2019 Savannah Music Festival Brochure by Savannah Music Festival

3 0 TH F E S T I VA L S E A S O N MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

SAVA N N A H M U S I C F E ST I VA L .O R G

This season, we celebrate 30 years of the Savannah Music Festival (SMF) and its contribution to our community through the presentation of extraordinary musical arts. From its beginnings as Savannah On Stage, SMF has grown to become one of the nation’s leading springtime musical arts events, known for innovative programming and attracting artists and audiences from across the country and overseas.

ANDA UNION

Wednesday, April 10 at 7 pm and Thursday, April 11 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center See page 42

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

We are grateful to all past and present board members, supporters, community partners, patrons, staff and volunteers for all they have contributed to the organization’s success. Over the last 30 years we have: •

Stimulated arts education, reaching tens of thousands of local students through classroom work and field trips, and providing artistic mentorship and professional development to nearly 4,000 of the nation’s leading high school jazz musicians and more than 100 young luminaries in acoustic music.

•

Fostered local economic growth, now with an annual impact of more than $11 million in direct spending and nearly $1 million in tax revenues.

•

United artists and audiences, with annual festival attendance of more than 34,000, connecting to 500+ artists through the presentation of premieres, commissioned work and original productions.

We wouldn’t be able to fulfill our mission were it not for the generous giving of many donors and sponsors that support SMF year after year. Thank you for all you have done to help build this incredible cultural and economic asset in Savannah. The 2019 season promises to deliver another year of extraordinary festival programming. We are especially excited about Mr. & Mrs. Curtis G. Anderson Associate Artistic Director Daniel Hope’s chamber music programs and his performance of Beethoven’s “Triple” Concerto with David Finckel, Wu Han and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Associate Artistic Director Marcus Roberts’ two featured performances, including “Romance, Swing and the Blues” for the Swing Central Jazz Finale and his trio’s appearance with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, which is the first full-scale collaboration between our two organizations. Associate Artistic Director Mike Marshall plays a program of Baroque and world music for the mandolin with Caterina

Lichtenberg, and performs bluegrass and new acoustic music in a duet with Darol Anger, the two celebrating their 40th anniversary of making music together since their early days with the David Grisman Quintet. Renowned artists from Inner Mongolia, Cuba, Argentina, Scotland, Ireland, Mauritania, Mali, Benin, Spain, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Israel, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary and throughout North America are among those appearing on SMF stages in the spring of 2019. We invite you to join us for the 30th festival season, to play your part in the unfiltered exchange between passionate listeners and exceptional artists that continues to fuel SMF. Stay tuned through SMF social media or our e-mail list for additional concert announcements in 2019, but to get the very best seats, don’t wait to buy your tickets. We look forward to seeing you at the festival! David Pratt Executive Director

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

Ryan McMaken Artistic Director

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Supporters & Sponsors

C O R P O R AT E & G OV E R N M E N T S U P P O R T E R S FOUNDER

savannahga.gov

Investment in the Savannah Music Festival is provided by the City of Savannah DIAMOND

P L AT I N U M

HunterMaclean

A T T O R N E Y S

GOLD

S I LV E R

BRONZE

& KH

l i n c o l n

PA R K I N G G A R AG E

Kaufman-Heinz LLC

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Supporters & Sponsors

CONCERT CIRCLE CONTRIBUTORS FOUNDER

Bob Faircloth DIAMOND

Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Curtis G. Anderson Laura Devendorf & Meredith Devendorf Dr. Bill Dickinson & Dr. Joe Ann Brandt Charles & Rosalie Morris Ron & Susan Whitaker P L AT I N U M

GOLD

S I LV E R

David & Linda Bush Charles A. Frueauff Foundation Nancy & Larry Fuller Marla & Morris Geffen Dayle & Aaron Levy Walter Lynch & May Wall Tom & Ruth McMullin Wilson & Linda Fisk Morris Dave & Sylvaine Neises Mr. Robert Parker, Jr. Thomas V. & Susan G. Reilly Karen & Don Ringsby Shelby G. Schavoir Pamela & Peter Voss Anne P. West

Courtney Knight Gaines Foundation Dorothea & Tim Coy J C Lewis Foundation David & Caroline Johnson Kole Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Jerry McElreath Jackie & Stephen Rabinowitz Stephanie & Michael Reardon Doug & Lamar Webb Gail & Paul Wickes

Mr. Henry R. & Mrs. Leslie Lauer Berghoef Byck-Rothschild Foundation, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Robbie Harrison George & Ann Hubbs Joan & Jim Hunter Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Jepson, Jr. Karen & Ted Kleisner Dr. David Lake & Dr. Linda Wright Robert M. & Diane v.S. Levy Ellen Neises Tom & Diane Oxnard The Chatham Foundation The Solomons Family Mr. & Mrs. John L. Tucker Susan Willetts & Alan Pritz Harold & Peggy Yellin

BRONZE

Anonymous Jan & Gus Bell Walter G. Canipe Foundation Joan & Gary Capen Mr. & Mrs. William J. Donahue Dr. M. M. Finn Friends of the Savannah Music Festival Georgia Music Foundation Mr. Robert Hochstetler & Ms. Jill Kammermeyer Willard & Jean Holland

Mrs. Toby W. Hollenberg Bill & Becky Keightley Richard K. Lane Mrs. Robert O. Levitt The Marjorie E. & B.H. Levy, Jr. Charitable Fund Inge & Mark Moore Ellen O’Bannon Roger & Rachel Page Elizabeth C. Peeples

Don & Phyllis Powell Dr. & Mrs. Andrew T. Sheils, Jr. Jacqueline & Ken Sirlin Marti & Austin Sullivan The Sussman Family Rex & Dee Ann Templeton The Hunter Foundation Mrs. Paul Tietz Hart & Dee Williford

MEDIA SPONSORS

All sponsors, supporters and donors are listed by giving levels as of October 19, 2018 SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

At a glance

Thursday, March 28

Saturday, March 30

Tuesday, April 2

Thursday, April 4

12:30 pm John Doyle CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins

4 pm John Medeski’s Mad Skillet / Jon Cleary SOS $39 • 2 hrs 30 mins

12:30 pm Aaron Diehl: Blues & The Spanish Tinge CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins

11 am Daniel Hope & Friends III TUMC $42 • 1 hr

5 pm John Pizzarelli Trio with Catherine Russell present: “Billie & Blue Eyes” CMC $42 • 1 hr 20 mins

12:30 pm Jerry Douglas, dobro CMC $37 • 1 hr 15 mins

6 pm Zydeco Dance Party: Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas CMC $39 • 1 hr 15 mins 6 pm Juho Pohjonen, piano TUMC $57 • 1 hr 30 mins 7:30 pm The Del McCoury Band / Steep Canyon Rangers LT $80 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 3 hrs 8 pm Fatoumata Diawara / Noura Mint Seymali SOS $42 • 2 hrs

8:30 pm Zydeco Dance Party: Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas CMC $39 • 1 hr 15 mins

Friday, March 29 12:30 pm Mike + Ruthy CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins 5:30 pm Asleep at the Wheel SOS $42 • 1 hr 30 mins 6 pm Daniel Hope & Friends I with Juho Pohjonen TUMC $57 • 1 hr 40 mins 7:30 pm I’m With Her LT $80 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 1 hr 30 mins 8 pm Daymé Arocena CMC $42 • 1 hr 15 mins 8:30 pm Asleep at the Wheel SOS $42 • 1 hr 30 mins DA N C I N G & S TA N D I N G The dancing icon identifies performances where the audience is encouraged to be up on their feet and/or dancing. S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

6 pm Dafnis Prieto Big Band CMC $42 • 1 hr 10 mins 7 pm Atlanta Symphony Orchestra LT $74, 64, 54, 44 1 hr 35 mins

6 pm Daniel Hope & Friends II with Lars Vogt TUMC $57 • 1 hr 50 mins

7:30 pm Punch Brothers TT $65, 55, 45, 35 1 hr 30 mins

7:30 pm Flamenco Virtuoso: Vicente Amigo LT $80 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 1 hr 30 mins

8 pm John Medeski’s Mad Skillet / Jon Cleary SOS $39 • 2 hrs 30 mins 8:30 pm Dafnis Prieto Big Band CMC $42 • 1 hr 10 mins

8 pm John Pizzarelli Trio with Catherine Russell present: “Billie & Blue Eyes” CMC $42 • 1 hr 20 mins

Sunday, March 31

Wednesday, April 3

4 pm Kat Edmonson / Pokey LaFarge CMC $42 • 2 hrs

5 pm John Pizzarelli Trio with Catherine Russell present: “Billie & Blue Eyes” CMC $42 • 1 hr 20 mins

5 pm The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with Daniel Hope TUMC $57 • 1 hr 50 mins

8 pm John Pizzarelli Trio with Catherine Russell present: “Billie & Blue Eyes” CMC $42 • 1 hr 20 mins

7 pm Kat Edmonson / Pokey LaFarge CMC $42 • 2 hrs

NEW IN 2019!

F A M I LYF R I E N D LY PERFORMANCES

Monday, April 1 12:30 pm Pokey LaFarge CMC $30 • 1 hr 10 mins 6 pm Lars Vogt, piano TUMC $57 • 1 hr 50 mins 7 pm Aaron Diehl Trio / Chris Pattishall Quintet: Zodiac Suite CMC $42 • 2 hrs 20 mins 3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

Children 5 years of age or younger receive free admission when accompanied by paying adult ticket holders.* SMF encourages parents to look for the family icon to identify familyfriendly performances within the 2019 season lineup. *Limit one child per one paying adult. See page 57 for detailed information on available ticket discounts for children and students.

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

4 pm

Jazz on the River Rousakis Plaza Free • 3 hrs

5:30 pm Herlin Riley Quintet / Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio CMC $42 • 2 hrs 7 pm Andersson Dance & Scottish Ensemble: Goldberg Variations - ternary patterns for insomnia LT $85 (Gold), 67, 57, 47, 37 1 hr 15 mins 7:30 pm The Earls of Leicester TT $65, 55, 45, 35 1 hr 30 mins 8:30 pm Herlin Riley Quintet / Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio CMC $42 • 2 hrs

Friday, April 5 8:30 am Swing Central Jazz Competition LT Free • 7 hrs 11 am Caterina Lichtenberg & Mike Marshall: Bach to Brazil UU $42 • 1 hr 15 mins 12:30 pm Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins 5:30 pm Kathy Mattea / Molly Tuttle Band SOS $42 • 2 hrs 6 pm Daniel Hope & Friends IV TUMC $57 • 1 hr 30 mins

At a glance

Friday, April 5 (cont.)

Monday, April 8

Thursday, April 11

Saturday, April 13

6:30 pm Swing Central Jazz Finale: Romance, Swing and the Blues LT $74 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 2 hrs 45 mins

6 pm Daniel Hope & Friends V CMI $57 • 1 hr 30 mins

11 am tenThing TUMC $42 • 1 hr

2 pm Modern Broadway CMC $42 • 1 hr 15 mins

12:30 pm Anda Union CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins

4 pm Christopher Hope Presents “My Son the Fiddler” TUMC $57 • 1 hr 15 mins

8:30 pm Kathy Mattea / Molly Tuttle Band SOS $42 • 2 hrs 10 pm Late Night Jazz Jam CMC $42 • 2 hrs

Saturday, April 6 12:30 pm Courtney Granger CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins 6 pm Cajun Dance Party: Pine Leaf Boys / Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs CMC $39 • 2 hrs 7:30 pm Rhapsody in Blue and the Firebird Suite JMT $85 (Gold), 78, 73, 58, 40, 30 1 hr 30 mins 8 pm Angélique Kidjo’s Remain in Light LT $80 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 1 hr 30 mins 9 pm Cajun Dance Party: Pine Leaf Boys / Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs CMC $39 • 2 hrs

Sunday, April 7 5 pm Santiago Ballerini, tenor TUMC $42 • 1 hr 30 mins 6 pm Roby Lakatos / Sam Reider and the Human Hands LT $80 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 2 hrs 20 mins

7 pm Bryan Sutton & David Grier / Mike Marshall & Darol Anger CMC $42 • 2 hrs 15 mins

Tuesday, April 9 5 pm Dreamers’ Circus / Seamus Egan Project CMC $42 • 2 hrs 6 pm The Tallis Scholars TUMC $57 • 1 hr 30 mins 7 pm Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder LT $80 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 1 hr 30 mins 8 pm Dreamers’ Circus / Seamus Egan Project CMC $42 • 2 hrs

