PETER & PHIL

The arrival of jolly Irishman Peter Shannon as conductor and artistic director of the nearly–brand–new Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra gave the city’s classical music aficionados something to cheer about. Armed with infectious enthusiasm for his craft, a tireless work ethic and a hot–burning creative light, Shannon transformed Savannah’s sleepy classical scene into a vibrant musical force of nature.

From an all–in–Italian La Traviata and Verdi’s Requiem (with its partner–in–doubletime, the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus) to full–out classical masterworks including Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, the Philharmonic in 2009 was re–writing the guide book for orchestral performance, and turning the dissolved Savannah Orchestra (formerly Savannah Sinfonetta) into historical footnotes.

“I think the problem that the musicians had before was this standard repartee of “Savannah’s loaded, it’s got a lot of money, and history needs that symphony orchestra,’” Shannon told us. “Bollocks, as we say in Ireland. If you can’t prove your worth in so many different ways – especially in the financial climate we’re in at the moment – you really shouldn’t succeed.”

The Savannah Philharmonic Chorus will perform “Carols in the Cathedral” at 8 p.m. Friday in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist downtown Savannah.
Carols will include traditional, as well as contemporary pieces, such as the “Hallelujah Chorus,” “Ave Maria,” “Amazing Grace” and “The Christmas Song,” among others.

“There will be a lot of popular tunes that people will know and songs they like to hear around Christmas in this easy-listening concert performance,” said Peter Shannon, artistic director of the Savannah Philharmonic.

Along with the choral singers, musicians also will accompany with bass, organ and percussion.

“There’s nothing better than hearing music in the Cathedral,” Shannon said. “People really want a musical experience at Christmas, and I think they’ll get a lot out of this.”

In addition to the carols, the Philharmonic also has invited four well-known Savannahians to speak on behalf of four nonprofit organizations of their choice. Speakers include Mayor Johnson, Stratton Leopold, Bishop J. Kevin Boland and Malik Watkins. The Philharmonic will donate 50 percent of the price of all $100 tickets purchased to the nonprofit groups.

“It’s a way for the Savannah Philharmonic to take a unique role and help other nonprofits,” Shannon said.

The Savannah Philharmonic Chorus, also a registered not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 organization, is a community-based auditioned ensemble that works regularly with the orchestra in an oratorio and opera setting, while performing a wide range of music from a cappella Baroque to rock and pop standards.

On Feb. 20, 2010, the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra will perform again at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist when it presents Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” and Stravinsky’s “Firebird.”

IF YOU GO
What: “Carols in the Cathedral” Savannah Philharmonic Chorus
When: 8 p.m. Friday, with doors opening at 7 p.m.
Where: The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 222 East Harris St.
Admission: General admission $30 tickets are sold out, but $100 tickets are still available for reserved seating. Tickets are available at the door before the performance.
Information: thesavphilharmonic.org

Conductor Peter Shannon shoulders the responsibility for this weekend’s Savannah Philharmonic Chorus holiday concert, Carols in the Cathedral. The musical portion of the recent Nutcracker in Savannah also rested on his shoulders.The thing is, Shannon’s only got one shoulder to work with.

During a group bicycling outing in early November, Shannon found himself on the business end of a multi–rider pileup. “I fell on my head and my right shoulder,” recalls the avid outdoorsman.

Luckily, Shannon’s head was hard enough to absorb the fall. His shoulder, however, was badly separated, causing him great pain, and limited movement.

Tough going for a man who needs his arms — and, therefore, his shoulders — to satisfactorily ply his chosen trade.

Originally misdiagnosed as a sprain, the shoulder separation may require surgery. “Half of the specialists say leave it alone, it’ll heal on its own just as well without an operation,” Shannon reports. “And the other half say do it, and do it immediately. So we’ll wait and see.“

In the meantime, there’s work to be done. Shannon is soldiering on through the pain; although his left hand (which is OK) conducts the orchestra’s phasing and expression, his right (which he can’t raise too high into the air) is in charge of the all–important changes in tempo and rhythm.

