A look back at

Celebrated for distinctive live performances spanning American and international roots music, jazz, classical, jam, rock and blues genres in beautiful, historic Savannah, Georgia, the Savannah Music Festival (SMF) presented a stellar 2023 season from March 23 through April 8, 2023.
The 17-day festival has been raising the bar each year by showcasing an exceptional cross-section of award-winning icons, trailblazing contemporaries and dynamic newcomers in unique locations throughout Savannah. This year, the expansive outdoor venue Trustees’ Garden accommodated nearly 2,500 patrons, featuring multiple artists on the main stage each day along with family activities and local food truck vendors in an open, field-like atmosphere.
Called “one of the Southeast’s most creative cross-cultural musical events” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Savannah Music Festival is known for its captivating multi-genre offerings and unique collaborations. Classical highlights included the Philip Dukes & Friends chamber music series, led by the world-renowned viola player and Savannah Music Festival Associate Artistic Director Dukes, a stop of the final tour of the celebrated Emerson String Quartet, Zurich Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Hope & Philip Dukes, Alexander Malofeev, and the Dover String Quartet with Joseph Conyers.
World music fused with Americana when Malian master of the ngoni (precursor to the banjo) Bassekou Kouyate shares a bill with Jake Blount, scholar/performer of the Black string band tradition, appearing with Nic Gareiss and Laurel Premo. Jazz is always prominent at the Savannah Music Festival and this year acclaimed jazz violinist Regina Carter offers “Gone in a Phrase of Air,” an original music and multimedia performance that explores the effects of the urban renewal of the 1950s and 1960s, Terence Blanchard & E-Collective featuring the Turtle Island Quartet, Kenny Barron & Dave Holland with Johnathan Blake and many others.
Discovery was a key part of the 2023 Savannah Music Festival as rising and renowned musicians perform at the event for the first time. Festival debuts in 2023 included Terence Blanchard, Patty Griffin, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Leo Kottke, Regina Carter, Sona Jobarteh, Natu Camara, Stanton Moore Trio, Los Lobos, The Alt with Oisin McAuley, Téada, S.G. Goodman, Harold Lopez-Nussa’s “Timba a la Americana” and more. Additional highlights include a Zydeco Dance Party featuring Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys, a Latin Dance Party with Eddie Palmieri’s Latin Jazz Band, as well as a Cajun Dance Party featuring The Lost Bayou Ramblers.
In addition to excellence in musical presentations, Savannah Music Festival is also committed to supporting music education in the Savannah community, with programs inside and outside of the classroom. Musical Explorers, now in its ninth year, is a year-round education program for K-2 students which reaches over 10,000 children locally. SMF Jazz Academy is a free after-school program for students in grades 5-12, offering instruments, private lessons, public performances, and more for in-depth, immersive learning experiences.