Spoleto Festival USA

For the Spoleto Festival Italy, see Festival dei Due Mondi.

Spoleto Festival USA is an annual 17-day festival of the arts which produces opera, and presents dance, theater, classical music, and jazz. The Festival is held in Charleston, South Carolina in late May and early June. Spoleto Festival USA was founded in 1977 by Gian Carlo Menotti, Christopher Keene, and others as an American counterpart to Festival dei Due Mondi (the "Festival of Two Worlds"), a festival which is held in Spoleto, Italy.

Charleston was chosen as the location for the festival due to its wealth of theaters and other performance spaces. Each year, the festival hosts over 100 performances by international artists in a variety of disciplines. Since its inception, it has presented 100 international premieres and 93 American premieres, notably Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams and The American Clock by Arthur Miller. World-renowned artists who performed at Spoleto Festival USA early in their careers include Renée Fleming, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Joanna Simon and Yo-Yo Ma.

Spoleto Festival USA claims an audience of between 70,000 and 80,000 each year.

The 2009 Spoleto Festival USA will be held May 22 through June 7. The schedule is as follows:

OPERA

Louise Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 6:30pm, May 22 $130, $100, $70, $50, $25 7:00pm, May 25, 31, June 6 $110, $85, $55, $35, $20 Bohemian Paris serves as both the setting and the inspiration for Louise, Gustave Charpentier’s ode to freedom and tempestuous young love. Often referred to as the French version of La Boheme, the story poignantly illuminates the age-old conflict between romantic love and filial loyalty.

CAROLINA FIRST DANCE SERIES

Hiroaki Umeda Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 8:00pm, May 21, 24 $32 12:00pm, May 24 $32 6:00pm, May 26 $32 Solo Japanese artist Hiroaki Umeda creates entire environments with dramatic strobe-like lighting, crackling digital soundscapes and a commanding presence. Highly contemporary, Umeda’s style draws upon ballet, hip-hop and butoh.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 7:00pm, May 23 $80, $60, $40, $35, $25 2:00pm, May 24 $60, $45, $30, $20, $15 8:00pm, May 24 $80, $60, $40, $35, $25 One of America’s cultural treasures, this revered company marks its 50th anniversary of bringing African-American cultural expression and the American modern dance tradition to the world’s stages.

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 8:00pm, May 29, 30 $60, $45, $30, $20, $15 2:00pm, May 30 $55, $40, $25, $15, $10 With an intriguing repertoire by international choreographers and an ensemble of stunning dancers, Cedar Lake’s program ranges from Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren’s rollicking Sunday, Again to an excerpt of Ohad Naharin’s sensational Decadance.

Noche Flamenca College of Charleston Cistern Yard, 66 George Street 8:30pm, June 4, 5, 6 $45, $30 Remarkable soloist Soledad Barrio and her troupe of superb dancers, guitarists and singers offer a magical evening of music and dance under the night sky at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard.

MUSIC THEATER

Addicted to Bad Ideas: Peter Lorre’s 20th Century Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 9:00pm, May 27, 28, 29, 30 $32 6:00pm, May 31 $32 In this gloriously crazy spectacle, World/Inferno Friendship Society joins forces with Jay Scheib, one of contemporary theater’s brightest young directors, to create a cabaret punk-rock operetta for our times.

THEATER

Don John (U.S. Premiere) Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain Street 8:00pm, May 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, June 1, 2, 4, 5 $65, $50, $40, $25 7:00pm, May 22 $65, $50, $40, $25 3:30pm, May 23, 25, 30, June 6, 7 $65, $50, $40, $25 8:30pm, May 23, 25, 30, June 6 $65, $50, $40, $25 Spoleto Festival USA 2009 marks the American premiere of Kneehigh Theatre’s completely original and highly imaginative take on the oft-told Don Juan legend.

Story of a Rabbit Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 8:00pm, May 22, 23, 25 $32 12:00pm, May 23, 25 $32 Award-winning Welsh performer Hugh Hughes lifts the lid on life’s final mystery with Story of a Rabbit. Weaving together narrative with video and live music, Hughes creates a comic and curiously uplifting show about the complexities of death and the joys of the here and now.

Dogugaeshi Exhibition Hall, Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 2:00pm, May 30, 31, June 3, 5, 6, 7 $45 8:00pm, May 30, 31, June 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 $45 Director Basil Twist and his band of puppeteers ingeniously manipulate a series of painted screens to create a tiny yet marvelously expansive universe.

Good Cop Bad Cop Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 8:00pm, June 3, 4, 5, 6 $32 2:00pm, June 6, 7 $32 With an uncanny gift for self-deprecation and a sharp eye for human frailties, the Dutch troupe Kassys brings us its immensely funny Good Cop Bad Cop, a deceptively simple story which eventually becomes a sharp commentary on today’s pop culture.