6 pm Jerusalem Quartet TUMC $57 • 2 hrs 7 pm Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait TT $37 • 1 hr 10 mins 7:30 pm Union Tanguera and Kate Weare Company, a collaboration, Sin Salida LT $85 (Gold), 67, 57, 47, 37 1 hr 15 mins 7:30 pm Charlie Hunter Trio Feat. Lucy Woodward CMC $37 • 1 hr 30 mins 8 pm Dimmer Twins / T. Hardy Morris SOS $39 • 2 hrs 30 mins

Friday, April 12

Wednesday, April 10

11 am tenThing TUMC $42 • 1 hr

11 am Sebastian Knauer, piano TUMC $42 • 1 hr

12:30 pm Robbie Fulks with Robbie Gjersoe CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins

12:30 pm Darrell Scott CMC $30 • 1 hr 15 mins

6 pm Daniel Hope & Sebastian Knauer: Homage to Yehudi Menuhin TUMC $57 • 1 hr 45 mins

6 pm Daniel Hope & Friends VI Balkan Roots TUMC $57 • 1 hr 30 mins 7 pm Anda Union CMC $42 • 1 hr 30 mins 8 pm Pat Metheny Side Eye with James Francies & Nate Smith TT $65, 55, 45, 35 2 hrs

6 pm Stringband Spectacular: Acoustic Music Seminar Finale SCAC $20 • 2 hrs 30 mins 8 pm Jeff Tweedy LT $80 (Gold), 67, 57, 47, 37 1 hr 30 mins 8:30 pm Latin Dance Party: El Septeto Santiaguero SOS $39 • 1 hr 30 mins

4 pm Closing Night Party: Maceo Parker SOS $42 • 1 hr 30 mins 5 pm Modern Broadway CMC $42 • 1 hr 15 mins 7:30 pm Robert Earl Keen / Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore LT $80 (Gold), 65, 55, 45, 35 2 hrs 30 mins 8 pm Closing Night Party: Maceo Parker SOS $42 • 1 hr 30 mins

VENUE KEY CMC......... Charles H. Morris Center 10 East Broad Street CMI.......Congregation Mickve Israel 20 East Gordon Street JMT............ Johnny Mercer Theatre 301 West Oglethorpe Avenue LT........... Lucas Theatre for the Arts 32 Abercorn Street SOS............North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum 41 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd SCAC.................... Savannah Cultural Arts Center 201 Montgomery Street TUMC.......................... Trinity United Methodist Church 127 Barnard Street TT........................... Trustees Theater 216 East Broughton Street UU.....Unitarian Universalist Church 311 East Harris Street See pages 58 and 59 for area map and listing of festival venues.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Thursday, March 28

Zydeco Dance Party! JOHN DOYLE 8

Thursday, March 28 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30 Born into an extended family of musicians in Dublin, John Doyle honed his signature lefthand finger picking style on the guitar at a young age. His powerful playing later provided the signature rhythmic backbone for IrishAmerican supergroup Solas. The ensemble took the folk and Celtic music worlds by storm, performing to sold-out audiences across the globe. Since then, Doyle has continued to perfect his craft on the road and in the studio, collaborating with some of the most revered names in the genre including Heidi Talbot, Tim O’Brien and fellow Solas founder Karan Casey, and earning a Grammy nomination for his work with fiddler Liz Carroll in 2010. He kicks off SMF 2019 with a solo lunchtime set at the Charles H. Morris Center.

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

N AT H A N & T H E ZYDECO CHA CHAS

JUHO POHJONEN, PIANO

Thursday, March 28 at 6 and 8:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $39

Thursday, March 28 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57

Nathan Williams’ command of the piano accordion has made him one of the most admired players on the zydeco scene. Growing up in a Creole-speaking home in St. Martinville, Louisiana, Williams eagerly sought out the music of zydeco pioneers like Clifton Chenier and Buckwheat Zydeco. His dedication to the genre blossomed into an illustrious career, encompassing over 10 albums and spanning three decades. Williams’ band, the Zydeco Cha Chas, are an expression of his South Louisiana family. Nathan’s brother, Dennis Paul Williams, brings his jazz-influenced guitar chops to the group, while son Nathan Williams Jr. plays the keyboard and cousin Mark Williams joins on rubboard. Rounding out the Cha Chas is the exceptional rhythm section of bassist Paul Newman and drummer Herman “Rat” Brown, who held the drum chair with Buckwheat Zydeco for many years. Returning to Savannah after their SMF debut in 2012, Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas will turn the Morris Center into a lively dance hall with their infectious Louisiana boogie!

PROGRAM

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

RAMEAU Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin Suite in A minor, RCT 5 Suite in G Major, RCT 6 SCRIABIN Sonata No. 8, Opus 66 Sonata No. 10, Opus 70 Celebrated as one of Finland’s most outstanding pianists, Juho Pohjonen has received widespread acclaim for his profound musicianship and distinctive interpretations of a broad range of repertoire from Bach to Salonen. His studies began in 1989 at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he eventually earned his master’s degree and went on to a three-year tenure with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Bowers Program. He has since performed at festivals and in concert halls worldwide, and enjoys frequent continued collaboration with both The Chamber Music Society and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Thursday, March 28

THE DEL MCCOURY BAND / STEEP CANYON RANGERS Thursday, March 28 at 7:30 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35 For more than 50 years, Del McCoury’s music has defined authenticity for not only bluegrass enthusiasts, but for a growing number of fans only vaguely familiar with the genre. After coming under the tutelage of Bill Monroe in the 1960s, McCoury worked his way to the top of the bluegrass world, emerging onto the larger musical scene as a unique torchbearer for the entire sweep of the genre and its history. Now helming The Del McCoury Band with sons Ronnie and Rob, fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Alan Bartram, McCoury’s fierce musicianship and easy connection with listeners has bred fans across musical borders. With only a single change in membership in their 20 year history, the band’s unprecedented stability and prowess has garnered the respect of the industry for their work, evidenced by their many accolades including two Grammy Awards and nine International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Entertainer of the Year trophies. The North Carolina-based sextet Steep Canyon Rangers has spent the nearly two decades since their founding in 2000 bending the bluegrass aesthetic and wedding it to elements of pop, country and folk rock. The Grammy Award-winning band has toured and collaborated with comedian/banjo player Steve Martin since 2009, and is made up of Woody Platt on guitar and lead vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle, Mike Guggino on mandolin, Barrett Smith on bass, Graham Sharp on banjo and Mike Ashworth on percussion. They performed to sold-out crowds at two previous Savannah Music Festivals as well as our Rollin’ & Tumblin’ event in February 2016.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

•

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Thursday, March 28

FATO U M ATA D I AWA R A / N O U R A M I N T S E Y M A L I Thursday, March 28 at 8 pm North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum $42 Hailed as one of the most vital artists in modern African music, Fatoumata Diawara returns to Savannah after her SMF debut on a co-bill with Bombino in 2014. Born to Malian parents on the Ivory Coast in 1982, Diawara’s career began at the age of 19 with the French street theater company Royal de Luxe, which led to her backing American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré. She has since recorded with Bobby Womack and Herbie Hancock, played Glastonbury and other major festivals and toured with Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca. A modern-day storyteller, she has most recently shared the stage with David Crosby and Snarky Puppy in an evening of topical protest songs at Carnegie Hall, providing “the night’s most striking moments,” according to Rolling Stone. Winner of the 2014 AFRIMA (All Africa Music Awards) for “Best Female Artist in North Africa,” Noura Mint Seymali is Mauritania’s defining artist on the international stage. Drawing deep on the timeless repertoire of the Moorish griot, a hereditary class of musical poet/historians, her band conjures “a full-blown sandstorm of hypnotic grooves, melding traditional Mauritanian instruments, like the ardine (harp) and tidinite (lute), within an electrified psychedelic rock band” (The Quietus). Expanding a sound born of Arabian and Sub-Saharan roots, Noura Mint Seymali bends the arc of Moorish musical tradition.

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Friday, March 29

MIKE + RUTHY

DANIEL HOPE & FRIENDS I WITH JUHO POHJONEN

OF THE MAMMALS Friday, March 29 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30 Hudson Valley-based husband-and-wife duo Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar (otherwise known simply as Mike + Ruthy) have made waves in the Americana world for nearly twenty years. They tour upwards of a hundred shows a year (with their two kids in tow), sharing bills with industry luminaries as diverse as The Avett Brothers, Milk Carton Kids and Elephant Revival, and produce a bi-annual Hudson Valley folk festival called The Hoot. In 2018, Merenda and Ungar reintroduced “ In the vanguard of the high-energy folk rock sound that they today’s vibrant folk helped define in the early 2000s by reforming revival.” POP MATTERS their seminal stringband The Mammals. They kick off day two of SMF 2019 with an intimate duo set.

Friday, March 29 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 PROGRAM

MOZART Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478 String Duo No. 2 in B-flat Major, K. 424 Prelude and Fugue No. 2 for String Trio in G minor, K. 404a (after J.S. Bach) Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 493 ARTISTS

Benny Kim, violin Paul Neubauer, viola CarlaMaria Rodrigues, viola Eric Kim, cello Keith Robinson, cello Juho Pohjonen, piano Each spring, SMF’s Mr. & Mrs. Curtis G. Anderson Associate Artistic Director and violinist Daniel Hope gathers a spectacular group of chamber musician friends from around the globe in Savannah for the festival’s renowned chamber music series “Daniel Hope & Friends.” In their first concert of the season, the Friends join Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen for an all-Mozart program.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Friday, March 29

A S L E E P AT T H E W H E E L Friday, March 29 at 5:30 and 8:30 pm North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum $42 After a three-night stand at the Charles H. Morris Center in 2015, Asleep at the Wheel returns to play the opening weekend of SMF’s 30th anniversary season! With 10 Grammy Awards and more than 25 albums to their name, Asleep at the Wheel has maintained their reputation as a giant of Texas swing since the early 1970s, with no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Held together over their storied history by frontman Ray Benson and featuring eight to 11 musicians at any given time, the band’s alumni roster is well over 100 members, and includes an impressive list of artists who have gone on to perform with the likes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Lyle Lovett. In reviving the freewheeling, eclectic sensibility of Western swing godfather Bob Wills—what Benson describes as “jazz with a cowboy hat”—the musicianship of Asleep at the Wheel makes them a standard bearer in the genre.

“ Asleep at the Wheel is keeping the pedal to the floor…[with] an undying vision to keep this distinct brand of music alive.”

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

DALLAS OBSERVER

Friday, March 29

I’M WITH HER S A R A WAT K I N S • S A R A H JA R O S Z • AO I F E O ’ D O N OVA N Friday, March 29 at 7:30 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35 After years of crossing paths in their intersecting scenes, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan sparked an easy chemistry when they came together for an off-the-cuff performance at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival. In the years since, the women have formed a special, family-like bond, garnering acclaim for their unique blend of instrumental interplay combined with their indelible harmonies. Collectively, the multi-Grammy Award winners have released seven solo efforts, co-founded two seminal bands (Nickel Creek and Crooked Still) and contributed to critically-acclaimed albums from a host of esteemed artists. Though two of the three bandmates have played SMF in the past (Jarosz in 2010, 2013 and 2017 and O’Donovan in 2010, 2014 and 2017), 2019 marks the Savannah debut of I’m With Her.

“ Together their sound is both ethereal and purposeful, a combination of searing musicianship and tender vocals.” THE GUARDIAN

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Friday, March 29

DAY M É A R O C E N A Friday, March 29 at 8 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Drawing inspiration from the intertwining musical legacies of her native Cuba, 27-year-old Daymé Arocena is a vocal powerhouse who has been described by NPR Music as “a magical mash-up of The Queen of Latin Music, Celia Cruz, and The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.” Born to a family steeped in music, Daymé had already won the prestigious Marti y el Arte award and was performing professionally as principal singer with the big band Los Primos by age 14. Once she caught the attention of jazz impresario Wynton Marsalis, much-lauded saxophonist Jane Bunnett and Brownswood Recordings founder Gilles Peterson, her career skyrocketed. She has since released three albums and toured worldwide from LA to Tokyo, all the while carrying the torch for a new generation of Cuban musicians. Don’t miss her SMF debut in a night of Afro-Cuban jazz at the Charles H. Morris Center!