The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra isn’t part of Carols in the Cathedral, but the chorus most definitely is.

Born in Ireland, Shannon cut his conducting teeth during a 10–year stay in Germany; in both countries, Christmas celebrations are a pretty big deal.

So planning Christmas in the Cathedral — before he took that tumble in November — was a pleasure for its conductor and artistic director.

“Everybody’s Christmas is rooted in their childhood,” Shannon says. “That’s fair to say, isn’t it? You’d be hard pushed, I think, to find somebody who’d say their most beautiful Christmas memories are in their adult life.”
The 80–person chorus, plus guest soloists and a 10–member brass ensemble, will perform everything from “Sleigh Ride” to “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”

It’s a gamut–runner, for sure, but Shannon always had one audience in mind:

“A lot of the repertoire for this concert, I based around what I think my mother would like to hear. My mother is very musical, but she’s never played an instrument in her life. She’s never sung in an orchestra. She just likes listening to music.

“She represents what most music lovers — who would go to a concert like this — would like to hear. She’s not highbrow, her taste. She loves the best of everything, from a good country and western singer to the Three Tenors.” (Shannon himself says he’s not much of a Three Tenors fan.)

For the record, his mum resides in Cork, in Southern Ireland.

The guest soloists include soprano Tina Zenker Williams, baritone Jason Moon, organist Paul Fejko, and Shannon’s fellow Irishman Harry O’Donoghue, a Savannah resident who sings and strums regularly at Kevin Barry’s place on River Street.

Shannon’s idea was to keep the concert moving at a brisk clip.

“We’ve the chorus, we’ve the brass, it’s still ‘classical,’” he says. “whereas Harry comes out with the guitar, and he’s just got this way about him. He’s very personable, with a beautiful voice.

“I think he represents Ireland in a way that’s not typical. Although he sings in pubs and clubs, he’s not the typical ‘bring your guitar and shout bawdy songs in the pub.’ He’s very refined, is how I describe him. He’s a class act.”

Listening to a full–throated chorus in a lovely, historic cathedral, Shannon believes, might be the most Christmassy of Christmas experiences.

The audience will be encouraged to sing along.

“Even though people’s worst nightmare is to be asked to sing something, everybody wants to sing at Christmas,” he says. “It sounds stupid, but it’s the way it is. And I can completely relate to that. Now me, I want to sing all the time. That’s what I’ve been doing since I was 4.

“But I think there’s an ‘in’ to someone’s soul when you get them to sing. It’s not just psychological or philosophical, it’s also been physically proved. It’s a physical phenomenon that when people sing, they breathe more, they open up. They become emotionally attached. They connect.”

Four area charities are the beneficiaries for the concert — those who purchase the top–end tickets, at $100 per, will be donating $50 to Big Brothers Big Sisters, AWOL and other deserving organizations.

The $30 tickets are pretty much sold out already — although, says Shannon, some of those seats might be available at the last minute, should those who made reservations choose not to show up.

The thing to do is arrive at the box office early and put your name on a list.

If you can’t get a seat, however, don’t go crying on Peter Shannon’s shoulder. He can’t spare it.

Savannah Philharmonic Chorus: Carols in the Cathedral

Where: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 222 E. Harris St.

When: At 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18

Tickets: $30 general admission; $100 reserved (includes a $50 donation to local charities)

The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus will present Verdi’s “Requiem,” an operatic interpretation of the Requiem Mass, Friday at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. You’ll never think of “church music” in the same way again.

“People tend to think gloom and doom,” artistic director and conductor Peter Shannon said. “But Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ is highly dramatic.”
Also, it’s big. “There’s a large orchestra, a large chorus - well over 150 people on stage for this,” Shannon said. “It’s high drama from the start.”

