Thursday, March 18 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with pianist Lang Lang. At 6:15 p.m., Johnny Mercer Theatre. $25-$105. Mike Marshall's Big Trio/The Belleville Outfit. At 6:30 p.m., Charles H. Morris Center. $37. Mike Marshall's Big Trio/The Belleville Outft. At 9 p.m., Charles H. Morris Center. $37. Friday, March 19 Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys (Zydeco Dance Party). At 6 p.m., Charles H. Morris Center. $27. The Assad Brothers/Roby Lakatos. At 7:30 p.m., Lucas Theatre. $32-$60. ...

There’s more to St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah than drunkenness and debauchery – although, let’s be honest, that’s certainly a big part of the draw.

Looking out the window of his sixth–floor office overlooking Reynolds Square, Rob Gibson points out that he’s within walking distance of the Lucas Theatre, the Trustees Theater and the Charles H. Morris Center.

The underlying philosophy of the Savannah Music Festival is best exemplified by the appearance, nearly every year, of Mike Marshall. An envelope–pusher who’s been at the forefront of acoustic music for three decades, Marshall is a mandolin player whose music defies strict categorization. Because that’s the way he likes it.

When she was a teenager, and her last name was still Beaty, Kristina Train was a regular performer on Savannah stages. She played violin in the city’s youth orchestra, and with school groups, but it was when she sang – in a silven, soulful voice that could belt the blues and touch the tender core of jazz standards – that’s when people would say “That girl’s going to be famous one day.”

One day, perhaps Savannah will consider erecting a statue of Daniel Hope in Ellis Square, right next to the one of Johnny Mercer. For eight years, the British violinist has done as much to enrich the city’s musical landscape as just about anybody.

Sarah Jarosz has been nominated for a Grammy, mastered three instruments, garnered heaps of critical praise, performed with the likes of David Grisman and Ricky Skaggs, and attends one of the country’s best music schools.

It’s a long, long way to Tipperary,  particularly if you’re in the United States and trying to make a living as an Irish pub singer.

From the other Athens — the one in Ohio — comes the brutalizing, ball–busting Skeletonwitch, one of the most popular indie metal bands now crossing the country with regularity, spreading the headbangers gospel to the faithful, one massive musical melee at a time.

Using a beloved Russian folk tale as his inspiration, Igor Stravinsky composed The Firebird in 1910. Although he would leave his homeland for good shortly after its premiere, thus avoiding the Soviet Revolution, two devastating world wars and the perils of Stalinism, Stravinsky remains the 20th century figure most identified with Russian classical music.

The Carnivores’ music is like a rushing rock ‘n’ roll river, fed by the twin tributaries of sledgehammer punk and sweet, clever pop.

Even though he was an established singer, songwriter and guitar player in Minneapolis, Dare Dukes put his musical muse on a back burner when he moved to New York City to work as a fundraiser for after–school arts programs.

Truly a veteran folkie, Bill Staines has been a staple on the concert ‘n’ coffeehouse scene since the early 1960s. A New Englander, he came out of the same Cambridge clubs that spawned the likes of Eric Von Schmidt, Tom Paxton, Tom Rush and the regulars of the legendary Club 47 (Bob Dylan, Ian & Sylvia, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Janis Ian and Gordon Lightfoot among them).

CONCERTANTE In classical music, there is a time, a place and a score for everything. Just as listening to a full symphony orchestra can be a sumptuous aural banquet, the music of a string quartet - chamber music at its most simple and elegant - is the equivalent of a light lunch: A little here, a little there, not at all heavy on the sauces. Which leads us to Concertante, performing Friday, March 12 for ...

ESPERANZA SPALDING The Spanish word for "hope" is esperanza, and 26-year-old jazz musician Esperanza Spalding is all about giving hope to young people with a passion for music. Most recently, Spalding was invited to perform at President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize reception; she also played at his inauguration in January of 2009. She has released two solo CDs, and collaborated with the likes of Stanley Clarke and Pat Metheney. Spalding, who plays standup bass and ...

Ivan Neville once told a journalist how he named his band. "The guys were playing so nasty and dirty," he explained, "we figured there is nothing funkier than a dumpster."

MUTEMATH The New Orleans quintet has appeared on Letterman, Leno, Ferguson, Kimmel and even Conan. They had a song on the platinum-selling Twilight soundtrack, and won a Grammy in the Best Short Form Music Video category. That was for the song "Typical," and it was one of those extremely rare occasions where the prize was justified: "Typical" is an undeniable, haunting pop/rock song with buzzsaw guitars and relentless drums, and in making the clip, the ...

Make your home in Savannah for long enough and it’s almost frighteningly easy to wake up one morning and realize you have inadvertently come to take the inherent beauty of much of the city for granted.

One of the coolest “gets” by this year’s Savannah Music Festival must surely be Saturday night’s exceedingly rare chance to catch the genre-hopping master banjoist Béla Fleck joined by four of the most revered traditional African musicians alive today for an evening of multi-cultural string and percussion music.

ASO & The Marcus Roberts Trio  *** In one of the most curious (and curiously depressing) developments of this year’s SMF, this closing day performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Robert Spano has failed to generate the same level of interest and anticipation as the group’s two previous annual appearances at the Festival. Word on the street has it that this high-profile event (the only SMF show to take place ...

When most people think of a "composer," they think of a dead European dude with a powdered wig. Texas-born, Yale-educated, 41-year-old Christopher Theofanidis is none of those, but he is one of the most prolific young composers in America today.

To the best of my knowledge, Rob Gibson has never played a lick of music on any stage in Savannah.