INSPIRATION WEEK

a week of inspiring concerts, lectures, and workshops

Presented By

Inspiration Week 2024 is May 28-31.

 Students Registration for Workshops
Students must register for workshops in advance via our online form. If you have trouble accessing the form, please email info@pmaconline.org for assistance. There are no costs to students to attend – this is a bonus offering of our Spring Semester curriculum. If students want to register for a concert, please follow the Concert Registration button below to book tickets.

Concert Registration – Now Open to Students and the General Public
You should also use this link to sign up for the Composition Workshop with Greg Brown on May 30.

friday, may 31

4:30pm
Prepared Family Singalong!

6:00pm*
Irish Traditional Music featuring Madelyn Morrell

7:30pm*
Friday Night Folk Show!

* indicates the concert will be opened for public registration after the student enrollment period.

workshop and concert descriptions

Workshops presented by PMAC Teaching Artists and Guest Artists

Musical Games for Pianists presented by Kathy Fink

Tuesday, May 28 from 4:30PM-5:30PM in Haas Hall

Ages 9-13 years old

Calling all piano students! Have fun with teaching artist Kathy Fink, while playing a variety of games, including Musical Hangman, Percussion Scavenger Hunt, Salsa Dance, Name that Disney Tune and more.

Sketchbooking is for Everyone! presented by Aris Moore

Tuesday, May 28 from 4:30PM-5:30PM in Living Innovations Art Classroom

For 12 yrs – Adults 

In this workshop you will start your own sketchbook and explore many different, easy and fun ways to bring creativity into your daily life.  Sketchbooks, materials and inspiration are provided. Come ready for a fun and relaxing time! No experience necessary! 

Listening Workshop presented by Jason Crigler

Tuesday, May 28 from 4:30PM-5:30PM in Digital Classroom

For Adults

There can be many different ways to play a given song. Some would say that one way to measure the strength of a song is in its ability to withstand multiple interpretations. In this workshop we will listen to multiple versions of the same songs and talk about what makes them different. How do different artists interpret the same piece of music? What are the different choices that were made in the various interpretations? Do some choices work better than others? What aspects of the interpretations remain the same? Through this examination we will endeavor to understand what elements make a song more or less open to interpretation.

I’ve Always Wanted to Sing! presented by Nate Wotton

Wednesday, May 29 from 4:30PM-5:30PM in Haas Hall

Ages 12 years – Adults

 Have you always wanted to sing? Whether you desire to sing a solo or as part of a choir, this workshop will teach you where to begin! Learn the basics of vocal technique, the different registers of the voice, vocal health, and the vocal process. Teaching artist Nate Wotton will guide you through warm-ups, partner songs, and tips to help anyone start their journey in singing.

What Do These Knobs and Switches Do? presented by Nick Phaneuf and Jim Dozet

Wednesday, May 29 from 4:30PM-5:30PM in Digital Classroom

Ages 11 years old – Adult

Amps, pedals, and pickups, oh my! Learn to take control of your amplified sound. After the music leaves your fingers it can be massaged or bludgeoned by a number of devices to change the experience of your audience. This workshop will cover basic concepts and have plenty of time for Q&A about your gear and your questions.

Composition Workshop with PMAC Guest Composer Greg Brown

Thursday May 30 from 4:30PM-5:30PM in Haas Hall

Ages 12 years – Adult

Composer Greg Brown will speak about the music that will be featured on the 6:00pm program later that same evening. Learn about the compositional process and what it means to be a composer of the music of our time. Examples and program notes will be provided, to help prepare the audience for the concert experience. The workshop will end with plenty of time for questions for the composer.

Reserve free tickets to Composition Workshop with Greg Brown

Prepared Piano Workshop presented by Mike Effenberger

Friday May 31 from 4:30PM-5:30PM 

Ages 10 years – Adults 

A prepared piano is a piano that has been physically modified to achieve different sounds, usually by applying varied objects of different materials to specific parts of the instrument but sometimes by more extreme methods such as setting it on fire (https://youtu.be/YpKT_eeCVNI?t=262).  We’re not going to do that and we don’t suggest that you do, but we will extract some otherworldly soundscapes out of a very familiar instrument.  Using glass, metal, paper, wood, rubber, fibers, and imagination, we will enter a new understanding of the sonic possibilities of the piano.

This workshop is a mix of listening to music, talking about it, and also preparing and playing pianos together.  It will be hands-on, so bring your ideas (and maybe even an object or two that you could imagine using to prepare a piano).

Sing-a-long with Taylor Blankenship and Bryan Killough!

Friday May 31 from 4:30PM-5:30PM

Ages 4-9 years old with their families!

We’re thrilled to offer this family workshop! PMAC students may bring their parents and siblings of all ages for this singalong with teaching artists Taylor (violin) and Bryan (guitar). They have some surprises planned for this special workshop, so be sure not to miss this!

Concerts featuring PMAC Teaching Artists

Note: Youth students under age 14 must attend concerts with a parent or guardian.

