FARMINGTON — The Arts Institute of Western Maine will present St. Mary Schola in performance at 3 p.m., Sunday, May 1, in Nordica Auditorium at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Directed by Bruce Fithian and based at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary in Falmouth, the highly-respected ensemble was founded in 2008 by Fithian and the Rev. James Dalton-Thompson. Three programs are presented per year (with three performances each, at Southern Maine venues): Advent or Christmas, Lent, and Easter or spring. This spring there will be a fourth performance, sponsored by AIWM, an affiliate of the University of Maine at Farmington.

The program, “Ode to Music,” is dedicated to the praise of music’s power to touch people’s hearts. Excerpts from The Ode to Music by Purcell will be performed, as well as pieces by Monteverdi, Lassus, Bach, Milano and Richard Dering (“City Cries” — a delightful parody with voices and viols). Excerpts from Hildegard von Bingen’s Musical Harmony will be read.

Come a half-hour early for an informative lecture by Bruce Fithian.

John and Kathryn Sytsma of Farmington perform on viola da gamba in “City Cries,” as well as previous Farmington residents Dr. Phillip Carlsen, UMF professor emeritus, and Mary Jo Carlsen, violinist. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at the door. Students are free. 

For more information about St. Mary Schola, check out the website stmaryschola.org.

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