If you want to experience it, don’t wait until the last minute and expect to get tickets. “We have just 270 tickets left,” said marketing/operations director Mary Catherine Mousourakis. “They’re selling very quickly.”

The entire work deals with human emotions, and like human emotions, “Requiem” rises and falls, intensifies and diminishes, then starts all over again. “It will pin you to the back of your seat,” Shannon said.

“It will be an amazing concert with four international soloists,” he said. “They are coming from Germany, Norway and Denmark.”
“Requiem” opens quietly, with the chorus softly singing, but quickly turns dramatic. “The second part is the Day of Reckoning,” Shannon said. “A lot of it is what we call ‘musical painting.’ The orchestra is extremely loud.”

The chorus has been working on the music for the past six months. The orchestra, which is composed of professional musicians, will spend two days totally immersed in the music to prepare.

“It will be a very hard two days before the concert,” Shannon said. “As we grow and become more financially viable, we’ll be able to rehearse more.”

“Anybody who has at least a passing interest in classical music or anyone who has never experienced it should not miss this,” Shannon said. “It’s a huge undertaking.”

The fact that the Requiem is being performed at the cathedral is an added attraction, Shannon said. “What place could be better than this?” he asked.

The music echoes in the cathedral, which is entirely appropriate for the “Requiem,” Shannon said. “A lot of the music is written for a church-setting,” he said.

As the music goes from loud to soft, soft to loud, the echo bridges the two. “It’s an effect that’s lost in the concert hall,” Shannon said.
Some music aficionados believe having an echo is a bad thing, but Shannon disagrees. “This works for this piece,” he said.
A big part of Shannon’s job is to bring the musicians out of the music and play to the audience. The chorus sings in Latin, but the message is patently clear.

“What’s foremost is the drama of the piece,” Shannon said. “I’m very particular about the pieces I choose.”
To prepare listeners for the concert, Shannon recommends visiting YouTube.com and doing a search for Dies Irae for a glimpse of the scope and magnitude of the “Requiem.” But even that doesn’t provide the true experience of being in the presence of a live orchestra and chorus.

“This really is an opportunity to be a part of something that doesn’t come along too often,” Shannon said. “There is a sense of majesty and spectacle.

“This is a masterpiece, really a cornerstone, by a grand master,” he said. “In a town like Savannah, this is a huge feat to put on. I hope people don’t miss it.”
IF YOU GO
What: Verdi’s “Requiem”
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
Cost: $35 general admission or $100 reserved seating
Information: 912-525-5050 or www.thesavphilharmonic.org/events/ticket_information/.

As excited as he usually gets for his upcoming productions, Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus conductor Peter Shannon is exceptionally jazzed about this weekend’s performance of one of the great classical choral works, the Verdi Requiem.

“It’s absolutely high octane,” Shannon enthuses. “People will be just riveted to their seats. I guarantee you, anybody that comes to the concert is just going to be, ‘Oh my God.’ It’s a roller coaster times 10.”

That, Shannon explains, is because Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was an Italian composer - more emotional and intrigued by deep dynamics than, say, his German or French contemporaries - and he is perhaps best known for his operas.

Dating back to 1873, the Requiem was written upon the death of writer Alessandro Massoni, one of Verdi’s closest friends. It is a gloriously complex work, rising from a prayer-like hush to orchestral bombast that invokes a sort of end-of-life heavenly explosion. With everything in between.

Serious stuff.

“This is basically an opera for the church, so it’s all the drama and intrigue,” says Shannon. “All the climaxes you expect with an opera, you get it here. He goes a lot for the drama and emotion in music.”

Not only does it require a full orchestra (Shannon’s got that) and a massive chorus (check), the Requiem takes four vocal soloists of exceptional range and dramatic ability.

Shannon’s got that covered, too.

