Savannah Philharmonic opens season, picnic Sunday
Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra started its 2016-17 season earlier this month, but what it calls the city's largest outdoor musical event, Picnic in the Park, is Sunday.
Free and open to everyone, the annual PIP has attracts 15,000-20,000 attendees in historic Forsyth Park in the past. It's a great way for families to experience live professional orchestral music.
You provide your own picnic and the orchestra provides the music from 4-9:30 p.m. in the park's bandshell.
Other events coming up in the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus season include:
Oct. 14-15 at 7:30 both nights — Mozart's Requiem. This powerful evening of music features two of the famed composer's most compelling works; the fiery and passionate Symphony No. 40 in G minor and the dramatic Requiem, featuring local soloists Tina Zenker-Williams, Claire Watts, Stephen Dobson and Allen Henderson.
Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. — A celebration of French music. With opulent works by Hector Berlioz, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the performance will be at the Lucas Theatre. Pianist Alon Goldstein will join the Savannah Philharmonic's own Quynh Shannon and the orchestra to perform Francis Poulenc's witty and melodic Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor.
Dec. 17 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. — Philharmonic's Holiday Pops. The concert is guaranteed to put audiences in the holiday spirit.
You can expect traditional tunes, sing-along melodies and holiday classics. The evening performance will feature American Traditions Competition's 2016 Gold Medalist Michael Maliakel. The Family Holiday Pops matinee will include the Savannah Children's Choir.
Jan. 28, at 7:30 — The Best of Rodgers & Hammerstein. This exuberant evening of song and showmanship, featuring special guests from the Savannah Theater, will highlight hits from Broadway classics including The Sound of Music, Carousel, Oklahoma and more. It will be at at Johnny Mercer Theater
March 4, at 7:30 p.m. — Enigma Variations. The Philharmonic's performance of Bedrich Smetana's Moldau and Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations is sure to elicit mystery and awe. Concertmaster Sinisa Ciric and principal violist LiZhou Liu will round out the evening with the playful and virtuosic Sinfonia concertante by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The concert is at the Lucas Theater for the Arts.
April 20 and 21, both at 7:30 p.m. — The American Spirit. The evening of exclusively American music will include everything from national treasures, with music by George and Ira Gershwin and Aaron Copland, to some of the finest Broadway, film and patriotic music ever written.
April 29, at 7:30 p.m. — Season culmination. This dazzling performance will feature pianist Fan-Ya Lin performing Sergei Rachmaninov's monumental Third Piano Concerto. Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 will serve as the orchestral conclusion, illustrating the wonders of the natural world. The season finale concert is at Johnny Mercer Theater.
For more information about Picnic in the Park or the Philharmonic, call 912-232-6002, visit savannahphilharmonic.org or email info@savannahphilharmonic.org.