Savannah Music Festival

Sandrine Piau

2012-04-23T22:30:00Z

French soprano Sandrine Piau is a seasoned recitalist and soloist who has captured the respect of the classical music world with her unmatched interpretations of the Baroque repertoire. In recent years she has performed at the Salzburg Festival and Montreux Festival, and with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre de Paris. As a recitalist, she has performed in some of the world's most revered concert halls.

"A clear and deeply expressive voice, nuanced phrasing and immaculate control." --THE NEW YORK TIMES

Ms. Piau will perform the music of Britten, Chausson, Faure, Liszt, Poulenc, Ravel and Strauss in this Savannah debut.

BLOW MY BLUES AWAY: LUCKY PETERSON BAND/JOE KROWN TRIO FEAT. WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON AND RUSSELL BATISTE, JR.

2012-04-08T01:00:00Z

Closing out SMF 2012 with a unique two-night SMF double bill, Lucky Peterson brings his own band this time around. Discovered by blues giant Willie Dixon when he was three years old, Lucky released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight Show before going on to play behind Little Milton, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Kenny Neal. The New Yorker dubbed him "a master of the guitar, organ and microphone," and whether playing B-3, singing soul classics or delivering heart-wrenching country blues on slide guitar, he is the consummate showman.

The Joe Krown Trio features three of the Crescent City's most revered musicians. Hammond B-3 specialist Joe Krown spent a decade and a half as keyboardist for Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Walter "Wolfman" Washington's searing guitar work and soulful vocals have helped define the unique New Orleans musical hybrid of R&B, funk and the blues since the 1970s. Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr. played for years with the Funky Meters, and recently collaborated with Paige McConnell (Phish) and Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers) in the acclaimed funk/jam trio Vida Blue.

"(Lucky Peterson)......incredible blues vocals...insanely lively guitar...it's amazing." -USA Today

PACO DE LUCIA

2012-04-07T23:30:00Z

Paco de Lucia is one of the world's greatest guitarists, as well as the most innovative and influential flamenco artists of the last thirty years. Since the late 1960s his flamenco recordings have had a revolutionary impact, infusing new life into the art form and bringing it worldwide attention. Paco de Lucia's performances are brilliant celebrations of traditional flamenco forms in instrumentation and composition, including virtuosic dance and soulful vocals in addition to the dizzying melodic and rhythmic output that comes from his ensemble.

Paco de Lucia, guitar
Antonio Sanchez, 2nd guitar
Antonio Serrano, keyboards, harmonica
Alain Perez, bass
Piranha, percussion
Duquende, vocals
David de Jacoba, vocals
Farruco, dancer

BLOW MY BLUES AWAY: LUCKY PETERSON BAND/JOE KROWN TRIO FEAT. WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON AND RUSSELL BATISTE, JR.

2012-04-07T22:30:00Z

Closing out SMF 2012 with a unique two-night SMF double-bill, Lucky Peterson brings his own band this time around. Discovered by blues giant Willie Dixon when he was three years old, Lucky released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight Show before going on to play behind Little Milton, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Kenny Neal. The New Yorker dubbed him "a master of the guitar, organ and microphone," and whether playing B-3, singing soul classics or delivering heart-wrenching country blues on slide guitar, he is the consummate showman.

The Joe Krown Trio features three of the Crescent City's most revered musicians. Hammond B-3 specialist Joe Krown spent a decade and a half as keyboardist for Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Walter "Wolfman" Washington's searing guitar work and soulful vocals have helped define the unique New Orleans musical hybrid of R&B, funk and the blues since the 1970s. Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr. played for years with the Funky Meters, and recently collaborated with Paige McConnell (Phish) and Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers) in the acclaimed funk/jam trio Vida Blue.

"(Lucky Peterson)......incredible blues vocals...insanely lively guitar...it's amazing." -USA Today

ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA W/ MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYAYEFIM BRONFMAN, SOLOIST

2012-04-07T19:00:00Z

Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34
Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83

The seventh consecutive SMF appearance by the acclaimed Atlanta Symphony Orchestra involves guest conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the return of pianist Yefim Bronfman. Mr. Bronfman is widely regarded as one of the most talented virtuoso pianists performing today. His commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts have won him consistent critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences worldwide, whether for his solo recitals or his prestigious orchestral engagements.

NOON30: JOE KROWN TRIO FEAT. WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON & RUSSELL BATISTE, JR.

2012-04-07T16:30:00Z

Born out of a weekly residency at uptown New Orleans' famed Maple Leaf Bar, the Joe Krown Trio features three of the Crescent City's most revered musicians in playing rhythm and blues with a funky feeling. Hammond B-3 specialist Joe Krown worked for 15 years as keyboardist for Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Walter "Wolfman" Washington's searing and soulful guitar and vocals have been a distinct part of the New Orleans musical hybrid of R&B, funk and the blues since the 1970s. Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr.'s previous SMF appearances with Porter/Batiste/Stoltz, the successor band to the Funky Meters, displayed his incredible rhythmic abilities, which have been sought after by Harry Connick, Jr., Maceo Parker, Champion Jack Dupree and Oteil Burbridge. "

(The Joe Krown Trio is) ... a killer collaboration between three of New Orleans' greatest players!" -Offbeat

BLOW MY BLUES AWAY: LUCKY PETERSON BAND/JOE KROWN TRIO FEAT. WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON AND RUSSELL BATISTE, JR.

