She & Him, Wilco headline music festival

Thrill seekers on Spring Break can continue the party this year at the Savannah Music Festival (SMF). The three-week music festival begins March 18, no sooner than Savannah's St. Patrick's Day revelry wraps.

SMF is an annual cross-genre arrangement of musical performances focusing primarily on jazz, blues, classical, bluegrass, rock and Americana.

According to SMF executive director, Rob Gibson, last year the festival's impact on Savannah's economy was second only to St. Patrick's Day. In addition, SMF also brings arts education programs to over 20,000 students annually. For their upcoming celebration, potential to achieve these two goals may be far greater than in years past.

A lot of time, money and energy go into the entire year it takes to produce the festival. With that hard work in mind, even Gibson remains grounded in giving credit to the audience that makes the celebration possible.

"People often come up to me, expressing their appreciation for my festival," he said. "I always respond the same way – ‘this isn't my festival; it's yours.'"

Gibson said that the City of Savannah contributed $150,000 last year. In return, SMF generated $1 million in tax revenue back to the city. For attendees, this means their ticket purchase both warrants a good time and supports the local economy.

Beyond the lineup of local talent, 2010's ticket boasts more A-list performers than years past. Big-name acts this year include: energetic classical pianist Lang Lang, blues powerhouse Ruthie Foster, country western star Patty Loveless, award-winning Malian musician Bassekou Kouyate, jazz acoustic bassist Ben Tucker, fierce classical performers the Emerson String Quartet, indie rock duo She & Him (comprised of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel) and laid back alt-rockers Wilco, to name a few.

Original productions for 2010 include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with Chinese piano sensation Lang Lang, the 5th annual Piano Showdown, the 17th annual American Traditions Competition, the All Star Swing Summit/Swing CentralFinale, Ben Tucker's 80th birthday celebration and SMF's originally conceived chamber music series, Sensation.

Although most of these shows are already sold out, some students may have luck finding tickets for Wilco or She & Him through eBay or Craigslist. However, the major drawback would be the exponentially higher price of the ticket. Anyone who can't afford the whopping price of a last-chance ticket can still listen to this year's artists free-of-charge at SMF's Web site.

So when the always-too-short Spring Break reaches its end, this fest will be a great way to let the party continue.

For more on the 2010 Savannah Music Festival, including a schedule of events and streaming radio, visit

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