Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and Spoleto Festival USA have partnered to bring Wolf Trap’s customizable arts-based teaching and learning programs to early childhood classrooms in southeastern South Carolina. The partnership creates Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap, Wolf Trap’s newest addition to a […] The post Spoleto Festival USA Partners to Form Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap appeared first on Spoleto Festival USA 2024 ..read more

Spoleto Festival USA announced today that subscriptions to the 2025 Bank of America Chamber Music series will go on sale on Dec. 3. The cornerstone Festival series, to be held at the historic Dock Street Theatre from May 23 to June 8, promises a captivating […] The post Subscriptions Available to Exciting 49th Season of Bank of America Chamber Music Series appeared first on Spoleto Festival USA 2024 ..read more

After a remarkable 19-year tenure, Joe Miller, the esteemed Director of Choral Activities at Spoleto Festival USA, will conclude his role in June 2025. Miller has accepted a new position to become Music Director at Vocal Arts Ensemble Cincinnati, Greater Cincinnati’s premier professional vocal ensemble. […] The post Spoleto Festival USA Director of Choral Activities Announces Final Season appeared first on Spoleto Festival USA 2024 ..read more

From Friday, May 24 to Sunday, June 9, 2024, the 48th Season of Spoleto Festival USA transformed Charleston into a vibrant, international hub of artistic expression. Over the course of 17 days, 13 venues hosted more than 100 performances, featuring 389 artists in 21 unique […] The post 2024 Season in Review appeared first on Spoleto Festival USA 2024 ..read more

On Thursday, May 23, 2024, Spoleto Festival USA’s Opening Gala was held in the heart of the holy city. The event was a whirlwind of elegance, artistry, and community spirit. Hotel Bennett Martini bar provided by Tito’s Handmade Vodka Gala Co-chairs Robyn Coles, Nicole Rubin, and Charles Tolbert joined by Spoleto Festival USA Board Chair Alicia Gregory and Spoleto Festival USA General Director and CEO Mena Mark Hanna    Guests donned their best creative black-tie attire.  Spoleto Board of Directors Emerita Member, Kathleen Rivers Carroll and Bob Carroll  Spoleto B ..read more

In collaboration with Charleston Jazz Academy, Spoleto Festival USA presents two masterclasses with Wells Fargo Jazz series musicians. Chris Potter (Lowcountry: South Carolina Music in the Gullah Tradition) and Pedrito Martinez (Echoes of Africa) will share insight and skills to take participants’ jazz journey to the next level. Both programs are free and open to the public, and will take place at Charleston Jazz Academy at 3005 W Montague Ave.  Masterclass with Chris Potter   Monday, June 3 @ 10am Born in Chicago, saxophonist Chris Potter’s family moved to Columbia, South Carol ..read more

Spoleto Festival USA 2024’s highly anticipated world premiere, The Song of Rome, has drawn raves from critics and audiences alike.  The new play, co-written by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson, is a companion piece to An Iliad that was a Festival hit in 2023.   The Song of Rome explores Virgil’s Aeneid and the fall of the democratic republic in ancient Rome. Toggling between past and present, the play illuminates power dynamics that feel as real and resonant today as two millenniums ago.   Arts critic and writer for Culture South, Maura Hogan praised the production as “d ..read more

Internationally acclaimed Lebanese American tenor Karim Sulayman delivers  a moving, nuanced performance as Crow in Spoleto’s world premiere opera Ruinous Gods. Sulayman, returns to this Festival season after debuting with his original production, Unholy Wars, in 2022.  In her review for the Charleston City Paper, Maura Hogan called Sulayman “A marvel to hear.”  “His is a gorgeous, flexible tenor voice that moved effortlessly up the octaves,” stated Adam Parker in his review for The Post and Courier.  Wall Street Journal critic Heidi Waleson referred to Sulayman as “[an] af ..read more

Spoleto Festival USA’s new opera Ruinous Gods opened to rave reviews! Opening on Friday, May 24 to an enthusiastic audience at the Sottile Theater, The Post and Courier called Ruinous Gods “a mesmerizing work perfect for the Spoleto Festival stage.”   “The opening scene was a stunner. The Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, assembled and rehearsed by Joe Miller, sang an evocative Aramaic chant impeccably, setting the mood and rooting us in this fantastical rocky landscape located somewhere between reality and dream. They functioned as a Greek Chorus, helping to tell the story and filling in as v ..read more

On May 26, Grammy award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves will join renowned drummer Terri Lyne Carrington for a Spoleto Festival USA performance featuring works by female jazz composers that span eras, geographical borders, and genres — from blues to bebop and beyond. But it’s not her first time at the Festival, Reeves is making her sixth Spoleto appearance – and for good reason.  Julia Lynn Photography; Diane Reeves, Spoleto Festival USA 2015 After attending Reeves’ most recent Festival performance in 2015 at the Cistern Yard, a reviewer for The Charleston City Paper wrote “Reeves and he ..read more