Like many at a young age, Rob Gibson, executive director of the Savannah Music Festival, was impressed by Stewart Copeland’s command of the drum kit — Gibson had seen The Police perform on their first US tour in 1979. After Gibson began a successful music career himself, ultimately founding Jazz at Lincoln Center and teaching for nine years at The Juilliard School, he moved to Georgia and founded the Savannah Music Festival — a festival dedicated to breaking down musical barriers by showcasing a broad array of musical traditions and styles.
This year, Gibson — along with violinist and Associate Artistic Director Daniel Hope — has organized an evening of concert music by Copeland. The 26 March program will feature Celeste, a new trio written for the Festival featuring Hope, Copeland, and pianist Sebastian Knauer. Other Copeland works on the concert include Eve, Grace, Eleanor, Prey “Birds,” Prey “Baboons,” Stalin’s Sultry Serenade, and The Gene Pool.
