The Salon Series:
A Ministry of Ascension Music
What are salon concerts?
Much of history's finest solo and chamber music was composed not for concert halls, but for intimate gatherings in the private rooms, or salons, of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, where friends met to listen, learn, and share ideas about the arts. Ascension’s Salon Series brings back the vibrant Salon experience with engaging performances in lovely, intimate spaces within our historic church.
Ascension Music’s Salon Series features artists from Ascension Parish and local guest artists. Concerts range from song recitals in our Parlor with our 19th-century Chickering grand piano, to Baroque chamber concerts in our serene Sanctuary with our Baroque-style Coulter tracker organ; to energizing musical theatre songs at the Steinway in our cheery, airy Reinhardt Hall. After each concert comes an opportunity to socialize with artists other concertgoers.
Representation
All are welcome at Ascension. Concert admittance is donation-based, and no one will be turned away.
Learning
Our programming highlights music by women, by people of color, and by other members of historically underrepresented groups.
Accessibility
Salon Series concerts include accessible, engaging commentary on the music performed.
The Salon Series
2023-2024 Season
Magical Operetta
featuring Light Opera of Portland
Laurence Cox, Artistic Director
Saturday, September 30, 2023, 4:00 P.M.
Light Opera of Portland returns to the Salon Series by popular demand! At this concert in Reinhart Hall, you'll hear excerpts from LOoP's Fall 2023 production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Sorcerer, a hilarious romp sending up Victorian social mores. You'll also enjoy numbers from other light operas, including Pauline Viardot's Le dernier sorcier. Join us afterward for tea and biscuits! $20 suggested donation.
Christmas in the Parlor
fairy tales and carols
Sunday, December 10, 2023, 7:00 P.M.
Join us for an old-fashioned Christmas around the piano in our Parlor. This year's event draws on the charming British tradition of Christmas pantos - cheerful fairy tale theater for families. You'll hear classical music inspired by fairy tales, including music by Pauline Viardot, Florence Price, and Maurice Ravel. We'll also invite the audience to sing along with favorite carols, and enjoy a cookie sampler! $15 suggested donation.
Mila Ortiz, mezzo soprano
Emma Riggle, piano
Please note that this concert’s time has been changed from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
Jane Austen’s Parlor
featuring Ensemble Boulanger
Emma Mildred Riggle, soprano & lecturer | Hannah Brewer, piano
January 27, 2024, 4:00 P.M.
Portland-based Ensemble Boulanger is dedicated to house concerts and music by women. Join them for an exploration of music in Jane Austen's life and novels, in our lovely Parlor. You'll hear songs and piano music from Austen's time, including pieces from her personal music library, and we'll explore the role of music in the lives of women in Regency England. Tea and light refreshments will be served, and period costumes are welcome! $20 suggested donation.
From Cloister to Back Porch
Featuring Radix vocal ensemble
Amy Stuart Hunn, Artistic Director
April 14, 2024, 4:00 P.M.
The Salon Series welcomes Radix, an innovative women's vocal chamber ensemble based in Portland. Radix will present a concert in our historic Sanctuary, directed by Dr. Amy Stuart Hunn. The program, inspired by communal singing traditions, will include music by Hildegard von Bingen and Imogen Holst; selections from the medieval Spanish Codex Las Huelgas; Ladino & Yiddish folksongs, and more.
Tickets:
$20 general admission
$8 students (13+)/seniors (65+)/limited income
FREE children 12 and under