Avett Brothers, Bruce Hornsby among highlights of Savannah Music Festival’s eclectic line up

Established in 1989, the Savannah Music Festival brings 500 of the world’s top musicians to town each year to perform at multiple venues across the city.

And it also brings tourists. The 17-day event attracted attendees from 49 states and 14 countries in 2016, according to the festival’s website, and garnered international media attention from London to France to Germany to Canada.

This year’s festival begins March 23 and runs through April 8, with performances scheduled at the Johnny Mercer Theatre, Lucas Theatre for the Arts, Trinity United Methodist Church, Trustees Theater, and other locations.

Among the highlights for 2017’s event are:

The Avett Brothers: North Carolina’s folk-rock band will play the Johnny Mercer Theatre on Thursday, March 23.

Brahms vs. Tchaikovsky: The two legendary composers seemed to hate each other, despite being born on the same day seven years apart. The performance will include samples of both men’s work, with actors portraying the composers on either side of the stage. Look for this to be an entertaining introduction to the musical genre. Friday, March 24 at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts.

William Bell: A member of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, his songs have been covered by the likes of Eric Clapton and Cream, Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart and Etta James, among others. Saturday, March 25 at the North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Museum.

Rodney Whitaker & MSU Professors of Jazz / Marcus Printup & Youngbloods: It’s a jazz double bill Thursday, March 30 at the Charles H. Morris Center.

Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers: The Grammy-award winning pianist/singer (The Way It Is, Mandolin Rain) plays the Trustees Theater Saturday, April 8.

For more information and tickets, visit SavannahMusicFestival.org.

This story was originally published January 28, 2017 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Avett Brothers, Bruce Hornsby among highlights of Savannah Music Festival’s eclectic line up."