Portland-based Palaver Strings will embark on a tour of Maine for “Welcome Home,” a program which celebrates the vitality of Maine’s immigrant communities through music and storytelling. In partnership with the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center and Portland Ovations, the program will be performed in seven Maine locations, with the goal of sharing with rural Maine communities the experiences of new immigrant families, celebrating Maine’s cultural diversity, and encouraging audiences to reflect on their own heritage and on how to make Maine a welcoming and inclusive community for all.

The group will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Denmark Arts Center; 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Crosby Center in Belfast; 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Eastport Arts Center in Eastport; 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at Port City Music Hall in Portland; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 at Johnson Hall in Gardiner; and  7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft.

A “Welcome Home” pre-concert panel and conversation will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at Indigo Arts Alliance in Portland. This free event, facilitated by Marty Pottenger, an award-winning American playwright, performance artist and theater director as well as the founder and director of the Portland-based Art At Work national program, will invite guests to share their own experiences and how and why they call Portland home.

“Welcome Home” includes three segments, each centered around a significant Maine immigrant and/or diaspora community: Franco-American, Iraqi and Burundian. Each segment features storytelling and musical performances by guest artists from these communities, including original songs and music. Guest artists include Iraqi speaker and poet, Kifah Abdulla and Iraqi oud player, Jawad Nageeb; Burundian singer, Maisha Mustafa; Guinean percussionist, Namory Keita; Burundian speaker, Alain Igiraneza; Franco-America author, Rhea Coté Robbins; Franco-American musicians, Alex Wilder and Jaige Trudell; and director, Marty Pottenger.

“As we tour with this program around Maine, we will celebrate Maine’s cultural diversity, reflect on our own histories, and create space for dialogue between performers and listeners from different backgrounds,” noted Maya French, Palaver’s managing director and co-artistic director. “We believe deep listening and empathy for unfamiliar experiences is an important part of making Maine a welcoming and inclusive home for everyone.”

Palaver Strings is a 13-person, musician-led string orchestra and nonprofit whose mission is rooted in community and creative programming. Through innovative performance, educational workshops and community engagement initiatives, Palaver reaches diverse audiences throughout New England and beyond. Recent projects include a concert at the Kennedy Center and songwriting workshops for new mothers and LGBTQ seniors. With the support of local partner organizations, Palaver has recently launched the Palaver Music Center (PMC), a community music school in Portland.

For more information, visit palaverstrings.org.

Portland-based Palaver Strings will embark on a tour of Maine for “Welcome Home,” a program which celebrates the vitality of Maine’s immigrant communities through music and storytelling. Submitted photo