Mid-August/September 2021 Magazine

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

Members save on previews, opening night, and mid-week performances. Promotion ends 8/31. More info on pg 11.

ON SALE NOW

INTIMATELY YOURS CHRIS THILE

Mon., October 11 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater

MacArthur Fellow and Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter Chris Thile returns to The Music Hall.

INTIMATELY YOURS ABSENCE: TERENCE BLANCHARD

FT. THE E-COLLECTIVE & TURTLE ISLAND QUARTET

Sat., November 13 • 8pm • Historic Theater

Terence Blanchard celebrates the life and legacy of mentor, Wayne Shorter, with breathtaking strings alongside young musical pioneers, The E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet.

PORTS. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FALL CONCERT

Sun., October 24 3pm Historic Theater

The full Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra returns for the Mainstage Season Opening Celebration.

INTIMATELY YOURS ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS

Fri., October 29 • 8pm • Historic Theater

With an insatiable appetite for music, Grammy Award-winning Elvis Costello has over 30 albums to his name.

THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS NYE CHAMPAGNE POPS WITH PSO Fri., December 31 • 8pm • Historic Theater

Join the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra and The Music Hall for an effervescent New Year’s Eve Celebration as we welcome a fresh start together.

PORTS. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WINTER CONCERT

Sun., March 13, 2022 3pm Historic Theater

The PSO’s Winter Mainstage Concert features a sublime trio of rich works.

COVID-19 UPDATES

PORTS. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SPRING CONCERT

Sun., June 5, 2022 • 3pm • Historic Theater

Join the PSO for a vibrant Spring Mainstage Concert with a wide range of performances.

For up-to-date information about what we're doing to keep you safe and what to do when you visit, go to TheMusicHall.org/CovidProtocols

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Monte Bohanan

MAGAZINE

Wesley Lovell

Tina Sawtelle

Sara Turner

Gail VanHoy Carolan

Brittany Wason

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS

Kaitlyn Huwe DESIGN

CURATOR’S CORNER

Credit:

PizzutiPhotography.com

KICKING OFF THE NEW SEASON WITH GUSTO!

TINA SAWTELLE, Executive Director

We’re well into our 2021-2022 season now and eagerly looking ahead to a packed Fall! Join us in celebrating the in-person return of beloved series such as Intimately Yours and Writers on a New England Stage, as well as Telluride by the Sea Film Festival (TBTS) and our holiday production in partnership with the Ogunquit Playhouse!

September marks the triumphant return of TBTS—settle into our plush red seats with some popcorn for the best of the best. The titles will be announced early in September alongside the Colorado Telluride so snag a pass for the whole weekend while you still can! Speaking of getting tickets in advance, don’t miss out on getting prime seats for Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, back by popular demand! One of the best discounts is the Early Bird discount, running until August 31. Members can save up to $28 a ticket and give the gift of family fun this holiday season!

Fall is full to the brim with new and rescheduled shows—there’s something for everyone! And as we forge ahead, I can’t wait to see what new series and events pop up as a result of our community’s resilience and return to live entertainment.

HERE & NOW

Visit TheMusicHall.org/Blog for more behind-the-scenes info!

A Colorful and Bright New Season from PSO

The Music Hall’s resident orchestra, Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra (PSO), will bring the full company back to our historic stage this year, and we’re so glad to see them all again! We were honored to host them on our Live Under the Arch stage twice this past summer (with their string quartet and brass quintet) but there’s nothing quite like getting the whole orchestra in the big room, where their perfect arrangements can shine. This partnership is made easy by our mutual love and dedication to high-quality music and shows, and by working together, we bring classical music to Portsmouth year after year.

Thank Goodness for Grants

A nonprofit, The Music Hall relies on a diversified income plan to ensure we’re able to fulfill our mission to serve our Seacoast community. Ticket income makes up 70% of that budget. Grant funding is another of our many income streams, a stream that’s become a river in the midst of the pandemic.

The Music Hall is proud and grateful to be a recipient of grant funds from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the official state arts agency, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, a statewide community foundation. Their multi-year funding commitments allow The Music Hall to strategically invest in our organization and enhance our programming.

