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Savannah Music Festival Features Stirring Music in Historic Venues
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| This world premiere, and only U.S. performance of An Evening with Beethoven, features the legendary Beaux Arts Trio in collaboration with distinguished actor Klaus Maria Brandauer. |
Over its 15-day celebration, the festival will present a host of musical acts that appeal to a wide variety of tastes - Classical, Blues, Jazz, Opera, Gospel, Southern Alternative Rock and new world beat genres.
The venue for the Festival is essentially the entire city: historic churches, restored movie palaces, colleges, theaters and auditoriums, lecture halls, and even River Street along the banks of the Savannah River.
"The world has discovered the well-kept secret of Savannah's appeal. Now, with the Savannah Music Festival, we can share the world's best music in settings that have drawn admirers from across the world," said Rob Gibson, executive and artistic director of the Festival.
A producer and scholar, Mr. Gibson is best known in the musical world as the founding and former long term director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
The Festival includes the Jepson Classical Series, sponsored by Alice and Robert Jepson and VeriSign, Inc.; the Feel Better Times 5, sponsored by Memorial Health, which features music from around the world; the Night Shift, featuring different flavors of Jazz, Blues and Zydeco; The Art of Solo Piano; an organ series; an early-evening Blues series and a Jazz series which begins at midnight; and a stand-alone show-stopper, Gershwin for Lovers. The multifaceted Savannah Music Festival also includes several educational opportunities.
Its American Traditions Competition recruits the most promising developing vocal talent in the country to compete for a $10,000 grand prize. In addition, through the generous sponsorship of International Paper, students from throughout the region will be able to participate in master classes. They will be introduced to the pleasures of the jazz guitar, the challenge of vocal performance, the intricacies of chamber music or the unifying power of songs in any language.
The master classes and workshops give aspiring musicians access to the famed mezzo-soprano Frederica Von Stade or the talents of trumpeter Marcus Printup. Additional support for the Youth Concert Series comes from the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs and Leisure Services Bureau, Georgia Council for the Arts, Brasseler USA, SunTrust Bank, The Hodge Foundation, Rich’s-Macy’s and Colonial Oil Industries. The Festival falls in the middle of Savannah's most appealing season, when temperatures are moderate and azaleas are in bloom.
It also coincides this year with some other major attractions that have built a crowd-pleasing history: the Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens, co-sponsored by the Episcopal Church Women of Christ Church and Historic Savannah Foundation, which runs March 25-28, and the Savannah Garden Exposition, set for April 2-3. Ticket prices range from $15 to $60, with many events free of charge. For additional program information visit www.savannahmusicfestival.org, email Info@savannahmusicfestival.org or call (800)-868-FEST.
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