“ This Cuban soul singer is burning up the stages wherever she plays. With her strong and powerful voice, she’s reigniting the Cuban soundtrack.” NPR MUSIC

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Saturday, March 30

JOHN MEDESKI’S MAD SKILLET / JON CLEARY Saturday, March 30 at 4 and 8 pm North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum $39 John Medeski’s Mad Skillet and Jon Cleary both make their SMF debuts in a night of New Orleans groove steeped in jazz, blues, psychedelic rock and R&B. Best known for his buoyant, organ-centric approach to jazz as one-third of the trailblazing trio Medeski Martin & Wood, John Medeski is a highly sought-after improviser and bandleader. His latest group, Mad Skillet, was born of a late-night show in New Orleans during Jazz Fest 2015 and consists of guitarist/bandleader Will Bernard (Stanton Moore Trio, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress), sousaphone player Kirk Joseph and drummer Terence Higgins. The diverse, far-reaching backgrounds of Medeski and Bernard alongside this formidable New Orleans rhythm section has generated what Medeski calls “a vast music universe with limitless potential.” Jon Cleary is world-renowned as an accomplished keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist. His 35 years of work in the New Orleans music scene has resulted in his own eclectic style steeped in ‘70s soul, gospel, funk and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. As soon as he was old enough to leave England in 1980, Cleary took off for the Crescent City, having been captivated by the New Orleans sound for most of his life as a musician. Once there, his increasingly high-profile performances revealed a level of proficient versatility that led to recording sessions and international touring work in the bands of Taj Mahal, John Scofield, Dr. John and Bonnie Raitt, who later dubbed Cleary “the ninth wonder of the world.”

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Saturday, March 30

DAFNIS PRIETO BIG BAND Saturday, March 30 at 6 and 8:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto honors his musical heroes and mentors—including Eddie Palmieri, Chico O’Farrill, Michel Camilo, Jane Bunnett, Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman and others—with his 17-piece orchestra. Showcasing some of the world’s best Latin jazz musicians, Prieto’s compositions mix lush and jubilant melodies with polyrhythms that display a range of musical vocabularies from Latin jazz to classical chamber music.

“ Prieto’s gifts as a composer, arranger and ensemble-driving drummer are on full display throughout a set of swirling, colorfilled compositions.” VENICE MAGAZINE

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Saturday, March 30

AT L A N TA SY M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A ROBERT SPANO, MUSIC DIRECTOR DANIEL HOPE, VIOLIN DAV I D F I N C K E L , C E L LO WU HAN, PIANO

Saturday, March 30 at 7 pm 6 pm Pre-Concert Talk with Ken Meltzer Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $44 PROGRAM

BEETHOVEN Egmont Overture, Opus 84 Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major, Opus 56 SCHUMANN Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, “Spring” In their 14th consecutive SMF performance, the world-renowned Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) returns to the Lucas stage under maestro Robert Spano. Joining them are SMF’s Mr. & Mrs. Curtis G. Anderson Associate Artistic Director Daniel Hope and festival favorites David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Music@Menlo. Frequent collaborators with Hope in recent years, Finckel and Han are distinguished for bringing a “unity of mind and spirit” to Beethoven (Chicago Tribune). The Beethoven “Triple” is a masterful balancing act, weaving three distinct voices into a joyous whole. This exuberant program begins with the Overture from Egmont, a set of incidental pieces composed for the Goethe play of the same name, and closes with the joyful “Spring” Symphony by Robert Schumann.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Saturday, March 30

PUNCH BROTHERS Saturday, March 30 at 7:30 pm Trustees Theater Tickets start at $35 Punch Brothers are the acoustic quintet of mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjoist Noam Pikelny and violinist Gabe Witcher. The band formed in 2006, and played to sold-out theaters at SMF in 2009 and 2014. The members of this unique ensemble have been prolific over the past decade, with Chris Thile taking over Live from Here (formerly A Prairie Home Companion), Chris Eldridge joining forces with guitarist Julian Lage, Noam Pikelny releasing a solo project and touring with Stuart Duncan, Gabe Witcher producing albums for Pikelny and Sara Watkins (see page 13), and Paul Kowert recording and touring with the Dave Rawlings Machine and Hawktail. Says The Washington Post, “With enthusiasm and experimentation, Punch Brothers take bluegrass to its next evolutionary stage, drawing equal inspiration from the brain and the heart.”

“ The acoustic framework dazzles—wild virtuosity used for more than just virtuosity.”

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

ROLLING STONE

Sunday, March 31

K AT E D M O N S O N / P O K E Y L A FA R G E Sunday, March 31 at 4 and 7 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Kat Edmonson seemingly came out of nowhere in 2009 to take the Austin, Texas music scene by storm. The “Old Fashioned Gal” who cites Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra as her musical influences began to write songs as a child, looking to the Great American Songbook for inspiration. After becoming a regular at The Elephant Room—Austin’s premier jazz club— and a stint on American Idol, Edmonson began building a following and making connections that energized her career. In 2009, she independently released her debut, Take to the Sky, which wound up climbing into the Top 20 of the Billboard Jazz charts. Soon after, she found herself playing gigs with the likes of Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett, forming a musical kinship with the latter. Her first album of entirely original songs, Old Fashioned Gal, was released in the spring of 2018. Fusing the sounds of the past with the energy of the present day, Americana singersongwriter Pokey LaFarge makes music inspired by classic country, blues, folk and Western swing. Born Andrew Heissler in 1983—though nicknamed Pokey by his mother due to his slowmoving nature as a child—LaFarge developed an early interest in American literature, history and 20th century roots music. By his teens, LaFarge was combining his passions into his own music, accompanying himself on guitar, mandolin and banjo. He later crossed paths with a handful of like-minded musicians and was soon touring with his own combo, the South City Three. This solo performance follows up his SMF debut in 2014.

POKEY LAFARGE N E X T- DAY LUNCHTIME ENCORE

Monday, April 1 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Sunday, March 31

THE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER WITH DANIEL HOPE Sunday, March 31 at 5 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 PROGRAM

SUK Quartet in A minor, Opus 1 BRAHMS Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Opus 60 DVOŘÁK Quartet in E-flat Major, Opus 87 ARTISTS

Daniel Hope, violin Paul Neubauer, viola David Finckel, cello Wu Han, piano

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is known for the extraordinary quality of its performances, its inspired programming and for setting the benchmark for chamber music worldwide. Under the artistic direction of David Finckel and Wu Han—the husbandwife duo who have performed at all but one Savannah Music Festival since 2007—CMS is one of eleven constituents of New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. Finckel and Han reunite with Daniel Hope and Paul Neubauer after triumphant American and European tours and a spectacular recording release for a program of essential works for piano quartet. Between repertoire favorites of Brahms and Dvořák, the artists offer the warm-hearted piano quartet by the renowned Czech Romantic composer and violinist Josef Suk, a student of Dvořák who eventually became his beloved son-in-law.

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Monday, April 1

L A R S V O G T, P I A N O Monday, April 1 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 PROGRAM

BRAHMS Three Intermezzi, Opus 117 Four Klavierstücke, Opus 119 Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 35 JANÁČEK Sonata 1.X.1905 BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Opus 57, “Appassionata” Born in the German town of Düren in 1970, Lars Vogt first came to public attention when he won second prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition at 20 years old. In the nearly 30 years since, he has enjoyed a varied career. His versatility as an artist ranges from the core classical repertoire of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms to the romantics Grieg, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, through to the dazzling Lutosławski concerto. Having performed with many of the world’s great orchestras, Vogt is increasingly working as a conductor. In 2015, he took up his post as Music Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia at Sage Gateshead, UK. This recital marks his SMF debut.

AARON DIEHL TRIO / C H R I S PAT T I S H A L L Q U I N T E T: ZO D I AC S U I T E Monday, April 1 at 7 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Classically trained pianist/composer and SMF favorite Aaron Diehl has made an indelible mark on the jazz world over the last 15 years. In 2011, he was named Cole Porter Fellow by the American Pianists Association, and in 2014, at 28 years old, he became the youngest-ever Monterey Jazz Festival Commission Artist. Diehl has appeared at SMF numerous times since 2012, performing in an array of solo and co-bill settings including “Piano Showdown” and with jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. While showing a rare affinity for early jazz and mid-20th century “third-stream” music, his latest evolution comes as he begins to tackle modern classical works. Diehl is joined by his longtime trio members Paul Sikivie (bass) and Lawrence Leathers (drums). Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Chris Pattishall is a compelling creative presence in jazz. Recently named by Wynton Marsalis as one of the top five jazz musicians under 30 to watch, Pattishall increasingly operates at the convergence of disparate musical practices. Active as both a pianist and composer, Pattishall holds an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s Award and has participated in the Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program and the Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute. Pattishall will lead a quintet in a performance of Atlanta-born Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite, which premiered at Town Hall in New York in 1944. Williams was a pivotal figure in the development of jazz, forever influencing the music as a pianist, composer and arranger for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and lifelong educator and mentor to many jazz greats. Her Zodiac Suite is an ambitious study of character and mood through explorations of the 12 astrological signs. Joining Pattishall are Alphonso Horne on trumpet, Ricardo Pascal on saxophone, Roland Guerin on bass and Bryan Carter on drums.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Tuesday, April 2

AARON DIEHL: BLUES & THE SPANISH TINGE

DANIEL HOPE & FRIENDS II WITH LARS VOGT Tuesday, April 2 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57

Tuesday, April 2 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30 This solo lunchtime program centers on the early evolution of the American piano and the essential ingredients in the creation of jazz. Diehl will feature works by artists such as George Gershwin, Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller, among many others.

“ ...melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint.”

PROGRAM

ARTISTS

SCHUBERT Fantasy for Four Hands in F minor, D. 940

Daniel Hope, violin Benny Kim, violin Simos Papanas, violin Paul Neubauer, viola CarlaMaria Rodrigues, viola Eric Kim, cello Keith Robinson, cello Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano Lars Vogt, piano

SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Quintet in G minor, Opus 57 R. CLARKE Dumka for violin, viola and piano GADE String Sextet in E-flat Major, Opus 44

THE NEW YORK TIMES

“ Daniel Hope is the most versatile violinist of his generation.” NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Tuesday, April 2

JOHN PIZZARELLI TRIO W I T H CAT H E R I N E R U S S E L L P R E S E N T: “BILLIE & BLUE EYES” FOUR PERFORMANCES!

Tuesday, April 2 at 5 and 8 pm Wednesday, April 3 at 5 and 8 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Grammy Award-winning vocalist Catherine Russell teams up with jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader John Pizzarelli in a stunning tribute to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. World-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, hailed by The Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz,” has established himself as one of the prime interpreters of the American standards and beyond. Acclaimed vocalist Catherine Russell was born into jazz, as the daughter of Luis Russell, longtime musical director to Louis Armstrong and pioneering jazz guitarist and vocalist Carline Ray. She has since toured the world and has many decorated albums to her credit. The two join forces for their return to SMF in their first collaboration. This unforgettable program will feature soulful interpretations of chart-topping classics like “All of Me,” “God Bless the Child,” “Witchcraft” and “One More for My Baby.” Instead of stepping back in time to reenact the work of Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, Russell and Pizzarelli pull the music gracefully into the present and do it all with their signature panache.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Tuesday, April 2

FLAMENCO VIRTUOSO: VICENTE AMIGO Tuesday, April 2 at 7:30 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35 A transcendent performer, composer and producer who is at the heart of the flamenco tradition, Vicente Amigo burst onto the major stages of the genre while still a teenager. Since then, the Andalusia native has earned countless awards, including the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts, bestowed by Spain’s Ministry of Culture in 2015. Amigo has worked with many of the greats in flamenco music—Manolo Sanlúcar, Camarón de la Isla, Paco de Lucía—and has built a reputation for expanding flamenco’s influence and versatility while still honoring its roots. Internationally, he has worked with artists such as John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Brazilian singer and songwriter Milton Nascimento and Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz, among many others. He returns to SMF after his Savannah debut in 2016, with a stunning ensemble that explores the roots of flamenco.

“ …respected in the flamenco world as the equal to his late compadre Paco De Lucía ... he is also a quick-witted improviser and a visionary.” THE SEATTLE TIMES

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Thursday, April 4

DANIEL HOPE & FRIENDS III

JERRY DOUGLAS, DOBRO

Thursday, April 4 at 11 am Trinity United Methodist Church $42

Thursday, April 4 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $37

PROGRAM

Deemed “dobro’s matchless contemporary master” by The New York Times, 14-time Grammy Award winner and three-time CMA Musician of the Year Jerry Douglas is one of the most innovative instrumentalists in American music. With a distinctive musical vision that incorporates elements of country, bluegrass, rock, jazz, blues and Celtic music, Douglas is the most famous, and arguably finest, resonator guitarist in our time. Bluegrass lovers don’t want to miss this intimate solo show!

BRUCH String Quintet in A minor FRANCK Piano Quintet in F minor ARTISTS

Daniel Hope, violin Benny Kim, violin Simos Papanas, violin Paul Neubauer, viola CarlaMaria Rodrigues, viola Eric Kim, cello Keith Robinson, cello Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano

FREE!

JAZZ ON THE RIVER Thursday, April 4 from 4–7 pm Rousakis Plaza This free open-air showcase features performances by 12 of the country’s most talented high school jazz orchestras participating in Swing Central Jazz. Now in its 13th year, Swing Central Jazz brings more than 300 high school students from across the country to Savannah to work with some of the nation’s finest jazz performers and educators, under the direction of SMF Associate Artistic Director Marcus Roberts. For more information, see page 61.

