Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Using themes of the festivals, SBC musicians create “musical installations” on the grounds of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, pairing music to gardens.
Master Class
The annual Master Class is free and open to the public. The student masterclass takes place on the second Friday of the Festival from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. The program connects world class artists with local, young musicians and community members.
OffTopic! Talks
OffTopic! talks are free and open to the public, and take place on Monday afternoons during the Festival. Individual musicians are featured in these popular lecture/demonstrations, and are given the stage to talk about any musical topic they feel passionate about.
Pre-Concert Talks
Pre-concert talks are open to all ticket-holders. Mark Mandarano, conductor and educator, gives an informal talk one hour prior to each concert, starting at 6:30 pm. These gatherings are fun and informative, and help audiences gain a better understanding of a program’s musical and historical context, as well as how each piece fits into the overall theme of the Festival. Audiences will hear musical excerpts as well as interviews with musicians and composers.
Program Notes
Conductor and educator Mark Mandarano also authors the program notes which are printed in the Festival book, tying together information about the individual pieces with the over-arching theme of the Festival.
Mark Mandarano, conductor and educator