The Savannah VOICE Festival will return for its fifth anniversary season – themed Funny@Five – with an array of over 25 concerts, classes, operas, outreaches and other events taking place Aug. 5-27 around the Coastal Empire.

The festival, which previously spanned two weeks, has expanded to a third week this year, providing attendees with several extra days of delightful musical offerings, laughter and excitement. While most of these events are open to the public, the Festival’s Salon Series is available exclusively to VOICE Society Members.   Membership not only includes special access and benefits which include priority seating but the membership helps to support the vital educational outreach programs of the festival.

The Salon Series begins with an intimate evening with Jennifer Johnson Cano, featuring backstage stories of her skyrocketing career with musical performances by festival artists, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8 at the Green Meldrim House, 14 W. Macon St. in downtown Savannah. Cano will share her experiences and give insights into her characters, from being a Met "Walker" to a modern "Carmen" to a traditional "Donna Elvira", while festival artists perform some of Cano’s most memorable music.

Cano, who made her professional operatic debut with the Opera Theater of St. Louis, earned degrees from Webster University and Rice University. She joined The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2008, and made her Met debut during the 2009-10 season. As first prize winner of the 2009 Young Concert Artist International Auditions, she has given stunning recital debuts with husband and pianist Christopher Cano in New York at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, at the Kennedy Center, and in Boston at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Among her honors is a 2011 Sara Tucker Study Grant, 2012 Richard Tucker Career Grant and 2014 George London Award. Cano has given over 100 performances at The Metropolitan Opera and has a continued relationship with The Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic and The Cleveland Orchestra. She was particularly honored to sing at the private funeral for American icon and astronaut Neil Armstrong. In 2014, Cano released her debut recital recording, “Unaffected, Live from the Savannah VOICE Festival.”

The second event in the Salon Series, “Camelot,” is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, also at the Green Meldrim House. As the festival closes, guests will have the opportunity to delve into the romance of King Arthur with an evening of excerpts from the Lerner and Lowe classic and other Arthurian-themed music.

In addition to Salon Series access, VOICE Society members enjoy a wide array of perks, including early seating priority at events, exclusive access to other members-only special events, early ticket sales to events throughout the year, pre-sale pricing at the door, a members-only bimonthly e-newsletter, and special discounts with local partners. The Savannah VOICE Festival offers three membership levels beginning at $175. To become a member or for more information, please visit www.savannahvoicefestival.org/join-the-voice-society/.

“Being a member of the VOICE Society offers much more than the tangible benefits listed,” said Savannah VOICE Festival Executive Director and co-founder Maria Zouves. “Members are able to connect with our artists and operas on a deeper level while also helping to make a difference in the lives of our young artists.” 

Tickets to the Salon Series events cost $75 each and can be purchased by visiting the Savannah VOICE Festival’s website.