FORT KENT, Maine – The University of Maine at Fort Kent will host an afternoon of an Acadian-inspired classical musical concert featuring baritone Jared Andrew Michaud, soprano Melanie Saucier and pianist Christina Maria Koti. The concert will be held on the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus in Fox Auditorium at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 4.
Franco-American baritone Michaud is a 2023-24 Fulbright/Harriet Hale Woolley Scholar in Paris, where he serves as a musician-in-residence at the Fondation des États-Unis, receives coaching and mentorship from Susan Manoff, and studies with François Le Roux and Pascal Rogé on a song duo course at the École Normale de Musique de Paris.
Saucier is a multifaceted Canadian-American soprano whose passion for music from the early Baroque to the modern era, combined with her breathtaking musicality, truly set her apart. She has most recently appeared as Damigella in Opera McGill’s production of Francesca Caccini’s “La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina, Zerlina” in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with the New England Conservatory Undergraduate Opera Scenes Program.
Greek pianist Koti is a 2023-24 musician-in-residence at the Fondation Hellénique in Paris, where she studies privately with Susan Manoff as well as pursuing an artist diploma on the voice/piano duo course at École Normale de Musique de Paris with Pascal Rogé and François Le Roux.
The performance is an innovative concert blending Acadian folk song and French classical music. The concert highlights this historical connection by showcasing French Baroque music that is infused with stylistic conventions similar to the ones that existed in French folk music of the time, which would then become Acadian folk music. By pairing this with Acadian folk tunes performed in a Baroque style, we can see just how similar Acadian musical traditions are to what would later become French classical music. The real centerpiece of the concert lies in arrangements of Acadian folk songs by Caraquet-native composer Carl Phillipe Gionet.
The performance will also serve as a kickoff fundraising event for improvements to Fox Auditorium beyond what was earmarked in 2023 by University of Maine System workforce development and innovation funding in the omnibus spending bill secured by the leadership of Maine’s congressional delegation. The auditorium serves the UMFK campus and the community at large with performances, lectures and meetings.
“Whether hosting a town meeting or a drama production put on by the local high school, this facility is a cornerstone of the community,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen. “These fundraising efforts will ensure Fox Auditorium can continue to play a leading role in bringing our community together for generations to come.”
The tickets are available on four levels: Performance only: $25 per person and doors open at 1:30 p.m; Prelude: Enjoy to a wine and cheese social prior to the performance for $50 and doors open at 12:30 p.m.; Encore: Attend the performance and delight in a champagne and dessert social with the performers following the performance for $50; and a VIP experience: All in one level to include wine and cheese, performance, followed by the champagne and dessert social for $75. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.
Please join us for an afternoon of great entertainment. You may purchase tickets through the UMFK Development Office, located at the UMFK’s Enrollment and Advancement Center or online at https://www.umfk.edu/alumni/fox-auditorium-fund/
Corporate sponsorship is also available. For more information on purchasing tickets or sponsorship, please contact the UMFK Development office at 207-834-7800.
