ORONO – Arcady Music Society will present Dean and Friends at:

. 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, at Minsky Auditorium, Class of 1944 Hall, University of Maine, Orono.

. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, at the Alamo Theatre, Bucksport.

Dean Stein, Arcady’s new artistic director, is a violinist first, and in this program, he invites distinguished friends to join him in playing some of his favorite chamber music. Audiences will hear the folkish charm of Bartok violin duets, Shostakovich’s turbulent piano trio, and Schubert’s classic ‘Trout’ Quintet.

Arcady also supports and showcases the talented young musicians of Maine and will present soprano Rose Upton of Bucksport, a winner of the 2005 Arcady Youth Competition, performing at the beginning of each performance.

Stein, who hails from New York City, made his solo debut in New York performing the Sibelius Concerto. He moved to Maine in 1996 as a violinist in the DaPonte String Quartet. His recent tour with the Singapore Symphony included concerts in New York’s Lincoln Center, France and Spain, with soloists Yo Yo Ma, and Gil Shaham. Arcady’s executive director since 2003, Stein was named artistic director in September 2004.

Joining Stein in the Arcady concerts will be:

. Pamela Mia Paul, a pianist who has performed with the Vienna ORF Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Berlin Stadskapelle and the Dutch Radio Symphony.

. Sha, one of China’s leading violinists on the world stage, who has often shared the stage with her father, Cao Peng. Her Carnegie Hall debut came in 2003, in a sold-out performance with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops.

. Yun-Jie Liu, solo violinist who has appeared with the San Diego Symphony, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony, Woodland Symphony, Shanghai Youth Orchestra, the Music Academy of the West Orchestra as well as the University of Southern California Symphony.

. Katherine Cherbas, the cellist of the Milton Quartet, the only group in the world which currently performs Milton Babbitt’s String Quartet No. 6. She has served as principal cellist of a number of ensembles, including the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra and the Juilliard Orchestra.

. William Blossom, bassist who joined the New York Philharmonic in 1975 and has made regular guest appearances with the Arcady Music Festival for 15 summers.

Admission is $16 at the door, $13 if reserved in advance and $7 for college students with identification. Those 18 and younger are invited to attend free. For information, call 288-2141, e-mail arcady@arcady.org or visit www.arcady.org.