Dan Blakeslee's "Draw Them In" poster exhibit includes nearly 100 rock posters drawn by Blakeslee over his 30-year career as an artist and musician. The poster art consists of images of mermaids, jack o'lanterns and offbeat characters with a whimsical, dreamlike approach. The media Blakeslee choses varies: scratchboard, pen and ink, silkscreen, spraypaint stencil and more leaning toward rustic timeless imagery.

The "Draw Them In" exhibit runs December 1, 2023-January 19, 2023. Contact PMAC for specific gallery hours.

CELEBRATE WITH DAN BLAKESLEE

Fri, Dec 1: As part of PMAC's West End Master Series, Dan Blakeslee celebrates both a book launch and a from-the-vault album release, as well as his music career spanning 30 years. Dan will be joined by his band The Calabash Club (Jim Rudolf, Mike Effenberger and Nick Phaneuf). Learn more about this special event here!

ABOUT DAN BLAKESLEE

With a suitcase of songs, Maine folk troubadour Dan Blakeslee ventured into the subways of Boston in 1995 to practice his craft. He has been making music and art throughout New England ever since, leading him to tour the U.S. performing with Langhorne Slim, The Low Anthem, David Wax Museum, Lydia Loveless, The Lumineers, Old 97′s, Brown Bird, Josh Ritter, Death Vessel and Kimya Dawson among others. In 2015 his dream of playing Newport Folk Festival became a reality, where Bob Dylan went electric 50 years earlier. Blakeslee’s band The Calabash Club formed in 2008 and released their third album together “Christmasland Jubilee” a rollicking, jubilant Christmas album on December 1, 2020. Blakeslee is unafraid to bare his very soul on stage, emptying a loaded cache of emotion and passion onto the stage for all to witness, explore and devour.

Learn more about Dan Blakeslee: https://danblakeslee.com/.

Join us for an evening of rock and blues music performed by PMAC adult students. This concert is the culminating event for Fall Semester weekly adult ensemble bands and features sets from Classic Rock Band; Roots, Rock, Blues and Beyond I; Alt Rock; and Roots, Rock, Blues and Beyond II.

The Roots, Rock, Blues and Beyond Bands are led by Jim Dozet and the Classic Rock and Alt Rock Band are led by Nick Phaneuf.

Event Details:

• Thursday, December 14 at 3S Artspace
• Doors 6:30PM / Show 7PM
• All Ages / Seated
• $5 General Admission -- Buy tickets through the 3S Artspace website here.

About Adult Ensembles

PMAC's Adult Ensemble program covers a variety of genres, instruments and is open to a variety of playing levels. For more information about PMAC’s adult ensemble opportunities and more, please visit pmaconline.org.

Celebrate the holidays with the Sandpipers Chorus and the New Horizons Band at their annual combined concert! The Sandpipers Chorus, under the direction of Nate Wotton, is for young vocalists ages 9 - 16. Students will be performing a program highlighting the semester’s diverse repertoire. The New Horizons Beginner Band and New Horizons Band are PMAC adult student ensembles led by Ginna Macdonald and Maria Isaak. This concert band program will feature holiday favorites! 

Event Details:

• Friday, December 15 at 6PM
• Portsmouth Middle School, 155 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth
• $5 suggested donation

ROCK OUT at the end-of-semester PMAC Teen Rock Show!

The Teen Rock Band program, led by Nick Phaneuf and Jim Dozet, is for students ages 12 - 18. Teen Rock students learn how to play in a band setting, explore new music and collaborate as a team. Alumni of the Teen Rock Band have gone on tot lead their own bands, write and record albums, and perform throughout the country!

Event Details:

• Saturday, December 16 @ 12:30pm
• The Press Room - 77 Daniel Street, Portsmouth, NH
• $5 per person

BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE (or at the door)

The Teen Rock Band program is sponsored by The Drum Center of Portsmouth. 

Join us for an evening of jazz favorites and new classics from the PMAC Jazz institute! This show will feature sets by three ensembles: Brewery Lane Big Band (an adult student ensemble led by Rob Gerry), The Jazz Pioneers (an adult student jazz combo led by Allie Edge), and the Saturday Teen Jazz Ensemble (a teen ensemble led by Eric Klaxton).

Event Details:

• Sunday, December 17 at 6PM
• The Press Room
• $5 per person

BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE (or at the door)

The Chamber Ensemble concert at PMAC will feature performances by our adult students from the New Horizons Orchestra (formerly the Chamber Strings Ensemble), Band of Hope, Saxophone Ensemble and Flute Choir. Enjoy listening to a mix of styles and genres—from classical arrangements to celtic tunes and more!

$5 suggested donation

The New Horizons Orchestra is directed by Sally Wituszynski, Band of Hope is directed by Jason Crigler, Saxophone Ensemble is directed by Eric Klaxton and the Flute Choir is directed by Kibbie Straw. 

