Five days of music, with multiple performances each day, presented in our own Hammer Hall. Gather along one of the most scenic coastlines in the world for a truly outstanding summer music festival experience.

While you can hear remarkable performances of standard repertoire, you can also experience world premieres, one-of-a-kind creative happenings, free concerts on Camden Village Green, and a thoroughly welcoming, convivial atmosphere.

Schedule of Events:

August 13, 2025:

5:30 PM - 6:45 PM: Screen Door Festival Opening Concert - Hammer Hall

Our grand opening concert features many performers appearing throughout the week, including Balourdet Quartet, oboist James Austin Smith, violinist Blake Pouliot, Boyd Meets Girl, pianists Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, Rachel Breen, and piano duo Jessica Chow Shinn and Michael Shinn, baritone Jesse Blumberg, mezzo soprano Devony Smith, jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe, pianist Chris Pattishall, as well as our esteemed resident ensemble, Palaver Strings. This vibrant and multifaceted festival launch begins a journey of creative inspiration and enlightenment that continues throughout the week.

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

August 14, 2025:

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Mozart in the Morning: Part 2 - Hammer Hall

MOZART IN THE MORNING PART 2 - The Piano Concerti

Performers:

LLEWELLYN SANCHEZ-WERNER, host and piano
PALAVER STRINGS

Join us for the second morning of our five-part journey into the world of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, where insight and performance come together. Guided by Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, we turn our attention to the piano concertos, works that place Mozart at both the keyboard and the center of the Classical imagination. This session pairs two strikingly different concerti: C Major, K. 415, brimming with poise and vitality, and the darkly expressive D Minor, K. 466, an outlier in Mozart’s catalogue and a favorite of his contemporary Beethoven. Together, they reveal Mozart’s astonishing range within the Classical form, moving deftly between elegance and turbulence. The morning’s program also features Palaver Strings. Zoot coffee and muffins are available before the concert.

Program:

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 13 in C Major, K. 415
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish. Coffee and baked items generously provided by Zoot Coffee before the concert.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: The Westerlies on the Green - Camden Village Green

Join us on the Green with The Westerlies, a boundary-breaking brass quartet known for their richly blended sound and adventurous programming. Based in New York, The Westerlies are celebrated not only for their genre-defying performances – from spirituals to improvisation to original works – but also for their commitment to education and social impact initiatives across the country.Bring a picnic and enjoy a musical break with one of today’s most innovative chamber ensembles.

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Balourdet Quartet - Hammer Hall

Performers:

BALOURDET QUARTET

ANGELA BAE, violin
JUSTIN DEFILIPPIS, violin
BENJAMIN ZANNONI, viola
RUSSELL HOUSTON, cello

with guest artist LLEWELLYN SANCHEZ-WERNER, piano

A program unified by buoyant lyricism and emotional clarity. Haydn’s beloved quartet opens with a soaring violin line giving the work its nickname. Full of wit, elegance, and invention, the quartet reflects the Classical ideal at its finest, music as conversation, balance, and delight. Schumann’s masterful Piano Quintet, a bold and joyful work that helped define the form, was composed for his wife Clara. It glows throughout with tenderness and sweeping momentum. From the dramatic funeral march to the exuberant finale, the piece is a celebration of possibility.

Balourdet Quartet bring their “absolute musical perfection.” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer) to this gorgeous program. Acclaimed for their technical precision and emotional depth, they offer the fresh artistic perspectives that earned the ensemble the Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award. They are joined by virtuoso pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner.

Program:

HAYDN String Quartet in D Major, Op. 64, No. 5 The Lark
SCHUMANN Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44)

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Boyd Meets Girl - Hammer Hall

Performers:

BOYD MEET GIRL

RUPERT BOYD, guitar
LAURA METCALF, cello

Back at Screen Door Festival by popular demand, Australian guitarist Rupert Boyd, and American cellist Laura Metcalf perform a repertoire ranging from Bach to Beyoncé. Both acclaimed soloists, Rupert has been described as "truly evocative" by The Washington Post, and Laura has been called "brilliant" by Gramophone. In 2017, Boyd Meets Girl released its debut album Boyd Meets Girl, which reached #3 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums chart, and has received over 750,000 streams on Spotify. Their Screen Door performance features their signature mix of musical styles, genres, and moods. A highly engaging duo, Boyd Meets Girl promises an evening of pure musical delight. 

