As Coastal Georgia warms with the sights and sounds of spring, the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus is enjoying its own upward crescendo, tantalizing fans with an impressive array of performances that will serve as a climactic finale to their seventh season.

April is packed with a variety of concerts, including some annual favorites and new programs that will feature a diverse array of music from classical, folk to Motown oldies.

April’s performances begin with the Chamber Concert No. 6 – Contemporary Classics at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16. This Chamber concert focuses on the chamber music repertoire of the early- to mid-20^th century, showcasing selections that have become contemporary classics. The concert, at Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Savannah, will feature Suite for English Horn and Bassoon, Op. 21 by composer Alan Hovhaness; Trio for Flute, Violin, and Piano by composer Nino Rota; and Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, Op. 43 by composer Francis Poulenc.

The event will highlight the talents of Savannah Philharmonic musicians Ricardo Ochoa on violin, Jeana Melilli on flute, Andrew Jay Ripley on English horn, James Massol on bassoon, and Dr. Benjamin Warsaw on piano. Tickets cost $20. Lutheran Church of the Ascension serves as the presenting sponsor, and The Paris Market is lending support as the supporting sponsor.

Enthusiasts needn’t wait long for the next opportunity to see another Philharmonic performance--- On Thursday-Friday, April 21-22, the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus presents “Music from the 60’s: Celebrating the 1760’s, 1860’s and 1960’s.”

This voices-only concert, sponsored by Critz BMW | Buick GMC | Mercedes of Savannah, celebrates music from the classical era and the American Civil War era, with popular hits from the 1960’s. Repertoire includes Haydn’s Te Deum No. 2 in C Major; American folk songs such as “The Merry, Merry Month of May,” “Camptown Races,” and “Nelly Bly”; spirituals from the Civil War era such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”; and well-loved songs from the Beatles, the Supremes and the Temptations.

Philharmonic Chorusmaster Dr. Monica Harper will conduct the show, which will be performed at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. Ticket price is $20.

The exciting season culminates on at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30 with the Chopin & Tchaikovsky concert in the Savannah Civic Center’s Johnny Mercer Theater. The program will begin with Chopin’s beautiful Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring Savannah’s own talented pianist Quynh Shannon. Tchaikovsky’s last completed symphony, the “Pathétique,” will be a fantastic performance finale!

The event – which is sponsored by Bill and Maria Dascombe, The Georgia Institute for Plastic Surgery, and TSN Enterprises – will also feature composer Mikhail Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila. Ticket prices range from $26-$75.

“We’ve planned several amazing concerts in April as a dazzling way to conclude the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus’s seventh successful season.” Philharmonic Artistic Director and Conductor Peter Shannon said. “Our April concerts give music fans several opportunities to enjoy high-quality musical performances right here in Savannah before we take our summer break.”