SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL'S 19TH ANNUAL EVENT ACHIEVES RECORD TICKET SALES, ARTISTIC COGENCY AND INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL ACCLAIM
Savannah, Georgia - The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) approaches its 20th anniversary year with well-founded momentum after concluding the 2008 festival, reporting significant increases in ticket sales, cultural tourism around the event, educational outreach, artistic innovation and international critical acclaim. A ten percent rise in audiences in 2008 included growing numbers of both cultural tourists and local concertgoers, showing SMF's commitment to providing world-class musical arts for the region's music lovers while helping to shape the future of tourism in Savannah.
“This year's festival brought about many noteworthy successes," says SMF Board Chair Elizabeth Anderson. “We inaugurated Savannah's newest venue, the Charles H. Morris Center, provided music education programs for 21,000 young people, and saw a six-figure increase in ticket income for the third consecutive year despite a tightening national economy."
The 2008 Savannah Music Festival had a comprehensive economic impact of $25 million (up 20 percent from 2007), made up of $15 million in visitor spending, $9 million in local personal income and $1 million in local tax revenues. Ticket sales reached $876,000 in 2008, showing a 16 percent increase from last year. SMF 2008 achieved an astounding 86 percent of available ticket revenue. Attendee totals reached 61,000. More concertgoers traveled from over 100 miles away in 2008, 82 percent of whom cited the Savannah Music Festival as the primary reason for their visit (up from 62 percent in 2007). Total hotel room nights used by visitors were 33,000, an increase of 24 percent from 2007.
SMF garnered international critical acclaim in 2008 from a variety of major media outlets, including The New York Times, Financial Times (UK), Toronto Star, Associated Press and dozens more. That acclaim was the result of the unique blend of musical arts regularly apparent at SMF, the presence of many one-time-only Savannah productions, the cultivation of commissioned work and the creative influence of artists like Wycliffe Gordon, Daniel Hope, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Stewart Copeland, Marcus Roberts, Derek Trucks, Emerson String Quartet, Marty Stuart and others. “Our audience survey from this year found that more people tried out different musical experiences while attending the Festival," remarks Executive & Artistic Director Rob Gibson. “The historic district of Savannah makes it very easy to take in chamber music, bluegrass, jazz, Cajun and Cuban music in one day."
With the SWING CENTRAL high school jazz band workshop and competition, Music in the Schools program featuring Marcus Printup's “Jazz is Feeling" program, and ten concerts in the Gulfstream Music Education series, SMF's 2008 efforts in music education reached 21,000 students (an increase from 19,500 in 2007). SWING CENTRAL's inaugural competition drew twelve high school bands from across the United States to Savannah to work closely with master musicians, resulting in one of the South's premier youth jazz summits.
“The continued success of our organization is the result of partnerships with corporations, foundations and individuals who are passionate about the importance of musical arts and education. We hope to continue expanding this terrific group of supporters," says Gibson.
Savannah, Georgia - The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) approaches its 20th anniversary year with well-founded momentum after concluding the 2008 festival, reporting significant increases in ticket sales, cultural tourism around the event, educational outreach, artistic innovation and international critical acclaim. A ten percent rise in audiences in 2008 included growing numbers of both cultural tourists and local concertgoers, showing SMF's commitment to providing world-class musical arts for the region's music lovers while helping to shape the future of tourism in Savannah.
“This year's festival brought about many noteworthy successes," says SMF Board Chair Elizabeth Anderson. “We inaugurated Savannah's newest venue, the Charles H. Morris Center, provided music education programs for 21,000 young people, and saw a six-figure increase in ticket income for the third consecutive year despite a tightening national economy."
The 2008 Savannah Music Festival had a comprehensive economic impact of $25 million (up 20 percent from 2007), made up of $15 million in visitor spending, $9 million in local personal income and $1 million in local tax revenues. Ticket sales reached $876,000 in 2008, showing a 16 percent increase from last year. SMF 2008 achieved an astounding 86 percent of available ticket revenue. Attendee totals reached 61,000. More concertgoers traveled from over 100 miles away in 2008, 82 percent of whom cited the Savannah Music Festival as the primary reason for their visit (up from 62 percent in 2007). Total hotel room nights used by visitors were 33,000, an increase of 24 percent from 2007.
SMF garnered international critical acclaim in 2008 from a variety of major media outlets, including The New York Times, Financial Times (UK), Toronto Star, Associated Press and dozens more. That acclaim was the result of the unique blend of musical arts regularly apparent at SMF, the presence of many one-time-only Savannah productions, the cultivation of commissioned work and the creative influence of artists like Wycliffe Gordon, Daniel Hope, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Stewart Copeland, Marcus Roberts, Derek Trucks, Emerson String Quartet, Marty Stuart and others. “Our audience survey from this year found that more people tried out different musical experiences while attending the Festival," remarks Executive & Artistic Director Rob Gibson. “The historic district of Savannah makes it very easy to take in chamber music, bluegrass, jazz, Cajun and Cuban music in one day."
With the SWING CENTRAL high school jazz band workshop and competition, Music in the Schools program featuring Marcus Printup's “Jazz is Feeling" program, and ten concerts in the Gulfstream Music Education series, SMF's 2008 efforts in music education reached 21,000 students (an increase from 19,500 in 2007). SWING CENTRAL's inaugural competition drew twelve high school bands from across the United States to Savannah to work closely with master musicians, resulting in one of the South's premier youth jazz summits.
“The continued success of our organization is the result of partnerships with corporations, foundations and individuals who are passionate about the importance of musical arts and education. We hope to continue expanding this terrific group of supporters," says Gibson.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
