Savannah Music Festival

Cajun Dance Party: BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
2025-03-28 17:30 - 18:45 (America/New_York) | Ships of the Sea, 41 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Savannah, GA, 31401, United States
For 50 years, two-time Grammy winner BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet has been hailed as one of the best Cajun bands in the world. Doucet and the band can be credited with helping take Cajun music from its regional roots in Louisiana to popularity worldwide. Making their Savannah Music Festival debut with these performances, BeauSoleil’s distinctive sound derives from New Orleans jazz, blues rock, folk, swamp pop, zydeco, country and bluegrass. Driven by bandleader Michael Doucet’s spellbinding fiddle and soulful vocals, BeauSoleil always gets audiences dancing!

Performances at North Garden Assembly Room are made possible through support from the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum.This performance is sponsored by Stephanie & Michael ReardonThis performance is sponsored in part by Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
2025-03-28 17:00 - 18:15 | ga
Formed by writer Rina Durante in 1975, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino (CGS) is regarded as Italy’s leading and longest-standing traditional music ensemble, hailing from Salento in Puglia. Italy’s fascinating dichotomy of tradition and modernity comes together in the music of CGS. The seven-piece band and dancer are the leading exponents in a new wave of young performers reinventing Southern Italy’s pizzica music and dance traditions for today’s global audience. The tens of thousands who often congregate for this Lecce-based band’s concerts in Italy know that bandleader, fiddler and drummer Mauro Durante and company can make an audience shimmy with the energy of the ancient ritual of pizzica tarantata, said to cure the tarantula spider’s bite with its frenzied trance-like dances. CGS shows are full of energy, passion, rhythm and mystery, bringing the audience from the past into modernity, and back. This is their first time at Savannah Music Festival.

Performances in the Metal Building are made possible through support by Charles & Rosalie MorrisThis performance is sponsored by Visit Savannah and Rhegan White-Clemm & Timothy ClemmThis performance is sponsored in part by Sound View Wealth Advisors, LLC | Kelly Bouchillon, Emerson Ham, Melissa Bouchillon, Eddie AmbrosePartial support is provided by Jacqueline & Ken Sirlin

Noon30: Emmet Cohen, piano
2025-03-28 12:30 - 13:45 | ga
Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen has emerged as one of his generation’s leading figures in jazz. DownBeat observed that his “nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary indicate he’s above any convoluted technical showmanship.” Possessing a fluid technique, an innovative tonal palette, and an extensive repertoire, Cohen plays with the command of a seasoned veteran and the passion of an artist fully devoted to his medium.

Performances in the Metal Building are made possible through support by Charles & Rosalie MorrisFunding for the Faircloth jazz series is provided by Bob FairclothThis performance is sponsored by Pamela & Peter VossPartial support provided by Steve & Connie LymanPiano by Steinway & Sons

Late Night "Secret" Show featuring Andrew Sovine
2025-03-27 21:00 - 23:30 | ga
Join us after Leftover Salmon on Thursday, March 27th for an exclusive Late Night “Secret” Show one block over at Front Porch Improv. Doors open at 9 PM, music starts at 10 PM.

Andrew Sovine is a versatile artist, writer, and producer based in Savannah, Georgia. As a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, he has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Ashley McBryde, Ian Noe, Jaime Wyatt, Kelsey Waldon, and many more. His work with McBryde has earned multiple Grammy nominations. Sovine frequently partners with producers Bunky Hunt (Detroit) and Jim Reilly (Nashville) and has contributed to projects such as Daphne Parker Powell’s The Starter Wife and Joseph Shipp’s Free For Awhile. He is currently recording his first album of original and traditional country songs.

This event is brought to you by Savannah Music Festival’s ENCORE. ENCORE members support emerging artists, local arts education, and a community of generous, like-minded tastemakers. Plus, they enjoy free access to this and many more festival events. Click here to find out more.

ENCORE’s Presenting Sponsor is b. Matthew’s EaterySponsored by Mary & Patton Dugas, Zachary H. Thomas Law, P.C., Stewart & Kelley Marshall, Front Porch Improv, Shot by Somi Studios, Greg Simpson and Jamie & Brennen Arkins

BalletCollective: Translation
2025-03-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Lucas Theatre for the Arts, 32 Abercorn St., Savannah, GA, 31401, United States
Founded in 2010 by acclaimed choreographer, director, and New York City Ballet soloist Troy Schumacher, arts nonprofit BalletCollective asks not what ballet is, but what it can be. By partnering with both emerging and established art makers and thought leaders, they use a deeply collaborative, signature process to make forward-thinking ballet-based works. This long-anticipated BalletCollective presentation incorporates work by dancer-choreographers and Georgia natives Gabrielle Lamb and Artistic Director Troy Schumacher. This program features scores by composers Caleb Burhans, Phong Tran and Julianna Barwick and pieces from collaborations with artist and MacArthur Fellow Trevor Paglen, game developer Samantha Lee, Chilean installation artist Sergio Mora Diaz and science fiction writer Ken Liu. Anchored by Schumacher’s Translation, the program takes the audience through several styles of ballet.

