BANGOR – The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with other cultural groups from the area, has announced that Bangor has been selected as the site for the Continental Harmony project.

The American Composers Forum staff in St. Paul, Minn., will work with representatives from the BSO, University of Maine Folklife Center, Bangor Region Arts and Cultural Council, Bangor Public Library, Robinson Ballet, the Oratorio Society, Bangor Band and others in selecting a composer who will spend a six-week residency in the Bangor region to compose a piece of music for the BSO to perform.

The orchestral work will be based on the theme “Back to the River: Discovering Bangor’s Roots.”

It is scheduled for a world premier in the late summer or early fall of 2004, possibly in the new waterfront amphitheater.

Once the Bangor team selects a composer, that person will have a chance to become familiar with the resources that are available to integrate into the composition.

In addition to working directly with cultural resources, the composer will spend time in classrooms, libraries and other public settings, sharing and gathering information that will shape the piece and spark the region’s interest in its rich cultural heritage.

The steering committee of the Continental Harmony project sees this as an opportunity to celebrate the community’s cultural heritage.

BSO Executive Director Susan Jonason said, “I’m grateful to Pauleena MacDougall at the University of Maine Folklife Center for first bringing this opportunity to our attention.”

In addition to Jonason and MacDougall, committee members are Barbara McDade, Bangor Public Library; Ludlow Hallman, Oratorio Society; Fred Heath, Bangor Band; Susan Potters, Bangor Region Arts and Cultural Council; Karen Hartnagle, Robinson Ballet Company; and Jane Bragg, Thomas School of Dance.

For more information, visit www.continentalharmony.org, or call the Bangor Symphony Orchestra at 942-5555.