“ ...largely responsible for elevating the instrument beyond its roots.” THE TENNESSEAN

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Thursday, April 4

HERLIN RILEY QUINTET / D E LV O N L A M A R R O R G A N T R I O Thursday, April 4 at 5:30 and 8:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Since coming of age in the nurturing environment of a musical family with a distinguished bloodline of drummers, New Orleans native Herlin Riley has enlivened the ensembles of such influential and demanding improvisers as pianist Ahmad Jamal and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis through his commanding yet elegant rhythmic presence. Riley’s authoritative style of melodic percussion is deeply imbued in the fertile creative soil of the Crescent City. As he tells it: “So many great musicians and drummers have come out of New Orleans, and that really defines my personal legacy; I’m standing on the shoulders of giants.” Herlin Riley returns to SMF for the fourth time, after appearances in 2012, 2013 and 2017. With a deep soul backbone augmented by jazz, R&B and rock ‘n’ roll, the Seattle-based Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio—made up of Lamarr on B-3 organ, Jimmy James on guitar and Doug Port on drums—evokes a classic instrumental sound with a fresh, virtuosic sensibility all its own. In March of 2018, the trio’s album, Close But No Cigar, made it to the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart, and also took the #3 spot on the Jazz Albums chart. In their SMF debut, this unique ‘60s and ‘70s vintage soul trio will fill the Morris Center with the sounds of the Hammond B-3, guitar lines and old school pocket drumming. This performance is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Georgia Council for the Arts.

D E LV O N L A M A R R ORGAN TRIO N E X T- DAY LUNCHTIME ENCORE

Friday, April 5 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30 S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Thursday, April 4

ANDERSSON DANCE & SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE: G O L D B E R G VA R I AT I O N S ternary patterns for insomnia Thursday, April 4 at 7 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $37 Play the opening of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations to someone, and they’ve usually heard it before, whether in its original form, one of the many transcribed and transposed versions, or in a completely unique setting in a totally different genre. Originally composed in 1742, it is not only one of the most celebrated and well-known pieces ever written, but it’s also one of the most interpreted. In 2015, choreographer Örjan Andersson of Stockholm’s Andersson Dance and Jonathan Morton, Artistic Director of Glasgow’s Scottish Ensemble string orchestra, banded together to create their own take, inspired by Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s world-famous 1985 transcription for strings. Eleven musicians and five dancers perform Goldberg Variations as equal partners, resulting in a singular experience of musician and dancer performing as one. It’s here that the subtleties of the interpretation come out: was Goldberg Variations intended to be a purely aural experience, or can we move to it? How do we, and how can we, experience these notes in the 21st century? Made possible with support by City of Stockholm, Creative Scotland & the Swedish Arts Council

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Thursday, April 4

THE EARLS OF LEICESTER Thursday, April 4 at 7:30 pm Trustees Theater Tickets start at $35 When the The Earls of Leicester (pronounced “Lester”) formed in 2013, their mission was ambitious but exact: to preserve and promote the legacy of bluegrass pioneers Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, in hopes of reviving the duo’s music for long-time admirers and introducing a new generation to their genre-defining sound. Within a year of releasing their self-titled debut, the Nashville-based six-piece band far surpassed their own expectations, winning a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album and earning six awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Featuring Jerry Douglas on vocals and dobro, Shawn Camp on lead vocals and guitar, Charlie Cushman on banjo and guitar, Jeff White on vocals and mandolin, Johnny Warren on vocals and fiddle and Barry Bales on vocals and bass, the Earls return to Savannah after jam-packed performances at both SMF 2015 and 2017.

“ ...music that sounds as vital as any kind of popular music being made today.”

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

NPR’S FRESH AIR

Friday, April 5

CAT E R I N A L I C H T E N B E R G & MIKE MARSHALL: BACH TO BRAZIL

DANIEL HOPE & FRIENDS IV

Friday, April 5 at 11 am Unitarian Universalist Church $42

Friday, April 5 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57

Caterina Lichtenberg, mandolin Mike Marshall, mandolin Joshua Keller, viola de gamba Adam Jaffe, harpsichord

PROGRAM

d’INDY String Sextet B-flat Major, Opus 92

Caterina Lichtenberg and SMF Associate Artistic Director Mike Marshall are among the most influential mandolinists in our time. Lichtenberg holds the only Professor position for classical mandolin music in existence at the Music Conservatory in Cologne, Germany. Marshall directs SMF’s Acoustic Music Seminar (see page 61) and the Mandolin Symposium at UC Santa Cruz. They have both toured throughout the world and worked in a variety of settings, Lichtenberg with guitarist Mirko Schader, harpsichordist Brigitte Engelhard, Quartetto MaGiCo, Le Son d’Argent and the LA Guitar Quartet, and Marshall with David Grisman, Stéphane Grappelli, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, Béla Fleck, Choro Famoso and many others. In their first SMF appearance since the sold-out “World of Mandolin” program in 2016, they welcome “ ...two of the greatest Adam Jaffe on the harpsichord and Joshua living proponents of Keller on the viola de gamba to perform eight-string wizardry.” compositions by Bach and Vivaldi in addition to a variety of mandolin duets. SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE

R. STRAUSS Sextet from Capriccio, Opus 85 SAINT-SAËNS Piano Quintet, Opus 14 ARTISTS

Daniel Hope, violin Benny Kim, violin Simos Papanas, violin Paul Neubauer, viola CarlaMaria Rodrigues, viola Eric Kim, cello Keith Robinson, cello Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Friday, April 5

K AT H Y M AT T E A / M O L LY T U T T L E B A N D Friday, April 5 at 5:30 and 8:30 pm North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum $42 Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of Nashville’s finest song interpreters,” Kathy Mattea has enjoyed the kind of success many artists only dream of: two Grammy wins, four CMA Awards, five gold albums and a platinum collection of her greatest hits. The West Virginia native signed her first record deal in 1983, and over the next three decades, she would record nearly a dozen more albums exploring country, folk, Celtic and gospel music. The dream almost ended, though, when Mattea entered her fifties and began to find her voice changing. She was faced with only two options: relearning to sing, or walking away from the stage forever. Mattea persevered, undergoing intensive vocal training and, with the help of longtime friend and musician/songwriter/producer Tim O’Brien, emerged with the most poignant album of her career, Pretty Bird. A gifted multi-instrumentalist and award-winning songwriter with a distinctive voice, Molly Tuttle rose from playing in her father’s bluegrass band to becoming one of the leading lights of acoustic music before she reached her mid-twenties. In her late teens, Tuttle was recognized as a rising star, being named Best Female Vocalist and Best Guitar Player by the Northern California Bluegrass Society, appearing on A Prairie Home Companion, and participating in SMF’s Acoustic Music Seminar in 2012 and 2013 (see page 61). The first woman to win the IBMA Guitar Player of the Year award in 2017, Tuttle followed up with a consecutive win in 2018. Tuttle is joined by Duncan Wickel on fiddle and mandolin, Max Johnson on bass and Sean Trischka on drums.

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Friday, April 5

SWING CENTRAL JAZZ FINALE: ROMANCE, SWING AND THE BLUES

L AT E N I G H T JA Z Z JA M

MARCUS ROBERTS, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Friday, April 5 at 10 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42

WITH WYCLIFFE GORDON

Friday, April 5 at 6:30 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35 This year’s Swing Central Jazz Finale—an annual SMF highlight—is based on Marcus Roberts and The Modern Jazz Generation’s 2014 album, Romance, Swing and the Blues. The Modern Jazz Generation, a 12-piece band which grew from the philosophy and style of the Marcus Roberts Trio, is based on the principle of mentoring that plays such a critical role in the evolution of jazz. Combining SMF Associate Artistic Director Marcus Roberts (piano), Jason Marsalis (drums) and Rodney Jordan (bass) with protégés from the lineage of three decades of Roberts’ work as an educator, the band will present selections from their suite of original work. Leading off the concert, the top three finalists of the Swing Central Jazz high school band competition (see page 61) take the stage to vie for the Jean Elizabeth Faircloth Award.

One of the hottest tickets at SMF, the annual Late Night Jazz Jam caps off jazz week at the Morris Center. This year’s edition is led by Wycliffe Gordon, and features an array of SMF favorites such as Rodney Whitaker, Marcus Roberts and a dozen other jazz masters in town for Swing Central Jazz (see page 61). Come out and experience some of the genre’s best instrumentalists in an intimate evening of improvised solos and jazz and blues standards!

“An all-star galaxy.” JAZZ TIMES

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Saturday, April 6

Cajun Dance Party!

COURTNEY GRANGER 32

Saturday, April 6 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30 A master fiddler, country singer and guitarist, Courtney Granger hails from the Balfa family lineage, which is evident in his powerful vocals and heavily Balfa-influenced fiddle style. Though Granger has been playing and touring full-time with Cajun bands the Pine Leaf Boys and Balfa Toujours over the past decade, he has always had a deep affinity for and knowledge of classic country music. In this midday set, Granger is joined by a variety of musicians from southwest Louisiana to perform the classic country music of George Jones, Bill Anderson, Hank Cochran, Hazel Dickens and others.

“ …classic country songs crooned out with such haunting authenticity it sends shivers down the back of your neck.”

PINE LEAF BOYS / JOURDAN THIBODEAUX ET LES RÔDAILLEURS Saturday, April 6 at 6 and 9 pm Charles H. Morris Center $39 All five members of the Pine Leaf Boys—Wilson Savoy, Courtney Granger, Jon Bertrand, Drew Simon and Thomas David—have been surrounded by music since childhood. Hailing from farms and villages in Cajun country, the band has evolved by preserving the traditional Cajun sound while allowing it to breathe with a youthful exuberance. Their music is defined by twin fiddles, accordion, bass and drums, and has been described as a link between the young and old generations of southwest Louisiana. It is the Pine Leaf Boys’ mission to present the real Cajun music of their ancestors to the world and prove that it is still thriving and full of life. This is their second appearance at SMF, following a 2017 dance party. Straight from the blackjack boggy woods of Cypress Island, Louisiana, Jourdan Thibodeaux is one of only a small number of young people speaking Cajun French today, and his soulful singing and fiddling are the perfect medium for his ever-growing repertoire of original Louisiana French songs. His musical ability and crafty songwriting have afforded him a band comprised of some of the finest artists in Acadiana today: Cedric Watson (fiddle/accordion), Joel Savoy (guitar), Alan Lafleur (bass) and Sean Bruce (drums). From foot-stomping two-steps to heartbreaking ballads, Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs deliver la verité with a sound that keeps the dance floor rocking!

SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Saturday, April 6

RHAPSODY IN BLUE AND THE FIREBIRD SUITE S AVA N N A H P H I L H A R M O N I C O R C H E S T R A WITH MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 pm Johnny Mercer Theatre Tickets start at $30 PROGRAM

BORODIN Polovtsian Dances ROBERTS Rhapsody in D GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite (1919) In this highly-anticipated collaboration, the Savannah Philharmonic and Savannah Music Festival present quintessentially American jazz-inflected orchestral works composed by George Gershwin and SMF Associate Artistic Director and pianist Marcus Roberts. The evening’s program is bookended with exhilarating compositions by Alexander Borodin and Igor Stravinsky, each drawing heavily from Russian folkloric traditions and written for opera and ballet, respectively.

A Co-Production with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Saturday, April 6

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO’S REMAIN IN LIGHT Saturday, April 6 at 8 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35 After an electrifying performance to a packed house at the Trustees Theater in 2008, Angélique Kidjo returns to SMF with her latest project, a track-by-track reimagining of the Talking Heads’ landmark album, Remain in Light. Angélique Kidjo has been dubbed “Africa’s premier diva” by Time Magazine. The BBC has included her in its list of the continent's 50 most iconic figures, and in 2011 The Guardian listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. As a performer, her striking voice, stage presence and fluency in multiple cultures and languages have won respect from her peers and expanded her following across national borders. And now, Angélique Kidjo, global pop star and three-time Grammy winner, returns to Savannah with her reinterpretation of Remain in Light. Re-envisioning such songs as “Crosseyed and Painless,” “Once in a Lifetime,” and “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)” with electrifying rhythms, African guitars and layered backing vocals, Angélique Kidjo’s Remain in Light is a radical statement that presents the Benin-born artist as she’s never been heard before.