Crown Jules featuring Mike Walsh, Nick Phaneuf, Eric Klaxton, Jim Dozet and guest Julia Eatmon

Tuesday, May 28 from 6:00PM-7:00PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

Crown Jules is a band featuring vocalist Julia Eatmon and PMAC teaching artists Jim Dozet (guitar) Nick Phaneuf (bass) Eric Klaxton (sax and piano) and Mike Walsh (drums), that performs classic soul music from the Motown and Stax era of the 1960’s and 70s mixed with music by some of our favorite contemporary R&B artists.  

Reserve free tickets to Crown Jules.

Faculty Showcase featuring Kathy Fink, Nate Wotton, Crystal Taber, Lynne McMahon, Maria Muhl, Russ Grazier, Michelle Shoemaker and Maria Isaak

Tuesday, May 28 from 7:30PM-8:30PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

 Join us for an exciting concert featuring a variety of PMAC teaching artists! Maria Muhl, Crystal Taber and Nate Wotton of our vocal faculty, alongside pianist Kathy Fink,will present tunes from Broadway to works of the Classical and Romantic era. Wind music featuring saxophonist Russ Grazier, bassoonist Maria Isaak and clarinetist Michelle Shoemaker, along with violin and piano music presented by violinist Lynne McMahon will round out this concert.

Reserve free tickets to Faculty Showcase

Piano Improvisations featuring Jeff Auger

Wednesday, May 29 from 6:00PM-7:00PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

Teaching artist Jeff Auger presents a solo recital of piano improvisational music. Spend the evening immersed in the variety of textures and colors of the piano, in the intimate setting of our Haas Family Gallery and Recital Hall.

Reserve free tickets to Piano Improvisations

Art of the Organ Trio featuring Jim Dozet, Mike Effenberger and Jonny Peiffer

Wednesday, May 29 from 8:00PM-9:00PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

 Featuring Jim Dozet on guitar, Mike Effenberger on B3 organ and Jonny Peiffer on drums, this trio will be presenting songs from the great American songbook and beyond spanning various genres such as jazz, blues and funk in order to explore the full potential of this unique and exciting instrumentation. They will be showcasing compositions by artists such as Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Larry Goldings, John Scofield, Soulive and more. Please note the 8pm start time.

Reserve free tickets to Art of the Organ Trio

Tide Pools: The Music of Greg Brown with guest vocalist Mary Hubbell, guest pianist Christina Wright-Ivanova, pianist Mike Effenberger and cellist Eli Kaynor

Thursday, May 30 from 6:00PM-7:00PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

 An hour of new and recent music by Exeter native Gregory W. Brown focusing on American landscapes. The program includes a set of new miniatures for piano, a cello sonata written for and performed by PMAC teaching artists Eli Kaynor and Mike Effenberger; and art-song with texts by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Reserve free tickets to Tide Pools: The Music of Greg Brown

Mike Effenberger and Chris Klaxton Duo

Thursday, May 30 from 7:30PM-8:30PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

Area men Chris Klaxton, trumpet and Mike Effenberger, piano, join forces to plumb the depths* of the great American songbook of jazz standards, the lesser American songbook, spirituals, new standards, and the good and bad news of this post-tonal musical world.  The duo aims to provide audiences with a proper blend of “Saturday Night” and “Sunday Morning”, bridging the gap from The Club to The Transcendent, thereby extending an invitation to share sacred moments, whether through traditional jazz standards, the music of today, Spirituals and folk music, or the avant garde.  

*To “plumb the depths” comes from the concept of lowering a lead weight into the ocean on a long rope to establish the water’s distance downward. To do so one would be required to drop the weight to the very bottom, extending the line entirely until the answer is found. May it be so.

Reserve free tickets to Mike Effenberger and Chris Klaxton Duo

Irish Traditional Music featuring Madelyn Morrell and guest Tim Hill

Friday, May 31 from 6:00PM-7:00PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

 Hailing from the wilds of Maine, musicians Tim Hill (uilleann pipes, flute) and Madelyn Morrell (fiddle, tenor banjo) will share Irish traditional dance music on the iconic pairing of uilleann pipes and fiddle.  Beginning in rural Ireland, this music has become a global art form valuing both the honoring of past masters and the continuation of musical innovation. What are uilleann pipes? Why are Americans playing Irish music? Come with your questions!

Reserve free tickets to Irish Traditional Music

Friday Night Folk Show! featuring Jim Dozet, Nick Phaneuf, Steve Roy, and guest Jon Ross

Friday, May 31 from 7:30PM-8:30PM in Haas Hall

All ages concert

 Join us for a concert featuring ‘Tourist Attraction’ with a very special guest and PMAC teaching artist Steve Roy on fiddle.  Tourist Attraction is an acoustic trio comprised of Jim Dozet on acoustic guitar/vocals, Nick Phaneuf on upright bass/vocals and Jon Ross on mandolin/dobro/acoustic guitar/vocals. This folk Americana outfit performs a variety of classic songs from many traditions such as bluegrass, country, folk and acoustic blues. While performing mostly their renditions of classic repertoire, they also sprinkle in a number of original compositions. Top notch musicianship, rich three part harmonies and witty stage banter combine to create a compelling show that you won’t want to miss.

Reserve free tickets to Friday Night Folk Show!

how it works

All Spring Semester PMAC students can attend a concert or workshop of their choice; advance registration is required. All Inspiration Week events are a bonus offering to your Spring Semester here at PMAC and have no additional cost to attend or participate, thanks to Service Credit Union.