“I have professional friends who are singing in opera houses in Germany,” he explains. “When I rang them and asked if they’d come and sing the Verdi Requiem, they said no. They said ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’

“They said ‘I need a bigger voice,’ or ‘I can’t do that.’ These are people who are 43, 44 years of age … there’s a huge amount of respect for this. It’s been a difficult search to find the right people, because they need to all have dramatic and lyric voices.”

There’s a German word, fach, that means “compartment.” It’s used to describe the various ranges of operatic singing voices (in other words, ‘what fach are you?’): Soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and various sub-categories.

Just the fachs, ma’am: “To sing this, you need a dramatic voice, which means you need a BIG voice,” says Shannon. “And you need to be very dramatic in your expression.”

The soloists for Friday’s performance are:

Irene Naegelin, soprano. Shannon met Naegelin, a native of Switzerland, during his decade-long residence with the Collegium Musicum Orchestra in Germany. “She’s a small person, but she’s got a huge voice,” he says of Naegelin, who performed (with Shannon and company) in the 2008 Savannah production of La Traviata. “She has a very dramatic soprano, which we need for this.”

Kristin Mulders, mezzo-soprano. From Norway, Mulders (like Naegelin) has performed with opera companies all over Europe. “She’s got a very, very beautiful voice, and a beautiful color to her voice,” Shannon says. “More lyric than dramatic. She begins a lot of the chamber singing between the different soloists, and she’s perfect for that role.” Mulders has appeared in Savannah before, as well.

Shannon hasn’t worked previously with the male soloists - Danish baritone Morten Lassenius Kramp, and American-born tenor Dominick Rodriguez - but both came highly recommended by the conductor’s singing associates in Europe.

“For the soloists, this is like the Olympics,” Shannon says. “It’s something that they have to spend a lot of time preparing for, something they take very, very seriously. Singing the Verdi Requiem as a soloist is really a landmark.

“We’re shooting for the stars as regards the soloists. We’re definitely not settling for anything that isn’t absolute world class.”

Verdi Requiem, Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus

Where: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 222 E. Harris St.

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2

Tickets: $35 general admission, $100 special reserved seating

Phone: (912) 232-6002

Online: www.thesavphilharmonic.com

Connect Savannah
September 02, 2009
Peter Shannon and the Savannah Philharmonic open a new season

By Bill DeYoung
bill@connectsavannah.comView Lar

There’s a new sheriff in town, but he’s packing a skinny little baton instead of a six-shooter. With the apparent demise of the Savannah Orchestra, and its chamber-music offshoot the Savannah Sinfonietta, the big man at the podium is Savannah Philharmonic conductor Peter Shannon.

Shannon was hired two years ago by the Savannah Choral Society, and he came with impeccable credentials: Ten years conducting the Collegium Musicum Orchestra in Heidelberg, Germany, after years of study at the Franz Liszt Hochschule fur Music, one of only two German schools which hold the title of “elite university.”

The native Irishman came to Savannah brimming with enthusiasm and new ideas about organization, fundraising, outreach, presentation – and, most especially, about music. “Passion” is a word he uses often.

As the Philharmonic’s Artistic Director, he not only chooses the programs for each concert, he is responsible for hiring the very best musicians (many of the players in the Philharmonic come from Charleston, Atlanta and other up-the-road metro areas, just as they did for Savannah’s previous classical aggregate).

Friday’s season-opener at the Lucas Theatre spotlights Copland’s Fanfare For the Common Man, as well as Barber’s Adagio For Strings, a collection of Sousa marches and other “patriotic” selections (note that the date is Sept. 11). There’ll be about 55 musicians in the orchestra, along with a good chunk of the chorus on some of the pieces.

Shannon, 40, admits it’s been something of a bumpy ride so far. Although attendance is up, helped by positive reviews for his high-energy approach to classical music, certain local and regional musicians – veterans of the Savannah Orchestra – remain wary of him, and are hesitant to play with the Philharmonic out of loyalty to the old guard.