“ Remain in Light feels like an album that Kidjo was born to sing; never has she sounded so convincing, so powerful.” SONGLINES

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Sunday, April 7

SANTIAGO BALLERINI, TENOR

R O BY L A K ATO S / SAM REIDER AND THE HUMAN HANDS

H O WA R D WAT K I N S , P I A N O

Sunday, April 7 at 6 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35

A Co-Production with Savannah VOICE Festival Sunday, April 7 at 5 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $42 Beginning his American career in Savannah years ago with the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs, Santiago Ballerini is now recognized in the Americas as one of the leading tenors in bel canto repertoire. Ballerini hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has sung in all the major opera houses in South and North America. He most recently covered the roles of Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and appeared in Buenos Aires at the Teatro Colón as il Tenor Italiano in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and at Teatro Argentino as Don Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola. Ballerini is a regular performer with The Atlanta Opera and continues to work with the Savannah VOICE Festival, who is co-producing this event. In this SMF debut, he is accompanied by renowned pianist Howard Watkins—a frequent associate of some of the world’s leading musicians both on the concert stage and as an assistant conductor at The Metropolitan Opera.

Hungarian violinist Roby Lakatos is not only a scorching virtuoso, but a musician of extraordinary stylistic versatility who defies definition. Having been described as everything from gypsy violinist or “devil’s fiddler” to classical virtuoso to jazz improviser to arranger, he is the kind of universal musician rarely encountered in our time—a player whose strength as an interpreter derives from his abilities as an improviser and composer. Born in 1965 into a family descended from János Bihari, “King of Gypsy Violinists,” Lakatos made his public debut as first violin in a gypsy band at age nine. He has since collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli, won the admiration of Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and performed at great jazz halls and festivals throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Lakatos first performed at SMF in 2010 to a sold-out Lucas Theatre audience alongside the renowned Brazilian guitar duo the Assad Brothers. Jazz pianist turned roots musician Sam Reider discovered a passion for folk music while studying at Columbia University. A love for composition and the accordion has set Reider off on a journey that has taken him from back porches and dive bars to concert halls and major festivals in practically every state. Representing the US Department of State as a musical ambassador, Reider has traveled to China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Turkey and Azerbaijan, carrying his accordion on his back everywhere he went. Now he has surrounded himself with a crew of some of the most in-demand young acoustic musicians in the country, including Eddie Barbash on saxophone, Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, Roy Williams on guitar and Dave Speranza on bass. Sam Reider and the Human Hands’ SMF 2018 appearance had the audience at the Morris Center on the edge of their seats.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Monday, April 8

DANIEL HOPE & FRIENDS V

B R YA N S U T TO N & DAV I D G R I E R / MIKE MARSHALL & DAROL ANGER

Monday, April 8 at 6 pm Congregation Mickve Israel $57

Monday, April 8 at 7 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42

PROGRAM

Two bluegrass and acoustic music duos consisting of trailblazing instrumentalists!

MOZART Grande Sestetto Concertante

Guitarists Bryan Sutton and David Grier are both central to the evolution of flatpicking. With 13 IBMA Guitarist of the Year awards between them, both started playing at a young age and were influenced greatly by Doc Watson, Tony Rice and Clarence White, among others. Bryan Sutton has performed in several projects at SMF in recent years, including leading his own band, playing with Noam Pikelny & Friends, the Tim O’Brien Band and Hot Rize and alongside participants and fellow clinicians in the annual Acoustic Music Seminar’s Stringband Spectacular (see page 50). David Grier played at SMF in 2005 with Psychograss, and on the original production entitled “Mando Madness.” In this duo setting, Bryan Sutton and David Grier display the seemingly limitless potential of the six-string dreadnought guitar.

DVOŘÁK String Quintet in G Major, Opus 77 ARTISTS

Daniel Hope, violin Benny Kim, violin Simos Papanas, violin Paul Neubauer, viola CarlaMaria Rodrigues, viola Eric Kim, cello Keith Robinson, cello Joseph Conyers, bass

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

SMF Associate Artistic Director Mike Marshall and Darol Anger began making music together in 1978 as members of the David Grisman Quintet and continued stretching from solo and duo records through the Montreux Band, Psychograss and The Anger/Marshall Band. They have remained at the center of the American acoustic music scene and can be heard on hundreds of recordings. Marshall’s mastery of mandolin, mandocello, guitar and violin and his ability to swing gracefully between jazz, classical, bluegrass and Latin styles make him a rarity in acoustic music, and Anger’s ability to be at home in a number of musical genres have put him at the top of his field. This program celebrates the duo’s 40th anniversary, highlighting their mind-bending improvisations, eclectic instrumental compositions and tight synergistic musical relationship.

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Tuesday, April 9

DREAMERS’ CIRCUS / SEAMUS EGAN PROJECT Tuesday, April 9 at 5 and 8 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Dreamers’ Circus is a driving force in Nordic folk music. The endlessly innovative young Danish trio is made up of Nikolaj Busk on piano and accordion, Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen on violin (who appeared at SMF 2016 with the Danish String Quartet) and Ale Carr on cittern. Drawing inspiration from the deep folk traditions of Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, the ensemble has won five prestigious Danish Music Awards, has collaborated regularly with the Danish String Quartet and the Copenhagen Philharmonic and has toured throughout Europe and beyond. The trio’s adventurous approach, coupled with their outstanding musicianship, has brought Dreamers’ Circus to the forefront of the world music scene. Seamus Egan is one of the most influential artists in Irish traditional music. From his beginnings as a teen prodigy to his groundbreaking solo work, to his founding of Irish-American band Solas, to his current work as one of the leading composers and interpreters of the tradition, Egan has helped define the sound of Irish music today. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has put his mark on the Irish flute, tenor banjo, guitar, mandolin, tin whistle and low whistle, winning a breathtaking four All-Ireland Championships on four different instruments by the age of 14. For this SMF appearance, Egan presents his latest project, made up of Moira Smiley (banjo, accordion and vocals), Kyle Sanna (guitar) and Owen Marshall (mandolin), following his 2018 SMF debut as part of Smiley’s “The Voice is a Traveler.”

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Tuesday, April 9

T H E TA L L I S S C H O L A R S DIRECTOR PETER PHILLIPS Tuesday, April 9 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 PROGRAM

“Inspired by the Sistine Chapel” PALESTRINA Missa Assumpta est Maria (Kyrie) MORALES Regina caeli PALESTRINA Missa Ecce ego Johannes (Gloria) FESTA Quam pulchra es CARPENTRAS Lamentations PALESTRINA Missa Papae Marcelli (Credo) ALLEGRI Miserere PALESTRINA Missa Confitebor tibi domine (Sanctus) CAMPKIN Miserere Mei JOSQUIN Inter natos mulierum

Through their recordings and concert performances, The Tallis Scholars have established themselves as the leading exponents of Renaissance sacred music in the world. Peter Phillips has worked with the ensemble since 1973 to create, through good tuning and blend, the purity and clarity of sound which he feels best serves the Renaissance repertoire, allowing every detail of the musical lines to be heard. It is the resulting beauty of sound for which The Tallis Scholars have become so widely renowned, evidenced by their impressive collection of awards. In “ Anyone familiar their 46-year history, the group has won three with Renaissance Early Music awards as well as the 1987 Record of the Year title from Gramophone magazine, music knows that this two Diapason d’Or de l’Année awards and group has attained three Grammy nominations since 2001. In 2019, the British ensemble returns to Savannah for superstardom among the third time, fifteen years after their SMF its ilk.” debut. THE BOSTON GLOBE

PALESTRINA Missa Brevis (Agnus)

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Tuesday, April 9

RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER Tuesday, April 9 at 7 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35 There are few musicians in the history of bluegrass music whose abilities and experience can be compared to those of Ricky Skaggs. A 2018 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Skaggs earned his first paycheck at age seven playing on Flatt & Scruggs’ syndicated television program. Skaggs joined Ralph Stanley’s Band in 1971 with his friend Keith Whitley, was part of the seminal self-titled bluegrass album by J.D. Crowe & The New South in 1975 (their debut), led Boone Creek and played in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, all while still in his twenties. The return of Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder follows their show at SMF’s 25th anniversary season in 2014. The eight-time Grammy Award-winning band includes Paul Brewster (tenor vocals, rhythm guitar), Russ Carson (banjo), Jake Workman (lead guitar), Mike Barnett (fiddle), Dennis Parker (baritone vocals, guitar) and Jeff Picker (bass, bass vocals). Says Skaggs: “Each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder totally amazes me in every show… and that, to me, outweighs any award we could ever win.”

“ There might not be a better set of players in the bluegrass world right now.” CHARLESTON CITY PAPER

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Wednesday, April 10

SEBASTIAN KNAUER, PIANO

DARRELL SCOTT

Wednesday, April 10 at 11 am Trinity United Methodist Church $42

Wednesday, April 10 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30

PROGRAM

Acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and singersongwriter Darrell Scott performed at SMF in 2014 in collaboration with Tim O’Brien, and returned for a solo show in 2016. He has played with hundreds of country and bluegrass music’s brightest stars, ranging from Randy Travis and Sam Bush to Martina McBride and Zac Brown. When Robert Plant took his awardwinning Band of Joy on the road in 2010, which also featured Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin, he called on Darrell Scott to play guitar, dobro, pedal steel, banjo and bass. Scott’s songs have been recorded by a variety of artists, including the Dixie Chicks, Keb’ Mo’, John Cowan and Alan Jackson, among others. This season, he is also a clinician for SMF’s annual Acoustic Music Seminar (see page 61).

MOZART Fantasia in C minor, K. 475 MENDELSSOHN Selections from “Songs without Words” SCHUBERT Selections from Four Impromptus, D. 899 Selections from Four Impromptus, D. 935 BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Opus 27, No. 2, “Moonlight” Sebastian Knauer began playing piano at the age of four. A perennial competition prize winner, Knauer gave his concerto debut at the age of 13, performing Haydn’s D Major Piano Concerto in the Hamburg Musikhalle, followed by his international debut as part of the European Concert series for Italy’s national public broadcasting company in Venice. He has performed around the world in major concert halls with some of the finest orchestras and conductors of the day, and also tours regularly with his duo partner Daniel Hope. Knauer has been a regular contributor to the SMF chamber music series since 2004, and is also a longtime recital series favorite.

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Wednesday, April 10

DANIEL HOPE & FRIENDS VI BALKAN ROOTS

Wednesday, April 10 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 PROGRAM

TARTINI Violin Sonata in G minor, Bg. 5, “Devil’s Trill” SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, “Death and the Maiden” Selection of traditional songs (to be announced from stage) ARTISTS

Daniel Hope, violin Benny Kim, violin Simos Papanas, violin Paul Neubauer, viola CarlaMaria Rodrigues, viola Keith Robinson, cello Joseph Conyers, bass Sebastian Knauer, piano Back by popular demand, violinist Simos Papanas conceived this season’s Balkan Roots program, combining both fine art and folk music traditions from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The limits of life and the reach to the supernatural have been a challenge to every civilization, inspiring philosophers, writers, poets, artists and musicians across the world. This program explores the musical approach of myths, legends, curses and dirges by the traditional musicians of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, in parallel or in opposition to the European classical music tradition.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Wednesday, April 10

ANDA UNION Wednesday, April 10 at 7 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42 Anda Union’s captivating combination of Mongolian musical styles is a reflection of their roots. Hailing from different ethnic nomadic cultures, the nine-member band unites tribal music traditions from all over Inner Mongolia, a semi-autonomous region of China. As with all nomads, the Mongols have an oral culture, passed on from generation to generation in stories, music and songs, thus Anda Union sing their history. Their main vocal style, khöömii, commonly referred to as throat singing, is a traditional type of overtone singing which replicates the sounds of nature. Driven by their thirst to discover the power and magic of the rich Mongol culture, Anda Union has been stunning audiences across the globe for the past 15 years.

“ Gloriously atmospheric songs based on melodies that are as memorable and accessible as any great western folk songs.” THE GUARDIAN

N E X T- DAY LUNCHTIME ENCORE

ANDA UNION Thursday, April 11 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Wednesday, April 10

PAT M E T H E N Y SIDE EYE WITH JAMES FRANCIES & N AT E S M I T H Wednesday, April 10 at 8 pm Trustees Theater Tickets start at $35 In his SMF debut, renowned jazz guitarist Pat Metheny presents the first edition of “Side Eye”—a new playing environment that allows him to feature a rotating cast of up-andcoming musicians who have caught his eye. Metheny explains: “From my earliest days in Kansas City onward, I was the beneficiary of so many older musicians giving me a platform to develop my thing through the prism of their experience and the particular demands of what their music implied. I hear regularly from new players on the scene who have professed an influence from my records and tunes and I often invite them up to my house to play. And very often, it feels really natural and organic to play this music with them—music they have literally grown up with. I find myself inspired by how they deal with the musical challenges that come with the territory of some of those older tunes, and at the same time I find myself intrigued with the possibilities of writing music just for them. This new band setting is what that will be all about.”