2012-04-07T01:00:00Z

Closing out SMF 2012 with a unique two-night SMF doublebill, Lucky Peterson brings his own band this time around. Discovered by blues giant Willie Dixon when he was three years old, Lucky released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight Show before going on to play behind Little Milton, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Kenny Neal. The New Yorker dubbed him "a master of the guitar, organ and microphone," and whether playing B-3, singing soul classics or delivering heart-wrenching country blues on slide guitar, he is the consummate showman.

The Joe Krown Trio features three of the Crescent City's most revered musicians. Hammond B-3 specialist Joe Krown spent a decade and a half as keyboardist for Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Walter "Wolfman" Washington's searing guitar work and soulful vocals have helped define the unique New Orleans musical hybrid of R&B, funk and the blues since the 1970s. Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr. played for years with the Funky Meters, and recently collaborated with Paige McConnell (Phish) and Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers) in the acclaimed funk/jam trio Vida Blue.

"(Lucky Peterson)......incredible blues vocals...insanely lively guitar...it's amazing." -USA Today

JOSHUA REDMAN/BRAD MEHLDAU DUO

2012-04-07T00:15:00Z

Saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau, two of the most influential, visible and acclaimed improvisers in jazz, share a vast range of concepts, notions and feelings ripe for exploration. Ever since Redman hired Mehldau for his wonderfully inventive mid-90s quartet, these two musicians have played an essential role defining progressive mainstream jazz. After honing their high-wire act in Europe and on the West Coast, Redman and Mehldau make their Savannah debut. A not-to-be-missed SMF jazz production!

"Incredibly deft and always interesting." -All About Jazz

BLOW MY BLUES AWAY: LUCKY PETERSON BAND/JOE KROWN TRIO FEAT. WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON AND RUSSELL BATISTE, JR.

2012-04-06T22:30:00Z

STRINGBAND SPECTACULAR FEAT. MIKE MARSHALL, TONY TRISCHKA, JULIAN LAGE, BRUCE MOLSKY/ACOUSTIC MUSIC SEMINAR FINALE

2012-04-06T22:00:00Z

This major concert represents the culmination of a week of workshops, masterclasses and rehearsals dedicated to advancing American acoustic music. Curated by AMS Associate Director Mike Marshall (mandolin, mandocello), it will showcase Julian Lage (guitar), Tony Trischka (banjo), Bruce Molsky (fiddle/banjo) and their 20 students, all performing original compositions alongside songs and tunes that have fed the evolving tradition of the American stringband over the years, including southern Appalachian, Celtic, bluegrass, hot club jazz, western swing and various other contributing genres. This original production will feature some of the nation's finest up-and-coming acoustic musicians alongside some of the standard bearers in the field.

BRUCE MOLSKY, FIDDLE/BANJO

2012-04-06T17:00:00Z

Bruce Molsky stands today as the premier old-time fiddler in the world, the defining virtuoso of Appalachia's timeless folk music traditions. In addition to a prolific solo career, performing on fiddle, guitar, and banjo, Molsky frequently joins genre-busting supergroups, like the Grammy-nominated Fiddlers Four, and Mozaik, with Hungarian Nikola Parov, and Celtic giant Donal Lunny. He was on Nickel Creek's farewell tour, and performs in a trio with Scottish fiddler Aly Bain and Sweden's great Ale Möller.

"The Rembrandt of Appalachian fiddle." - Darol Anger, fiddler

"There's an incredible power of history and tradition in his vocals." - Linda Ronstadt, singer

MUSIC AT 11: DANIEL HOPE & L'ARTE DEL MONDO, PROGRAM III

2012-04-06T15:00:00Z

Mozart Divertimento in D Major, KV 136
Bach Concerto for two Violins and Strings in D minor, BWV 1043
Frederick the Great: from Concerto No. 1 in G Major: Allegro
Mozart Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 12 in A Major, KV 414

In their third and final program during the first-ever visit to the U.S, the chamber music orchestra "L'arte del mondo" performs an 11am concert showcasing Mozart's outstanding A-Major Piano Concerto (KV 414), with acclaimed fortepiano specialist Kristian Bezuidenhout as soloist. Also on the concert is a rarely heard concerto by the 18th century Prussian King/Composer, Frederick the Great. SMF Associate Artistic Director Daniel Hope also teams up with L'arte del mondo's Andrea Keller to play one of Bach's most famous works, his Double Violin Concerto, in this one-time only event.

