Frank Stewart, Savannah Music Festival’s long-time photographer, discusses his life and work with Dr. Walter Evans. Stewart’s NEXUS: AN AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER’S JOURNEY, 1960S TO THE PRESENT, is currently on display at the Jepson Center. About the Exhibition: Frank Stewart’s Nexus is the first major museum exhibition of photographer Frank Stewart’s work and centers on his sensitive…
For nearly four decades, the Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band has been one of the Crescent City’s premier musical ambassadors. Their trademark sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while weaving a tapestry that combines elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and the sounds from the streets they grew up on. Founded…
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Amy Helm makes her SMF debut on closing weekend with her ace band. The daughter of Levon Helm of The Band and singer-songwriter Libby Titus, Amy Helm was a member of her father’s band in the 90s and 2000s, was a founding member of acclaimed roots-rock ensemble Ollabelle, and has released three…
Additional Showtimes: 8:30 pm, Friday, April 12 Singer and multi-instrumentalist Amy Helm makes her SMF debut on closing weekend with her ace band. The daughter of Levon Helm of The Band and singer-songwriter Libby Titus, Amy Helm was a member of her father’s band in the 90s and 2000s, was a founding member of acclaimed…
Presented by Savannah Music Festival and Co-Produced by Plant Riverside District Tinsley Ellis describes his forthcoming Feb. 9 Alligator Records release “Naked Truth,” which is his first solo acoustic project in a career spanning four decades, as both “a departure and an arrival.” Throughout his career, Ellis has recorded and traveled the world, delivering his…
No series featuring the music of Bach would be complete without his music for voice. Collaborating with the Savannah VOICE Festival to present Mark Delavan (who played Gianni Schicchi in the collaborative Puccini production at SMF 2015), the Bach Cantata in the first half is contrasted by a second half of songs by Copland and…
Madison Cunningham is a 26-year- old Grammy Award-winning artist and songwriter known for her “wonderfully tangled imagery and cutting self-awareness” (NPR). As a guitarist, Madison has pushed the boundaries of a conventional singer-songwriter as her “guitar work is both classic and wildly emotive, and her soaring vocals are pristine and inspired” (Consequence of Sound). Madison…
A leading voice of the harp, Brandee Younger recently made history at the 2022 Grammy Awards as the first Black female solo artist nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category for her song ‚”Beautiful Is Black.” The mesmerizing track is from her 2021 major label debut album, Somewhere Different, that also received a 2022 NAACP…
Additional Showtimes: 5 pm, Wednesday, April 10 A leading voice of the harp, Brandee Younger recently made history at the 2022 Grammy Awards as the first Black female solo artist nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category for her song “Beautiful Is Black.” The mesmerizing track is from her 2021 major label debut album, Somewhere…
Some 200 years after Bach’s death, 20th Century composers were still heavily inspired by the Baroque Era and the compositional techniques used (fugue, counterpoint, etc.), Stravinsky being one such composer. The fact that this will unquestionably still be the case in 2050, makes Bach’s music an eternal inspiration.
Additional Showtimes: 8:30 pm, Wednesday, April 10 A leading voice of the harp, Brandee Younger recently made history at the 2022 Grammy Awards as the first Black female solo artist nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category for her song “Beautiful Is Black.” The mesmerizing track is from her 2021 major label debut album, Somewhere…
Additional Showtimes: 5 pm, Tuesday, April 9 Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater’s jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered her extensive critical acclaim. Through artful banjo playing and lush songwriting, Kaia draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background. Kater was a participant in SMF’s Acoustic…
Additional Showtimes: 8 pm, Tuesday, April 9 Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater’s jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered her extensive critical acclaim. Through artful banjo playing and lush songwriting, Kaia draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background. Kater was a participant in SMF’s Acoustic…
Additional Showtimes: 3 pm, Sunday, April 7 Formed in the Smoky Mountains, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are exactly what you would expect and not at all what you would expect from a tattooed East Tennessee bluegrass outfit. However, they take pride in being ambassadors of their genre. The group has brought their music from rural…
Additional Showtimes: 7 pm, Sunday, April 7 Formed in the Smoky Mountains, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are exactly what you would expect and not at all what you would expect from a tattooed East Tennessee bluegrass outfit. However, they take pride in being ambassadors of their genre. The group has brought their music from rural…
Tony Trischka is considered one of the most influential living banjo players. Trischka’s EarlJam honors Scruggs, the pioneer of a unique three-finger banjo style and one of the most important figures in bluegrass. “The depth of Earl’s genius becomes ever more apparent when I transcribe his solos, which I’ve been doing my entire life and…
Additional Showtimes: 6 pm, Saturday, April 6 Led by dynamic singer Kiko Ruiz, producer Jacob Plasse, arranger Michael Eckroth and the “island’s greatest instrumentalists” (The New York Times), Orquesta Akokán has a cohesion forged by years of international touring. The Cuban powerhouse ensemble’s sound has blossomed into an intimate dialogue between good friends, allowing for fearless…
Additional Showtimes: 9 pm, Saturday, April 6 Led by dynamic singer Kiko Ruiz, producer Jacob Plasse, arranger Michael Eckroth and the “island’s greatest instrumentalists” (The New York Times), Orquesta Akokán has a cohesion forged by years of international touring. The Cuban powerhouse ensemble’s sound has blossomed into an intimate dialogue between good friends, allowing for fearless…
Back for his second chamber music residency at Savannah Music Festival, clarinetist Michael Collins performs his first Savannah recital, also featuring returning pianist Ana-Maria Vera. As Gramophone noted, “Collins plays with an irresistible exuberance.
