LEWISTON – The city will soon have its own orchestra.

In March, the 52-piece Midcoast Symphony Orchestra plans to make its permanent home inside the Franco-American Heritage Center at the former St. Mary’s Church.

Lewiston Mayor Lionel Guay announced the move Monday night, just minutes after taking the oath of office. The announcement was his first as the city’s new leader.

“They were looking for a place just like ours,” said Guay, who also serves as the center’s chairman.

For the orchestra, the move is to be a kind of settling, said Herb Kresser, a director of the orchestra’s board. Since it was created 10 years ago, the volunteer group has been nomadic, recently playing most of its concerts inside the Mount Ararat Middle School in Topsham.

Several of the orchestra’s musicians, including some former professionals, are from the Lewiston area, Kresser said.

The former church will give the symphony a classical setting, one with superior acoustics, said Kresser, whom Guay introduced in his inaugural address. A quintet from the orchestra accompanied a post-inaugural gathering Monday night at the Center.

“It’s the ideal place for us,” said Kresser. “It’s a wonderful old church.”

dhartill@exploremaine.com

Copy the Story Link