"Soirée Español" - Tiny Circulation Desk Concert

Join us for a salon-style concert featuring contemporary and traditional Spanish and American instrumental and solo vocal music, presented by a dynamic group of Maine-based composers and performers.

The Mechanics' Hall library will transform into an acoustic listening room showcasing modern and traditional canciones that blend with operatic vocals, dance, and poetry.

Featuring: Meghan Habibzai (vocals), Scott Wheatley (keyboard), Behzad Habibzai (guitar), Meagan McIntyre (violin), and Lindsey Bourassa (dance).

Monday, September 15 at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM), approximately 75 minutes. There is a $5 surcharge on tickets on the day of the show.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Inspired by a certain well-known desk-based concert series, our Tiny Circulation Desk Series brings the same stripped-down, close-up energy, with more library cards and fewer office supplies.

Equal parts cozy hangout and low-key listening room, this weeknight series transforms the Mechanics’ Hall Library into one of Portland’s most intimate and unexpected music venues.

Filmed by the Portland Media Center, each concert feels like a live demo, a secret show, and a community gathering all at once.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Meghan Pilar Whittier Habibzai is a vocalist, arranger, composer and conductor. Her experience in choral music, art song, opera, musical theater, jazz, and bluegrass have resulted in performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Capitol Lawn in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, and many others, as a soloist and ensemble artist. She was a member of the Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band from 2007-2019 and performed in the 48 contiguous states, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Meghan had her choral arrangements sung on National tours by the Soldiers’ Chorus, including her reimagining of the “Coventry Carol” at Baltimore’s Lyric Theater. Meghan met renowned Spanish composer Antón García Abril in 2012 at the Escuela Supérior de Canto in Madrid, and sang in masterclasses led by the composer in 2012 and 2013. She gave a recital in his honor at the Spanish Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C. in 2016, and released a solo vocal recording titled “Canciones de Antón García Abril” in 2020, accompanied by pianist R. Timothy McReynolds. Meghan gave a lecture recital and masterclass on Spanish art song at University of Southern Maine’s Osher School of Music in 2024. Frequently collaborating with her husband, flamenco guitarist and composer Behzad Habibzai, they perform concerts featuring Spanish canciones and flamenco music, most recently at Blue, Mayo Street Arts and Space Gallery with FLOR. Meghan joined USM's Osher School of Music adjunct Voice faculty in the 2025-2026 school year. For more, visit meghanhabibzai.com.

Behzad Habibzai is a music composer and flamenco guitarist who grew up in Portland, Maine. He began playing drums and classical percussion at 10, maintaining a busy schedule performing orchestral, jazz, punk rock, at rock clubs and symphony halls. At 14 he discovered flamenco guitar, going on to perform with several international artists. Behzad composes and produces flamenco and orchestral music for digital streaming, films, and documentaries. Behzad often collaborates with his wife, Meghan Pilar Habibzai.

Baritone Scott Wheatley, a Kansas native, holds degrees from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory and the University of South Florida. He has sung leading roles with New York City Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Maine, and others, with highlights including Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Marcello (La Bohème), and Germont (La Traviata). On the concert stage, he has appeared as a soloist at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival and in Alceste with Deborah Voigt. Other notable performances include Bluebeard’s Castle in Tampa, world premieres of Thea Musgrave’s Voices of Power and Protest at the UN and Society for Ethical Culture, and appearances at the Salzburg and Bard Festivals. As a choral artist, Scott has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra under conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Alan Gilbert, Sir Colin Davis, and Valery Gergiev. Highlights include Verdi’s Requiem, Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, and Grendel at Lincoln Center. In addition to performing, Scott maintains an active career as a coach and accompanist, collaborating with both singers and instrumentalists.

Violinist Meagan McIntyre has appeared in concert at notable venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Jordan Hall in Boston and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Known for her versatility, she enjoys exploring a wide variety of musical styles. In addition to her position with Portland-based Baroque ensemble St. Mary Schola, she has performed on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show with pop singer Halsey and Indie rock musician St. Vincent. Meagan performs regularly with Hogfish Regenerative Arts, Vigorous Tenderness concert series, Northstar Baroque, Maine State Ballet, Maine Middle Eastern Orchestra, and is a member of the folk/pop band Starling. She served on the faculty at both the Institute of Art Education in Porto Alegre, Brazil and the Portland Conservatory of Music. She studied at New England Conservatory and Indiana University at Bloomington. Meagan plays a Pierre Louvet, 1752 violin crafted in Paris. She enjoys traveling, cooking for family and friends, and spending time with her dog Ruby Lune

Lindsey Bourassa is a flamenco dancer, choreographer, teacher, community builder and the founding executive and artistic director of FLOR. Lindsey received her Master of Flamencology Degree from Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain) in 2019 and her Certificate of Professionalization in Flamenco Arts at El Centro de Arte y Flamenco de Sevilla (Seville, Spain) in 2012. She has dedicated herself to the study of flamenco since 2004, predominantly in Sevilla, Spain. In her choreographic work, Lindsey creates flamenco performances that illustrate multifaceted storytelling, often woven together with original, creative prose. Having performed and taught in Spain and throughout New England, she has now settled in her home state of Maine, where her heart feels full to be creating and cultivating Maine’s first prominent and growing flamenco community. Her work on all fronts is inspired by the belief that art ignites magic, cultivates connection, uplifts diverse and uncensored stories, and fosters stewardship of each other and the earth.

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, which has entrances on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator and a ramp available upon request.

If you need accessibility accommodations/questions please contact us at programming@mainemechanics.org or 207-773-8396.

Supported in part by a grant from the Onion Foundation.