Classical Uprising will present Sarah Kirkland Snider’s song cycle “Penelope” as part of the Portland Bach Experience.

The work, which sets lyrics by playwright Ellen McLaughlin, is scored for soprano, string quintet, and percussion. It draws on Homer’s “Odyssey” to tell the story of a woman whose husband returns after 20 years away.

Mezzo-soprano Lauren Kelley, a core member of the GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble The Crossing, leads the performances. The production also features Classical Uprising Artistic Director Emily Isaacson.

“I’ve been stalking this work for years,” Isaacson said, per an official press release. “Sarah Kirkland Snider is one of my favorite composers and this is some of her best work. The story is timeless, the words are intimate and evocative, and the indie-classical musical style has the energy and intensity of a rock concert. The result is stunning. It’s heartfelt and heartbreaking, hopeful and gripping, gorgeous and haunting.”

Pre-concert conversations will be led by Dr. Barbara Boyd, Professor of Latin and Greek at Bowdoin College, exploring both Homer’s original epic and McLaughlin’s feminist reimagining. Boyd will also deliver a lecture in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Performances are set for on May 28 and 30 at O’Maine Studios in Portland and 317 Main Community Music Center in Yarmouth, respectively.