From May 23 to June 8, 2025, Charleston transformed into a living stage, where stories were told, shared, and reimagined. For 17 days, Spoleto Festival USA welcomed audiences to over 120 performances spanning 23 artistic disciplines, featuring more than 450 artists from around the globe. Together, we filled Charleston’s churches, theaters, gardens, and squares with an energy that was as much about possibility as performance.
Watch a recap of our 2025 Season
A message from the General Director & CEO
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I’m excited to share with you Spoleto Festival USA’s 2025 Season in Review—a celebration of everything we accomplished together this year.
For 17 days each spring, Charleston transforms. Our city becomes not just a stage, but a living canvas where stories are retold and reimagined. In Remember This, the life and legacy
of Jan Karski brought the enormity of World War II into sharp human focus. Etienne Charles traced the Afro-Caribbean roots of jazz and the Gullah Geechee tradition in Gullah Roots, connecting cultures and generations in sound. And in the world premiere of Alisa Weilerstein’s FRAGMENTS, Bach’s cello suites intertwined with contemporary voices, dissolving boundaries between past and present.
This year’s Festival invited us to dwell in the spaces between—between sound and silence, movement and stillness, presence and mystery. Together, we filled Charleston’s churches, theaters, gardens, and squares with an energy that was as much about possibility as performance.
As we look ahead, I am filled with gratitude—for the artists who dare, the audiences who believe, and the community that sustains us. The Festival’s next chapter will honor our history while leaping boldly into the future: with visionary performances, vital conversations, and a Festival presence that resonates through every corner of Charleston.
Thank you for being part of this extraordinary community, and for believing—year after year—in the power of the arts to bring us together.
With gratitude and excitement,
Mena