SAVANNAH VOICE FESTIVAL Returns This August

Tickets have gone on sale for the Savannah VOICE Festival's 13th season, “Once Upon a Time,” scheduled for August 7-17 at various venues around The Hostess City. This year's season celebrates the VOICE Programs' 25 years of educating aspiring singers, honoring Maestro Sherrill Milnes' 90th birthday and recognizing the 60th anniversary of his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. 

The Savannah VOICE Festival and the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs were established by internationally renowned baritone Milnes and his wife, acclaimed soprano, Maria Zouves, to perpetuate the legacy of great singing through arts education, artistic training, audience development and community engagement for all. 

Events that patrons will get to experience this year include a special concert on Saturday, August 9 at Asbury Memorial Church, directed by famed composer David Friedman, winner of the 1997 Johnny Mercer Award for Songwriter of the Year and arranger of nostalgic Disney scores. Attendees will also be able to step into a fairy tale journey on Thursday, August 14 at the Yamacraw Center for the Performing Arts for the world premiere of Cinderella's Royal Feast by Michael Ching, an opera written and presented in collaboration with students from Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts. And in celebration of Milnes' career, patrons will join the Savannah Opera at the Festival for the presentation of one of his marquee roles, Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, on August 16 at Asbury Memorial Church. Verdi's classic opera tells the story of Rigoletto, the hunchbacked, sharp-tongued jester, with some of the most recognizable arias and ensembles in the operatic repertoire.

“When we first started the Savannah VOICE Festival, our vision was to create a special place for artists and lovers of the vocal arts,” said Zouves. “This milestone season, we are committed to celebrating our successes and planning for the next generation of artists to succeed.”