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Winter Warmer II:
Grown from Roots with Invoke

Sunday, March 8  |  2:00 PM

Crewe Center for the Arts  | Portland

Electrifying and adventurous, the multi-instrumental quartet Invoke takes listeners on a journey into the historical roots of the string quartet, roots-music influences present throughout the history of Western classical music, and the ensemble’s own roots across multiple traditions.

 

The program opens with a series of collaboratively-composed originals. The exploration continues with William Grant Still’s Mississippi warmth, a dramatic finale movement from Florence Price, and Maurice Ravel’s jazz-infused sophistication. Finally, a buoyant work by Haydn paired with an original inspired by it, and a world premiere featuring PCMF’s Artistic Director, violist Melissa Reardon.

PROGRAM

Invoke Mirror Maze

   Borrow

   Deify
William Grant Still "The Jovial One" and "The Quiet One" from Lyric String Quartette
Florence Price (arr. Mitze) Symphony No. 1, Mvt. IV
Maurice Ravel (arr. Invoke) String Quartet in F Major, Mvt. II 
Franz Joseph Haydn "Fugue with Three Subjects" from String Quartet in C Major, Op. 20, No. 2
Invoke Sun Walker
Karl Mitze The Wrong Kind of Church for String Quintet (world premiere)

TICKETS 

$48 / $12 students

Buy both Winter Warmer concerts and save $20!

VENUE

Crewe Center for the Arts

111 Bedford Street, Portland ME

PARKING

Pay-by-plate parking available in Parking Garage 1 (attached to the Abromson Community Education Center), Lot P1 (off of Bedford St. by Luther Bonney) or Lot P6 (off of Exeter St. or Deering Ave by the former Maine Law building). Limited parking may be available on the street.

Map and directions​​​    

RUN TIME

Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission

Meet The Artists

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Geoff Manyin
cello/vocals

Geoff is passionate about scrumptious vegan food, always searching for Austin's best tacos, Thai, or tofu scramble. Don't forget about good drink too - just be sure to think twice before asking him about mezcal or whisk(e)y. An avid videogamer, you'll often find him enjoying a role-playing game, a story-rich one-off, or whatever may strike his fancy that month. Sometimes though, all he needs to be happy is a stroll through a local park on a crisp afternoon, a great Netflix show, or a nice chat with an old friend.

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Zach Matteson
violin/vocals

A man of many origins (i.e. Maryland, Siberia, Montana), Zach is proud to call Austin, TX his home base. When he's not making tunes with Invoke, you can find him at a a local coffee shop writing down some haikus, playing in the Austin Symphony, slurping down ramen from Ramen Tatsuya, or adding to his crazy collection of shirts from the local goodwill.

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Karl Mitze
viola/mandolin/vocals

When he isn’t performing and teaching with Invoke, Karl enjoys baseball, board games, and walking his dog Max. A huge baseball fan, he follows the Cincinnati Reds avidly and listens to as many games as possible, usually when running at the park. Karl is also kind of a nerd: he’s a weekend Xbox player, loves fantasy novels, and enjoys anything Dungeons and Dragons related. You can often find him enjoying a beer at a trivia night somewhere in Austin, TX.

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Nick Montopoli
violin/banjo/vocals

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Melissa Reardon
viola

When he's not banjo pickin' or fiddle scrapin' with Invoke, you might find Nick at the recording studio of composer Graham Reynolds, where he works as Graham's assistant, or pumping iron at the Montopoli Barbell Club. He also loves kicking back with a prime bourbon, relaxing to the soothing tones of power metal, or stalking around the stage of a reunion show as lead singer of the former D.C. hair metal band, Sextacy.

Grammy-nominated violist Melissa Reardon is an internationally renowned performer whose solo and chamber playing spans all musical genres. 

Concert Sponsor

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Thank you to our supporters

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© 2026 Portland Chamber Music Festival
P.O. Box 15385
Portland, ME 04112

(800) 320-0257 | office@pcmf.org

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