Savannah Music Festival

The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is dedicated to presenting world-class celebrations of the musical arts by creating timeless and adventurous productions that stimulate arts education, foster economic growth and unite artists and audiences in Savannah.

QUICK FACTS
Established in 1989
A 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization
The annual 17-day springtime festival is Georgia’s largest musical arts event, featuring more than 100 productions
Brings 500 of the world’s finest musical artists to Savannah annually
In 2016, attendees came from 49 states and 14 countries
More than 40% of SMF’s audience is made up of patrons from out-of-town
Media coverage includes: The Times (London), The New York Times, The Guardian (UK), The Wall Street Journal, Toronto Star (Canada), Le Monde (France), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) and Gramophone (UK)
Employs eleven staff members and expands workforce by 80+ contracted workers and hundreds of local volunteers leading up to and during the festival
SMF’S MUSICAL EXPLORERS
Year-round music education program for students in grades K-2, available cost-free to teachers in Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, Bryan (GA) and Beaufort (SC) counties
Free classroom resources and professional development workshops for all participating teachers
Semester-end concerts featuring professional musicians in genres important to the Southeastern United States
SMF’s Swing Central Jazz (SCJ) and the Acoustic Music Seminar (AMS) provide unique mentorship opportunities to aspiring young musicians in jazz and acoustic music.
FINANCIAL STATISTICS
SMF’s annual budget: $3.6 million
Annual revenue from ticket sales: $1.5 million
Average amount SMF raises each year to sustain programs: $2.1 million
SMF generates tax revenues of nearly $1 million each year between hotel/motel, sales and transportation tax
Savannah Music Festival Live is a weekly radio series produced for Georgia Public Broadcasting, which is now in its ninth season. The show has been licensed more than 250 times to stations across the country and is available to stream online anytime. SMF concert recordings are also featured regularly on American Public Media’s Performance Today, NPR Music and Sirius XM.