There’s been a smattering of bad blood between the sides – Shannon says he’s offered the olive branch several times – and when everything is settled, Savannah’s classical music environment can only get healthier.

After all, the music is the only thing that really matters.

Two years in, the Philharmonic is a relatively new orchestra. Is it still an uphill climb?

Peter Shannon: Definitely, no doubt about it. You would imagine it’s very fertile earth, the situation we’re in, because there is no orchestra. It’s not like we’re in Washington or London where we’re competing with 15 different orchestras. But I think the fertile earth is burned earth, too, because so many people have been disappointed, and they’re wary about a new symphony orchestra coming back. In fact, many of the big philanthropists in town have made no bones about it. They’ve screwed this thing up so many times, and so many other groups trying to do something have screwed up, too. So it’s “What’s different with you?”

How do you change that?

Peter Shannon: Well, you do it differently. I think we have a different road map, a different modus operandi. And I’ve done this before, that’s the good thing. You just have to be very creative and find ways to involve the community in the orchestra, to make it work. And to communicate to the orchestra the import of their role in all this. Music, in Europe, doesn’t have this “aesthetic differentiation” – it’s part of the culture. In America – and in Savannah at the moment – it’s not. People go to the opera, or to the symphony, just to be part of the crowd. As they do in a lot of places in America. They don’t go like they were going to an Elton John concert: “Oh my God, I can’t wait to hear the third movement of Brahms’ second symphony.” They just go and hope that they’re going to enjoy it.

That’s got to be frustrating.

Peter Shannon: It is and it isn’t, because you’ve got people there that are just like open books. You can write whatever you want on them. It’s like jumping into a swimming pool when there’s no one else around. You get to make the waves.

God knows the Americans want to be knocked off their feet. They’re very emotional people, and they’re very honest in their emotions, which is very refreshing after coming from Germany, I can tell you.

If the concert doesn’t have the emotion that the music demands and should have … I think it’s my job to impart that to the audience. If you’re not knocked out by this, if you don’t hear something in this that gives you goose pimples or makes you shudder, or cry, then you don’t need it. And don’t go.

That’s something I think I’m qualified to do. And I think it’s important, in Savannah, that we really make the musicians responsible for the sound and the communication.

Ultimately, the Savannah Symphony sputtered and failed, like so many regional orchestras. Did that leave a bad taste in people’s mouths?

Peter Shannon: I think (artistic director) Bill Keith did an incredible job of rallying the people that were left in town, getting them together. He was very creative with his programming and did a fantastic job.

I’ve been studying this for 15 years, and doing it for 10, and you’re being tested every concert. It’s not enough just to play the notes. Conducting is an art that really needs to be studied. You need to have somebody standing at the podium who’s as good at his instrument – that’s playing, or channeling the orchestra – as the best player in his orchestra.

In a nutshell, other orchestras have tried, and it’s up to us to see if we can fill the gap.

The chorus still exists. Are you sort of hamstring by that? Are you thinking “Well, I’d like to have a really nice orchestra, but I have to use the chorus too”?

Peter Shannon: Not at all. All my training, up to when I studied orchestral conducting, was in choral music. I was a professional singer in Ireland in the Radio Symphony Choir, which is our chamber choir – 16 solo singers. And I sang as a choirboy in Cork Cathedral.

A lot of conductors are at home with an orchestra, and then not at home with a chorus at all. Because it’s a completely different thing. Or it’s the other way around – they’re very good choral conductors but they don’t have the technique or the understanding of the technique of the individual players. Which you really need to have to be a good orchestral conductor. For me, I really have that luck that I was able to separate them both completely.

In my orchestral conducting, there’s a certain singing style that I’m expecting from the orchestra. In a lot of ways, it’s very, very strongly influenced by my background in singing. And I think that helps the sound.

Will the chorus be part of the Sept. 11 concert?

