The tagline on the bottom of the 2024 Savannah Music Festival program reads, “A World of Music. One City.”
Next year’s festival, which will run from March 28-April 13, 2024, is truly an international event, with performers on the schedule representing at least eight countries.
That cultural diversity is something that Executive Director Gene Dobbs Bradford loves about the festival. “I’ve spent the last part of my career working with organizations that only presented one type of music, whether it be classical or jazz. Here, I have an opportunity to see music from all over the world and a lot of different genres that I wouldn’t have gotten to experience. So, it’s just as much a journey of discovery for me as it is for all the people, and that’s the beauty.
When you find the band that you never, ever heard of from a country that you’re not familiar with, it suddenly becomes your favorite band. That’s the beauty of the Savannah Music Festival.”
Aside from the world music offerings, the lineup features opera star Renée Fleming, bluegrass icon Ricky Skaggs, and a tribute to legendary blues musicians Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.
Tickets go on sale Dec. 1, with several discount ticket options available. Patrons 40 and under will be able to purchase tickets to many of the concerts in the chamber music series as well as some of the classical concerts for just $20. The Explorer Pass also returns, which offers a free general admission ticket to all SCCPSS students and one adult family member.
Said Bradford, “We want to make sure that the music is accessible to all folks, no matter if they can afford it or not.”
Richard Burkhart is the visual journalist for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at RBBurkhart@gannett.com.