SAVANNAH, GA – Feb. 27, 2025 –Savannah VOICE Festival (SVF) is pleased to announce a co-production of Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ with Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (HHSO), scheduled for 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3 at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 540 William Hilton Parkway in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ is an adaptation of 24 poems selected from a Medieval manuscript discovered in the early 19th century and later set to music by Orff in the 1930s. The cantata draws inspiration from medieval poetry and themes including the fleeting nature of life, the fickleness of fate, and the pleasures and perils of drink, gluttony, and lust. The musical score is at once powerful, mysterious, hypnotic, and exotic, including the famous opening and closing chorus “O Fortuna”, which has been used in hundreds of films and television soundtracks.
“We are ecstatic to once again work together with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and showcase this popular and distinctive work,” said Evelina Erickson, Executive Director of Savannah VOICE Festival. “There is nothing quite like the excitement of ‘Carmina Burana’, and we can’t wait to present this dynamic experience.”
This co-production of Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ is conducted by John Morris Russell, the Musical Director of HHSO. Set for a double chorus, children’s chorus, three vocal soloists and full orchestra, the HHSO Chorus will be joined by the Claflin University Concert Choir directed by Dr. Charlie Toomer, Jr and the Statesboro Youth Chorale directed by Michael Roemer. The soloists include the classical voices of SVF’s baritone Javier Arrey, soprano Ashley Nuñez and tenor Hayden Smith.
As part of this co-production, Maestro Sherrill Milnes, co-founder of the Savannah VOICE Festival, will present a Master Class for Claflin University Concert Choir students at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 3 at SoundWaves, located at 7 Lagoon Road on Hilton Head Island.
Tickets for the two performances of ‘Carmina Burana’ are now on sale and can be purchased online. Ticket prices range from $25.75 to $88.55, depending on the selected seat location. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.savannahvoicefestival.org/events-tickets/.
Savannah VOICE Festival is a 501(c) 3 tax exempt nonprofit arts organization in the state of Georgia. The Festival brings classical vocal excellence to the Savannah area through a two-week celebration of concerts, events and educational presentations during the month of August and throughout the year. Focusing on arts awareness and audience development in the performing arts, it offers music from opera, musical theatre and popular song. Donations are tax-deductible.
The Savannah VOICE Festival is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. GCA is a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
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