Savannah Music Festival

About the Event

Experience a World of Music in One City

Georgia's largest musical arts event and one of the most distinctive cross-genre music festivals in the world.

Schedule of Events:

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Julia Fischer & Jan Lisiecki

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

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

Location: Trinity United Methodist Church

Ticket: $58.00

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7:00 pm – 8:15 pm: Emmet Cohen & New Jazz Underground

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

Location: Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden

Ticket: $47.00

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7:30 pm – 8:45 pm: DakhaBrakha

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

Location: Ships of the Sea

Ticket: $45.00

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8:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Leftover Salmon

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

Location: Victory North

Ticket: $47.00

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8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: BalletCollective: Translation

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

Location: Lucas Theatre for the Arts

Tickets: $46 – $76

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