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

August 15, 2025:

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Mozart in the Morning: Part 3 - Hammer Hall

MOZART IN THE MORNING PART 3 - The Quartets

Performers:

BALOURDET QUARTET

ANGELA BAE, violin
JUSTIN DEFILIPPIS, violin
BENJAMIN ZANNONI, viola
RUSSELL HOUSTON, cello

with LLEWELLYN SANCHEZ-WERNER, host

Midway through our Mozart in the Morning series, we turn to one of the most intimate and illuminating forms in the Classical repertoire: the string quartet. Written in the final year of Mozart’s life, the F Major Quartet, K. 590, the last of the so-called “Prussian Quartets,” is a work of clarity and subtle mastery. Dedicated to King Friedrich Wilhelm II, who was also a cellist, the piece balances elegance with daring. In the hands of the dynamic Balourdet Quartet, this music speaks with both refinement and warmth. Through live performance and guided commentary, this session offers a glimpse into the ideals of the Enlightenment, where reason, balance, and expressive freedom coexist in harmony. Join us as we dive deeper into the sounds and stories that shaped Mozart’s music and explore the art of conversation in music.

Program:

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART String Quartet in F Major, K 590

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish. Coffee and baked items generously provided by Zoot Coffee before the concert.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: A Well-Being Concert - Hammer Hall

Performers:

JESSICA CHOW SHINN and MICHAEL SHINN, piano
JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe
MANUEL BAGORRO, host

This Well-Being Concert is created in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. Find musical mindfulness and self-care in a Well-Being Concert with the husband and wife piano duo, Michael and Jessica Shin who are joined by the deeply thoughtful and inventive soloist and chamber musician, oboist James Austin Smith. The concert is hosted by our Artistic Director, Manuel Bagorro. 

Audience members are encouraged to bring yoga mats, cushions etc. (we’ll have a few extras) – you are welcome to choose if you’d like to lie down, sit on the floor, take your shoes off, to fully immerse yourself in the music. Chairs will be provided as needed. Music performed in this well-being experience includes Thomas Cabaniss’ set of pieces for piano, four hands - Tiny Bits of Outrageous Love, as well as solo oboe pieces. Join us for this restorative and healing musical experience.

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: In This Short Life - Hammer Hall

Performers:

DEVONY SMITH, mezzo-soprano
DANNY ZELIBOR, piano 
MICHAEL NICHOLAS, cello

In This Short Life is diverse, soulful, and deeply personal celebration of American sound through art song. Drawing inspiration from folk, cinematic music, gospel, jazz, and musical theater, the program incorporates the poetry of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer, Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, and folk texts. Recognized for her "sensual voice, mezzo-soprano Devony Smith is a versatile performer with a wide-ranging repertoire in opera and concert music. Pianist Danny Zelibor, praised for his sensitive and colorful playing, is a sought-after collaborator and musical director. Cellist Michael Nicolas of the genre-defying Brooklyn Rider quartet, has a diverse career as chamber musician, soloist, and recording artist. In This Short Life, the debut album of Devony, Danny and Michael, is available on Lexicon Classics.  

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Vuyo Sotashe and Chris Pattishall - Hammer Hall

Performers:

VUYO SOTASHE, vocalist
CHRIS PATTISHALL, piano
with special guests, PALAVER STRINGS

In this acclaimed collaboration, South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist/composer Chris Pattishall come together for an intimate and soulful evening of music. Mainstays of the New York music scene, Vuyo and Chris have each contributed to a wide range of projects spanning jazz, gospel, theater and film. Acclaimed as a tenor who springs with ease from sonorous depths to the top of an impressive range, Vuyo has performed on prestigious jazz stages across the globe. Chris uses jazz tradition as a jumping off point for experimentation. His debut album Zodiac was praised by The New York Times. The music featured in this very special concert is a quiet invocation of community in turbulent times. Ranging from American masterworks to South African Xhosa hymns, Vuyo, Chris and Palaver Strings bring the healing power of music to Screen Door Festival.  