Daniel Hope, violin
Kristian Bezuidenhout, pianoforte
Andrea Keller, violin (BWV 1043)
L'arte del mondo, chamber orchestra
Werner Ehrhardt, Concertmaster & Artistic Director

BLAZING BANJOS: TONY TRISCHKA & BRUCE MOLSKY/ABIGAIL WASHBURN

2012-04-06T00:30:00Z

This SMF original double-bill features the formidable duo of Tony Trischka and Bruce Molsky. In a career that has now encompassed four decades, acclaimed banjo innovator Tony Trischka has created an endless array of new possibilities for the five-string banjo. While he has mastered nearly every element of the instrument's stylistic history‚ Äîfrom old-time modal clawhammer to the most intricate melodic modern styles‚ it was folk music initially, and bluegrass music in particular, that first drew him to the banjo. Bruce Molsky stands today as the world's premier old-time fiddler and one of the defining virtuosos of Appalachia's timeless folk music traditions. In addition to a prolific solo career, performing on fiddle, guitar, and banjo, Molsky frequently joins genre-busting super-groups and artists such as the Fiddlers Four, Mozaik, Nikola Parov, and Donal Lunny.

The other half of this program showcases banjoist/vocalist Abigail Washburn. If American old-time music is about taking earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making as one's model, Abigail Washburn has proven herself to be a bracing revelation to that tradition. As a singer, songwriter, and clawhammer banjo player every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, she pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody's ever heard before. Audiences who
heard her at SMF 2007 with the acclaimed all-female, old-time stringband Uncle Earl and again in 2009 with the Sparrow Quartet (Béla Fleck, Casey Dreissen and Ben Sollee) are in for a different treat this time, as Abby's sound has continued to evolve.

"Ms. Washburn's enigmatic songs mingle Appalachia and folk-pop, with tinges of Asia and Bruce Springsteen. Eventually, the route leads home: to a mountain gospel hymn."
-The New York Times

ZAKIR HUSSAIN'S MASTERS OF PERCUSSION

2012-04-05T23:30:00Z

Indian treasure and internationally revered tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, considered an architect of the contemporary world music movement, brings his 11-piece ensemble, the Masters of Percussion, to Savannah.

Famed for working with John McLaughlin, Yo-Yo Ma, George Harrison, Van Morrison, Béla Fleck and the Kodo drummers of Japan, Zakir has built this concert to feature traditional North Indian repertoire but also explore the frontier between traditional and contemporary, folk and classical rhythms. With six of India's greatest classical musicians and the dancing drummers of Manipur, this special ensemble features Zakir together with fellow iconic Indian drummer Taufiq Qureshi and the Meitei Pung Cholom Performing Troupe, the dazzling and athletic dancing drummers of Manipur. A tabla master of peerless dexterity, playfulness and improvisational skill, Zakir remains at the forefront of the contemporary world music revolution.

Zakir Hussain, tabla Fazal Qureshi, tabla & kanjira
Rakesh Chaurasia, bansuri (bamboo flute)
THV Umashankar, ghatam (clay pot)
Dilshad Khan, sarangi
Navin Sharma, dholak
Abbos Kosimov, doyra
Meitei Pung Cholom Performing Troupe dancing drummers of Manipur

BLAZING BANJOS: TONY TRISCHKA & BRUCE MOLSKY/ABIGAIL WASHBURN

2012-04-05T22:00:00Z

This SMF original double-bill features the formidable duo of Tony Trischka and Bruce Molsky. In a career that has now encompassed four decades, acclaimed banjo innovator Tony Trischka has created an endless array of new possibilities for the five-string banjo. While he has mastered nearly every element of the instrument's stylistic history‚Äîfrom old-time modal clawhammer to the most intricate melodic modern styles‚ it was folk music initially, and bluegrass music in particular, that first drew him to the banjo. Bruce Molsky stands today as the world's premier old-time fiddler and one of the defining virtuosos of Appalachia's timeless folk music traditions. In addition to a prolific solo career, performing on fiddle, guitar, and banjo, Molsky frequently joins genre-busting super-groups and artists such as the Fiddlers Four, Mozaik, Nikola Parov, and Donal Lunny.

The other half of this program showcases banjoist/vocalist Abigail Washburn. If American old-time music is about taking earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making as one's model, Abigail Washburn has proven herself to be a bracing revelation to that tradition. As a singer, songwriter, and clawhammer banjo player every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, she pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody's ever heard before. Audiences who
heard her at SMF 2007 with the acclaimed all-female, old-time stringband Uncle Earl and again in 2009 with the Sparrow Quartet (Béla Fleck, Casey Dreissen and Ben Sollee) are in for a different treat this time, as Abby's sound has continued to evolve.

"Ms. Washburn's enigmatic songs mingle Appalachia and folk-pop, with tinges of Asia and Bruce Springsteen. Eventually, the route leads home: to a mountain gospel hymn."
-The New York Times