Savannah music festival
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The Savannah Music Festival (SMF)[1] is Georgia's largest musical arts festival, a distinctive cross-genre event celebrating both the rich musical heritage of the South and presenting World-renowned International musicians. It is held annually over an 18 consecutive days in the springtime in Savannah, Georgia. The Festival is one of a kind event for a multitude of reasons that include showcasing all of the events in the beautiful and intimate venues of historical downtown Savannah, commissioning new musical works specifically performed for the SMF, one-time only stagings, unique musical events that bring together world-renowned artists for the first time, and its relentless pursuit not only to entertain but to educate the audience and the children in the surrounding area.
[edit] History
The Festival was founded in 1988 as an effort by community leaders to increase cultural tourism in Savannah and its surrounding area. Previously known as "Savannah Onstage International Arts Festival," the Festival staged music, dance and film programs that attracted audiences primarily from the coastal Southeastern United States. During its fourth year, the organization launched its programmatic centerpiece, the American Traditions Vocal Competition,[2] which still attracts talent from all over North America. [3]
The organization was renamed "Savannah Music Festival" in 2002, and began focusing its artistic scope to spotlight the musical arts. Also in 2002, Rob Gibson became the director of the Festival and since then has brought the Festival into international view. Located in the heart of the region that birthed a huge percentage of American musical traditions, SMF showcases indigenous regional genres alongside tradition-based imports from the rest of America and around the globe. Some of the greatest musicians in the world come to Savannah to perform in the Festival. In the old world atmosphere of historic Savannah (which celebrates its 275 th anniversary in 2008). The financial impact of the festival on the city of Savannah is now second only to the annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration. [4]
[edit] Musical Education Outreach
The Savannah Music Festival provides supplemental arts education programs to nearly 20,000 students annually, an increase from 3,500 students in 2003. The SMF takes advantage of their connection to world-renowned artist by regularly engaging them to teach master classes and workshops, exposing patrons to breakout studies of different strains of music, music history and dance.
Before the 2006 festival, the Georgia Music Educators Association contacted SMF to discuss connecting SMF jazz performers with regional high school jazz students. The jazz band workshop that year brought bands from Georgia and South Carolina, and established a format that contributing clinician James Ketch, Director of Jazz Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, describes as completely unique: the concerted participation of a team of world-class jazz musicians working closely with a group of students.
In 2007, bands from four different southeastern states registered for the weekend intensive, putting students together with master musicians and educators, including Marcus Roberts, Roland Guerin, Jason Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Dave Stryker, Ketch and others. Each band played on an open-air stage in Savannah’s City Market, a major tourist thoroughfare. At the end of the weekend an honors band was selected to open for John Pizzarelli and the New York All-Star Big Band at the Lucas Theatre.
2008 brings the launch of an ambitious effort: SWING CENTRAL, the SMF High School Jazz Band Competition and Workshop. The workshop and competition will take place between April 3 and 5, 2008, and is open to high school jazz bands across the country. Committed to enhancing studies of the jazz tradition in the south, this new format fuses the already established high-quality mentorship program with a high school jazz band competition of national scope.
The Savannah Music Festival regularly collaborates with organizations including the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD); Telfair Museum of Art; Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens; Savannah Economic Development Authority; City of Savannah; Savannah Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; Georgia Department of Economic Development; a cross-section of the city's houses of worship; shopping district merchants; and other music and community groups.
