We are delighted to be back!

Experience the 18th century in the glow of flickering candles for a very unique and special DaPonte String Quartet concert by candlelight. The concert will be held at the all-original, pre-revolutionary, Old Walpole Meetinghouse on Sunday September 12, 2021 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm). The Meetinghouse is located 3.5 miles south of Damariscotta on Meetinghouse Road off Route 129 in South Bristol.

Tickets are $30 and are available only by pre-purchase, not at the door.

Click here to buy tickets on-line.

Tickets can also be purchased by check/cash at Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookstore locations in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, and at the Walpole Barn in Walpole (Rt. 129). To make other arrangements for tickets, please call 207-882-7744 or e-mail info@oldwalpolemeetinghouse.org. 

Note also, that because this is a special fund-raising concert to benefit maintenance on the Meetinghouse, we are not able to honor tickets for other Daponte venues in their concert series.

The Daponte String Quartet’s special performance this year will be a creative tribute to Maine’s Bicentennial titled, “Maine’s 200th: Music of Early Maine”. They will be joined by guest artist Eric LaPerna on percussion, for a program that highlights significant events along Maine’s pre-statehood timeline (from the 16th to the early 19th centuries), with selected music to share some of the cultural influences. The DSQ writes, “When we learned about the notated songs of Membertou (c. early 1500s-1611), a major shaman-chief of the Mi’kmaq nation, the idea for this program began to percolate. What music might there have been as so many different peoples explored, fished, and colonized Maine’s rocky coast and European influences began to permeate the land?” 

The DaPonte String Quartet was formed in Philadelphia in 1991 and came to Maine in 1995 on a Rural Residency Grant from the NEA and Chamber Music America.  

This event promises to be a truly 18^th century experience; there is no electricity and no running water in the building (but rest assured, a modern portable toilet will be available). The Meetinghouse is on the National Register of Historic Places and is an exquisite example of colonial architecture, including a soaring hand-carved pulpit. The proceeds from this concert benefit the maintenance of the Meetinghouse. 

Open seating is in the original box pews, and with the Quartet posed on a central elevated platform gives the performance a theater-in-the-round effect. Quartet violinist, Dino Liva has commented, “The Meetinghouse has the best acoustics of any venue we play”. 

Please bring a cushion to sit on and a flashlight to guide you to your vehicle after the event.

All current Maine CDC COVID-19 guidelines will be observed.

Tax-deductible contributions toward the maintenance of this lovely old building would be gratefully accepted and should be sent to Old Walpole Meetinghouse, P.O. box 47, Walpole, Me 04573. Old Walpole Meetinghouse is a non-profit 501©(3) historical and educational organization.