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

August 16, 2025:

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Mozart in the Morning: Part 4 - Hammer Hall

MOZART IN THE MORNING PART 4 – The Chamber Music

Performers:

BLAKE POULIOT, violin
JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe
BENJAMIN ZANNONI, viola
MICHAEL NICOLAS, cello

LLEWELLYN SANCHEZ WERNER, host and piano

This session continues the exploration of Mozart’s chamber music. The Oboe Quartet in F Major, written for virtuoso oboist Friedrich Ramm, is a witty dialogue between winds and strings. Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Mozart crafts a balance between piano and instrumental interplay. Performed by a stellar ensemble of artists and guided by pianist and host Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, this session invites us into the elegant architecture of Mozart’s inner world, where thought and feeling coexist. These are works that speak to the Enlightenment ideal: music as a space for empathy, equality, and shared expression.

Program:

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370/368b
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Trio in B-flat Major, K. 502

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish. Coffee and baked items generously provided by Zoot Coffee before the concert.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Contours - Hammer Hall

Performers:

BLAKE POULIOT, violin
MICHAEL NICOLAS, cello
JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe
RACHEL BREEN, piano                                                                                                              

This concert explores expressive contour in three distinct musical languages, from Handel’s eloquence to Bacewicz’s intensity to Mendelssohn’s fire. An arrangement of Handel’s Largo from the Trio Sonata in G Minor opens the program with elegance and understated beauty, an ideal of Baroque poise and lyrical line. Bacewicz’s trio follows, offering a taut, rhythmic dialogue for oboe, violin, and cello, at once playful and probing, and bold. The program concludes with the stormy lyricism of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in C Minor, a harmonically rich work that channels grief and defiance into a powerful creative statement.

Violinist Blake Pouliot is known for his charismatic stage presence and spellbinding playing. Cellist Michael Nicolas is a member of Brooklyn Rider quartet and a sought-after artist with a massive discography to his name. Oboist James Austin Smith is an advocate for contemporary and historical repertoire and “proves an oboist can have an adventurous career,” says The New Yorker Pianist Rachel Breen, equally at home with Bach and modernism, has been recognized for her showstopping performances.  Together, these artists traverse through centuries of chamber music with insight and imagination.

Program:

HANDEL Trio Sonata for 2 Violins and Continuo in G Minor, HWV 393 "Dresden" No. 2, III. Largo
GRAZYNA BACEWICZ Trio for Oboe, Violin and Cello 
MENDELSSOHN Piano Trio in C Minor

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Palaver Strings: Dancing Home - Hammer Hall

Performers:

PALAVER STRINGS                                                                                                             

The Portland-based, GRAMMY-nominated chamber orchestra Palaver Strings has distinguished itself with its spirit of curiosity and eagerness to collaborate across musical genres and traditions. Dancing Home explores themes of heritage, belonging, displacement, and resilience anchored by the rhythms of dance. At the core of the program is ?aww?sh by Kareem Roustom, a work that reimagines the traditional Middle Eastern dabke dance with a structure that allows any musician to lead. This choreography of trust speaks to the human need for connection and shared agency. From Sidney Boquiren’s poignant A Prayer for Immigrants to Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s Apologia at Umzimvuba, a piece rooted in reflection and justice, the music tells stories of the lives behind each rhythm. The program includes new commissioned works by composers Maya French and Jamie Oshima, alongside folk music from Syria and the Balkans. Dancing Home invites us to move, listen, and expand our definition of home.

Program:

SIDNEY BOQUIREN A Prayer for Immigrants 

MAYA FRENCH)/JAMIE OSHIMA moth (commissioned by Palaver Strings) 

PÉTALO SELSER Deriva 

BONGANI NDODANA-BREEN Apologia at Umzimvuba (new arrangement commissioned by Palaver Strings) 

TRAD. arr. LYSANDER JAFFE Three Balkan Folk Songs (commissioned by Palaver Strings) 

KAREEM ROUSTOM Syrian Folk Songs

KAREEM ROUSTOM ?aww?sh (commissioned by Palaver Strings)

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: The Westerlies - Hammer Hall

Performers:

THE WESTERLIES

RILEY MULHERKAR, trumpet
CHLOE ROWLANDS, trumpet
ANDY CLAUSEN, trombone
ADDISON MAYE-SAXON, trombone                                                                                                                  

