SMF In the Media
2010
"In Savannah, all kinds of music have a place." Read
more (in French)
Le Monde
"SMF is one of the best music festivals in the country. It's original, well designed and executed, and it goes a very long way toward keeping the world safe for good, live music." Read
more
Charleston Post & Courier
"I arrive about a week into the proceedings, expecting a colourful apple-pie, foot-tapping mixture of bluegrass and jazz to country and swing; but the range and virtuosity of world-class music, from boogie to Cajun, fado to zydeco - a form of American folk - which I savour over the next few days, comes as something of a surprise... one of the most talked-about music events in the States." Read
more
The Guardian (UK)
"...a music festival of unique character in one of America's most charmingly atmospheric cities. Savannah, with azaleas bursting into bloom throughout its 18th-century squares and daily temperatures high enough to make a snowbird sing, provides reason enough for an April visit. Add the presence of a virtual encyclopedia of world music and this visitor left town with his appetites expanded and a smile lodged between his ears." Read more
Toronto Star (Canada)
"...the first priorities have always been the quality of the music and the purity of the sound." Read more
Savannah Morning News
"Savannah Music Festival gets into full swing... Bars wail until 3 AM in this annual 17-day jamboree." Read more
News of the World Scotland
"...performances from A-list classical, jazz and pop artists."
The Globe & Mail (Canada)
"...one of the most vibrant and varied music festivals in North America. It specialises in bringing together artists for one-off, often cross-genre encounters." Read more
The Arts Desk (UK)
Selected as one of Gramophone Magazine's "Best Events Worldwide" in March 2010.
American Style Magazine chose Savannah as one of America's Top 25 Arts destinations, citing the "internationally-renowned Savannah Music Festival" as one of the key cultural forces. Read more
"With its enviable variety of venues, the Savannah Music Festival can woo jazz patrons with an intimate club experience, wow them with an epic concert extravaganza, or even clear away some space and go ballroom. The city's temperate climate allows this festival to steal a march on its Northern brethren - and open in March before the spring equinox. The big jazz names that swoop down on the port city create a festival within the festival, especially this year..." Read more
"...a packed schedule of performances across the wide spectrum of American music."
JazzTimes
"...a wide-ranging pot-pourri of some of the best musicians in the world."
Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
"...a dynamic, comprehensive amalgamation of all types of music, will provide about as much ear candy as one can stand."
Charleston Post & Courier
"...in a single evening you can catch wildly different styles of music and over a couple of nights experience a head-spinning variety of sounds."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"...the quaint, mossy town of Savannah welcomes classical, bluegrass, blues, gospel and jazz savants to the Savannah Music Festival... This bumps Savannah even higher on my travel wish list."
Condé Nast Traveler
"The SMF is all about exploring America's multifaceted musical mojo and integrating it into a global framework. The city's famed fountain squares, cobblestone streets and blazing azaleas are a beguiling bonus."
Songlines (UK)
"An impressive, 90-plus line-up which includes Wilco, She & Him, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Ruthie Foster and Chris Thile, to name but a few. Now in its eighth year, the Savannah Music Festival has received international acclaim for its eclectic mixture of genres in a rather unexpected location."
Paste Magazine
"...original productions, unique pairings and a focus on instrumental virtuosity, including world-class artists in jazz, classical, bluegrass, blues, gospel, and a wide variety of other American and international musical traditions. Set in the idyllic atmosphere of Savannah in the early spring, these unique programs combine to create a musical arts event with worldwide resonance."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"You may know that Savannah has the best St. Patrick celebration amid a riot of springtime blossoms, but did you know they've added one of the best music fests, too? The two-week Savannah Music Festival in late March entertains with more than 100 concerts, ranging from gospel to country, chorale to Celtic, chamber to zydeco in 22 different venues around town."
Southern Living
2009
"The Georgian city is one of southern America's finest, and the festival features a staggering breadth of styles, from string quartets to bluegrass via gospel, fado, cajun, jazz and more." From "best events around the world in 2009", London Times (United Kingdom)
"This corner of Georgia is never so compelling as during the Savannah Music Festival. In just one day, you can experience classical, jazz and world music -- and gain insights into how these utterly different traditions and styles are connected."
Gramophone (United Kingdom)
Savannah Music Festival defines America's rhythm:
"Probably no other festival worldwide is so expressively American and so definitively characterized by the invigorating effects of syncopation... One of the most important music festivals in North America."
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany)
"...music in a breathtakingly wide variety of genres... one of the strongest-ever lineups."
Toronto Star (Canada)
"With artists of this caliber, Georgia's largest musical arts festival is certain to become a must-do date on the world's festival calendar."
Songlines (United Kingdom)
"Showcasing a musical experience of impressive breadth and scope, the event is Georgia's largest musical arts festival and has rightfully earned a reputation as a unique cross-genre offering... Whatever you do, don't miss it."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Going to the Savannah Music Festival just for its high-quality classical music would be missing the point."
American Record Guide
"Savannah is making a name as the place to be for live music in the spring."
Raleigh News & Observer
"In its seventh year, the Savannah Music Festival continues to sharpen its personality, intent on quality, diversity, education and cross-pollination. SMF 2009 enticingly covered jazz, classical, folk and blues over a leisurely span of 18 days."
JazzTimes
"For a high-level performing arts fix, look no farther."
