DAMARISCOTTA, Maine — The Salt Bay Chamberfest is celebrating its 30th year this summer in Damariscotta.
It’s been a while since founder and artistic director Wilhelmina Smith had the original idea for the festival, but the memory of its inspiration remains vivid.
"It was a combination of elements," Smith recalled. "A lot of us had just come out of conservatory, and I wanted to provide a place for us to play music and just feel the joy of creating chamber music and inviting in an audience—really casual. We try to keep that feeling, even 30 years later."
The musicians who perform are at the heart of the festival, and many of them have traveled here from far away.
"We have had musicians from Syria, from Africa," Smith noted.
Performers who have played at Carnegie Hall are often enthusiastic about coming to Maine in summer, which gives audiences here a special opportunity to see and hear world-class talent.
The theme of this year’s Chamberfest is “Music in Blue,” a nod toward jazz and blues and the intermingling of those genres with classical chamber music. Smith hopes people with a wide range of musical tastes will give it a try, as they’ve been doing for three decades.
"It’s just been a great honor," she said. "To have people come for the first time and expect a concert but walk away having had an experience."
Four festival concerts will be held at Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta on Aug. 6, 9, 13, 16, at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, click here.