Witness the powerful and triumphant music all year long, led by John Page, PSO’s Music Director. In October, the Mainstage Season Opening Celebration will take us on a musical and emotional journey. On New Year’s Eve, raise a glass and toast with Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra and The Music Hall as we ring in 2022 together. March’s Winter Concert will showcase Rachmaninoff’s 2nd piano concerto, performed by internationally renowned pianist Ya-Fei Chuang. And the Mainstage season wraps with a colorful and vibrant concert in June.

Be sure to get your PSO subscription at PortsmouthSymphony.org and join us for the elegant and grand return of the Mainstage Concert series!

This year we were also the beneficiary of a grant from Jane’s Trust. A grant last year supported us as we undertook a leadership transition. This year’s award was unsolicited, a surprise. In this, its final year of grant-making, the Trustees awarded funds to a pool of frequent recipients “as a bookend to the initial grants made at the founding of the Trust.” The Music Hall will use these funds to bring our 19th century assets into the 21st century through upgrades to our lighting system and other infrastructure work.

The NH Community Development Finance Authority has also lent their support to this campaign, awarding The Music Hall $65,000 in tax credits that we can use to finance further upgrades to our lighting system, investments you will no doubt enjoy next time the lights shine bright on our stage. We offer our gratitude to these and all our supporters.

GRATITUDE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Join us in thanking and honoring our community’s first responders and frontline essential workers! This multi-stage outdoor music festival celebrates the folks who kept us going through the pandemic; their resilience and dedication inspired and awed us.

NEIGHBOR

Sat., September 25 • 1pm • Chestnut Street*

With a diverse catalog of hundreds of songs, the musical juggernaut Neighbor has become one of the most exciting and unpredictable live bands on the music scene today.

CARSIE

BLANTON

Sat., September 25 • 3:30pm • Portwalk Place*

Inspired by artists including Nina Simone and Randy Newman, Carsie Blanton’s songs encompass a wide range of genres, from sultry pop to punk-tinged Americana.

ANDERSON EAST

Sat., September 25 • 8pm • Historic Theater*

The Alabama-born, Nashville-based singersongwriter’s seductively vintage voice is infused with R&B, gospel, and Southern soul.

TELLURIDE BY THE SEA FILM FESTIVAL

Fri., September 17 - Sun., September 19*

One weekend festival of new movies fresh from their debuts at Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival. Films will be announced and individual tickets will go on sale Labor Day weekend.

FILM SPONSORS: Beswick Engineering; The District; Jackson Lewis P.C.

MEDIA PARTNER:

ON STAGE

INTIMATELY YOURS SERIES SPONSORS:

MID-AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:

PRESENTING SPONSOR: SERIES SPONSORS:

MEDIA PARTNER:

INTIMATELY YOURS MELISSA ETHERIDGE

Wed., September 1 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater

Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Grammy-Award winner Melissa Etheridge returns to The Music Hall.

EVENING SPONSORS: Avery Insurance; Harbour Women’s Health; Troiano Wealth Advisory Group

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE MONA AWAD

Thu., September 2 • 7pm • Historic Theater*

From the author of Bunny, which Margaret Atwood hailed as “genius,” comes a dazzling and darkly funny novel about a theater professor who is convinced staging Shakespeare’s most maligned play will remedy all that ails her.

*Check website for ticket package details

ON STAGE

INTIMATELY YOURS SERIES SPONSORS:

INTIMATELY YOURS KITTEL & CO.

Fri., September 10 • 8pm • Historic Theater

Kittel & Co. inhabits the space between classical and acoustic roots, Celtic and bluegrass aesthetics, folk and jazz sensibilities.

INTIMATELY YOURS CHRIS BOTTI

Thu., September 23 7:30pm Historic Theater

There’s nothing like a Chris Botti concert. See him live and you’ll understand why musical stars from Sting to Paul Simon to Joni Mitchell have been eager to share his stage.

EVENING SPONSOR: UNH Conferences & Catering

ON STAGE

INTIMATELY YOURS

SERIES SPONSORS:

MEDIA PARTNER: Live Free Print & Frame

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH DEB TALAN (OF THE WEEPIES)

Sun., August 15 • 5pm & 7pm • Chestnut Street

Deb Talan was known as a singer and songwriter in her own right before forming Hummingfish and eventually the long-running duo the Weepies with Steven Tannen.