Peter Shannon: Yes, they’ll be there for “Shenandoah,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and some small pieces like that. But the Verdi Requiem that we’re doing less than a month later, we can’t do that without an incredible chorus.

And it’s important for me to build something here, too. The chorus is a large group of musicians – it’s almost 90 people – and I think of them as my children. That’s what I call them, too. I really feel very responsible for their music-making.

It would be a chore if they weren’t incredibly motivated. That’s all I really need.

Not too long ago, maybe five or six years ago, I realized that all I really wanted to do was make music with people who really wanted to make music. At whatever level.

Do you feel that you’re connecting with the musicians?

Peter Shannon: In any group you’re working with, you have a mental picture of how the sound should be. At least I do. And I think a lot of conductors do. I know how it has to sound; I can hear it. And your job is to impart that sound with gesture.

A lot of people say conducting the art of suggestion. You’re so intimate with your musicians that vocal language becomes unnecessary, or even a barrier. The only thing that works is this {he raises his hands in a conducting gesture}.And if you’re able to make music at that level, you’ve arrived. You know you’ve got them. They’re on your hand; they’re on your stick. And I’ve got that feeling with the Savannah Philharmonic.

At the end of the day, do you still feel as if the orchestra’s got something to prove?

Peter Shannon: I think the problem that the musicians had before was this standard repartee of “Savannah’s loaded, it’s got a lot of money, and history needs that symphony orchestra.” Bollocks, as we say in Ireland. If you can’t prove your worth in so many different ways – especially in the financial climate we’re in at the moment – you really shouldn’t succeed.

That’s something that worried me in Europe - that so many mediocre orchestras actually have gone on fine. That Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest just goes out the window.

That’s the wonderful thing about America – if it’s not good, hit the road.

Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus: ‘A Celebration of the American Patriot’

Where: Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn St.

When: At 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11

Tickets: $15-$35 ($100 VIP tickets include a contribution to the 200 Club)

Students and children under $12: $5 off

Online: the savphilharmonic.org

Minimum donation $25/person*
(100% goes towards your membership to the Philharmonic)
*tickets available at the door.

Silent Auction

RSVP 912.232.6002 or email: friends@thesavphilharmonic.org

SAVANNAH CLASSICAL MUSIC FANS can look forward to a sumptuous feast.

The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its first full season, with offerings as varied as pops, a tribute to the heroes of Sept. 11, Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony,” Stravinsky’s “Firebird” and Verdi’s “Requiem.”“I think it offers something for everyone, a good variety of music,” said Melissa Emery, vice-president of the philharmonic board of directors. “There’s a good balance between orchestra and chorus.”

Peter Shannon, artistic director and conductor described the upcoming season as “our most comprehensive and impressive”

season.

“Verdi virgins will be pinned to the backs of their seats,” he said. “It’s incredible to experience something that forceful for the first time.”

A track record

The philharmonic has a track record of exciting shows. Previous concerts all have sold out - including Beethoven’s Fifth and Mozart’s Requiem.

Ken Carter not only serves on the philharmonic board, but he’s also the executive director of the Lucas Theatre for the Arts, where “La Traviata” was presented in 2008.

“There’s a lot of excitement about what they do,” Carter said. “A lot of passion goes into their rehearsals and performances.”

Savannah’s orchestra is comparable to many worldwide and it has class performers that are on par with others who perform at the Lucas.

“Peter wants to reach that level,” Carter said. “The excitement fairly leaps off the stage. When you aim high, you remain high.”

Building an orchestra

For those involved in the Savannah Philharmonic and its supporters, this concert season isn’t just about music. It’s also a sign of hope for the many fans who want to see a full-fledged symphony orchestra return to Savannah. Shannon said he is constantly working toward that end.

“We’re trying to build the size of the orchestra,” he said. “The resources are here. We have the musicians in Savannah, and a lot of them used to play with the orchestra.”

