2026 Summer Festival
Festival Kickoff Party
Join us on Sunday, July 12 from 3–5pm at Devil’s Half Acre in Blue Hill as we kick off the festival with a renewed focus on our Young Artist Fellowship. Now expanded from one fellow to four, this program sits at the center of our work.
We are proud to welcome four outstanding emerging artists—soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—who will join us in Maine this summer. Hear them sing as we introduce this year’s fellows, and enjoy an afternoon of music, drinks, charcuterie, and conversation.
🗓️ Date: Sunday, July 12th
🕒 Time: 3–5 PM
📍 Location: Devils Half Acre
14 Mill Street, Blue Hill, ME 04614
Bach’s Lunch:
The Voice of the Cello
Join us for a picnic lunch at the Barncastle featuring baroque cellist Sarah Freiberg. Sarah performs regularly with leading early music ensembles across the country, including the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Baroque, and is a core member of Blue Hill Bach. This program explores the rich, introspective world of solo cello, pairing Bach’s Suite No. 2 with a contemporary work, Linda Catlin Smith’s Ricercar for Baroque Cello. A brief Q&A will follow the performance.
Pre-order a special lunch in advance and enjoy the concert as a picnic.
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, July 14th
🕒 Time: 12PM
📍 Location: Barncastle
125 South St, Blue Hill, ME 04614
Baroque Vocal Masterclass -
Featuring our 2026 Young Artist Fellows
Join us for a vocal masterclass led by tenor Gene Stenger, described as an “impressive tenor” (The New York Times) with a “crisp, clear tenor in action” (The Washington Post). A specialist in Bach and Baroque repertoire, Stenger has appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras and ensembles across the country.
This session features our four Young Artist Fellows—soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—selected through an application process to join us in Maine this summer. Watch them work with Gene in real time as he offers coaching, insight, and practical guidance on Baroque singing.
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, July 14th
🕒 Time: 7PM
📍 Location: The First Congregational Church
22 Tenney Hill, Blue Hill, ME 04614
Voices of the Bach Family
Join us for the opening concert of the festival, exploring the music of the Bach family through sacred expressions of anguish, death, joy, and fulfillment.
The program features Johann Christoph Bach’s Ach dass ich Wassers gnug hätte, alongside J.S. Bach’s Ich habe genug (BWV 82) and Jesu, meine Freude (BWV 227). Together, these works reveal a shared expressive language while illuminating the distinct voices within the Bach family.
The program also features music for organ on the Karl Wilhelm tracker.
🗓️ Date: Wednesday July 15th
🕒 Time: 7:30PM
📍 Location: St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church
330 Hinckley Ridge Rd, Blue Hill, ME 04614
Pre Concert Talk -
Meet Eve Miller, creator of A Revolutionary Café, at David’s Folly Farm
Learn more about the creation and history behind the evening’s program at the Brooksville Public Library.
Eve Miller is a cellist, composer, and music historian whose work explores early American musical life. Her research into 18th-century concert culture and performance practice informs the ideas at the heart of this program.
🗓️ Date: Thursday July 16th
🕒 Time: 10AM
📍 Location: Brooksville Public Library
1 Town House Rd, Brooksville, ME 04617
A Revolutionary Cafe: Tories, Rebels, Citizens, and Spies!
Set on the grounds of David’s Folly Farm, A Revolutionary Café brings together music, history, and storytelling. Inspired by the social and musical life of the Revolutionary era, this program is presented in celebration of America 250.
The performance will take place in the barn, with food trucks located outside and open before the concert and during intermission. A bar will also be available.
This is a fun, welcoming event for the whole family.
The grounds open at 4:00pm, with the concert beginning at 5:30pm.
Parking is available on site. Once the lot is full, a shuttle will run from the Brooksville School to the venue, with the last bus departing at 5:15pm.
🗓️ Date: Thursday July 16th
🕒 Time: Grounds (food trucks & bar) open at 4PM; Concert begins at 5:30PM
📍 Location: Davids Folly Farm
1390 Coastal Rd, Brooksville, ME 04617
Toddlers Music Program
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
🗓️ Date: Friday, July 17th
🕒 Time: 10:30-11:30AM
📍 Location: Blue Hill Public Library - Howard Room
5 Parker Point Rd, Blue Hill, ME 04614
Festival Finale: Gloria!
Join us for a celebratory Festival Finale featuring Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, and the Concerto for Three Violins, alongside Vivaldi’s Gloria in D major.
This vibrant program brings our full ensemble together in a joyful close to the week, highlighting the brilliance and communal spirit at the heart of the festival.
🗓️ Date: Saturday, July 18th
🕒 Time: 7:30PM
📍 Location: The First Congregational Church
22 Tenney Hill, Blue Hill, ME 04614