EVENING SPONSORS:

L AKE S TRE

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT

Thu., August 19 6pm & 8pm Chestnut Street

Drawing from influences such as swing, folk, blues, jazz, country, soul, and rock, their undeniable talent and insatiable passion for bluegrass harks back to traditional classics while remaining uniquely modern.

EVENING SPONSORS: Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co; Leone, McDonnell and Roberts, PA

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH RIVER SISTER

Fri., August 27 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Portsmouth’s own River Sister delivers “a fresh, cathartic addition to the indie-folk cannon.” (EDGE magazine)

INNOVATION + LEADERSHIP PRESENTING SPONSOR:

SERIES SPONSORS: Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine; Bangor Savings Bank

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTET

Tue., August 17 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Widely considered as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, Miguel Zenón is perfecting a fine mix between Latin American Folkloric Music and Jazz.

EVENING SPONSORS: TMS Architects; Whole Life Health Care

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH SHARON JONES QUARTET

Sat., August 21 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Portsmouth gem Sharon Jones lights up the historic stage with riffdriven, high-energy R&B and Blues tunes will have you dancing in your seat!

EVENING SPONSORS: oHive; Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH JOCELYN & CHRIS

Sat., August 28 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

The siblings’ performances are a perfect blend of high-energy AAA rock and incredible audience engagement, anchored by Jocelyn’s astonishing vocals.

L AKE S TRE ET AD VISORS

EVENING SPONSORS: Mad*Pow

EVENING SPONSORS: AC Hotel Marriott; BANKW Staffing, LLC

ON STAGE/CINEMA

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:

PRESENTING SPONSOR: SERIES SPONSORS:

MEDIA PARTNER:

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH A NIGHT OF SINATRA WITH RICH DIMARE

Fri., September 3 6pm & 8pm Chestnut Street

Rich DiMare is an American jazz singer who specializes in the Frank Sinatra songbook.

MID-AUG./SEPT.

INTERCONNECTIONS

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA BEST SUMMER EVER

Sat., September 4 • 3pm • Historic Theater (18 & Under Free)

ONE OCEAN FILM TOUR

Sat., September 4 • 7pm • Historic Theater

GODSPEED: LOS POLACOS

Sat., September 11 • 3pm • Historic Theater

EVENING SPONSORS: Piscataqua Savings Bank

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH KERRI ARSENAULT

Thu., September 9 • 6pm • Chestnut Street*

Maine native Kerri Arsenault presents an environmental and moral reckoning of three generations in a Maine paper mill town in her galvanizing and powerful book.

EVENING SPONSORS: Harbour Women's Health; Mad*Pow

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH TIGER SAW & THE REASONS WHY

Tue., September 21 6pm & 8pm Chestnut Street

Exploring a multitude of sounds ranging from folk and funk to country and soul, Tiger Saw & The Reasons Why make for a captivating collaboration.

EVENING SPONSORS: Petersen Engineering; Wells Fargo Advisors

LYDIA LUNCH: THE WAR IS NEVER OVER

Sat., September 11 7pm Historic Theater

INTIMATELY YOURS LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (ALMOST SOLD OUT)

Sun., September 12 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater

Fleetwood Mac’s former guitarist and singer, Lindsey Buckingham is one of the most inventive and electrifying musicians of his generation.

EVENING SPONSORS: The Friendly Toast; Harbor Advisory; Leone, McDonnell and Roberts, PA; Wells Fargo Advisors

INNOVATION + LEADERSHIP CREATIVEMORNINGS PKX

Fri., September 24 • 8:30am • Livestream • Free, RSVP required CreativeMornings Portsmouth is a local chapter of the global breakfast lecture series for the creative community. Every meeting will feature a local speaker on the month’s topic and is free and open to the public.

*Check website for ticket package details

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Season Sponsors Shine On

The Music Hall and our fellow arts and cultural organizations are proud to contribute to the Seacoast’s distinct atmosphere. Our sponsors, especially our lead sponsors, B2W Software; Carey & Giampa, Realtors; Portwalk Place; and the Labrie Group, recognize that we bring people downtown and make Portsmouth a desirable place to live, work, and play. The Labrie Group, our first and longest-standing Season Sponsor, is now joining us in that work—and enhancing West Congress Street’s reputation as an arts district—with the opening this fall of their jazz and blues club, Jimmy’s on Congress.

