Inanna, Sisters in Rhythm

Oct 25 at 7 pm

Inanna, Sisters in Rhythm, have been playing together since 1989, and chose their name after the ancient Sumerian goddess Inanna, who was worshiped more than 4,000 years ago when it is believed that the drummers were predominantly women. Her myth is a story of descent and reemergence, a powerful story for our current times. In some versions of the myth, Inanna is called back to the upper world through the sound of the drum.

The band has traveled throughout the world to study with master drummers, in particular, Famoudou Konaté, Yaya Diallo, Layne Redmond, Glen Velez, and Babatunde Olatunji. 

Inanna has recorded seven full-length albums, performs in the US and abroad, teaches classes and workshops, and is frequently invited into the school systems. The members of Inanna seek not only to provide musical performance and education, but also to cultivate vibrant community. 

Organist Kevin Birch returns to Waldoboro’s Broad Bay Congregational Church, for a concert on the church’s historic 1875 E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings Organ, accompanied by violinist Anatole Wieck and cellist Sarah Hoskins, on Friday, September 6, 2024  at 7:00 PM on 941 Main Street, Waldoboro.  

The program will feature Joseph Rheinberger’s Suite for Organ, Violin and Cello (1887) and works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924).  

Kevin Birch says, “Rheinberger’s Suite for Organ, Violin and Cello (Opus 149) is a major chamber work with a rarely-explored combination of instruments. We are very excited to be performing it at Broad Bay Congregational Church!” 

Kevin Birch has performed solo recitals in the US, Canada, Europe and South America.  He.studied at the New England Conservatory and the University of Iowa, earning a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts.  He is Director of Music at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bangor and is the Executive Director of St. John’s Organ Society - a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of E. & G. G. Hook’s Opus 288, built for St. John’s Church in 1860.  He is especially devoted to the many historic fine organs in Maine.

Born in Latvia, Anatole Wieck, studied violin and viola at the Juilliard School of Music in NYC where he earned his bachelor, master and doctorate degrees.  Since 1986, Dr. Wieck has performed in Europe, and North and South America as well as teaching at the University of Maine.

Sarah Hoskins plays cello in the Bangor Symphony; collaborates with musicians, dancers and spoken word artists; and teaches music to K-8 students. She earned Cello Performance degrees at Wheaton College and DePaul University and was a prize winner in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.  

Saturday, August 17, 4pm

REALIZED:

ANIMATING A YOUNG PEOPLE'S TOMORROW

In loving memory of Deborah McKean

Saturday, August 3, 7pm

Join Halcyon and pianist Margarita Rovenskaya for an evening of beautiful music, film, and story. Realized combines Halcyon's stop-motion animations with live string quartet music to imagine our collective future. With animated films and stories inspired by workshops with students from Medomak Valley High School, Realized amplifies the artwork and voices of young people as they reflect on the present and imagine what a resilient, sustainable, and equitable future on this planet could look like 50 years from now. The program will feature Dohnanyi's beloved first Piano Quintet alongside folk tunes and music by Caroline Shaw and Philip Glass. Realized is a creative, honest, and hopeful multimedia program exploring the potential we all have to enact meaningful change in our communities.

ABOUT HALCYON

Halcyon is a Maine-based artist collective and string quartet that designs and presents multimedia performances that combine live music with science, film, art, and spoken word. These performances celebrate Maine's ecosystems and reflect on the challenges and opportunities we face in a climate-changed world. They draw attention to the daily rewards, difficult choices, and transforming reality facing our communities – acknowledging the need for creative and diverse
communication that harnesses the power of cultural traditions, storytelling, music, and visual art to translate numbers and facts into something tangible and human. Halcyon partners with scientists, musicians, artists, and composers to present 4-5 multishow performance projects throughout Maine each year. Their films have been screened at the Maine International Film Festival and Reel Teal Film Festival. For more information about Halcyon and to learn about upcoming performances, visit: halcyonstringquartet.org.

Community Lunch at Broad Bay, 1-3 pm

Lunch, lawn games, and more!

Glimpsing God through the lens of Queer Faith Stories

On Sunday, June 16 at 10 a.m. the Broad Bay Congregational United Church of Christ, Waldoboro, will center the worship service on the realities of a few queer faith journeys.  

Each person views the divine through one’s religious traditions and lived experiences.  LGBTQ people have lived and shared personal stories of faith for generations but have often been excluded from the sharing of these experiences of God within faith communities.  Furthermore, some have faced condemnation from the church.

"Queer Faith Stories," a photojournalism exhibit in which queer people name and own their own faith, will be on display in the church sanctuary. In the face of religious homophobia and transphobia, these individuals claim the promise that they too are blessed. The exhibit features 10 different LGBTQIA+ people from around the state of Maine, gorgeously photographed and framed, paired with personal reflections.

