Soul of the South: Savannah's Fabulous Festivals Slide Show
Like many Southern cities, Savannah hosts a variety of musical events. Spring brings the annual Savannah Music Festival. By James T. Black
It didn't take Hank Weisman long to find his kind of folks after moving to Savannah. "I went to my first Savannah Folk Music Festival
a couple of months after coming here," he says. "I've been into folk music ever since I started playing guitar at age 6. So I was glad
that so many local people enjoyed it too." Now as president of the Savannah Folk Music Society, Hank heads up the free festival that
fills the Georgia city with family-friendly music every October.
Last year's musical free-for-all featured concerts at Savannah's City Market and inside the renovated Roundhouse Railroad Museum.
Georgia Southern University professor Jean-Paul Carton and his wife, Dominique, performed traditional French folk songs at the
City Market, while bluegrass notables Norman and Nancy Blake, bluesman Guy Davis, and singer-songwriter Tracy Grammer entertained
Roundhouse audiences.
Andrew Terrett, a college student, joined the veterans on the Roundhouse stage as winner of the festival's Youth Songwriting
Competition. "One of the society's missions is to continue the folk music tradition, and the competition helps introduce it to a
whole new generation," Hank says.
A World of Music
Every March another local musical event introduces audiences to sounds from around the world. The Savannah Music Festival
helps kick off the city's famous St. Patrick's Day celebration by presenting performers who span the musical globe.
"We produce nearly 100 performances in 18 days, " says Rob Gibson, the festival's artistic director. "This year we had
musicians from Jamaica, Spain, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Ireland, as well as the local debut of the Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis."
In addition to offering dozens of musicians, singers, and dancers, the festivals also feature workshops and lectures. "We
present free programs to more than 20,000 area schoolchildren," Rob adds. "That's important, because we want the festival
to give Savannah residents the chance to hear music and meet people from all over the world."