Additional Showtimes: 4:30 pm, Saturday, April 6 Aptly named the “First Family of Cajun Music,” the Savoy Family Cajun Band hails from Eunice, Louisiana. Patriarch and celebrated accordion builder Marc Savoy is a National Heritage Fellow. His wife Ann Savoy wrote a well-known book on Cajun music history, and has produced numerous recordings with the…
Widely considered one of the masters of the Django Reinhardt style, French guitarist Stephane Wrembel’s music has expanded to incorporate jazz, blues, classical, swing, flamenco and rock ‘n’ roll. He immersed himself in Django’s native Sinti culture (a Western European Roma group), learning from Sinti guitarists Angelo Debarre and Serge Krief. Wrembel then pursued studies…
Additional Showtimes: 5:30 pm, Friday, April 5 Dumpstaphunk is simply one of the funkiest bands out of the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and composed of Neville and Meters family bloodlines, the group ignites deep, gritty grooves that keep audiences on their feet. Alongside Tony Hall, Nick Daniels, Alex Wasily,…
This concert features two composers that were most definitely not influenced by JS Bach, and in the case of Tchaikovsky, Bach’s music was very much “back and beyond.” Although he acknowledged his technical skills, he in no way regarded Bach as a musical legend.
Additional Showtimes: 7 pm, Saturday, April 6 Aptly named the “First Family of Cajun Music,” the Savoy Family Cajun Band hails from Eunice, Louisiana. Patriarch and celebrated accordion builder Marc Savoy is a National Heritage Fellow. His wife Ann Savoy wrote a well-known book on Cajun music history, and has produced numerous recordings with the…
Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs both had transformative impacts on bluegrass and American acoustic music. Celebrating their 100th birth years, this co-bill spotlights each of their musical legacies through stories, tunes and songs. Doc at 100 pulls together friends and former musical collaborators of Arthel “Doc” Watson, also featuring commentary from Ted Olson, author of…
Dumpstaphunk is simply one of the funkiest bands out of the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and composed of Neville and Meters family bloodlines, the group ignites deep, gritty grooves that keep audiences on their feet. Alongside Tony Hall, Nick Daniels, Alex Wasily, John Michael Bradford and Deven Trusclair, cousins…
Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty. Violinists Adam Barnett-Hart and Brendan Speltz have been residents in the Philip Dukes & Friends series for the past two seasons. For this season of SMF, the full quartet returns for their first featured appearance since 2021, welcoming Dukes to…
Additional Showtimes: 5 pm, Thursday, April 4 Widely considered one of the masters of the Django Reinhardt style, French guitarist Stephane Wrembel’s music has expanded to incorporate jazz, blues, classical, swing, flamenco and rock ‘n’ roll. He immersed himself in Django’s native Sinti culture (a Western European Roma group), learning from Sinti guitarists Angelo Debarre…
Additional Showtimes: 8:30 pm, Thursday, April 4 Widely considered one of the masters of the Django Reinhardt style, French guitarist Stephane Wrembel’s music has expanded to incorporate jazz, blues, classical, swing, flamenco and rock ‘n’ roll. He immersed himself in Django’s native Sinti culture (a Western European Roma group), learning from Sinti guitarists Angelo Debarre…
Additional Showtimes: 8 pm, Wednesday, April 3 Isaiah J. Thompson is the 2023 Cole Porter Fellow with the American Pianists Association. Thompson has performed with many acclaimed jazz artists, including Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Buster Williams. As a performer, he focuses on emitting love, spirit and respect, and conveying…
Additional Showtimes: 4:30 pm, Wednesday, April 3 Isaiah J. Thompson is the 2023 Cole Porter Fellow with the American Pianists Association. Thompson has performed with many acclaimed jazz artists, including Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Buster Williams. As a performer, he focuses on emitting love, spirit and respect, and conveying…
Tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain is proud to present TISRA (three) with two of India’s finest young musicians: Sabir Khan and Debopriya Chatterjee. This trio includes tabla (drum), sarangi (strings), and bansuri (bamboo flute), a combination not often heard on the classical stage. Sarangi and bansuri, both folk instruments, have roots in ancient India and its…
Seven years after his sensational SMF debut, bandleader and timple virtuoso Germán López returns with ALMA, a project comprised of musical collaborators performing his boldly original music. The timple soars above its assumed role as an accompanying instrument in his hands. Through ALMA, López connects listeners with flavorful melodies, rhythms and Canary Island “soul”. Please…
Additional Showtimes: 6 pm, Saturday, March 30 Dervish is renowned for their live performances, which combine dazzling sets of Irish tunes with stunning interpretations of traditional songs. Having recently received a lifetime achievement award from the BBC, all six members of Dervish are steeped in the musical traditions of counties Sligo and Leitrim in northwest…
Savannah native Joseph H. Conyers is a highly acclaimed, multi-faceted artist whose innovative work in music education and youth advocacy has been recognized internationally. Now principalbass of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Conyers is also the artistic director and founder of Dubhe, a collective of some of the most influential chamber and orchestral musicians in the world…
