Concert season starts at Franco Center

LEWISTON — This season’s performance calendar at Franco American Heritage Center is an unusually full one, and there’s no month busier than December, which features seven Christmas concerts in a three-week span that begins December 1 with local singers Just Us Entertainers.

“This is going to be a very busy place for three weeks,” says executive director Louis Morin, who noted that with one exception for a concert by the Boston String Quartet on December 20, all of these Christmas shows will feature mostly local artists who live within a half-hour drive of the Franco Center.

“We’re blessed here in Maine with a wealth of musical and artistic talent, and we’re showcasing some of the best of it in a very short time span,” he added.

Morin also says that the Franco Center is mindful that ticket prices should remain low during a season in which people are spending more on heating oil, not to mention Christmas gifts. He says no ticket to any show between now and Christmas will cost more than $20 – most of them less than that – in the hope that patrons will be able to attend more than one holiday concert.

The holiday season kicks off with Just Us Entertainers, a group of over 20 friends and their families spanning three generations ranging in age from teenagers to septuagenarians. They are directed by Nel Meservier, who volunteers many hours each year at the Franco Center as a stage manager and technical assistant.

The group has been performing at the Franco Center virtually since it opened in 2000. They will do two shows – one on Saturday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee performance at 2 p.m. the following day. Tickets are $10 for adults and just $5 for children 12 and under.

On Friday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m., the Franco Center will host a concert by mezzo-soprano Joëlle Morris, a native of France who now lives in Winthrop. Morris is a classically trained singer who has not shied away from other musical genres, touring with the Jean-Marie Reboul Jazz Trio both in France and in Switzerland. Tickets for this show are $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and students.

Morris holds a Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Denver University’s Lamont Conservatory. She has performed three concerts at the Franco Center in the past, including one in April 2012, although this year’s show on December 7 at 7:30 p.m. will be her first Christmas concert there. She’ll be accompanied by pianist Bridget Convey, who also serves as accompanist for the Maine Music Society. A portion of the concert will feature carols from France and Quebec, with Morris singing in French.

For a complete list of this season’s holiday concerts at the Franco Center, visit www.francocenter.org. Tickets may be purchased at the site 24 hours a day or by calling 689-2000. The Franco Center box office, where patrons can avoid credit or debit card processing fees by paying with cash or check, is open from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.