“ ...one has to admire Metheny’s chutzpah and ingenuity. One also has to acknowledge the blasts of searing energy, the pools of glorious melody and the lavishness of the textures.” THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Thursday, April 11

tenTHING Thursday, April 11 at 11 am Trinity United Methodist Church $42 Formed in 2007 by Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth as an exciting collaboration between musical friends, the 10-piece, all-female brass ensemble tenThing (pronounced “tenting”) have firmly established themselves on the international scene to great acclaim. At the helm of the group, Helseth has built a reputation as one of the foremost trumpet soloists of our time, having gathered an impressive catalog of awards including the rare honor of being the first classical artist to be nominated for a Spellemannprisen, the Norwegian version of the Grammy Award. Her ensemble is celebrated for their commitment to outreach and access to music through a diverse repertoire that spans from Mozart to Weill, Grieg to Bernstein and Lully to Bartók. After having found a huge national audience in their native Norway, tenThing came to international prominence at the BBC Proms in a performance at London’s Cadogan Hall, which in turn led “ ...a group of to engagements at prestigious concert halls and festivals players with worldwide.

technical chops to die for.”

STAR TRIBUNE

PROGRAM

GRIEG Wedding Day at Troldhaugen from Lyric Pieces In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 LULLY Le Bourgeois gentilhomme MARINI Passacalio 3 and 4 HANDEL “The Arrival of Queen of Sheba” from Solomon SIBELIUS Valse Artiste BARTÓK Romanian Dances PIAZZOLLA Invierno Porteño KANDER “Hot Honey Rag” and “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago COPLAND Hoe-Down from Rodeo

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Thursday, April 11

JERUSALEM QUARTET Thursday, April 11 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 PROGRAM

BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Opus 18, No. 5 RAVEL String Quartet in F Major SHOSTAKOVICH Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Opus 73

A regular and beloved guest on the world’s great concert stages from London’s Wigmore Hall to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg to the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Jerusalem Quartet is recognized as one of the most dynamic and exciting quartets currently performing. Since their founding in 1993 and subsequent 1996 debut, the Israeli ensemble has been honored with numerous awards, including the Diapason d’Or and the BBC Music Magazine Award for chamber music. Featuring Alexander Pavlovsky and Sergei Bresler on violin, Ori Kam on viola and Kyril Zlotnikov on cello, the quartet’s performance repertoire is wide and includes works of Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert and Dmitri Shostakovich. Their SMF debut was in 2014.

“ An absolute triumph. Their playing has everything you could possibly wish for.” BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Thursday, April 11

KANNAPOLIS: A MOVING PORTRAIT Thursday, April 11 at 7 pm Trustees Theater $37 Conceived by award-winning composer, singer and violinist Jenny Scheinman, Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait is a music and film project that features a live score and sound design with reedited footage from the archives of filmmaker Herbert Lee Waters. In the latter half of the Great Depression, Waters documented over 180 towns in the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee, compiling hundreds of shots of people on the streets, at school, in factories and in almost every non-domestic part of their lives. In this re-edited treatment of Kannapolis, filmed in 1941 in the North Carolina town of the same name, shots are slowed down, allowing the audience to meditate on faces and revisit sequences. Scheinman, who returns to Savannah on the heels of her appearance at SMF 2018 with Mischief & Mayhem, provides a live score that draws from folk music sources of the region and integrates a series of narrative songs that imagine the lives of several chosen protagonists, adding a modern dimension to one of Waters’ final films. She is joined by multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Robbie Fulks and Robbie Gjersoe. This season, Scheinman is also a clinician in SMF’s Acoustic Music Seminar (see page 61).

“ Scheinman [has] a distinctive vision of American music, suffused with plainspoken beauty and fortified all at once by country, gospel, and melting-pot folk, along with jazz and the blues.”

Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait was commissioned by Duke Performances at Duke University. The piece premiered at Duke’s Reynolds Industries Theater on Friday, March 20, 2015.

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

NEW YORK TIMES

Thursday, April 11

U N I O N TA N G U E R A A N D K AT E W E A R E C O M PA N Y, A C O L L A B O R AT I O N , S I N S A L I D A Thursday, April 11 at 7:30 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $37 Contemporary dance meets Argentinian tango in Sin Salida, a first-time collaboration between New York-based choreographer Kate Weare and Esteban Moreno of the French/Argentinian tango troupe Union Tanguera. With live music by Argentinian composer Gustavo Beytelmann, this riveting work explores the stark contrast of the tango coupling versus the individual focus in modern dance, posing the question: do we need others to perceive and understand ourselves? Don’t miss this unique cross-pollination of disciplines, cultures and values performed by two award-winning dance companies.

“ Nothing compares to this in terms of sheer combined experience, in and outside of the dance.” SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

The presentation of Sin Salida by Union Tanguera/Kate Weare Company was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Thursday, April 11

CHARLIE HUNTER TRIO F E AT. L U C Y W O O D WA R D

D I M M E R T W I N S : PAT T E R S O N H O O D & MIKE COOLEY OF DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS / T. H A R DY M O R R I S Thursday, April 11 at 8 pm North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum $39

Thursday, April 11 at 7:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $37 With a career spanning 25 years, Charlie Hunter consistently ups his game as an innovative composer, imaginative bandleader and all-around great guitarist. He has worked with Norah Jones, Mos Def, John Mayer, D’Angelo and numerous other artists, and is widely considered the authority on the seven- and eight-string guitar. Hunter is a marvel to watch perform, due to his ability to simultaneously play tasteful bass parts, melodic leads and swinging rhythms. He last performed at SMF in 2013 with drummer Scott Amendola, and returns with this powerful, bluesy trio format which features Lucy Woodward, a captivating singer who has worked with Pink Martini, Snarky Puppy and a variety of other artists and ensembles.

Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley (a.k.a. the “Dimmer Twins”) formed the Drive-By Truckers in Athens, Georgia in 1996, though their musical collaboration began in the ‘80s with the band Adam’s House Cat. The name Dimmer Twins is a nod to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who are sometimes known as the “Glimmer Twins.” This stripped-down duo setting features original solo and duo material penned by both Hood and Cooley, and also some Drive-By Truckers songs that they’ve written. Though the full band played SMF 2016, this is the debut of the Dimmer Twins. T. Hardy Morris is an Athens, Georgia-based guitarist and singer whose songwriting propelled the roots rock band Dead Confederate. He was also a member of the side project Diamond Rugs along with members of Deer Tick, Los Lobos and the Black Lips, and has since been actively writing, recording and touring as a solo artist. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that “Morris is authentically and undoubtedly a carefree rock and roller.” This is T. Hardy Morris’ SMF debut.

“ ...incredibly swift with technique and open to the spontaneity of improvisation.”

WXPN

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Friday, April 12

tenTHING

ROBBIE FULKS

Friday, April 12 at 11 am Trinity United Methodist Church $42

WITH ROBBIE GJERSOE

PROGRAM

GRIEG Praeludium from the Holberg Suite, Opus 40 Grandmother’s Minuet from Lyric Pieces, Opus 68, No. 2 Gjendine’s Lullaby, Opus 66, No. 19 “March of the Trolls” from Lyric Pieces, Opus 54, No. 3 ALBENIZ Asturias from Suite Española No. 1, Opus 47 VIVALDI Summer from The Four Seasons

Friday, April 12 at 12:30 pm Charles H. Morris Center $30 Robbie Fulks is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter whose early solo work helped define the alt-country movement that began in the 1990s. Artists who have covered his songs include Sam Bush, Kelly Hogan, Andrew Bird, Mollie O’Brien, Rosie Flores, John Cowan and the Old 97’s. As an instrumentalist, Fulks has accompanied artists as diverse as Irish fiddler Liz Carroll, “ One of the most New Orleans pianist Dr. John and jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman, with whom he performs in Kannapolis: A observant and wry Moving Portrait on April 11 (see page 46). He is joined by songwriters of the Robbie Gjersoe, an accomplished multi-instrumentalist past two decades.” who first appeared at SMF in 2011 with The Flatlanders. ROLLING STONE

MOZART Rondo alla Turca BERNSTEIN Medley from West Side Story TCHAIKOVSKY Valse sentimentale from Six Pieces, Opus 51, No. 6 SAEVERUD “Kjempeviseslotten” from Slåtter og Stev fra Siljustøl PIAZZOLLA Oblivion BIZET Suite from Carmen This is the second performance of the allfemale Norwegian brass ensemble tenThing. See page 44 for more information.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Friday, April 12

S T R I N G B A N D S P E CTAC U L A R : ACOUSTIC MUSIC SEMINAR FINALE

DANIEL HOPE & SEBASTIAN KNAUER: HOMAGE TO YEHUDI MENUHIN

Friday, April 12 at 6 pm Savannah Cultural Arts Center $20 Hear inspiring original compositions and arrangements by the next generation of Americana, bluegrass and acoustic musicians in this highly-anticipated annual concert! As the culmination of SMF’s week-long Acoustic Music Seminar (AMS), an auditioned group of virtuoso string players and songwriters showcase the fruits of their labor. This finale concert features compositions and arrangements created and performed by the program’s participants together with AMS Director and SMF Associate Artistic Director Mike Marshall and clinicians Jenny Scheinman, Darrell Scott and Bryan Sutton. The annual Stringband Spectacular makes the case that American acoustic music is alive and well in our time, and that it continues to evolve. For more information on SMF’s Acoustic Music Seminar, see page 61.

Friday, April 12 at 6 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 PROGRAM

ENESCU Impromptu concertant for violin and piano J.S. BACH Sonata for violin and keyboard No. 4 in C minor, BWV 1017 MENDELSSOHN Violin Sonata in F Major BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 RAVEL Kaddish, for violin and piano (from Two Hebrew Melodies)

ACOUSTIC MUSIC SEMINAR CD

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

SELECTIONS FROM 2012–2016

Recorded LIVE at SMF!

This collection of songs and tunes contains highlights from the first five years of the AMS program. For sale in the online SMF shop, at the festival, fine record shops and all digital download services.

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

WALTON Sonata for violin and piano ARTISTS

Daniel Hope, violin Sebastian Knauer, piano Daniel Hope and Sebastian Knauer pay tribute to Daniel Hope’s teacher and “musical grandfather” Sir Yehudi Menuhin.

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Friday, April 12

JEFF TWEEDY Friday, April 12 at 8 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $37 As the founding member and leader of Wilco and co-founder of Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy is one of the most accomplished songwriters and performers in contemporary American music. Since starting Wilco in 1994, Tweedy has penned original songs for 10 Wilco albums and collaborated with Billy Bragg to bring musical life to three albums worth of Woody Guthrie lyrics in the Mermaid Avenue series. In 2014, he released Sukierae, a musical collaboration with his son, drummer Spencer Tweedy. Jeff Tweedy has produced a trio of albums for iconic soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples: the 2011 Grammy Award-winning You Are Not Alone, 2013’s One True Vine, and the 2017 release, If All I Was Was Black (which he also co-wrote with Staples). Tweedy’s SMF solo debut follows his 2010 appearance fronting Wilco at a sold-out Johnny Mercer Theatre.

“ Tweedy was able to hold the rapt attention of thousands of fans with his voice and plaintive finger-picking.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Friday, April 12

EL SEPTETO SANTIAGUERO

Latin Dance Party!

Friday, April 12 at 8:30 pm North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum $39 The intoxicating Cuban ensemble El Septeto Santiaguero gained attention for infusing an adventurous streak into the traditional son music of its native Santiago de Cuba. El Septeto Santiaguero won the Latin Grammy award for Best Traditional Tropical Album in 2015, and has collaborated with salsa stars José Alberto “El Canario” and Ruben Blades. The captivating performers honed their sound at the famous Casa de la Trova nightclub, cultivating an infectious call-and-response style that continues to heat up dance floors wherever they go. Led by tres player Fernando Dewer, El Septeto Santiaguero’s irresistible sound is bolstered by soulful vocals, trumpet, guitar, bass and percussion.

“ …one of the most resonant acts this year was a band from Cuba called Septeto Santiaguero.”

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

NPR’S ALL SONGS CONSIDERED

Saturday, April 13

M O D E R N B R OA D WAY

CHRISTOPHER HOPE PRESENTS “MY SON THE FIDDLER”

A Co-Production with Savannah VOICE Festival Saturday, April 13 at 2 and 5 pm Charles H. Morris Center $42

WITH DANIEL HOPE

Experience modern Broadway favorites from Phantom of the Opera to Les Misérables and more! In this fifth annual co-production, the Savannah Music Festival and Savannah VOICE Festival team up to deliver two performances of timeless musical theatre hits, unplugged and beautifully sung. Hear first-class singers perform some of the best of Broadway from the past four decades. Savannah VOICE Festival co-founder Maria Zouves once again directs this lively show with special host, world-renowned baritone and mentor to many, Sherrill Milnes. Singers include Jessica Ann Best, Peter Lake and Savannah’s own Nicholas Yaquinto with arrangements for piano, bass and drums by Marc Chesanow.