MUSIC

Bank of America Chamber Music Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain Street Program I 1:00pm, May 22 $35 11:00am & 1:00pm, May 23 $35 Program II 11:00am & 1:00pm, May 24 $35 11:00am, May 25 $25 Program III 1:00pm, May 25 $25 11:00am & 1:00pm, May 26 $25 Program IV 11:00am & 1:00pm, May 27 $25 11:00am, May 28 $25 Program V 1:00pm, May 28 $25 11:00am & 1:00pm, May 29 $35 Program VI 11:00am & 1:00pm, May 30 $35 11:00am, May 31 $35 Program VII 1:00pm, May 31 $35 11:00am & 1:00pm, June 1 $25 Program VIII 11:00am & 1:00pm, June 2 $25 11:00am, June 3 $25 Program IX 1:00pm, June 3 $25 11:00am & 1:00pm, June 4 $25 Program X 11:00am & 1:00pm, June 5 $35 11:00am, June 6 $35 Program XI 1:00pm, June 6 $35 11:00am & 1:00pm, June 7 $35

Charles Wadsworth – a festival institution in his own right – will celebrate his final season as director, pianist, and host of the Bank of America Chamber Music concerts, performed each morning and afternoon over the course of the festival. Wadsworth and Friends – A Musical Celebration Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain Street 7:30pm, May 31 $70 A celebratory concert with Charles Wadsworth and friends from his years of music-making at Spoleto Festival USA such as renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Mahler Das Lied von der Erde Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 8:00pm, May 28 $65, $45, $30, $20, $10 Gustav Mahler’s extraordinary intertwining of symphony and orchestral song-cycle resulted in the extraordinary “song-symphony” Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). Under the direction of Emmanuel Villaume, Spoleto Music Director for Opera and Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival USA orchestra performs this definitive Mahler masterpiece.

Westminster Choir Concerts Cathedral Church Of St. Luke & St. Paul, 126 Coming Street 5:00pm, May 29, June 2 $37, $32, $25 Renowned for the purity and beauty of their voices, the much-vaunted Westminster Choir will offer two concerts conducted by Joe Miller, Director of Choral Activities at Westminster Choir College.

Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri JS Bach Christ lag in Todesbanden St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 405 King Street 7:00pm, May 26 $42, $40 Under the direction of Andrew Megill, members of the Westminster Choir and Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra will perform Buxtehude’s masterpiece of sacred music, Membra Jesu Nostri, a cycle of seven cantatas along with one of Bach’s earliest sacred works, the Easter cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden.

Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 8:00pm, June 2 $65, $45, $30, $20, $10 Violinist Sarah Chang joins the Spoleto Festival Orchestra to perform what may be the most revered piece in the violin repertoire, Brahms’ brilliant and challenging Violin Concerto in D major. Also on the program, Tchaikovsky’s heart-wrenchingly beautiful Symphony No. 6 in B Minor. Emmanuel Villaume, Spoleto Festival USA Music Director for Opera & Orchestra will conduct.

Mozart Requiem Poulenc Gloria Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 8:00pm, June 4 $65, $45, $30, $20, $10 Under the baton of the distinguished conductor Joseph Flummerfelt, Spoleto Festival USA Director of Choral Activities, the Westminster Choir joins forces with the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus for this magnificent evening of music.

Intermezzi St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 405 King Street 5:00pm, May 25, May 30, June 4 $25 These concerts provide the perfect early-evening musical interlude. The 2009 series will feature small ensembles drawn from the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.

May 25: The startlingly gifted young American pianist Andrew von Oeyen returns to Spoleto Festival USA to offer a solo recital of works by Bach, Liszt and Stravinsky.

May 30: Conductor Pierre Vallet leads the Festival Orchestra in a performance of Mendelssohn’s ebullient Symphony No. 4 (The Italian), as well as in the sparkling overture to The Barber of Seville by Rossini.

June 4 : One of the perennial favorite events of the festival features the opportunity to hear Festival opera singers in an intimate setting. This program spotlights singers from the cast of Louise in a vocal recital of arias and artsong.

Music In Time Simons Center Recital Hall at College Of Charleston 5:00pm May 23, May 26, May 28, June 3 $25 Under the direction of Artistic Associate John Kennedy, the Music in Time series explores the brave new world of contemporary music with work from a wide range of contemporary composers.

May 23: The Spoleto Festival Orchestra presents the U.S. premieres of two recent works based on ancient themes. The Bulls of Bashan, a violin concerto by British composer Gavin Bryars, is heard along with Bang on a Can co-founder Julia Wolfe’s Cruel Sister, based on the British ballad and folk tale of the same name.

May 26: Composer Michael Harrison presents his recent work Revelation for just-intonation piano, a shimmering and sensual sonic experience. One of the present-day masters of alternative tuning and a long-time collaborator of minimalist masters Terry Riley and La Monte Young, Harrison creates deeply reflective and emotionally powerful alternative sound worlds.

