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Spoleto Festival USA 2024 Opening Gala

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.   Guests donned their best creative black-tie attire.    Emceed by the ever-charming Denis O’Hare, […]

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Wells Fargo Jazz Series Musicians to Hold Masterclasses

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 […]

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From Ancient Rome to Modern Acclaim 

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 […]

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Family Friendly at Spoleto Festival USA: Celebrating Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is the perfect time to reflect on the special role that mothers play in our lives and all they teach us. Many of us experience our first arts performance with our moms who are eager to expose their children to creativity, music, and […]

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Chef Mike Lata Pairs Dinner and a Show

This March, acclaimed chef and industry leader Mike Lata received Spoleto’s 2023 Mary Ramsay Civic Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions of civic and charitable leadership within the Charleston community. As the co-owner and chef of FIG and The Ordinary, Lata has shaped Charleston’s culinary landscape, […]

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Class is In: Artists and their Teachers

For every professional artist, there are, of course, countless mentors behind the scenes. It’s no surprise that some of the best award-acceptance speeches include mention of childhood teachers setting the recipients on a path of greatness or awakening a self discovery. In reality, artists never […]

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Five Questions for the New Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Director of Chamber Music 

In just under four months, Paul Wiancko will welcome guests to the first Bank of America Chamber Music program of the 2024 Festival. Until then, we want you to get to know Paul. A member of the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet, founding member of the […]

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From Larry Blumenfeld: Jazz Tells a Story

The Wells Fargo Jazz Series at Spoleto 2024 begins next Sunday with a spectacular Cistern Yard performance by two incomparable jazz musicians— Terri Lyne Carrington and Dianne Reeves (May 26). As the series curator, I believe jazz plays an integral role at Spoleto as an […]

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From Mena Mark Hanna: Music Moves Us

Two things happened in Berlin on March 16, 2020:  our first child, Hugo, was born, and  the city went into full lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This may sound glib, but at first the lockdown felt like a bit of a reprieve for a […]

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The countdown to Spoleto Festival USA 2023 begins January 27

As I reflect on some of the challenges of the past few years and even the first weeks of 2023, I am immeasurably grateful to serve an organization that has brought decades of wonder to audiences and spurred positive growth for its community. Spoleto Festival […]

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Playlist: 2024 Spoleto Festival USA Wells Fargo Jazz Series

This year, the Wells Fargo Jazz Series promises an unforgettable journey through the heart of this vibrant musical genre. A captivating adventure through the vast landscape of jazz, this year’s lineup features the iconic sounds of the genre’s legends to the electrifying energy of contemporary […]

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Playlist: 2024 Front Row Series 

Old Crow Medicine Show. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Amos Lee. Brandy Clark. Watchhouse. Aoife O’Donovan. Jason Isbell. These acclaimed nationally-touring artists make up the 2024 Front Row series at Spoleto Festival USA.   A titan of classical and jazz music, the Festival has expanded […]

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Add to Playlist: Charles Lloyd’s New Single “Monk’s Dance” 

2024 Spoleto Festival USA performer Charles Lloyd has released the first single off his upcoming album, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, due out March 15. Selected by The New York Times for its playlist of the most notable new tracks. Lloyd’s debut single, […]

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Spoleto Announces Cast for World Premiere Play The Song of Rome 

The cast is set for Spoleto Festival USA’s world premiere play The Song of Rome, written by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson. Co-produced by Spoleto Festival USA, the production will premiere on the opening weekend of this year’s Festival at the historic Dock Street Theatre.  […]

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We’re Here for Sasha Velour

Ahead of her 2024 Spoleto debut, Sasha Velour will join the fourth season of the Emmy-winning unscripted series We’re Here. The gender-fluid drag queen is known for her performance artistry, fierce activism, and boundary-breaking scholarship. Sasha will present an immersive evening of drag, storytelling, and […]

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Benjamin Millepied’s Inspiration for Romeo & Juliet Suite

On May 25 & 26, Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project will perform a multidisciplinary adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy Romeo and Juliet for Spoleto Festival USA. Following the Festival run, the group will travel to the Sydney Opera House for Millepied’s mainstage Australian debut. He […]

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Old Crow Medicine Show Welcomes Back Founding Member Critter Fugua

Old Crow Medicine Show has announced the return of founding member Christopher “Critter” Fuqua ahead of their Spoleto Festival USA return on May 24 & 25. Following a four-year hiatus, Fuqua is re-joining the two-time GRAMMY Award-winning band on their current tour that will stop […]

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Pedrito Martinez to Honor Heritage in Return to Spoleto Stage 

Pedrito Martinez returns to the Spoleto stage after seven years. His 2017 Wells Fargo Jazz Series performance in the College of Charleston Cistern Yard had audiences on their feet. His return this June will bring an exciting performance blending of jazz, rumba, and afro-beats for […]

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From Mandolin Orange to Watchhouse 

This year, Spoleto Festival USA welcomes Watchhouse, the duo of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz that has been captivating audiences with their blend of bluegrass, folk, and Americana for over a decade. For some they are better known as Mandolin Orange, their namesake until 2021. […]

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Fan-Favorite Dianne Reeves Returns to Spoleto

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 […]

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2024 Doris Duke Artist Award in Jazz: Miguel Zenón 

The Doris Duke Foundation announced that 2024 Wells Fargo Jazz series musician Miguel Zenón has received a 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award, the largest prize in the United States specifically dedicated to individual performing artists. The saxophonist, composer, and conceptualist is one of six honorees selected […]

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Pedrito Martinez to Honor Heritage in Return to Spoleto Stage 

Pedrito Martinez returns to the Spoleto stage after seven years. His 2017 Wells Fargo Jazz Series performance in the College of Charleston Cistern Yard had audiences on their feet. His return this June will bring an exciting performance blending of jazz, rumba, and afro-beats for […]

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Announcing the cast and creative team of Ruinous Gods

Spoleto Festival USA today announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere performances of Ruinous Gods, a new full-length chamber opera by composer Layale Chaker and librettist Lisa Schlesinger at Spoleto Festival USA 2024. Announced earlier this year, the work explores the trauma […]

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Composer Paul Wiancko is the next Director of Chamber Music

Cellist and composer Paul Wiancko will become the next Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Director of Chamber Music, debuting in the role in the 2024 season. Wiancko’s appointment marks the first time in the Festival’s history that the standing director is both a performer […]

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Conductor Timothy Myers is named music director of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra

Spoleto Festival USA’s General Director & CEO Mena Mark Hanna announced today the appointment of conductor Timothy Myers as music director of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, one of the world’s most prestigious ensembles for emerging musicians. In his new role, Myers will lead its […]

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