A tribute concert to the late local musician and violin maker Leo Beaule will close the 21-22 Oasis of Music season beginning at 12:30 on Wednesday, May 25, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston. Submitted photo

A tribute concert to the late local musician and violin maker Leo Beaule will close the 21-22 Oasis of Music season beginning at 12:30 on Wednesday, May 25, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston. A quartet of violinists, all playing with violins and bows made by Beaule, will perform three multi-movement pieces composed by Georg Philipp Telemann. Musicians for this event include Greg Boardman, Mary Hunter, Jessie Boardman and Mark Nordberg.

Leo Beaule was a Lewiston native who put his love for classical music into practice during his middle years, teaching himself to play violin and viola, and joining in with local orchestras, including the Bates College Orchestra, the Augusta Symphony and the Androscoggin Valley Community Orchestra. He would also participate in chamber music sessions in his home and those of his musical friends.

His interest and skills in woodworking and all domestic engineering led to a home workshop where local musicians and school programs found help keeping their instruments repaired and maintained. Later in life, following the loss of his beloved wife Connie, he took up the art of violin and bow-making, the materials for which he found locally from trees he felled himself, seasoned, carved, assembled and varnished into their final form.  A unique touch for many of his violins are his own carved tailpieces and chinrests, fashioned from different strands of maple.

Admission to the Oasis of Music is free, with donations accepted. Masking and distancing are encouraged while optional. For more information call 207-344-3106.