Savannah Music Festival Announces Artists, Schedule for 2021 Spring Season on May 23-30

Tickets to Go on Sale to the General Public on April 20, Offering Intimate, Socially Distanced Live Performances as Well as Livestream Options

SAVANNAH, Ga. (April 12, 2021) –  Savannah Music Festival (SMF) announced earlier today the lineup of acclaimed classical, jazz and American roots music artists who will perform live during the festival’s much-anticipated 2021 Spring Season, May 23-30.

The festival’s return to live, in-person performances will showcase nine high-quality concerts defined by a strong commitment to safety at two historic venues: the Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden, 660 E. Broughton St., and Trinity United Methodist Church, 127 Barnard St. on Telfair Square. All live performances will be held in limited-capacity settings with face masks and social distancing required.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, April 20 at 10 a.m. and be available for purchase online at savannahmusicfestival.org or by phone at the Savannah Box Office by calling 912.525.5050. Discounts are available for Chatham County residents, senior citizens, military personnel as well as students and educators. With limited capacity seating at performance venues, tickets for the Spring Season are expected to sell out quickly. A select number of concerts will also offer livestream tickets, so as many patrons as possible can safely enjoy this season’s diverse lineup.

“This spring, we’re thrilled to offer exceptional live performances in intimate settings that reinforce the unique exchanges the Savannah Music Festival fosters between audiences and artists,” said Savannah Music Festival Artistic Director Ryan McMaken. “We also look forward to offering live streaming for select concerts and a virtual classical series this spring, along with a combined indoor and outdoor fall season, as we hope audience sizes will be increasing.” 

“Thanks to our generous supporters of our donors, sponsors and SMF In Unison members throughout the pandemic, we’re delighted to return to in-person performances. We have measures in place to prioritize the safety of everyone involved in the productions,” added Interim Executive Director Erin Tatum.

The Savannah Music Festival’s 2021 Spring Season includes the following performances:

• Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet with Wynton Marsalis

Sunday, May 23 at 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. - Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet, under Music Director Wynton Marsalis, will perform a vast repertoire from rare historic compositions to special Jazz at Lincoln Center commissioned works. (Tickets start at $39)

• Performance Today’s “Piano Puzzler” with Bruce Adolphe and Fred Child

Tuesday, May 25 at 6 p.m. - Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden

“Piano Puzzler,” a hugely popular weekly American Public Media program hosted by Fred Child, returns to SMF with renowned composer and pianist Bruce Adolphe challenging the audience to identify popular tunes performed in the style of classical composers. (Tickets start at $25)

• Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y / Camille Thurman and the Darrell Green Quartet

Wednesday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. - Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden

An exciting collaboration, this show will feature two exceptional young jazz bandleaders, including SMF Jazz Academy Artistic Educator In Residence Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y — a hand-selected group of young musicians from The Juilliard School — and Camille Thurman, a composer, multi-instrumentalist and highly inventive vocalist. (Tickets start at $25)

• David Finckel, cello, and Wu Han, piano

Thursday, May 27 at 5:30 p.m. - Trinity United Methodist Church

The first chamber music concert of the 2021 Spring Season, the incomparable, award-winning duo of David Finckel and Wu Han will perform a program entitled “The Immortals,” featuring selected works by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. (Tickets start at $55)

• Rodney Crowell

Thursday, May 27 at 8 p.m. - Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden

Renowned singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell returns to SMF to charm patrons with his country and Americana music, underscoring why he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting by the Americana Music Association. (Tickets start at $25)

• Amythyst Kiah / Jontavious Willis

Friday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. - Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden

Grammy-nominated Americana and country blues artists share the stage for a one-of-a-kind co-bill, featuring Amythyst Kiah, winner of the Folk Alliance International Awards’ Song of the Year, and blues guitarist Jontavious Willis, a Georgia native and returning Savannah Music Festival favorite. (Tickets start at $25)

• Paul Huang, violin, and Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

Saturday, May 29 at 3 p.m. - Trinity United Methodist Church

Widely praised for his intensively expressive playing, Taiwanese-American violinist Paul Huang presents a varied recital program alongside celebrated pianist Anne-Marie McDermott in their SMF debut. (Tickets start at $55)

• Jeremy Denk, piano

Sunday, May 30 at 3 p.m. - Trinity United Methodist Church

One of America’s foremost pianists, Jeremy Denk returns to Savannah to perform selected works by Bach, Beethoven, Joplin/Chauvin and Schubert. (Tickets start at $55)

The SMF Spring Season will include enhanced health and safety measures, including touchless electronic ticketing, reserved seating and social distancing between parties. All performance venues will feature multiple hand sanitizing stations. Patrons will be required to wear face masks and adhere to safety-related initiatives, including assigned entry points and staggered arrival times. Dates, artist information and programming information for the Fall Season will follow at a later date. SMF will return for a full festival season March 24 through April 9, 2022.

With the announcement of the Spring Season, SMF is also showcasing a new look. After an extensive process examining the organization’s role and purpose, the new mark, tagline and slogan were designed to highlight SMF’s aim to entertain, educate and unite the community through exceptional live music.

ABOUT SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL:

A leading nonprofit performing arts organization, Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is dedicated to presenting world-class celebrations of the musical arts by creating timeless and adventurous productions that stimulate arts education, foster economic growth and unite artists and audiences in Savannah. In addition to year-round music education and broadcast initiatives, SMF has produced one of the most distinctive multi-genre music festivals in the world for more than three decades. Hailed by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution as “one of the gleaming musical treasures of the Southeast'' and by the Toronto Star as “one of North America’s most distinctive musical events,” the Savannah Music Festival has featured more than 2,000 artists over the past three decades. The Spring 2021 festival will take place May 23-30 in intimate, socially distanced live and live-streamed performances in historic Savannah venues. For more information, visit savannahmusicfestival.org.

Savannah Music Festival recognizes the following donors and sponsors for their generous support of the 2020-2021 season: Curt & Libba Anderson, R. Scott & Meredith D. Belford, The Chatham Foundation, Chestnut Family Foundation, Connect Savannah, Dorothea & Tim Coy, Critz Auto Group, The Drayton Hotel, First City Capital Management, Floor & Decor, Georgia Council for the Arts, Willard & Jean Holland, Toby W. Hollenberg, George & Ann Hubbs, Joan & Jim Hunter, HunterMaclean, David & Caroline Johnson, Josh & Kelley Keller, The Kennickell Group, Karen & Ted Kleisner, Kole Management Company, Dave Lake & Linda Wright, Dayle & Aaron Levy, Robert M. & Diane v.S. Levy, The Marjorie E. & B.H. Levy, Jr. Charitable Fund, May Wall & Walter Lynch, Mr. & Mrs. Jerry McElreath, Memorial Health, Wilson & Linda Fisk Morris, Charles & Rosalie Morris, National Endowment for the Arts, Dave & Sylvaine Neises, Palmetto Financial Group, Larry Pike, Jackie & Stephen Rabinowitz, Stephanie & Michael Reardon, Thomas V. & Susan G. Reilly, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Savannah Morning News, Shelby G. Schavoir, The Solomons Fund, Sound View Wealth Advisors, LLC, South Arts and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Southbound Brewing Co., Steinway & Sons, Robin & Sandy Stuart, Zach Thomas, Trustees' Garden, Mr. & Mrs. John Tucker, Visit Savannah, Pamela & Peter Voss, Anne P. West, Ron & Susan Whitaker, Gail & Paul Wickes, WRUU, WTOC 11 and Harold & Peggy Yellin. 

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