On Saturday, October 26, 2024, the Savannah Music Festival, which hosts a world-class music festival every spring as well as a wide range of year-round local music education initiatives, will present the 2024 Savannah Music Festival Family Jam, featuring live performances along the riverfront at Plant Riverside District’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, located at 400 West River Street in Savannah, Ga.
The event is from noon to 3pm, and a public jam session will take place from 2:15-2:45pm. This event is free and open to the public.
This family-friendly event will feature live performances of classic jazz and blues songs by SMF Jazz Academy student ensembles as well as the SMF Jazz Academy Messengers, a local touring band. SMF Jazz Academy is a free after-school jazz program organized by the Savannah Music Festival that aims to empower the whole student by instilling life-long musical, academic and social skills.
More than 60 local students will take the stage in nine different ensembles. In addition, Tambores Bombayá, a local Afro-Venezuelan percussion ensemble which includes SMF Jazz Academy student Isod Vital, will deliver a high-energy performance defined by rhythm and style. Members of the public are also invited to bring their instruments and to participate in a community jam session from 2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
The Savannah Music Festival Family Jam will be emceed by current SMF Jazz Academy students. In addition, a wide variety of Plant Riverside District restaurants and food vendors will be available on-site.
ABOUT SMF JAZZ ACADEMY
The SMF Jazz Academy, an after-school jazz program organized by Savannah Music Festival, is free to all Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) students in grades 5-12 who qualify for free and reduced lunch, attend Juliette Gordon Low Elementary School or Shuman Elementary School or are returning SMF Jazz Academy students. The program is open to all music levels. SMF Jazz Academy students attend weekly ensemble rehearsals and receive private music lessons throughout the school year. Participants enjoy live local performances and have the opportunity to attend master classes and seminars with accomplished regional and national jazz artists. For more information, visit savannahmusicfestival.org/education-programs/jazz-academy.
ABOUT SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL
A leading nonprofit performing arts organization, Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is dedicated to presenting exceptional live music that entertains, educates, inspires and unites communities. In addition to year-round performances, music education, community engagement and broadcast initiatives, SMF produces one of the most distinctive multi-genre music festivals in the world. Hailed by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution as “one of the gleaming musical treasures of the Southeast'' and by the Toronto Star as “one of North America’s most distinctive musical events,” the annual springtime festival has featured thousands of artists from across the globe since its founding in 1989. More info: savannahmusicfestival.org.