Director 
James Kennerley has a conversation with Hal Khalaf on the “Live Your Passion” podcast. The podcast interviews “entrepreneurs, community leaders, creatives, and people just like you and I that are living their passion.” The interview starts after first three minutes of the podcast.
James Kennerley has barely been Portland’s municipal organist for a year, but is proving his skills of improvisation on the Kotzschmar Organ inside of Merrill Auditorium. On Tuesday, he and some talented vocalists are putting a spin on traditional holiday classics with their show, “Christmas With Kennerley.” The show will be a mix of original … Read more
[two_third_last] Out and About: Christmas with Kennerley The humongous brass facade of the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ has been a dominating sight in Merrill Auditorium since it was installed in 1912 as part of rebuilding Portland City Hall. For 2018 the Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, a nonprofit support group, welcomed a new face at the … Read more
[one_third] [/one_third] [two_third_last] I am intrigued by paradoxes. While the organ is often associated with lugubriously slow hymns in church and with desperately serious music harkening back to generations past, it has also stood for centuries as one of the most advanced mechanical devices known to man. Even in the early 20th century, few machines … Read more
[one_third] [/one_third] [two_third_last] With the season of giving approaching, it seems almost impossible not to think about gifts. Whether they are in the form of end-of-year donations to the causes you believe in, or the carefully chosen items that mark special occasions with family and friends, they seem to be everywhere this time of year. … Read more
[one_third] [/one_third] [two_third_last] This is the time of year that anticipation builds for the holiday season. Last year we were preparing to say goodbye to Ray Cornils and his last performance as the municipal organist. Now we are all looking forward to the 1st Christmas with Kennerley. Anyone who has experienced James Kennerley’s performances will … Read more
[one_third] [/one_third] [two_third_last] Christmas Concert with the Kotzschmar Organ and Sock Drive at Merrill Auditorium November 2018 For Immediate Release PORTLAND, Maine – The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ are excited to announce this year’s holiday concert, “Christmas with Kennerley,” which will be held one night only, on Dec. 18, 2018. The city of Portland’s … Read more
[one_third] [/one_third] [two_third_last] Article: 11 things to do before the 12 days of Christmas The holiday arts calendar is filling up. CHRISTMAS WITH KENNERLEY 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18, Merrill Auditorium, Portland, $19 to $56, (207) 842-0800, porttix.com Newly installed as municipal organist, James Kennerley performs his first holiday concert on the magnificent Kotzschmar Organ at Merrill Auditorium, … Read more
[one_third] [/one_third] [two_third_last] Concert review: Portland’s new organist showed his silly side – and serious skill – in Halloween tradition Dressed in costume, James Kennerley played along with the Dracula film ‘Nosferatu.’ In the four years I’ve attended these concerts, the accompaniments have been supplied by guest organists who include scoring silent films among their … Read more