Performances in the Lucas Theatre are made possible through support from SCADThis performance is sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Curtis AndersonThis performance is sponsored in part by International Paper and Vicki McElreathPiano by Steinway & Sons

Leftover Salmon
2025-03-27 20:00 - 21:30 | Victory North, 2603 Whitaker St., Savannah, GA, 31401, United States
In their fourth decade as a band, Leftover Salmon’s current lineup has been together longer than any other and is one of their strongest ever. Built around founding members Drew Emmitt and Vince Herman, the band is now powered by banjo wizard Andy Thorn, the steady rhythm section of bassist Greg Garrison (who performed at Savannah Music Festival 2024 with Mighty Poplar) and drummer Alwyn Robinson, along with dobro and keyboard player Jay Starling. This lineup continues Salmon’s storied history, which began with their roots in progressive bluegrass and evolved as they became one of the original jam bands and the architects of what is now known as jamgrass. Don’t miss their Savannah Music Festival debut!

This performance is sponsored by Mary & Patton DugasSponsored in part by Queensborough National Bank and TrustPartial support is provided by Chatham Orthopedic Associates, Georgia Ports Authority and Thomas & Hutton

About the venue: Starland District’s premier music venue, Victory North Savannah, offers a two-story, high-quality concert experience. PLEASE NOTE: All concerts at this venue are General Admission with standing room only. Beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages are available, and food can be enjoyed at the restaurant next door. Parking is limited to on-street spaces.

DakhaBrakha
2025-03-27 19:30 - 20:45 | Ships of the Sea, 41 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Savannah, GA, 31401, United States
DakhaBrakha is a quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine that creates a world of unexpected new music. Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, DakhaBrakha was created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art ‘DAKH’ by avant-garde theater director Vladyslav Troitskyi. The name means ‘give/take’ in the old Ukrainian language. After experimenting with Ukrainian folk music, they began to incorporate the rhythms of global traditions into their music, creating the unique and unforgettable sound of DakhaBrakha. Accompanied by Indian, Arabic, African, and Ukrainian traditional instrumentation, the quartet’s astonishingly powerful and uncompromising vocal range creates a distinctive global sound that is still rooted in Ukrainian culture. This is their first Savannah Music Festival appearance since 2017.

“The group mixes everything from punk-pop to traditional Ukrainian songs in cool yet beguiling textures, often with the close harmonies usually associated with Balkan music. But it’s really the live shows that take DakhaBrakha beyond mere curiosity to utter brilliance.”

–NPR

Performances at North Garden Assembly Room are made possible through support from the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum.This performance is sponsored by Ships of the Sea Maritime MuseumThis performance is sponsored in part by Rose Architects

Emmet Cohen & New Jazz Underground
2025-03-27 19:00 - 20:15 | ga
Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen has emerged as one of his generation’s leading figures in jazz. DownBeat observed that his “nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary indicate he’s above any convoluted technical showmanship.” Possessing a fluid technique, an innovative tonal palette, and an extensive repertoire, Cohen plays with the command of a seasoned veteran and the passion of an artist fully devoted to his medium. In this Savannah Music Festival return, Emmet Cohen is joined by New Jazz Underground, a trio that has been described as “an innovative and ultra-creative collective striving to establish themselves as a defining voice for the genre of jazz and beyond”. Merging traditional jazz sensibilities with modern influences such as swing, hip-hop, house, Afrobeat, and Afro-Cuban music, the trio initially gained recognition through viral videos showcasing their chemistry, musicality, and raw ambition.

Performances in the Metal Building are made possible through support by Charles & Rosalie Morris.Funding for the Faircloth Jazz Series is provided by Bob FairclothSponsored by Wilson Morris and Ron & Susan WhitakerSponsored in part by Susan Willetts & Alan PritzPartial support is provided by Cay Insurance ServicesPiano by Steinway & Sons

Julia Fischer & Jan Lisiecki
2025-03-27 18:00 - 19:30 | Trinity United Methodist Church, 127 Barnard Street, Savannah, GA, 31401, United States
One of the world’s leading violinists, Julia Fischer is a versatile musician also known for her extraordinary abilities as a concert pianist, a chamber musician and a music teacher. The first prize at the international Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 1995 was one of the milestones in her early career. She has since performed with top orchestras worldwide and frequently collaborates with renowned conductors. In her Savannah Music Festival debut, Fischer is joined by Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, who made his Savannah Music Festival recital debut in 2017. Lisiecki looks back on a career spanning a decade and a half on the world’s greatest stages. He also works closely with the foremost conductors and orchestras of our time, performing over a hundred concerts a year. This unique duo program will be presented only 15 times in major halls and festivals across North America and Europe. This opening night festival concert is not to be missed.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin Sonata No. 26 in B-flat Major, K. 378Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Opus 24, “Spring“–INTERMISSION–Robert Schumann Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Opus 121

This performance is sponsored by Ron & Susan WhitakerThis performance is sponsored in part by Jackie & Stephen Rabinowitz and Nina & Bill WeilPartial support provided by Marti & Austin SullivanPiano by Steinway & Sons

DakhaBrakha's Borscht Workshop
2025-03-26 18:00 - 19:15 | ga
Join DakhaBrakha in the Teaching Kitchen at the Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden for an evening of Ukrainian folk songs and borscht! In a cooking show style, they’ll prepare a pot of the classic beet soup live on stage, accompanied by traditional Ukrainian tunes. Everyone will get the opportunity to sample the soup at the end of the workshop.

Performances in the Metal Building are made possible through support by Charles & Rosalie Morris.

SMF Jazz Academy Community Block Party
2025-03-08 12:00 - 15:00 | ga
SMF Jazz Academy is bringing it to the streets with a Block Party in partnership with the debut of the new West Broad Street Bandshell. This FREE event will have student jazz performances, food and drinks for purchase, and a public jam session at 2:15 pm. Come out and join us in lifting up Savannah’s rich Jazz history and community!