“An arty quartet… mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” The New York Times

The Westerlies’ bold sound has always defied category and expectation. With warmth, precision, and a sense of adventure, the New York based brass quartet performs original works and inventive arrangements that span genres and traditions. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, The Westerlies navigate a vast creative landscape with the precision of a string quartet and the audacity of a rock band.. Their music evokes a space where playfulness and earnestness live side by side. Since their founding in 2011, the ensemble has released ten critically acclaimed albums and collaborated with artists across a wide musical spectrum, including Fleet Foxes, Big Red Machine, Common, and Conrad Tao. Don’t miss this genre-defying performance as The Westerlies bring our Café Nights series to a close with an improvisational blend of old and new. In a season that celebrates the power of music to awaken and enlighten, this performance strikes a resounding note.

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

August 17, 2025:

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Mozart in the Morning: Part 5 - Hammer Hall

MOZART IN THE MORNING PART 5 - Returning to the Keyboard

Performers:

LLEWELLYN SANCHEZ-WERNER, host and piano
RACHEL BREEN, piano

Our final morning brings the series to a joyful close, celebrating Mozart’s lifelong connection to the keyboard, the instrument with which he first astonished Europe and the one he always returned to. Works performed by our series host Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner and pianist Rachel Breen bring us into a world where wit and wisdom are always in conversation. We also look ahead to composers who followed in Mozart’s wake, those who inherited and reimagined his legacy at the keyboard. With performance, commentary, and reflection, this final gathering is a celebration of Mozart’s enduring lure, his ability to move mountains centuries after his fingers first touched a keyboard.

Program:

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Sonata for Piano Four-Hands in B-Flat Major, K 358
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448
Other keyboard works by Mozart and his inheritors

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish. Coffee and baked items generously provided by Zoot Coffee before the concert.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Blake Pouliot, violin and Henry Kramer, piano - Hammer Hall

Performers:

BLAKE POULIOT, violin 
HENRY KRAMER, piano

Fresh from their acclaimed Distinguished Debut recital at Carnegie Hall, Blake Pouliot and Henry Kramer bring a bold and emotionally charged program to Hammer Hall. The concert opens with Bao Zhi Yang’s Ambush on All Sides, a tour-de-force reinvention of an ancient Chinese narrative about strategy, betrayal, and the poetry of battle. Derrick Skye’s the spark she left behind, dedicated to his late grandmother, has its roots in traditional Persian music. The program culminates in Prokofiev’s monumental Violin Sonata No. 1. Composed in the aftermath of war and written under the intense scrutiny of Stalinist Russia, the sonata moves between stillness and force. Its final movement (in which the violin is instructed to sound “like the wind in a graveyard”) bristles with a sense of foreboding. Blake and Henry offer a musical journey that is both fearless and poetic.

Program:

BAO ZHI YANG Ambush on All Sides
DERRICK SKYE the spark she left behind
SERGEI PROKOFIEV – Violin Sonata No. 1 

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

5:30 PM - 6:45 PM: Screen Door Festival Season Finale - Hammer Hall

The culmination of a week of music-making, dialogue, and a shared journey toward enlightenment, our Season Finale brings together many of the extraordinary artists who have shaped Screen Door Festival 2025. At the heart of the program is the U.S. Premiere of Songs for Judith, a deeply moving work by Canadian composer Matthew Ricketts (see interview below,) setting nine poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay to music. The cycle will be performed by baritone Jesse Blumberg with Balourdet Quartet and the pianist Danny Zalibor. Also featured in this celebratory evening are mezzo-soprano Devony Smith, Palaver Strings, The Westerlies, Vuyo Sotashe, pianist-composer Chris Pattishall, and piano duo Michael Shinn and Jessica Chow Shinn. This final gathering is not only a closing, it is a convergence: of artistic voices, dynamic collaborations, and the open-hearted listening that has defined our time together this summer.

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

Dates: August 13 - 17, 2025

Location:

Hammer Hall, 5 Mountain Street, Camden, ME, 04843.
Camden Village Green, Elm Street, Camden, ME, 04843.

Click Here for More Information