The Savannah VOICE Festival is slated to return to Savannah with new educational initiatives and performances during February.

Opera legend and Savannah VOICE Festival Artistic Director, Sherrill Milnes, will join the annual Savannah Sings Festival as Master of Ceremony for the 2018 Choir Festival performance at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 at the Esther F. Garrison School’s Yamacraw Center for the Performing Arts, 649 W. Jones St. in downtown Savannah. Now in its fifth year, Savannah Sings 2018 is hosted by John Tisbert and the Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts Choir with generous support from the Savannah Friends of Music. The Invitational Youth Choir Festival is a two-part event featuring a concert program by some of the area’s top school and community youth choirs as well as a showcase of the Festival Men’s Chorus. This year’s festival will feature guest conductor Ken Berg with Milnes serving as emcee.

In addition to Milnes serving as Master of Ceremony, this year’s festival will include a special performance, video and talk back about the new Savannah opera, Anna Hunter, the Spirit of Savannah. This Anna Hunter experience is hosted by Savannah VOICE Festival at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 also at the Yamacraw Center for the Performing Arts. The Savannah VOICE Festival will invite students to join the composer Michael Ching as well as Davenport House Museum Director Jamie Credle and “Anna” herself, soprano Maria Zouves for a "talk back" about Savannah's history through music. The opera highlights a trailblazer who helped spark the preservation of our historic city in the 1950s. Anna’s work led to the formation of the Historic Savannah Foundation and to the preservation of many landmark buildings including the Davenport House. This event will feature a video from the world premiere of the opera as well as a live music from the work and a special question-and-answer with the panel who will discuss the story and history behind the operatic commission. "Telling a story of Savannah's rich history through opera is a great way to get people involved and inspired to engage in both." said Maria Zouves, "I love that we can use the new theatre to reach students in this way."

The Savannah VOICE Festival will also collaborate with Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus in its 2017-2018 Piano in the Arts program with “Come Together – An Evening of Relationships” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 at Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus’s Fine Arts Auditorium, 11935 Abercorn St., in Savannah.  This concert, directed by Savannah VOICE Festival co-founder and Executive Director Maria Zouves, will feature elegant music of varied genres performed by up-and-coming artists as well as Armstrong Campus’ own, Dr. Benjamin Warsaw. In addition, a free masterclass will be held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7.  Warsaw commented “Everyone at Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus is looking forward to partnering with the Savannah VOICE Festival for these initiatives”.

“We are honored to collaborate with Savannah’s wonderful educators for these exciting events and delighted that our Composer in Residence, Michael Ching will be performing at every event,” said Zouves. “It is vital to bring arts and music into the lives of our students and youth and I look forward to sharing in this experience with Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus, Savannah Sings, Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts, and Savannah Friends of Music.”

Universally acclaimed as the foremost operatic baritone of his generation, Milnes has performed over 650 times at the Met, where he was honored with sixteen new productions, seven opening nights, and ten national telecasts. As a leading artist in all of the world’s great opera houses, Milnes performed and recorded with the likes of Domingo, Pavarotti, Sutherland, Sills, Horne, Price, and Tebaldi. He is the winner of three Grammy Awards and the most recorded American singer of his time. In 2008 Milnes received the Opera News Award for Distinguished Achievement. Driven by his dedication to make the vocal arts vibrant, vital and entertaining in today’s world, Milnes continues to give masterclasses, judge competitions, and mentor new generations of singers. With his wife, Maria Zouves, he co-founded and runs the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs: VOICExperience Foundation and the Savannah VOICE Festival, which provides training and performance opportunities for aspiring young artists while fostering new audiences for the arts.

The Savannah VOICE Festival is a celebration of the classical voice with over 25 performances, including operas, concerts, food and wine events, and masterclasses – often presented by Milnes – which takes place in Savannah during the month of August and throughout the year. The nonprofit arts organization brings classical vocal excellence through a celebration of concerts, events and educational presentations offering music from opera, musical theatre and popular song. Milnes and Zouves work together to serve the community by providing the highest level of education and quality performances by talented artists for all to enjoy. 

Tickets to the “Come Together” concert cost $15 each and can be purchased by visiting www.tickets.armstrong.edu or calling 912-344-2801. For more information about Savannah Sings, please visit www.savannahsings2018.weebly.com. Tickets to Savanah Sings 2018 cost $10 each or $5 for children under the age of 18 and can be purchased by visiting http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/schools/gvpa/default.aspx.