We are thrilled to announce that all four of our lead sponsors have renewed their support of The Music Hall for the 2021-22 Season, as have many of our other dedicated fans and friends. We look forward to welcoming many sponsors who had to step back last year, and thank you and those sponsors who were able to continue sponsoring uninterrupted for filling the gaps. Because of you, we are emerging from the pandemic in a healthy place, ready to contribute to the renewed vitality of the Seacoast region.

Visit our website to see the full list of our Corporate Partners, or learn more about them through our Playbill (available in person and online), and be sure to thank them on our behalf the next time you patronize their businesses!

UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS

DIRECTOR'S CLUB: JIMMY'S ON CONGRESS

Wed., 9/8 • 5:30pm 135 Congress St., Portsmouth

BOOK CLUB: THE EXILES BY CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE

Mon., 9/13 • 6pm Portwalk Place, Portsmouth

For more information, contact Wesley Lovell at 603.766.2182 or WLovell@themusichall.org

bringing the arts home...

The Ar T s A re T he A nswer to vibrant and prosperous communities where we treasure our heritage, celebrate our diversity and nurture our ingenuity.

AT A GLANCE

AUGUST 2021

Live Under The Arch

Deb Talan (of The Weepies)

Sunday, August 15 • 5pm & 7pm

Live Under The Arch

Miguel Zenón Quartet

Tuesday, August 17 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch

AJ Lee & Blue Summit

Thursday, August 19 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch

Sharon Jones Quartet

Saturday, August 21 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch River Sister

Friday, August 27 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch

Jocelyn & Chris

Saturday, August 28 • 6pm & 8pm

SEPTEMBER 2021

Intimately Yours

Melissa Etheridge

Wednesday, September 1 • 7:30pm

Writers on a New England Stage

Mona Awad

Thursday, September 2 • 7pm

Live Under The Arch

A Night of Sinatra with Rich DiMare

Friday, September 3 • 6pm & 8pm

LEGEND: At the Historic Theater | Offsite/Online

SEPTEMBER 2021

Live Under The Arch Kerri Arsenault

Thursday, September 9 • 6pm

Intimately Yours

Kittel & Co.

Friday, September 10 • 8pm

Intimately Yours

Lindsey Buckingham

Sunday, September 12 • 7:30pm

Rental Partner

Gordon Lightfoot: 80 Years Strong Tour

Wednesday, September 15 • 8pm

Telluride by the Sea Film Festival

Friday, September 17 - Sunday, September 19

Live Under The Arch

Tiger Saw & The Reasons Why

Tuesday, September 21 • 6pm & 8pm

Intimately Yours

Chris Botti

Thursday, September 23 • 7:30pm

Innovation + Leadership

CreativeMornings PKX

Friday, September 24 • 8:30am

Gratitude Music Festival

Neighbor

Saturday, September 25 • 1pm

Gratitude Music Festival

Carsie Blanton

Saturday, September 25 • 3:30pm

Gratitude Music Festival

Anderson East

Saturday, September 25 • 8pm

THE OGUNQUIT PLAYHOUSE AT THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS

DECEMBER 1-19

OCTOBER 2021

The Music Hall Presents Masters of Illusion

Friday, October 1 • 8pm

Hilarity

Whose Live Anyway?

Friday, October 8 • 8pm

Intimately Yours

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Sunday, October 10 • 7pm

Intimately Yours

Chris Thile

Monday, October 11 • 7:30pm

Intimately Yours

Josh Turner

Friday, October 22 • 8pm

Rental Partner

Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert

Sunday, October 24 • 3pm

Intimately Yours

The Mavericks

Tuesday, October 26 • 7:30pm & Wednesday, October 27 • 7:30pm

Intimately Yours

Elvis Costello & The Imposters

Friday, October 29 • 8pm

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

Members save on previews, opening night, and mid-week performances. Promotion ends August 31.

• 10% discount for Friend level (save up to $9.50/ ticket)

• 20% discount for AdvocatePatron level (save up to $19/ticket)

• 30% discount for BackerStakeholder (save up to $28.50/ticket)

MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTET

August 17

JOCELYN & CHRIS

August 28