Dan Blakeslee's "Draw Them In" poster exhibit includes nearly 100 rock posters drawn by Blakeslee over his 30-year career as an artist and musician. The poster art consists of images of mermaids, jack o'lanterns and offbeat characters with a whimsical, dreamlike approach. The media Blakeslee choses varies: scratchboard, pen and ink, silkscreen, spraypaint stencil and more leaning toward rustic timeless imagery.

The "Draw Them In" exhibit runs December 1, 2023-January 19, 2023. Contact PMAC for specific gallery hours.

CELEBRATE WITH DAN BLAKESLEE

Fri, Dec 1: As part of PMAC's West End Master Series, Dan Blakeslee celebrates both a book launch and a from-the-vault album release, as well as his music career spanning 30 years. Dan will be joined by his band The Calabash Club (Jim Rudolf, Mike Effenberger and Nick Phaneuf). Learn more about this special event here!

ABOUT DAN BLAKESLEE

With a suitcase of songs, Maine folk troubadour Dan Blakeslee ventured into the subways of Boston in 1995 to practice his craft. He has been making music and art throughout New England ever since, leading him to tour the U.S. performing with Langhorne Slim, The Low Anthem, David Wax Museum, Lydia Loveless, The Lumineers, Old 97′s, Brown Bird, Josh Ritter, Death Vessel and Kimya Dawson among others. In 2015 his dream of playing Newport Folk Festival became a reality, where Bob Dylan went electric 50 years earlier. Blakeslee’s band The Calabash Club formed in 2008 and released their third album together “Christmasland Jubilee” a rollicking, jubilant Christmas album on December 1, 2020. Blakeslee is unafraid to bare his very soul on stage, emptying a loaded cache of emotion and passion onto the stage for all to witness, explore and devour.

Learn more about Dan Blakeslee: https://danblakeslee.com/.

Join PMAC for a free Guitar Sundays concert with Peter Blanchette, a word-class guitarist who travels the globe playing classical music on his 11-string archguitar -- which he invented. Peter's extraordinary repertoire spans a vast range: from medieval, renaissance and baroque music to World Music, New Music, and his own original pieces. 

Learn more about Peter and his archguitar on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yug4jBlleOw.

About Peter Blanchette

Peter Blanchette, inventor of the archguitar, is a guitarist, composer, arranger and conductor. He has released 17 albums of performance on the archguitar on the Dorian label and his own imprint, Archguitar Music; his albums receive heavy radio airplay. He performs and records in solo recital and together with Mané Lareggla (of Madrid, Spain) as Archguitar Duo.

Blanchette is a veteran performer who has appeared on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” and at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is a recipient of the Massachusetts Council Artist Grant in Music Composition. As a composer his music has been featured in films and television for over 20 years. Credits: HBO's Sex and the City, Cannes Palme D'Or nominated film Illuminata, (directed by John Turturro), and commissions from the Dingle Film Festival and the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts for new scores to three of Buster Keaton's silent masterpieces .

About Guitar Sundays

Explore the versatility and range of the guitar—from jazz and classical to flamenco and even the 11-string archguitar! Guitar Sundays is a series of monthly free concerts that showcase a rich lineup of guitar talent from New Hampshire and the greater Boston area. The program is co-presented by Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) and Portsmouth Public Library, in association with the Boston Classical Guitar Society and curated by Mitch Shuldman.

This series is free and open to the public and audiences of all ages! No registration necessary. The location alternates between PMAC and the library, so please see event listings for details. See the 23/24 season here.

Growing Up Portsmouth is a one-of-a-kind art experience—a reflection of connection, collaboration and community. It’s thousands of people painting together to create a unique body of artwork. And it's a celebration of people who, over the past 50 years, have helped transform Portsmouth into a vibrant cultural destination.

The exhibit is a series of 20 community-created large-scale portraits of people who are part of Portsmouth’s story. Each portrait was painted by 100 people. The mosaic-like paintings showcase the unique artistic styles of each participant, and each part contributes to the greater whole, creating a singular art experience.

Growing Up Portsmouth is a powerful story and legacy – one that will outlast all of us, and capture this moment in history that we share. 

About the Growing Up Portsmouth Artistic Process

To create Growing Up Portsmouth, people of all abilities and backgrounds were invited to paint a small segment of a portrait. They sat in groups and made art, had conversations and enjoyed a unique experience of community, layered with the themes and stories of Portsmouth and the subject we are painting.  Each portrait is made of 100 original small artworks that are assembled into a single painting. Through these events, everyone contributed to celebrating Portsmouth and creating a permanent artwork for generations to come.

Click here to watch a short video about the artistic process.

Please consider supporting Growing Up Portsmouth on GoFundMe.

About Artist Eric Gold

Eric Gold is an Emmy Award nominated filmmaker (2022) and an artist whose work explores community and connection through the co-creation of art. Eric has led collaborative paintings with thousands of people across the US and Canada. He has done large commissions for organizations, municipalities as well as private collectors.

Eric's work addresses complex societal issues by painting the subject as a community in a highly accessible way. Painting together fosters dialogue and connection by creating a shared reflective space. A space where participants are able to express themselves individually while maintaining a place in the collective, all under a common theme of awareness. For examples of his work, visit ericgoldart.com.