Experience world-class string quartet music in the evening glow of flickering candles at the all original 1772 Old Walpole Meetinghouse on Sunday September 11, 2022 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm).

Tickets are $30 and are available only by pre-purchase, not at the door. Tickets may be purchased on-line by searching “Eventbrite Old Walpole Meetinghouse” (click here for a link), or at Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookstore in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, and the Walpole Barn in Walpole (by cash or check). To make other arrangements for tickets, please call 207-882-7744 or e-mail info@oldwalpolemeetinghouse.org. 

The Meetinghouse is located 3.5 miles south of Damariscotta on Meetinghouse Road, off Route 129 in South Bristol.

The DaPonte String Quartet’s special performance this year will be works by W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) Divertimento in E-flat for Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 563, and Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) String Quartet no. 2 in D major.

The DaPonte String Quartet has performed at Carnegie Hall, has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, and toured in France, Scotland, and Canada, as well as in over twenty American states. They have broadcast on nation-wide radio and television both in the United States and Canada, received awards from the NEA, Philadelphia Musical Fund Society, Music Teachers National Association, Chamber Music America, and Maine Arts Commission. 

Quartet member Dino Liva is temporarily assuming the duties of management and leadership and his chair (violin) will filled by Alexander Romanul. Mr. Romanul is the grandson of the Romanian Diva Stella Roman. He made his debut at the age of twelve with the New England Conservatory Orchestra in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto conducted by Gunther Schuller, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a Youth Concerts Series and with the Boston Pops by express invitation of Arthur Fiedler.

This year, the Old Walpole Meetinghouse is celebrating its 250th year. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered by historians to be “one of the most beautiful and important historic buildings in Maine”. It is an exquisite example of colonial architecture, including a soaring hand-carved pulpit which is particularly striking by candlelight. 

The proceeds from this concert benefit the maintenance of the structure. In particular, this year a fund-raising project to restore the original 12 over 12 windows is being initiated. 

Limited open seating is in the original box pews and along the edge of the balcony.

Please bring a cushion to sit on and flashlights to guide you to your vehicles after the event.

Tax-deductible contributions toward the roof replacement project and window restoration 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 501c(3) historical and educational organization.

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.

Professional musician, Kendall Dean, will be performing her original music in a live-streamed concert from the Walpole Meetinghouse on June 9 at 7 pm.

Connect to the live concert via Zoom using this link at about 6:45 pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87959350451

Kendall has recently returned to the midcoast area of Maine where she grew up. A violinist, accomplished guitarist, and vocalist, her music is rooted in Irish and Scottish traditional music, but its sound and versatility often break boundaries, crossing genres into blues, jazz, and country.

The venue of the 1772 Old Walpole Meetinghouse with its superb acoustics and its stunning example of colonial architecture will provide an exquisite backdrop for this unforgettable experience. For more information contact Kendall Dean at 207-380-5831

Experience the 18th century in the glow of flickering candles for a very unique DaPonte String Quartet concert. The concert will be held at the all-original, pre-revolutionary, Old Walpole Meetinghouse on Sunday September 9, 2017 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm).

Tickets are $25 and are available only by pre-purchase, not at the door. Tickets for this very special event may be purchased on-line by credit card at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3556974 or by check/cash at Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookstore in Damariscotta, the Walpole Barn in Walpole (Rt. 129), or the Boothbay Harbor Framer’s Gallery in Boothbay Harbor (Meadow Mall).To make other arrangements for tickets, please call 882-7744 or e-mail info@oldwalpolemeetinghouse.org. Note also, that because this is a special fund-raising concert to benefit replacing the roof shingles on the Meetinghouse, we are not able to honor tickets for other Daponte venues in the “Leaf Peeper Series”.

The Meetinghouse is located 3.5 miles south of Damariscotta off Route 129 on Meetinghouse Road in South Bristol.

The DaPonte String Quartet is comprised of Lydia Forbes and Ferdinand (Dino) Liva on violin, Kirsten Monke on viola, and Myles Jordan on cello. The special performance this year celebrates works by Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809), Alfred Pochon (1878-1959), and Franz Schubert (1797-1828).

The Quartet has performed at Carnegie Hall, has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, and toured in France, Scotland, and Canada, as well as in over twenty American states. They have broadcast on nation-wide radio and television both in the United States and Canada, received awards from the NEA, Philadelphia Musical Fund Society, Music Teachers National Association, Chamber Music America, and Maine Arts Commission. They have also recorded three CD’s, with a fourth coming soon.

The Meetinghouse is on the National Register of Historic Places and is an exquisite example of colonial architecture, which includes a soaring hand-carved pulpit. The proceeds from this concert benefit the maintenance of the structure. In particular, the wood shingles on the south side of the roof need to be replaced.

Open seating for the concert 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 for comfort and flashlights to guide you to your vehicles after the event.

Tax-deductible contributions toward the roof replacement project 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 501c(3) historical and educational organization.

(photo: Pierce Studios.)

“…the setting, the rainy day, the rich interior all coalesced to create just the right mood; I could not have been happier. I keep reliving the experience of entering the building and being held captive by the history and the presence of what felt to be sacred space.”

Elaine Pearsons

Photographs, Elaine Pearsons, 2014

 

Please join us in the glow of flickering candles for a very unique DaPonte String Quartet concert at the all-original, pre-revolutionary Old Walpole Meetinghouse on Sunday September 8, 2013 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm).

Tickets are $25 and are available only by pre-purchase at the Maine Coast Bookstore in Damariscotta, the Walpole Barn in Walpole (Rt. 129), or the Framer’s Gallery in Boothbay (Meadow Mall). To make other arrangements for tickets, please call Shirley at 563-5471 or e-mail owm@tidewater.net.

The Meetinghouse is located 3.5 miles south of Damariscotta on Meetinghouse Road off Route 129 in South Bristol.

The Quartet’s special performance this year will include Henry Purcell’s Fantasias for Strings, Zhou Long’s Song of the Ch’in, Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in C# Minor, Op. 131. Movie goers may recognize the very special Beethoven selection as it was featured in the recent movie, “A Late Quartet”.

The DaPonte String Quartet has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Philadelphia Musical Fund, the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music America, and have participated in several of the nation’s most prestigious concert series to rave reviews.

This event promises to be a truly 18th century experience; there is no electricity and no running water in the building. 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 structure. In particular, this year the original 12 over 12 light windows will receive much needed restoration.

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 flashlights to guide you to your vehicles after the event.

Tax-deductible contributions toward the window restoration project 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.