Young Organist Collaborative accepting applications for organ scholarships
PORTSMOUTH — The Young Organists Collaborative is seeking applicants for its scholarship program for the 2025-2026 school year. The Young Organist Collaborative encourages and supports young people ages 11-18 in learning to play the pipe organ by awarding scholarships for organ lessons with a qualified local organist in the tri-state area of northern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine. The deadline to apply is May 1.
Scholarships for first year participants cover the full cost of 16 lessons with an organ faculty member in the student’s area. In addition to regular lessons, YOC scholarship recipients are offered opportunities for further exposure to the pipe organ through field trips, masterclasses, or other enrichment opportunities.
Eligible students will be at least 11 years old by September of their audition year, must have a minimum of two years’ piano lessons, read music, and be able to play equally well with both hands. Scholarship recipients should be prepared to commit to practicing at least two to three hours each week.
The YOC presents a faculty recital in the fall and a student recital each spring. The 2025 student recital will take place on Saturday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at Christ Church, 43 Pine St., Exeter. The concert is open to the public. There is a suggested at-the-door donation of $10 per person.
Auditions will be held prior to the performance on Saturday, May 17 at the same location. Additional details about the scholarship and the online application can be found at www.youngorganistcollaborative.org.
‘Unstoppable Human Spirit’ exhibit celebrates Haley Art Gallery’s 20th Season Opening
KITTERY, Maine – Haley Art Gallery kicks off its 20th Season with the “Unstoppable Human Spirit” group exhibit with an opening reception on Saturday, April 12, from 3-6 p.m. The group exhibit features work by seven artists: Paul Burke, Margareta Claesson, Barbara D’Antonio, Susan Fried, Dustan Knight, Lisa Lane, and Carlos Vega. The exhibit will remain on view through August. There will be an Artists Talk at the gallery on Saturday, May 17, and Saturday, June 14, from 1-3 p.m.
Haley Art Gallery celebrates its 20th season of offering seacoast art patrons unique original artworks, eclectic one-of-a-kind global handmade art gifts, and unique events that inform, educate, and bring a community of creative thinkers and art lovers together. For more information, visit haleyartgallery.com.
PMAC brings the spirit of New Orleans to downtown Portsmouth
PORTSMOUTH — On Friday, April 11 at 12 p.m., downtown Portsmouth will come alive with the sound of New Orleans jazz as students and professional musicians take to the streets in a second line parade celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month.
Presented by Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, the parade is the centerpiece of a week-long residency with members of the Grammy Award-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, now in its second year partnering with PMAC and local schools. The collaboration offers transformative opportunities for Seacoast student musicians, who get direct coaching on the New Orleans music tradition–including improvisation, song forms, groove, and group dynamics–from world-class musicians.
The April 11 parade kicks off at 12 p.m., at Portsmouth’s African Burying Ground Memorial (386 State St), then will march down Chestnut Street to Vaughan Mall at Congress Street, passing the front of The Music Hall Historic Theatre along the route. The visiting NOJO artists are joined by student musicians from Portsmouth Middle School’s band, Portsmouth High School’s Clipper Band, and PMAC’s Teen Jazz Band. The event pays tribute to the vibrant second line tradition of New Orleans, where brass bands lead joyous processions and the community is invited to dance and follow along.
Attendees at this free event are encouraged to join the celebration by traveling along the parade route.
This is a weather-dependent event. Any weather updates will be shared on PMAC’s social media.
Later that evening, the high-energy NOJO 7 septet will headline Spring Fever for the Arts, PMAC’s annual fundraising gala celebrating the power of arts education in the Seacoast. Spring Fever tickets are available at pmaconline.org/spring-fever-for-the-arts.
BHTNH Juneteenth program ‘Erased Bloodlines’ reclaims lost histories and challenges national narratives
PORTSMOUTH — In honor of Juneteenth, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, in partnership with 3S Artspace, presents a powerful evening of historical truth-telling and ancestral reclamation. “Erased Bloodlines: The Black Descendants of the ‘Founding Fathers’ and Those They Enslaved” will be held on Friday, June 13, at 6 p.m., at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth.
This one-of-a-kind conversation brings together Black descendants of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, alongside a descendant of the enslaved from New Hampshire’s Moffatt-Ladd House, for a dialogue that reframes the foundation of American democracy through the lens of racial legacy, resilience, and resistance.
Registration is required and seating is limited. This event is free and open to the public with donations welcome. Full information and registration can be found at blackheritagetrailnh.org/juneteenth-celebration-2025/.
3S Artspace presents two independent exhibitions
PORTSMOUTH — 3S Artspace announces “A Hole Hanging in the Air” featuring works by Kate Conlon, and “Paper Work” featuring works by Jennifer Seo. These independent exhibitions, shown together, will be on view in the Main Gallery at 3S Artspace from April 4 to June 1. An opening reception and opportunity to meet the artists will be held on Friday, April 4, from 5-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
In A Hole Hanging in the Air, artist Conlon offers a looping dialogue between the past and future, fact and fiction, time and space.
In Paper Work, Seo makes paper recreations of everyday objects found in old family photographs to better understand what we find important and why.
For more information about the exhibition and related events, visit 3sarts.org.
The Art Center and the NHAA present ‘Interstices,’ a solo exhibition by artist Jennica LeSiege
DOVER — The Art Center and the NHAA present “Interstices,” a solo exhibition by artist Jennica LeSiege. This captivating collection, inspired by the textures and histories of abandoned buildings, will be on display through the end of April. The public is invited to an artist reception on Saturday, April 5, from 6-9 p.m., where guests can meet Jennica and gain insight into her creative process.
There is beauty in disintegration. Time-worn walls and crumbling structures bear witness to history, holding within their surfaces a silent narrative. LeSiege captures these remnants through her art, revealing the depth and character of forgotten spaces. Each painting in “Interstices” is a tribute to the wisdom and resilience found in decay.
Visit the gallery Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Strawbery Banke announces new April Vacation Camp
PORTSMOUTH — Strawbery Banke Museum introduces American Adventures Camp, a brand-new April vacation camp designed for children in grades one through four. This engaging week-long program, running April 28 through May 2, invites young historians to step back in time and experience history through hands-on activities, storytelling, and imaginative play. For registration details, visit StrawberyBanke.org/camps.
Coinciding with school vacation week, this camp takes place at Strawbery Banke Museum from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. American Adventures Camp offers an opportunity for children to explore the past with their favorite doll or stuffed animal in tow. Campers will take part in interactive experiences such as baking cookies on a Colonial hearth, playing historic games, dressing in period clothing, and crafting doll-sized accessories to take home.
The cost is $400 per week, with a 10% discount for additional children from the same household. Extended childcare is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for an additional $30 per day. Financial assistance is available for camps.
For more information about the camp, the Historic Within Reach scholarship program, and to register, visit StrawberyBanke.org/camps.