May 28: Yumiko Tanaka is a master of the shamisen, a stringed instrument used in traditional Japanese music. Equally adept in the music of our time, Tanaka will present a premiere for her instrument by Yuji Takahashi, recent work of Michio Mamiya, as well as traditional works which bridge the ancient and contemporary.

June 3: Composer Phillip Bimstein creates sonic oral histories that combine live instruments with samples of recorded human and animal voices as well as everyday and environmental sounds. His post-modern classic “Garland Hirschi’s Cows” will be performed along with other recent works at the vanguard of new technologies in music.

Punch Brothers College of Charleston Cistern Yard, 66 George Street 9:00pm, May 28 $40, $25 Made up of the most in-demand performers in the worlds of bluegrass, folk, and traditional music, the Punch Brothers are led by composer-singer-mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile of Nickel Creek fame.

Beverly “Guitar” Watkins College of Charleston Cistern Yard, 66 George Street 9:00pm, May 29 $40, $25 A blues guitarist who has shared the stage with such legends as James Brown, B.B. King and Ray Charles, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins describes her style as “…railroad smokin’ blues!”

Festival Finale Middleton Place June 7 Adults, $30 Children 12 and under, $15 For a celebratory end to the 2009 festival, the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra will offer a thrilling concert under the stars conducted by Marc Williams – all capped off by a spectacular fireworks display. Middleton Place is located 14 miles from downtown Charleston. Seating is unreserved, with lawn chairs permitted. Blankets and picnics are recommended. Gates open at 3:30pm. Concert begins at 8:30pm.

WACHOVIA JAZZ SERIES

Tierney Sutton Band College of Charleston Cistern Yard, 66 George Street 9:00pm, May 22, 23 $40, $25 With a beautiful voice driven by an instrumentalist's mindset, Tierney Sutton has ascended to the top of today's jazz world, carving out a fresh approach to familiar songs.

Florin Niculescu (U.S. Debut) College of Charleston Cistern Yard, 66 George Street 9:00pm, May 24 $40, $25 Violinist Florin Niculescu harnesses the fire of his gypsy roots with classical training to create a scintillating new voice in jazz.

Ramberto Ciammarughi Simons Center Recital Hall at College Of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 5:00pm, May 25, 27 $30 7:00pm, May 25, 26, 27 $30 9:00pm, May 26 $30 Italy has stepped forward as a global leader in jazz thanks to the vitality of artists such as pianist Ramberto Ciammarughi, acclaimed for his original compositions and dynamic improvisations.

Jake Shimabukuro College Of Charleston Cistern Yard, 66 George Street 9pm, May 30 $40, $25 Jake Shimabukuro has single-handedly transformed the ukulele from a traditional Hawaiian instrument into a source of unlimited musical possibilities.

René Marie Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 8pm, June 5 $65, $50, $40, $25, $15 Singer René Marie returns to Spoleto Festival USA to present her “love song to America” entitled Voice of My Beautiful Country, a new suite of jazz, blues and gospel works.

“CONVERSATIONS WITH” DISCUSSION SERIES Spoleto Festival USA’s popular Conversations With series features a series of public conversations with festival artists moderated by the Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent Martha Teichner. Admission is free.

Hugh Hughes Simons Center Recital Hall at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 5pm, May 24

Beverly “Guitar” Watkins Avery Research Center for African-American History & Culture, 125 Bull Street 5pm, May 28

Jack Terricloth Emmett Robinson Theatre Simons Center at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 3pm, May 31

Charles Wadsworth Simons Center Recital Hall at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip Street 5pm, June 4

SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 2009 SPECIAL EVENTS

2009 Opening Weekend Gala Exhibition Hall, Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun Street 9pm, May 23 $400 The 2009 Opening Weekend Gala will be held in honor of Charles Wadsworth’s final season as Artistic Director of Chamber Music with Spoleto Festival USA. Following the opening performance of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, an elegant evening unfolds with pre-dinner cocktails followed by a seated dinner and dancing. $400 per person ($215 tax deductible), which includes a ticket to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and gala dinner.

High Tea Farewell 2:30pm, June 7 $100 College of Charleston President’s House, 6 Glebe Street The festival will bid adieu to Charles Wadsworth with a traditional elegant high tea following the 1:00pm Chamber Music concert on Sunday, June 7. The tea will be held in the garden of the President’s house at the College of Charleston, a short walk from Memminger Auditorium. $100 per person, which includes a ticket to the 1:00pm performance at Memminger Auditorium and the high tea in the gardens of the President’s house at the College of Charleston, 6 Glebe Street.

See also

• List of opera festivals

External links

• Spoleto Festival USA's official website
• "Festival dei Due Mondi", Spoleto, Italy, official website
• Information about the official 2007 Spoleto Festival USA Poster
• Information about the official 2008 Spoleto Festival USA Poster