Saturday, April 13 at 4 pm Trinity United Methodist Church $57 How do a writer and a musician survive in the same family? Conceived as an essay and delivered via a series for BBC Radio 3, author Christopher Hope recalls raising his son Daniel. He discusses Daniel’s early days as a violin student, learning to play on a quarter-size instrument, his time spent as a boarder at the Yehudi Menuhin School, the importance of the Russian composer Alfred Schnittke in Daniel’s life, Daniel’s work as part of the Beaux Arts Trio and on various other projects. Recitation by Christopher Hope will be mixed with solo performances by Daniel Hope.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Saturday, April 13

ROBERT EARL KEEN / D AV E A LV I N & J I M M I E D A L E G I L M O R E W I T H T H E G U I LT Y O N E S Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts Tickets start at $35 Since his beginnings in the Texas folk scene nearly four decades ago, Robert Earl Keen has achieved pioneer status in the Americana music world. Coming up in the company of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Joe Ely and Lyle Lovett, Keen has long been regarded as one of the Lone Star State’s finest true singer-songwriters. He has been touring off and on in a duo show with Lovett over the past two years. In his SMF debut, Keen fronts his seasoned band including Marty Muse on steel guitar, Bill Whitbeck on bass and Tom Van Schaik on drums, also welcoming recently added members Brian Beken (MilkDrive) on fiddle and guitar and Kym Warner (The Greencards) on mandolin. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore have been friends for 30 years, but only recently started playing music together. Though Texas-born Gilmore was twice named Country Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone, and California native Alvin first came to fame in the hard-rocking rhythm and blues band The Blasters, they discovered that their musical roots in old blues and folk music are much the same. Backed by their band the Guilty Ones, Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s duo shows include originals and songs from a variety of songwriters, from Merle Haggard to Sam Cooke to the Youngbloods. Gilmore last performed at SMF in 2012 with The Flatlanders, and this is Alvin’s SMF debut.

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Saturday, April 13

MACEO PARKER Saturday, April 13 at 4 and 8 pm North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum $42 Saxophonist Maceo Parker embodies the legacy of soul and funk music like no other musician can. Parker has been a common thread in the history of funk— helping to pioneer the sound of the genre in collaborations with icons like James Brown, George Clinton and Prince, all the while honing his own signature brand of showmanship. Leading the tightest little funk orchestra on earth, Parker transports audiences to the slickest of eras in performances that are positively timeless. Eight years since his last SMF appearance, Maceo Parker returns to close out the 2019 season with what promises to be the funkiest of dance parties.

Closing Night Party!

“ Parker and company sparked the crowd into constant motion, making even the most rhythmically inept wallflower wiggle and bob like the Godfather of Soul himself.” CHICAGO TRIBUNE

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Support Us

The Savannah Music Festival 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 honor of the Savannah Music Festival’s 30th festival season, we invite you to join with us as we embark on our fourth decade. Thanks to our community of strong supporters and patrons, SMF has grown into Georgia’s largest musical arts event. Together, we inspire the next generation of artists and music enthusiasts through educational opportunities and mentorship programs, we create an economic impact on our local community, and we produce world-class presentations of the musical arts. The Savannah Music Festival is a non-profit organization that depends on generous supporters and sponsors to sustain its mission. Thank you for considering a gift to SMF!

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

WAYS TO G I V E :

Donate securely online: savannahmusicfestival.org/SupportUs

Donate by phone: 912.234.3378, ext. 106

Set up recurring monthly gifts with your credit card

Transfer a gift of stock

Contact your employer for corporate matching gifts

Join us in celebrating Savannah Music Festival’s th 30 festival season! •••

Include Savannah Music Festival in your estate plans

For more information on ways to give, donor benefits and giving levels, contact the Development Department at 912.234.3378, ext. 106.

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

SMF’s 30th Season Celebration will be held on March 23, 2019, at the Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden

Savannah Music Festival will be honoring two community leaders, Charles H. Morris and Elizabeth Anderson, for their commitment and contributions to Savannah’s cultural landscape. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact Lee Avallone at 912.234.3378, ext. 105.

Ticket Info & Policies

No Ticket Fees!

GET YOUR TICKETS O N L I N E savannahmusicfestival.org 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Print-at-home option available B Y P H O N E

SMF tickets incur no fees when purchased in person at the box office.*

Savannah Box Office 912.525.5050 Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm

I N P E R S O N FEE-FREE OPTION Savannah Box Office at 216 East Broughton Street Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm AT T H E D O O R One hour prior to showtime at the performance venue Subject to availability POLICIES UNPLUG Thank you for leaving your recording devices at home and silencing your cell phones for all SMF concerts. For the enjoyment of all patrons, photographing, videotaping and sound recording of any SMF performance is prohibited. CHILDREN Children 5 years of age or younger receive free admission when accompanied by paying adult ticket holders (limit one child per one paying adult). Free tickets for children are only available in person the day of show. SMF encourages parents to look for the symbol to identify family-friendly performances within the 2019 season lineup. ACCESSIBILITY All SMF venues are accessible, but please note that the Lucas and Trustees theaters do not have elevators to access balcony seating. To request accessible seating at those venues, please call the box office. HOUSE RULES While outside food and drink will not be permitted inside any SMF venue, food and drink will be available for in-house purchase at select concerts. Smoking is not permitted inside any SMF venue. DANCING/STANDING Patrons are advised to note the symbol which identifies performances where the audience is encouraged to be up on their feet and/or dancing. LATE SEATING Late seating will take place during the first appropriate pause in the program at the discretion of house management. *FEES Published SMF 2019 ticket prices include all fees. However, tickets are subject to box office service fees and handling charges. To avoid box office fees, tickets may be purchased in person at the box office. CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS Savannah Music Festival does not offer ticket refunds. Tickets can be exchanged or donated to the festival for resale. Exchanges are subject to availability and exchange fees. Tickets for donation must be received by the SMF office at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled performance. You will receive a tax-deductible donation receipt after the festival. ALL PROGRAMS, ARTISTS AND VENUES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

TICKET OFFERS & DISCOUNTS Set your own festival schedule with an SMF sampler or let us help you discover the festival with a specially-curated ticket bundle! For all discounts and bundle descriptions, visit savannahmusicfestival.org/2019deals. PICK 5 AND PICK 10 S A M P L E R S ** Purchase tickets to five or more performances and receive a 10% discount or purchase tickets to ten or more performances and receive a 15% discount! When purchasing tickets for more than five shows, please call the box office to receive the discounted rate. F E S T I VA L E X P LO R E R BUNDLES Save when you choose from a variety of ticket bundles based on genre or date. Visit the SMF website for more details on ticket bundles. S E N I O R & M I L I TA RY DISCOUNTS Patrons ages 65+ and military personnel are eligible to receive a 10% discount on all single ticket purchases with valid ID in person at the box office. Limited to one ticket per person per performance. S T U D E N T & E D U CATO R DISCOUNTS Students and educators are eligible to receive a 10% discount on all single ticket purchases with valid ID in person at the box office. Limited to one ticket per person per performance. RUSH TICKETS Discounted rush tickets are available to students, educators and SMF volunteers with a valid student or educator ID starting 30 minutes before showtime, on a first come, first served basis. Visit savannahmusicfestival.org/rush or follow us on Twitter for a list of eligible shows, updated weekly during the festival. G R O U P R AT E S We offer special rates for groups of 15 or more. Call us at 912.234.3378, ext. 111 to personalize your group experience! GIFT CARDS Give the gift of live music! Gift cards are available in $25 increments at the box office and online at savannahmusicfestival.org. **Sampler offers expire December 31, 2018.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Concert Venues

CHARLES H. MORRIS CENTER

ROUSAKIS PLAZA

S AVA N N A H C U LT U R A L ARTS CENTER

TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

10 East Broad Street The Charles H. Morris Center is SMF’s premier club-style venue. Flexible seating accommodates dance parties, concerts and cabaret performances. Craft beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages are available. On-site parking is limited.

C O N G R E GAT I O N MICKVE ISRAEL 20 East Gordon Street Located on Monterey Square, Mickve Israel was founded in 1733 and is Georgia’s oldest Jewish congregation. The Gothic Revival building, built in 1878, seats 300 people. Parking is limited to on-street spaces.

JOHNNY MERCER T H E AT R E 301 West Oglethorpe Avenue Located at the Savannah Civic Center, the Johnny Mercer Theatre has a capacity of just over 2,500, making it SMF’s largest reserved seating venue. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages are available in the lobby. On-site parking is available.

LU CA S T H E AT R E F O R THE ARTS

NORTH GARDEN A S S E M B LY R O O M AT S H I P S O F T H E S E A MUSEUM

T R U S T E E S T H E AT E R

U N I TA R I A N UNIVERSALIST CHURCH

41 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard Wear layers to prepare for Savannah’s spring weather at this unique outdoor covered space. Craft beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages are available at this venue. On-site parking is limited. S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

201 Montgomery Street The brand new, yet-to-be-named Savannah Cultural Arts Center includes a theater that seats 450 patrons, a smaller performance space and working studios for local artists. Parking is limited to city-operated garages and on-street spaces. Curbside drop-off is available on Montgomery Street.

127 Barnard Street Located on Telfair Square, Trinity United Methodist Church is SMF’s primary classical music venue. The sanctuary provides wonderful acoustics and plentiful sight lines. Parking is limited to city-operated garages and on-street spaces.

32 Abercorn Street The Lucas Theatre is one of SMF’s primary performance halls with seating for over 1,200 patrons. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages are available in the lobby. Parking is limited to cityoperated garages and on-street spaces.

River Street Savannah’s breezy, cobblestone-lined River Street is home to Jazz on the River on Thursday, April 4 from 4–7 pm, featuring free open-air performances by the twelve high school big bands participating in the Swing Central Jazz competition. Parking is very limited.

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

216 East Broughton Street SCAD’s Trustees Theater is one of SMF’s primary performance halls, seating over 1,100 patrons. Non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are available in the lobby. Parking is limited to city-operated garages and on-street spaces.

311 East Harris Street Located on beautiful Troup Square, the historic Unitarian Universalist Church creates an intimate concert setting for 175 people. Parking is limited to onstreet spaces.

Area Map

W. R IV

SAVANNAH RIVER

E. RIVER

Emmet Park

W. BAY

ABERCORN

STATE Wright Square

DRAYTON

BULL

BARNARD Telfair Square

WHITAKER

W. BROUGHTON

JEFFERSON

ANN

FAHM

ZUBLEY

MONTGOMERY

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD.

ORANGE

YORK

Oglethorpe Square

Columbia Square

W. OGLETHORPE

Greene Square

E. OGLETHORPE

7 3

UISVILLE

Colonial Park Cemetery

HULL Orleans Square

Chippewa Square PERRY

E. LIBERTY

W. HARRIS Pulaski Square

Madison Square

Lafayette Square

E. HARRIS Troup Square

W. CHARLTON

E. CHARLTON

W. JONES

RIEN

E. JONES

W. TAYLOR

E. TAYLOR Chatham Square

Monterey Square

Calhoun Square

Whitefield Square E. GORDON

P R E F E R R E D W.LGASTON OD GING PARTNER S A

216 East Broughton Street 912.525.5050 E. PRESIDENT Mon–Fri 10 am–5 pm

Crawford Square

W. LIBERTY

ONES

S AVA N N A H B OX OFFICE

E. BROUGHTON

RANDOLPH

CONGRESS

Washington Square

E. BROAD

Warren Square

Reynolds Square

HABERSHAM

BRYAN Johnson Square

Ellis Square

LINCOLN

Franklin Square

E. BAY

HOUSTON

PRICE

INDI

W. HUNTINGDON

PLANTERS INN W. HALL

29 Abercorn Street 800.554.1187 • plantersinnsavannah.com W. GWINNETT The Planters Inn on Reynolds Square, in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District, is Savannah’s premier boutique hotel offering a W. BOLTON thoroughly modern hotel experience. Planters Inn is the perfect choice for your Savannah W. WALDBURG Music Festival lodging needs and an easy walk to most venues. Use discount code SAVMUSIC19 when booking.

E. GASTON

S A V A N N A H M A R R I O T T ERFRONT

Forsyth RIV Park

100 General McIntosh Boulevard 912.233.7722 • savannahmarriott.com Immerse yourself in Southern hospitality at the newly-renovated Savannah Marriott Riverfront. With an impeccable location on the water within walking distance to the Charles H. Morris Center, the hotel is also connected to River Street via the Riverwalk. Create lasting memories while enjoying a range of amenities and dining options.