The photographs are shot by Keenan Boscoe, who owns the Topo Gallery & Goods in Camden, and framed by Jonathan Frost, who owns the Jonathan Frost Gallery & Frame Shop in Rockland. The reflections are edited by award-winning author and minister Rev. Benjamin Perry.

Participants in the service will include Bob Garcia, Sarah Reynolds, Elm Davis, Rachel Genthner and singer songwriter Laetitia Brundage, with each sharing a glimpse of their own faith stories.

Research continues to reveal new insights about gender identity and sexual orientation. The midcoast community is responding to the needs of LGBTQ people with a combination of curiosity and compassion as well as fear and condemnation. During the service, Broad Bay will celebrate the faithful and diverse journeys of queer people of faith and the grace of God reflected in their stories.  

Friday June 14, 5pm to 7pm.
This is our community kickoff event for Waldoboro Day and kickoff event for Broad Bay’s 40th Celebration. 

Maine’s premier Celtic folk duo Castlebay will perform a concert of traditional Irish Music at Broad Bay Congregational Church on St. Patrick’s Day. Julie Lane and Fred Gosbee will sing ballads and blarney gleaned from Maine’s rich Irish tradition, with a 12-string guitar, Celtic harp, fiddle, and tin whistle.

For decades, the two musicians have been exploring the archives of music collected in Maine, gathering hundreds of traditional songs, many of which came from the Irish who immigrated and made their homes here.

In between songs, Castlebay will share the lore and history of Maine’s musical legacy of ballads of romance and rogues, shipwreck and survival, and humor and blarney.

Many of the songs, transcribed and “mended” by Castlebay, are in their first book, “Songs of Ships and Sailors,” 2021, Loomis House Press, and part of their series, “Bygone Ballads of Maine.” Castlebay has toured the eastern U.S., Scotland, England, and Ireland and released over two dozen recordings. For more information, see: www.castlebay.net

This concert is one of three free St. Patrick’s Day events in the village which are:

• The film “Riverdance 25” at the Waldo, at 2PM

• Live local music at Odd Alewives Farm Brewery, from 3-5 PM

• Castlebay at Broad Bay Congregational Church, at 4:15, where donations are gratefully accepted.

Sunday, November 26 at 4 pm: Christmas Concert with Joe Cough

Saturday, Nov. 4 at 4 pm: Matt Mainster, piano and April Reed-Cox, cello

An Evening of Music for Violin & Organ

E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings Organ - 1875

Broad Bay Congregational Church

Waldoboro, Maine

Kevin Birch began organ studies with Yuko Hayashi on the C. B. Fisk organ at Old West Church in 1979 and earned the Bachelor of Music Degree at New England Conservatory (with Distinction in Performance) in 1987.  He continued studies with Klaas Bolt at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and later with Delores Bruch at the University of Iowa where he earned the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees.

Since 1992 he has served as Director of Music at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bangor, Maine where he also serves as Executive Director of St. John’s Organ Society - a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of E. & G. G. Hook’s Opus 288, built for St. John’s Church in 1860. 

He has performed solo recitals in the US, Canada, Europe, and in South America, and for several national conventions of the Organ Historical Society.  He is especially devoted to the many fine historic organs in Maine on which he enjoys frequent opportunities to study and perform.

Broad Bay Congregational Church in Waldoboro opens its fall season of concerts on Saturday, Sept. 23, with vocalist and guitarist Erasmus More, otherwise known as Joe Cough, performing Renaissance-inspired music at 7:00 PM, with a program that includes Spanish ballads, English sea shanties, French drinking songs, and music written for monarchs.

Erasmus More (Joe Cough) is a Maine-based vocalist, composer, and educator who revels in crossing many types of musical genres. He has a master’s degree in vocal performance and has taught voice, guitar, piano and music composition at Mid-Coast Music Academy.

Erasmus will ‘live loop,’ playing his beat-box and flute to lay down the rhythmic and melodic tracks first, then building the song and sound with guitar and voice to make a mélange of new and old sounds. Every performance is unique.

For a couple of songs, violinist Hawthorne Smith will accompany him on violin and the Norwegian hardanger fiddle, including a song Erasmus wrote in Norsk.

The concert is free so that all may be welcome. Donations are accepted to compensate the musicians and support the ongoing ministry of the church.

August 20th, 3pm - 5pm, in the Fellowship Hall


Come and enjoy all things blueberry at this summer fundraiser!
Blueberry pies, muffins, ice cream, desserts, and other tasty treats.
Open to the whole community.

Afterwards, check out the double feature at The Waldo Theatre, starting at 5pm https://www.thewaldotheatre.org/calendar

Halycon's July 30 concert in memory of Deborah McKean is focused on our collective ability to imagine, reimagine, and ultimately build the future we want to live in. In addition to playing music, Halcyon is going to interweave audio of community voices responding to a prompt. 

