Damariscotta’s Salt Bay Chamberfest (SBC) celebrates its 30th season in August. To mark this auspicious milestone, the 2024 festival has chosen the theme of “Music in Blue,” spotlighting historical and contemporary works that show the influence of blues and jazz on classical chamber music. Concerts will also include music inspired by the blue seascapes found in abundance here in Maine. Concerts will take place from Aug. 6 to 17 at the Lincoln Theater, in the heart of Damariscotta.

The season opens on Tuesday, Aug. 6 on the 100th anniversary of the premiere of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue;” celebrated pianist/composer Conrad Tao will perform a newly composed work—co-commissioned by SBC—honoring the original masterpiece’s highly theatrical spirit. It will be paired with Gershwin’s original, arranged for solo piano by Tao, along with Bartók’s dance-infused Contrasts trio, as well as Latin-jazz works. In addition to Tao, performers will include violinist Geneva Lewis; bassist Gregg August; clarinetist Derek Bermel; and trombonist Angel Subero.

Friday, Aug. 9: Blue Maine waters will be the inspiration for a concert spotlighting Anne-Marie McDermott and a new work by composer Xavier Foley, Key West, influenced by and paired with Schubert/Liszt’s “Die Forelle” and Schubert’s famous “Trout Quintet.” The concert will also feature Geneva Lewis, violin; Maiya Papach, viola; Gregg August, bass; and Yeesun Kim, cello.\

Tuesday, Aug. 13: Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad’s eclectic style will be enlivened by jazz and a vibrant color palette in a work written for McDermott. Drawing a parallel to French Impressionists who were likewise color-inspired, this program pairs Assad’s “Aquamarine” with Ravel’s masterful “Violin Sonata No. 2” and Fauré’s evocative “Piano Quartet No. 2.” Also performing will be Jennifer Frautschi, violin; Maiya Papach, viola; and Wilhelmina Smith, cello.

The festival concludes Friday, Aug. 16 with composer Vijay Iyer’s new piano concerto, “Handmade Universe,” which incorporates elements of jazz in a work written for pianist Shai Wosner and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), presented in partnership with Portland Chamber Music Festival. Missy Mazzoli’s folk-inspired string trio and Mozart’s dark and brooding “G minor Piano Quartet” will bring the festival’s 30th anniversary season to a close. In addition to Wosner and ECCO, performers will include Grammy-winning violinist Jennifer Koh, violist Melissa Reardon, and cellist and Artistic Director of SBC, Wilhelmina Smith.

All four main festival concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. with pre-concert talks with conductor and educator Mark Mandarano at 6:30, at Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater Street, Damariscotta.

In addition to the concerts in Damariscotta, Salt Bay Chamberfest will present two solo recitals at the Strand Theatre in Rockland. On Thursday Aug. 8 at 5 p.m. - rising star Geneva Lewis, recipient of the 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant, will perform solo violin works from across the centuries. On Thursday, Aug. 15 at 5 p.m., violin virtuoso and Grammy-winner Jennifer Koh will perform Bach’s solo works for violin.

For tickets and more information about all the events, visit www.saltbaychamberfest.org, e-mail contact@saltbaychamberfest.org, or call 207-522-3749.

Free events

Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 3 p.m., trombonist Angel Subero will give an informal lecture/demonstration at Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta; Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 3 pm, SBC musicians will be featured in a free concert for families and kids at the Central Lincoln County YMCA in Damariscotta; Sunday, Aug. 11 at 5 p.m., violinist Jennifer Frautschi will give an informal outdoor performance at Riverside, overlooking the Damariscotta River in Newcastle; Thursday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m., cellists Wilhelmina Smith and Yeesun Kim will join singer Lauren Stevens in a concert at the Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness cultural center in Bangor; Saturday, Aug. 17 at 12 p.m., a violin master class featuring young local musicians at Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta will be led by violinist Jennifer Koh; it is open to the public to observe.