Canadian Folk Music Award nominees, East Coast Music Award winners, Music Nova Scotia winner, Juno nominees – the 4 members of Coig bring the absolute best of Atlantic Canada music to our stage this winter. Imagine Cape Breton classics, reels and jigs, world music, Irish themes all wrapped up in the spirit of the holiday season tonight. “The best if trad music, in a non-traditional way. That’s Coig.” Join us this December for this powerhouse from north of the border. Advance discount tickets $25, available only from the box office at 207-633-5159 (open Wed – Fri from 10-2). Regular tickets $30 online at boothbayoperahouse.com, and on the day of show if available.

Sheepscot Chorus invites you to “Bach and Christmas Pops!” on 3:00 PM on Sat., Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church. Professional soloists and a chamber orchestra will join the chorus for these popular holiday concerts. “We are pleased to perform such a masterpiece for the community,” says director Linda Blanchard about the “Magnificat.”

Holiday Pops favorites accompanied by a chamber orchestra will round out the second half of the program. A highlight will be two new arrangements by English composer Paul Ayres, “Santa Claus is comin’ to town,” and “Winter Wonderland.” “Santa Claus is comin’” features an astounding fugal treatment of the well-known tune. Co-director and accompanist Sean Fleming has a knack for bringing together top-notch musicians for our holiday pops orchestra, sure to set toes tapping!

The fabulous soloists for the concerts include soprano Mary Sullivan, alto Joelle Morris, tenor David Myers-Wakeman, and bass Joshua Miller.

Go to http://www.purplepass.com/sheepscotchorus2023 to buy tickets now.

Tickets are $15 (free for students) and are also available at Treats in Wiscasset and Sherman’s Book Store in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor. For more information, please email info@sheepscotvalleychorus.org, or visit facebook.com/sheepscotchorus
and sheepscotvalleychorus.org.

Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honour of the Irish god Lugh, Lúnasa was formed in 1997 from members of some of the greatest Irish groups of the previous decade, an early review from Folk Roots magazine describing the band as an “Irish music dream team”. From the start, the band’s complex arrangements and unique sound reshaped the boundaries of traditional music and energized audiences the world over. Critical acclaim followed, The Irish Echo describing the band as the “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet”; MOJO magazine named the band “the new gods of Irish music,” adding that “nobody since the Bothies has wielded such a thrilling rhythmic underlay.” Billboard raved that “anybody who listens can’t help but find them contagious.” Tonight these Irish stars bring the best of an Irish Christmas to the Opera House stage.

Advance discount tickets $30, available only from the box office at 207-633-5159 (open Wed – Fri from 10-2). Regular tickets $35 online at boothbayoperahouse.com, and on the day of show if available.

Doors open at 5:30 for a community potluck dinner preceding an evening of holiday music with beloved local pianist Kevin Kiley and his troupe of vocalists. Music begins at 7 pm. No tickets are required, but please bring a potluck dinner dish to share with all.

Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that get under your skin and into your bloodstream. And much like the artists who have influenced him, everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to the singer-songwriter who is undoubtedly his greatest inspiration, Woody Guthrie, Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and renders them as provocative works that are as timely as they are timeless. Born and raised in Maine, Paul attended Boston College on a track scholarship and in the evenings became a fixture on the city’s open mic circuit.

After winning a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition, he caught the ear of folk luminary Bill Morrissey, who produced his indie album Say Something in 1993. This led to a seven-album contract with Rounder Records and the 1994 album, Stories. Through a steady succession of albums of his own – a remarkable 22 releases so far – and a constant touring presence around the world, Paul’s audience has grown into a loyal legion of fans. Along the way, he has picked up an impressive number of awards including the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award, 15 Boston Music Awards, the 2019 International Acoustic Music Awards Artist of the Year and his 2019 album, The Storyteller’s Suitcase, was named the 2019 NERFA Album of
the Year. His new album “55”, released in June 2023, touches on the necessity of gratitude in a difficult era of the pandemic and divided political stances on his own imprint, Rosella Records. As of this writing, the album is #4 on the FAI Folk-DJ chart.
Tonight Ellis will be joined by musicians Radoslav Lorkovic, a Croatian-born and classically trained folk and blues musician, known in particular for his flair on the piano and accordion and Don Conoscenti, an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist and Lauri MacAllister of the folk trio Red Molly.
This concert wraps up the Opera House’s 20th season – we are delighted to have these 4 talents close out 2023. Advance discount tickets $25, available only from the box office at 207-633-5159 (open Wed – Fri from 10-2). Regular tickets $30 online at boothbayoperahouse.com, and on the day of show if available.