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 […]
Read More
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, […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Essential Kishi Bashi from Spoleto Superfan Anna Brown
Spoleto staffer Anna Brown remembers doing a happy dance when she heard Kishi Bashi would be part of the 2023 season lineup. (An impeccable one, surely—she was a classically trained dancer, after all.) As it turns out, Brown has long been a superfan of the […]
Read More
Essential Barber from Vanessa conductor Timothy Myers
This season, Spoleto Festival USA presents Vanessa, Samuel Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera about love, loss, and longing. With one of the most exquisite and sweepingly beautiful scores of the 20th century, the work—which The Washington Post once called “the finest American opera”—also has a unique […]
Read More
Larry’s Listens: 2023 Jazz Series Essentials
Ella Fitzgerald. Ray Charles. Buddy Rich. Sarah Vaughan. Betty Carter. B.B. King. Dave Brubeck. McCoy Tyner. Dizzy Gillespie. Wynton Marsalis. These towering giants of jazz have counted Spoleto amongst their list of performances, taking center stage at our venues like the Cistern Yard and the […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Rachel Coker joins Spoleto Festival USA as Chief Advancement Officer
Today, Spoleto Festival USA’s General Director and CEO Mena Mark Hanna announced the appointment of Rachel Coker as Chief Advancement Officer. Coker joins the team following a months-long search conducted by Isaacson, Miller, with support from Festival Board members and senior staff. A talented and […]
Read More
“Omar” wins 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music
Omar, the transformative opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels centering the story of an enslaved Muslim scholar, received the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Columbia University announced today. The work was recognized for its expansion of the traditional opera canon, challenging its standard practice […]
Read More