Imagination lies at the heart of social change. What parts of today's world do you want to carry with you into the future? What do you want to leave behind as we look towards a more sustainable future on this planet? When you think about the future, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Waldoboro Pride Day, Sunday June 25th

4:00 pm: Free Community Meal at the Broad Bay Church

6:00 pm: Free Film "Paris is Burning" at The Waldo Theatre

Broad Bay is hosting a Baked Bean Supper on Friday, June 16, as one of the kickoff events for the 250th Anniversary Celebration of Waldoboro.

We will serve ham and hot dogs, baked beans, cole slaw, pickles, rolls/brown bread/cornbread, as well as beverages and dessert 

The supper hours are 5 to 7 p.m. Come for good food and to spread some Broad Bay hospitality during the celebratory weekend. Admission is by donation.

On Sunday, August 7 at 7 PM, Halcyon String Quartet will present their annual chamber music concert at Broad Bay Church in Waldoboro.

Violinists Josie and Sophie Davis, violist Colin Wheatley and cellist Nora Willauer will be joined by pianist Margarita Rovenskaya. The program will feature Schumann’s beloved Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Danzón No. 5 by Arturo Márquez and more.

Halcyon is a Maine-based string quartet that strives to share their love of music in ways that foster connection, community, vibrancy, joy, warmth and accessibility. Admission is by donation at the door and guests are encouraged to wear masks.

For more information, visit halcyonstringquartet.org.

Saturday, June 18 from 9am to 1pm

Chairs, artwork, an almost-new massage table and a vintage 12-channel sound board are among the dozens of items that will be featured at Broad Bay Church's June 18 used furniture sale. Starting at 9 a.m. and continuing to 1 p.m., the sale will be held on the lawn of the church at 941 Main St. or, if rainy, in the downstairs fellowship hall.

Among other items for sale: a dark wood dresser; beautiful, large stained glass Christmas tree panel; an on-the-go Lentek refrigerator for road trips and a classic rocking chair. Electronics include two Yamaha speakers with 15-inch sub woofers and a Harmon Kardon stereo receiver.

There are several children's-size items -- a wooden table with two matching chairs; two small school desk chairs and a wood-finish baby changing table.

Celebrate 147 years of organ music in Waldoboro. Dr. Kevin Birch and Dr. Dana Robinson will present a program of music. to celebrate Waldoboro’s historic Hook and Hastings Organ.

E. & G. G. Hook & Hasting Pipe Organ Opus 793 was built in Boston for Waldoboro’s Congregational Church during a period when this town was one of Maine’s leading builders of cargo schooners.  Unfortunately, relatively few of the many Hook & Hastings organs that once graced sanctuaries, auditoriums and other halls across Maine have survived.

Dr. Kevin Birch has performed throughout the United States, Europe and in South America. Heb earned the Bachelor of Music Degree at New England Conservatory (with Distinction in Performance) in 1987.  He continued studies with Klaas Bolt at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and later with Delores Bruch at the University of Iowa where he earned the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees.

Since 1992 Birch has served as Director of Music at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bangor, Maine He is a member of the music faculty at the University of Maine’s School of the Performing Arts in Orono.

Dr. Dana Robinson of the University of Illinois has earned his B.M. (with Distinction in Performance) and M.M., New England Conservatory of Music; D.M.A. (organ performance), University of Iowa. Additional study at the University of Salamanca (Spain), the Municipal Conservatory in San Sebastian (Spain), Boston University, and Westminster Choir College. 

Because of this organ’s long history in Waldoboro, the quality of music it can produce and the amazing 19th century craftsmanship Opus 793 represents, the Broad Bay Church is thrilled to announce that a major gift will fund the final phase of restoration and renovations to the organ in the near future.

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Chet and Elise Merrifield and is offered as a gift to our community.  Donations will be accepted to help maintain the historic church that shelters the organ.

For the safety of our community, please wear a mask to the concert. FMI:  broadbayucc@gmail.com or 207 832-6898. 

The Call: Annual Meeting February 3, 2019

From Alethe Donaldson, Church Clerk and Co-Moderators Raymond Anderson and Blake Donaldson.

To the Congregation of the Broad Bay Congregational, United Church of Christ, of Waldoboro, Maine

Pursuant to the By-Laws of the Broad Bay Congregational, United Church of Christ, today, January 20, 2019, we give the first of two notices, that our 35th Annual Meeting as a recognized church in the Midcoast Association will be held following the worship service in the sanctuary on February 3, 2019 followed by a soup and bread lunch downstairs.  If the weather be such that we cannot realize a quorum, the meeting will be held on February 10, 2019 following the worship service.

The Annual Meeting is to review and act on the Annual Report, elect officers, board members, and delegates; vote on the budget for 2019;  to accept the recommendation of the Broad Bay Building Committee and the Council to secure a construction loan of not more than $500,000 to accomplish Phase 1plan of the church renovations;  and to act on any other business that comes before said meeting.