Shannon, a native of Ireland, first came to Savannah when he was hired as artistic director of the Savannah Choral Society in December 2006. The chorus, which was formed in 2002 by members of the defunct Savannah Symphony Chorus, performed in local churches.

The group had attained a devoted following when the director unexpectedly resigned. Members sought a new director who could take the choral to a higher level.

The hiring of Shannon was a real coup. For 10 years, Shannon served as the conductor of Collegium Musicum in Heidelberg, Germany, where he and his orchestra won great critical acclaim.

Shannon made his U.S. debut in January 2004 with members of the National Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He has been a guest conductor at music festivals in Norway and Italy, and in August 2008, he returned to Germany as artistic director of Voices of Europe, a weeklong choral festival.

Shannon first realized Savannah’s potential in October 2007, with a performance of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” with members of the Savannah Choral Society and musicians hired for the occasion. The concert, which took place at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, earned rave reviews, and most importantly, drew a crowd of more than 1,000 people.

In August 2008, the Savannah Philharmonic Corporation was formed as a parent company for the chorus and new orchestra. The orchestra made its debut last January, with a sold-out, fully-staged production of “The Merry Widow.”

Currently, the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra is sustained by ticket sales, members’ dues and donations from patrons and sponsors.

“The only way to succeed is if people who say Savannah wants an orchestra are willing to prove it by coming to the concerts,” Shannon said.

Helping the community

The season lineup is exciting for musicians, too. When the Savannah Symphony Orchestra folded, some musicians were forced to relocate to other cities.

Tomasc Kocsis, former concertmaster, left for Orlando. “He’s coming back to town because of this orchestra,” Shannon said. “He’s a brilliant violinist and he’s very, very interested in coming back to Savannah.”

Shannon said the philharmonic truly wants to help the community. As an example, the 9/11 tribute concert also is a fundraiser for the Two Hundred Club of the Coastal Empire, a group that raises money to support families of fallen firefighters and police officers.

“Half of every $100 tickets sold will go directly to the Two Hundred,” Shannon said. “I feel it’s important for us to show Savannah we are an integral part of the community, that we’re not just a snobby cultural institution, we interact with other organizations.”

After nearly three years in Savannah, Shannon has no regrets. There are parallels between Savannah and Europe in its style, the politeness of its people, and its traditions, he said.

“It’s a different culture, but it’s a culture that demands to be respected,” he said. “In Europe, we go to concerts all the time. Here, there is more a sense of a special occasion.”

– 8 p.m. Sept. 11, Lucas Theatre: A celebration of the American patriot featuring Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and marches by John Philip Sousa.

Tickets: $15, $25, $30, $35, $100 with a $5 discount for students and children younger than 12.

– 8 p.m. Oct. 2, Verdi’s “Requiem,” Cathedral of St. John the Baptist: An operatic interpretation of the classic Requiem Mass with international soloists as special guests.

Tickets: $35 for general admission; $100 limited reserved seating.

– 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12, Lucas Theatre: Savannah Danse Theatre presents “The Nutcracker,” which comes alive in 1945 Savannah.

Tickets:$27, $32, $37 and a limited quantity of premium $50 center orchestra seats. Buy one full-price ticket and get one child’s ticket, ages 12 and younger, for $15. $5 discount for military and students with ID.

– 8 p.m. Dec. 18, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist: Carols in the Cathedral, a holiday sing-a-long.

Tickets: $30 general admission, $100 limited reserved seating.

– 8 p.m. Feb. 20, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist: Stravinsky’s “Firebird,” which will open with Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances and conclude with “The Firebird Suite.”

Tickets: $35 general admission, $100 limited reserved seating

– 8 p.m. March 13, Trustees Theater: St. Pat’s Pops

Tickets: $15, $20, $25, or $30 with a $5 discount for children 12 and younger and students.

– 8 p.m. April 17, Lucas Theatre: Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony”

Tickets:$15, $30, $35, $40, $100 with a $5 discount for children 12 and younger and students.