St. Petersburg Times
"The festival presents chamber music and jazz on the same platform as bluegrass and zydeco. And the bringing together of these musical traditions reflects the embracing spirit of the host city, which continues to celebrate her diverse cultural heritage."
Atlanta Magazine
"Spring begins with sweet Southern sounds coming from the annual SMF. Musicians from around the globe showcase musical arts with new and veteran artists performing diverse musical traditions."
AAA Go Magazine
"...the nearly three-week-long showcase of traditional, roots and fine art music has presented a fairly staggering lineup of world-class (if not also world-famous) musicians from both here and abroad. The overwhelming majority of the featured acts are artists that quite simply put would never otherwise appear within four or five hours of here.
It's an embarrassment of riches with no compelling reason for existing, save for the belief by some local lovers of culture that a large scale event of this type adds great value to the quality of life for Savannahians, and the belief by some powerful players in city government that it serves as a powerful tool in promoting tourism. And promote tourism it does."
Connect Savannah
"The Savannah Music Festival brings so much energy to the city's cultural scene that it feels like it will never end. The SMF has certainly tapped a rich cultural vein in Savannah. ... a huge success, with strong ticket sales for just about every show."
Savannah Morning News
Download pdf of SMF 2009 publicity highlights
2008
"...programming of staggering breadth. What other festival allows you to start the evening with a string quartet and finish it by listening to bluegrass over a beer? Those who rarely venture outside the classical music ghetto might be wary of so much jazz, country, gospel and world music. But in truth, the diverse modes of musical expression - jazz, country, gospel and world music - co-exist with utter equanimity in this beguiling port city."
Financial Times (UK)
"Last month, I spent a mere three days at this year's 17-day festival and managed, nevertheless, to take in an ear-opening world music concert pairing Portuguese fado singer Ana Moura with Benin's Angelique Kidjo, sit in on a unique cross-cultural vocal competition titled American Traditions, be impressed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Robert Spano's baton, make the acquaintance of a remarkable flamenco singer, Pitingo, brought all the way from Spain just to perform in Savannah, and hear one of the most stimulating chamber music concerts of the season as part of a series curated by Daniel Hope
of the Beaux Arts Trio... Walking to festival events through Savannah's still surviving 18th-century squares, beneath venerable live oaks and past azalea bushes bursting into colour is like stepping back into a more gracious age. And yet, the festival itself is as much about today's artists as yesterday's heritage."
Toronto Star
On the Stewart Copeland premiere of 'Celeste': "...on the edge of several musical worlds...[Daniel Hope's] collaboration with Mr. Copeland reflects the spirit of the more than two-week event, with an eclectic lineup of jazz, fado, gospel, blues and performances by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Emerson String Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio... [Hope and Copeland] were clearly having a blast, and the audience shared in the fun, giving the enthusiastic performance the night's loudest ovation."
The New York Times
"A full spectrum of sounds, from country to classical."
Chicago Tribune
"Anyone with a love of music will find something to listen to, from Fado (sometimes described as soulful Portuguese folk music) to Cuban/salsa bands to sacred harp singing."
"The Savannah Music Festival, perhaps more than any classical music institution around, has made the link between the arts and tourism... Savannahians seem content, and the growing breadth of the festival is surely one reason why. Social lives can be organized around it; there's a lot to see for a few weeks. And the festival team is armed with many studies to show how much money the festival generates for the local economy."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Tune up your ears with a visit to the annual Savannah Music Festival, more than two weeks of sounds ranging from country to classical and a perfect starting point for celebrating the start of spring along the coast of Georgia."
Associated Press
"...a rite of spring on the South Atlantic Coast. While many festivals offer a variety of music, Savannah excels at programming through the prism of Americana. Musical traditions from this country are at the heart of what goes on there."
Charleston Post & Courier
"...one of the most varied music festivals that the U.S. has to offer."
Paste Magazine
"It's a little bit country, a little bit bluegrass, a little bit classical... The wide-ranging Savannah Music Festival pulls disparate genres into a tidy package."
The Boston Globe
"Music abounds... the partying in Savannah is non-stop."
CNN Radio
"Georgia's largest music festival, this mega-event presents more than 100 concerts over 17 days, all in the historic district of Savannah."
Los Angeles Times
"...with a strong sense of place, this year's festival boasts a diverse mix of classical and jazz, blues, country and world music... poised to become a cultural destination after years of neglect."
St. Petersburg Times
"The 17-day festival combines a diverse array of regional and American musical genres - jazz, blues, Cajun, zydeco, country and bluegrass - with an amalgamation of international styles."
Miami Herald (International Edition)
"Whatever your taste--jazz, blues, country or classical-- this music festival (the largest in the state) has something for you."
AirTran Go!
"There is a place where music festivals and families meet quite nicely, along with history, Southern charm and lovely spring temperatures... The Savannah Music Festival has become one of the largest cultural tourism draws in the Southeast. In 2007, 45 percent of concertgoers traveled from out of town to enjoy a selection of premieres, one-time-only productions, exclusive U.S. appearances by international artists and a cornucopia of educational opportunities."
Daily Herald Chicago
"...this has been the most artistically daring and complete Music Festival to date."
Connect Savannah
"In terms of programming, marketing and direct outreach, the SMF has for years now made one good move after another to diversify the audiences and expand the festival. Clearly, such efforts are paying off."
Savannah Morning News