into the man and his music. Early footage shows Rollins revisiting his life and early influences, with clips from Fats Waller, Louis Jordan, and Charlie Parker, and reflecting on his role in jazz’s long history. In this movie, Rollins does not just celebrate himself, but the others who had contributed to and advanced the music they loved and believed in, and its future for coming generations.
“Beyond The Notes” is about the great saxophonist Sonny Rollins, the last surviving musician from Art Kane’s famous 1958 group photo of New York jazz musicians, A Great Day in Harlem . Please join us in celebrating this living legend, Saturday night, April 18th, for WMPG’s screening of Sonny Rollins: Beyond The Notes, 7pm, at the Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St., Portland. Admission is Free, and donations are gladly accepted.

Spring Benefit
2026-05-02 18:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
The premier event supporting need-based tuition assistance for music education is back!
Wine and Seltzers
Delicious and hearty Hors D’oeuvres
Performances by PCM students and faculty
Opportunities to donate to PCM’s need-based Tuition Assistance Program
SATURDAY, MAY 2
6:00pm
Portland Conservatory of Music
Can’t join us that evening?
DONATE by clicking the button below to help us reach our $40,000 goal!

One Night. One Community. More Musicians.
Get Your Tickets Today!Get Your Tickets Today!Donate Now!Donate Now!Last year this event raised over $30,000 for need-based tuition assistance. This year, we’re aiming for $40,000.
Join us for a special evening that opens the door to music. Our annual fundraiser supports PCM’s need-based tuition assistance program, ensuring that financial barriers never stand between a student and the opportunity to learn and perform.
Tickets are on sale now—space is limited. Join us for a memorable evening of music, community, and shared purpose while helping expand access to music education across our region.
Together, we help ensure the music continues for every student who wants to play. Every dollar raised goes directly toward tuition support for students and families who apply for assistance.
0000Days00Hrs00Min00SecGet Your Tickets Today!Get Your Tickets Today!Donate Now!Donate Now!

240 Strings | Bridging Centuries...
2026-05-03 15:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
“Bridging Centuries…” traces a musical journey across three centuries, connecting the voices of Beethoven, Schumann, and contemporary composer Stacy Garrop. Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio embodies the grandeur and lyricism of the Classical tradition, while Schumann’s passionate Trio in D minor reveals the Romantic spirit in full bloom. Between them, Stacy Garrop’s evocative work for piano trio offers a modern perspective, weaving vivid colors and narratives that speak directly to our time. Together, these works form a bridge of sound and expression, linking past and present in a dialogue that is as timeless as it is immediate.
We are delighted to feature guest cellist Marisa Solomon with the Portland Piano Trio, whose artistry brings added depth and richness to this exploration across centuries.
Marisa Solomon, Cello
Anastasia Antonacos, Piano
Tracey Jasas-Hardel, Violin
Run Time: 90 minutes

Open Jazz Jam
2026-05-11 18:30 - 20:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
An open Jazz Jam session. Bring your Real Book and jam with us!
No Registration Necessary

"Bus" Recital
2026-05-14 14:00 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
Join Mary Lunt, Amy Hunter, and friends in a free afternoon of music and art song.
Mary Lunt, soprano
Amy Hunter, piano
Paul Kneller, guitar
John Ross, flute
Folk and Broadway songs composed by Kurt Weill, Meredith Willson, Hoagy Carmichael, Stephen Sondheim, and Benjamin Britten!
Groups and group vans welcome and encouraged.

Free Jazz Workshop with Sarah Elizabeth Charles
2026-05-15 16:00 - 17:30 | Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
Sarah Elizabeth Charles returns to Portland to celebrate the release of her band’s 5th album, Dawn!
Join Sarah Elizabeth Charles at this inspirational free workshop!
Friday, May 15 at 4:00pm
Workshop flow:
Sarah will start by sharing a bit about her story then will move into a mini-performance and demo.
After the demo, participants will work in groups on a pre-selected tune from the Real Easy Book, guided by Sarah.
RSVP to receive charts prior to the workshop
Note: This is a free workshop, taking place prior to her full concert at 7:30. No ticket is necessary to attend the workshop but encouraged for the full experience
ABOUT SARAH ELIZABETH CHARLES
Sarah Elizabeth Charles is a vocalist/composer/producer/teaching artist/mother based in Brooklyn, NY. She has worked and studied with artists such as Geri Allen, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, George Cables, Terri Lyne Carrington and Sheila Jordan. She has also released four critically acclaimed albums with her band, SCOPE (feat. Burniss Earl Travis II, Jesse Elder, John Davis, Jesse Fischer and Jordan Peters) between 2012 and 2022 and her fifth album, Dawn (2025), with a brand new ensemble featuring Linda May Han Oh, Maya Keren, Savannah Harris, Skye Steele and Marika Hughes. As the active vocalist in a number of bands (including Ajoyo, duo with Jarrett Cherner, Freedom Riders, Jesse Fischer and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah), Charles has performed at many venues throughout her career. These have included The White House, Carnegie Hall, the first annual Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi, The Kennedy Center, the Rose Theatre with Jazz at Lincoln Center and many more. She has also had a commissioned composition performed at The National Gallery in Washington D.C. via The Canales Project “Hear Her Song” initiative.
In addition to her performance work, Charles is an active educator and activist. She works as a lead teaching artist with Carnegie Hall’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility Musical Connections workshop, has a private lessons studio in New York City, is an adjunct professor at The New School for Jazz/College of Performing Arts, co-teaching two courses called “Jazz and Gender” (undergraduate) and “New Narratives: Creating Space for Equity in Music” (graduate) with Dr. Caroline Davis and has developed an early childhood music education program with Rise2Shine, a non-profit organization based in Fond Parisien, Haiti. Charles has been the recipient of a number of honors including the Yale School of Music’s Distinguished Teaching Artist Award, the New York City Women’s Fund grant, Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works grant and the New York Voices Commission for her song cycle “Liberating the Bird” set to Dr. Maya Angelou’s poetry. Since 2021, she has been an active member of the This Is A Movement initiative working toward creating more equitable spaces and connecting various individuals, organizations and activists working to do the same.
Charles’ musical output has been described as a “genre of one” (DownBeat Magazine), “soulfully articulate” (NY Times) and “an unmatched sound” (Jay Z’s Life+Times). One can only look to the future for more unique and boundary pushing work from this one of a kind artist.
RSVP Here

New Old Timers | DIJ @ SPACE Gallery
2026-05-23 20:00 | SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101, Portland, ME, 04101, US
Special note: This show will be recorded for an upcoming live record!
The quartet of Jeremy Udden, Petr Cancura, Aryeh Kobrinsky, and Vinnie Sperrazza reimagine American roots music through modern jazz improvisation.
This May, New Old Timers embark on a northeast tour, starting at Barbes in Brooklyn and culminating with a special live recording at SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine.
More Info and Tickets
