Chapter 7: Maine

Maine, a state with the slogan “Vacationland” for its cute coast towns, lobster rolls, and lake house retreats.

We were on a mission to get to know the people of Maine on a deeper level, especially as the 2024 presidential election loomed.

MAINE…you might think that it’s a state saturated with classical music. Portland is a vibrant arts city, and the coastline of Maine is dotted with some of the best classical music festivals in the country, all the way up to Canada. But, as with most states in the United States, there is a big gap in arts accessibility within a state, and within a city.

In a state with the slogan “Vacationland” and most known for its cute coast towns, lobster rolls, and lake house retreats, we were looking to get to know Maine residents beyond that. We focused on the lowest income counties and cities in the state, which brought us to the inland portion of Maine and as far as Presque Isle, which is close to the Northeastern tip of the country. We found that substance abuse is a prominent issue in the more remote counties, and partnered with Aroostook Mental Health Clinic. We wanted to give extra love to Lewiston, whose name has now become intertwined with the 2023 tragic mass shooting. Maine is the whitest state in the country, but Lewiston is a hub for immigrants and refugees, with longtime Somali immigrants at the core of the community.

Our three-day residency at Portland Ovations was the most robust partnership we’ve had yet with any presenting organization, and we are so grateful for an organization whose vision really complements ours. At the culminating concert, we placed a Steinway grand in downtown Portland and performed for 500 residents and 26 (!!) very good dogs.

Gather Hear Maine coincided with the peak of the 2024 presidential election campaign season. Gather Hear Tour was originally founded as a response to the 2016 presidential election - Miki came up with the idea for the project just days after Donald Trump was elected. 8 years later, two presidential terms later, it felt like Gather Hear had come full circle in many ways and the concert program captured this reflective mood.

The concert program, titled “Maine the Beautiful,” was inspired both by the state of Maine and by how it felt in that moment of living in America. It featured music inspired by the woods and the ocean, as well as music that offered commentary on America’s past and present. The audience’s reflection on these topics were weaved into the concert experience via “When I Listen Deeply” notecards. A centerpiece of the program was Huang Ruo’s “Meditation on ‘America The Beautiful.’” Maine-based composer Conrad Winslow was also be featured - he’s originally from Alaska, and we performed his music on our very first tour, Gather Hear Alaska! Additional works were by Amy Beach, Frederic Chopin, Alexander Scriabin, Jean Sibelius, and William Grant Still.