A new performance series invites the audience into the minds of local songwriters.

Monterey County cannot complain about a lack of live music. The music scene is vibrant, with regular jazz concerts at hotels and restaurants, singer-songwriters playing original music and bands gigging at local pubs.

“Monterey attracts and supports musicians,” says Peter Barnes Martin, himself a musician, who moved to the area in 2021 and has been playing at wineries and recording ever since. “We have an excellent community of musicians here. Thanks to year-round opportunities, it’s a good environment to grow as a musician – and stay here.”

Yet Barnes Martin felt something was missing. Fans listen to the songs, but don’t hear the craft of making music. At the suggestion of jazzman Bruce Forman, he took his idea to recording engineer Robert Feist at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. In late 2025, the two started talking about a new series, calling it “Portraits in Song.”

Rooted in storytelling, the series highlights local musicians and their craft, making for an intimate music event (up to three instruments on stage), richly garnished with commentary on how a given song was born and made.

“The focus is on local musicians,” Barnes Martin says. “It’s a deep dive into the craft of making music, which considers songwriting as a form of art.”

The events will take place at the 50-seat Black Box Theater in the Cherry. Each will have an opener and a main gig, starting on March 27 with poetic folk-pop rising star Sabelle; Carmel-based Jewel Arianna opens. Next month it will be Barnes Martin, with Rags Rosenberg as the opener.

“Sabelle was one of our top picks,” Barnes Martin says. “She is exactly the individual we are looking for – active, consistently pulling out recorded music. She does a lot to develop her music and career.”

Originally from Rochester, New York, Barnes Martin has been working on his own project, The Lake, continuously releasing songs and working on a book that captures the process. He produced and self-released his debut album Anywhere is Home in 2023.

Rosenberg’s 2025 album, Song of the Bricoleur, is climbing on the folk charts; he is being compared to Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

PORTRAITS IN SONG launches with Sabelle, featuring Jewel Arianna, at 7-9pm Friday, March 27. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel. $25. (831) 624-7491, carlcherrycenter.org.