Quiet the noise of the modern world and prepare your spirit for the eclipse with Room to Breathe, Oratorio Chorale’s meditative candlelight concerts, on April 6 and 7 at 3:00 p.m. in Portland and Brunswick.

Eclipses have long been seen as a time of letting go, as a reminder of the vastness of the universe. The total solar eclipse passing over northern Maine on April 8 is a special opportunity to harness this power locally. Room to Breathe is an immersive artistic experience that will help audience members tap into this opportunity for personal transformation and collective renewal through music.

Featuring choral works by Caroline Shaw, Nico Muhly, Caleb Burhans, Howard Frazin, Frank Ticheli, and David Lang, Room to Breathe reminds audiences that in this infinite universe, they are held, they are loved, and music can always be their refuge. Audiences are encouraged to join the creative process by writing down something they wish to let go of, setting their own intentions, and releasing what no longer serves them.

“I designed this program to be a secular ritual: an immersive sound bath, an artistic wellness ceremony, a musical meditation for those who don’t meditate,” says conductor and artistic director Emily Isaacson. “Central to the Room to Breathe program are the musical refrains from Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands: ‘I will hold you, I will love you, We will be your refuge.’ These are words I needed to hear this year. Each time they are repeated I believe them a little more, letting down my guard and making space for joy.”

Room to Breathe creates a space for emotional sanctuary, asking participants to pause doing and focus on being—in this moment, at this place, with the people around them. As the eclipse reminds us, all moments are transitory, but connection—within us, between us, and beyond us—fills our time with meaning.

Room to Breathe Performances

April 6 | 3:00 p.m. | Williston-Immanuel United Church, Portland

April 7 | 3:00 p.m. | First Parish Church, Brunswick

Tickets for Room to Breathe are $35 for adults in advance and $40 at the door; $15 for students in advance and $20 at the door; and free for anyone under 2 (must be accompanied by an adult). Tickets are available at https://www.classicaluprising.org/tickets.

For full details, please visit classicaluprising.org/upcoming-events.