E. HUNTINGDON

S TAY B R I D G E S U I T E S

E. HALL 301 East Bay Street 912.721.9000 • staybridge.com/sav-historic E. GWINNETT Located in the heart of historic downtown Savannah, the Staybridge Suites is an all-suite property equipped E. BOLTON with kitchens in every room. Amenities include: a full hot breakfast, weekday evening manager reception with E. WALDBURG a light meal and complimentary drinks, complimentary wireless internet and a 24-hour fitness center.

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Education Programs

2018-19 ARTISTS

MUSICAL EXPLORERS This year, more than 10,000 K-2 students and 300 teachers from the coastal region are embarking on a musical adventure around the Southeast and across the globe. Musical Explorers is a cost-free, comprehensive program that exposes K-2 students to music in the classroom throughout the school year. In the last five years, SMF has introduced more than 25,000 students to almost 20 genres of music from old-time songs of Appalachia to the music of Ireland to the Ring Shout practiced on the Georgia Sea Islands.

Laiken Love (Soul) Anders Thomsen (Country) Yacouba Sissoko (Music of Mali) J.J. Collins (Musical Theater) Harry O’Donoghue (Music of Ireland) Jeffery Broussard (Zydeco)

Musical Explorers isn’t just about music— an independent analysis of the program “ Musical Explorers is commissioned by Savannah Music Festival the best concert I have revealed that Musical Explorers makes teachers effective in the classroom. In fact, in been to in my 37 years more classrooms with teachers spending more of teaching.” time teaching Musical Explorers, students K-2 TEACHER, BEAUFORT COUNTY demonstrated greater academic growth.*

For more information, visit musicalexplorers.savannahmusicfestival.org.

Developed in partnership with

“ My students always enjoy every aspect of Musical Explorers, from the class lessons to the concerts!”

*Data independently collected and analyzed by Data Advantage, LLC (instructional best practices) and bluknowledge, LLC (student MAP Reading and Math Assessments). S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

K-2 TEACHER, CHATHAM COUNTY

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Education Programs

SWING CENTRAL JAZZ APRIL 3–5, 2019 During Swing Central Jazz (SCJ), more than 300 students travel to Savannah from across the country to spend three days immersed in the world of swing and big band jazz. Twelve high school and community bands are selected from a competitive pool of more than 100 applicants to participate in workshops, the Jazz on the River showcase (see page 25) and compete for cash prizes and the Jean Elizabeth Faircloth Award. Pianist/composer/educator and SMF Associate Artistic Director Marcus Roberts, along with jazz performers and educators such as Jim Ketch, Wycliffe Gordon, Dave Stryker and Brianna Thomas, mentor and teach improvisation, instrumental technique and big band “ Swing Central Jazz repertoire to participants. SCJ concludes provided the two best with a public competition followed by the finale performance at the Lucas Theatre clinics my bands have for the Arts (see page 31). For more information, visit swingcentraljazz.org.

ever had in my 21 years of teaching.”

JOSH MURRAY, RIO AMERICANO HIGH SCHOOL (CARMICHAEL, CA)

ACOUSTIC MUSIC SEMINAR APRIL 6–12, 2019 Young musicians up to 22 years of age are selected by online audition and travel to Savannah from across the globe to participate in SMF’s Acoustic Music Seminar (AMS), a week-long workshop and mentorship program led by SMF Associate Artistic Director Mike Marshall. Participants receive six days of intense coaching, collaboration and hands-on instruction with Marshall as well as clinicians Jenny Scheinman, Darrell Scott and Bryan Sutton, punctuated by visits with festival artists including Moira Smiley, Sam Reider and Seamus Egan. Each year the program culminates in Stringband Spectacular (see page 50), which showcases the participants’ original work for Savannah Music Festival audiences. For more information, visit savannahmusicfestival.org/ams.

“ There is no comparable program to AMS because of its intensity and structure. It was the best week I have ever had as a musician!” GRANT FLICK (AMS 2015 AND 2016)

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

Coming up...

Soul

S AV E T H E DAT E !

SMF

FamilyFestival MARCH 9, 2019

Salsa

YA M AC R AW C E N T E R FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

In celebration of five years of Musical Explorers enriching local classrooms, SMF is presenting a free Family Festival! Join us for a day full of music, featuring: Interactive concerts with different genres of music including Salsa, Soul, Ring Shout and Opera Visual arts and musical activities for kids of all ages A very special “Music Museum” celebrating five years of Musical Explorers, featuring student artwork

Ring Shout

SMF’s Family Festival is presented in partnership with Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Loop It Up Savannah. THIS EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

For more information and to sign up for e-blasts, e-mail education@savannahmusicfestival.org.

COMING OCTOBER 2019 A W E E K E N D - L O N G M U LT I - S TA G E C E L E B R AT I O N O F M U S I C

Tickets on sale early 2019. S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L

3 0 TH F E S T I V A L S E A S O N

MARCH 28–APRIL 13, 2019

Opera

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

S AVA N N A H M U S I C F E S T I VA L S TA F F

Chairman: Dave Neises Chairman-Elect: Tim Coy Vice-Chairman: Stephen Rabinowitz Secretary: Harold Yellin (Past Chairman) Treasurer: Vicki McElreath

EXECUTIVE & A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

Melissa Bouchillon Mary Dugas Emily Dickinson Bob Faircloth (Chairman Emeritus) John Haslam Holden Hayes David Johnson Ted Kleisner Jeff Kole Dr. M. Ann Levett Dayle Levy Joe Marinelli (Ex-Officio) Ruth McMullin Thomas Oxnard, Jr. David Paddison Larry Pike Thomas Reilly Shelby Schavoir W. Rex Templeton, Jr. Trip Tollison (Ex-Officio) Pamela Voss Anne P. West Vincent West Ron Whitaker (Immediate Past Chairman) Gail Wickes

ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION

David Pratt, Executive Director Luella Sanders, Chief Financial Officer

Ryan McMaken, Artistic Director Daniel Hope, Mr. & Mrs. Curtis G. Anderson Associate Artistic Director Mike Marshall, Associate Artistic Director Marcus Roberts, Associate Artistic Director Erin Tatum, Managing Director Chris Evans, Technical Director Abbey Matye, Artist Relations Assistant DEVELOPMENT Lee Avallone, Development & Grants Associate Kat Clark, Development Associate E D U CAT I O N & O U T R E AC H Jenny Woodruff, Education Director Katie Griffith, Education Associate Jessica Messere, Outreach Coordinator Daniela Rodriguez, Education Intern MARKETING Larissa Davidson, Marketing & Graphic Design Manager Megan Harris, Marketing & Patron Services Associate Zachary Grove, Graphic Design Assistant

JOIN US AS A VOLUNTEER! Nearly 300 dedicated volunteers contribute to the success of SMF each year. If you are interested in joining our volunteer team, please visit savannahmusicfestival.org/volunteer to submit an interest form.

S TAY S O C I A L Follow us to receive the latest updates on artists, performances, ticket deals and giveaways. #SMF2019 allows you to go behind the scenes and share your festival experience with us! Facebook.com/SavannahMusicFestival Twitter.com/SavMusicFest Instagram.com/SavannahMusicFestival

PHOTO CREDITS Cover: Photo by Ayano Hisa Page 8: John Doyle by Keith Wright, Nathan Williams by Ayano Hisa/Savannah Music Festival, Juho Pohjonen by Lisa-marie Mazzucco Page 9: Del McCoury Band courtesy of the artist, Steep Canyon Rangers courtesy of the artist Page 10: Fatoumata Diawara by Aida Muluneh, Noura Mint Seymali by Matthew Tinari Page 11: Mike + Ruthy by Eric Gerard, Benny Kim by Elizabeth Leitzell/Savannah Music Festival Page 12: Asleep at the Wheel courtesy of the artist Page 13: I’m With Her by Shervin Lainez Page 14: Daymé Arocena by Casey Moore Page 15: Medeski’s Mad Skillet by Marc Pagani, Jon Cleary courtesy of the artist Page 16: Dafnis Prieto by Henry Lopez Page 17: Daniel Hope by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival, Wu Han and David Finckel by Daniel Ashworth, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival Page 18: Punch Brothers by Josh Goleman Page 19: Pokey LaFarge courtesy of the artist, Kat Edmonson courtesy of the artist Page 20: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center by Tristan Cook Page 21: Lars Vogt by Neda Navaee, Chris Pattishall by Elizabeth Leitzell/Savannah Music Festival, Aaron Diehl Trio by John Abbott Page 22: Aaron Diehl by Jaime Kahn, Daniel Hope courtesy of the artist Page 23: John Pizzarelli courtesy of the artist, Catherine Russell courtesy of the artist Page 24: Vicente Amigo courtesy of the artist Page 25: Simon CrawfordPhillips by Elizabeth Leitzell/ Savannah Music Festival, Jerry Douglas courtesy of the artist, Jazz on the River by Elizabeth Leitzell/Savannah Music Festival Page 26: Herlin Riley by

Anna Webber, Delvon Lamarr courtesy of the artist Page 27: Goldberg Variations by Hugh Carswell Page 28: Earls of Leicester by Patrick Sheehan Page 29: Caterina Lichtenberg & Mike Marshall courtesy of the artist, Daniel Hope & Benny Kim by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival Page 30: Molly Tuttle by Kaitlyn Raitz, Kathy Mattea by Reto Sterchi Page 31: Marcus Roberts Trio by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival, Wycliffe Gordon by Elizabeth Leitzell/ Savannah Music Festival Page 32: Courtney Granger by Jenny Lyons Simon, Jourdan Thibodeaux courtesy of the artist Page 33: Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra by Geoff Johnson, Marcus Roberts Trio courtesy of the artist Page 34: Angélique Kidjo by Sofia and Mauro Page 35: Santiago Ballerini courtesy of the artist, Roby

Lakatos courtesy of the artist, Sam Reider courtesy of the artist Page 36: Congregation Mickve Israel by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival, Darol Anger courtesy of the artist, Bryan Sutton courtesy of the artist Page 37: Dreamers’ Circus by Juel Poulsen, Seamus Egan Project courtesy of the artist Page 38: Tallis Scholars by Nick Rutter Page 39: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder courtesy of the artist Page 40: Sebastian Knauer by Steven Haberland, Darrell Scott by Jim McGuire Page 41: Daniel Hope & Friends Balkan Roots by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival, Simos Papanas courtesy of the artist Page 42: Anda Union courtesy of the artist Page 43: Pat Metheny courtesy of the artist Page 44: tenThing courtesy of the artist Page 45: Jerusalem Quartet by Felix Broede

Page 46: Kannapolis courtesy of the artist Page 47: Sin Salida courtesy of the artist Page 48: Charlie Hunter courtesy of the artist, Dimmer Twins courtesy of the artist, T. Hardy Morris by Alec Stanley Page 49: Robbie Fulks by Andy Goodwin, tenThing by Daniel Weiseth Kjellesvik Page 50: Daniel Hope with Yehudi Menuhin by Eleanor Hope, Stringband Spectacular by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival Page 51: Jeff Tweedy courtesy of the artist Page 52: El Sepeteto Santiaguero courtesy of the artist Page 53: Daniel Hope by Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival, Savannah VOICE Festival by Elizabeth Leitzell/Savannah Music Festival Page 54: Robert Earl Keen by Nick Doll, Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore by Daniel Jackson Page 55: Maceo Parker by

SAVANNAHMUSICFESTIVAL .ORG

Boris Breuer Page 56: Photos by Elizabeth Leitzell/Savannah Music Festival Page 60: Musical Explorers by Bailey Davidson/Savannah Music Festival and Larissa Davidson/Savannah Music Festival, drawings by Musical Explorers students Page 61: SCJ student by Elizabeth Leitzell/Savannah Music Festival, AMS pictures by Elizabeth Leitzell/ Savannah Music Festival and Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival Page 62: Musical Explorers classroom image by Zack Grove/Savannah Music Festival, group photo by Elizabeth Leitzell / Savannah Music Festival, Artist photos by Elizabeth Leitzell/ Savannah Music Festival and Bailey Davidson/Savannah Music Festival, Trustees’ Garden by Elizabeth Leitzell/ Savannah Music Festival Back cover: I’m With Her by David McClister

BOX OFFICE 912.525.5050

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE 200 East Saint Julian Street, Suite 601 Savannah, Georgia 31401 savannahmusicfestival.org

PAID

SAVANNAH, GA PERMIT NO. 301

I’M WITH HER S A R A WAT K I N S • S A R A H JA R O S Z • AO I F E O ’ D O N OVA N Friday, March 29 at 7:30 pm Lucas Theatre for the Arts See page 13

is the official print & communications sponsor of the Savannah Music Festival