Supporters, subscribers, sponsors and music fans from the Savannah community joined together to launch the Savannah Philharmonic’s tenth anniversary season at the Historic Lucas Theatre for the Arts.  

The tenth anniversary season will kick off with “10 Years in the Making: Fire & Spirit” on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 and conclude with “Shannon Conducts Mahler” on Saturday, May 4, 2019 (please see full schedule in appendix). Music enthusiasts from around the region enjoyed refreshing beverages and hor d’oeuvres while learning the details of the tenth season repertoire. The event was kicked-off with a rare performance by the Philharmonic’s concertmaster Dr. Sinisa Ciric, and principle musicians Ricardo Ochoa, LiZhou Liu, Steven Thomas and Vadim Volynets. Critz Auto Group generously sponsored this launch party event with funds raised from the Mercedes Benz Golf Tournament held earlier in the day.

A focal point of the tenth season will be the tenth anniversary season gala, “An Enchanting Evening”. The Philharmonic’s loyal and generous supporters, Bob and Alice Jepson, will serve as honorary chairs of this fundraising gala which is designed to captivate the senses with sumptuous fare and joyful camaraderie, all while enjoying special performances by Philharmonic musicians and choristers. This black-tie event promises to be an enchanted and memorable evening. Save the date for this exclusive, “must-attend” celebration planned for Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019.

Another highlight of the evening was the announcement of details regarding an exciting collaboration between the Savannah Philharmonic and Savannah Music Festival. This long-awaited and highly-anticipated collaboration, featuring renowned jazz pianist/composer Marcus Roberts and his trio, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, 2019.

The Savannah Philharmonic was also proud to announce the Larsen Musician Spotlight Series, featuring performances curated and performed by Philharmonic musicians. This Spotlight Series of seven concerts is an opportunity to get to know “your” Savannah Philharmonic musicians up-close and personal. From Baroque to brass, this series features sensational works for chamber music ensembles. Special student subscription packages have been designed to give students the opportunity to attend the spotlight series at very affordable prices.

Designed to promote the newly created student subscriptions, a new social media campaign was created and launched by students in SCAD’s United Re(Action) network group. Attendees of the launch party had the opportunity to meet the students and hear about the design process.  United Re(Action) President and SCAD valedictorian Nicolas Barrera Castaneda presented the campaign from the stage during the launch party.

“There is great excitement by the entire community as we move into our second decade as “Savannah’s” Philharmonic; a cultural, educational and economic asset to the city,” shares Terri O’Neil, Executive Director.  “The tenth season represents the best of everything we have brought to Savannah in the past, including an exciting reprise of the very first concert that the Philharmonic gave; performing Beethoven’s heroic fifth symphony,” said Savannah Philharmonic Artistic Director and Conductor Peter Shannon. “The other concerts of the season represent a healthy growth in many directions: I’m particularly excited about the ‘musicians choice’ concert, whereby the orchestral musicians themselves got to choose the concert repertoire, and I’m very much looking forward to the final concert of the season with Mahler’s second symphony including the Philharmonic Chorus. Other highlights include Irish tenor Anthony Kearns and a Broadway-themed concert with the wonderful musicians of the Savannah Theatre.”

The Savannah Philharmonic is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission to provide the highest level of musical performances and educational programs featuring the highest caliber of professional musicians, a volunteer chorus, and internationally acclaimed soloists. The Savannah Philharmonic aims to exhilarate, educate, and enrich a large and diverse audience in the greater Savannah community.

Renewing ticket subscribers must book their seats between May 7 and June 1. New subscribers for the Philharmonic Experience, Series 8, and the newly created Student Suites are eligible to book subscriptions beginning on June 4. Multi-concert ticket packages and single tickets for the tenth anniversary season will go on sale to the public June 25.

To learn more about the Savannah Philharmonic or ticket subscriptions, please visit www.savannahphilharmonic.org or call 912-232-6002.