Omar
Date: May 27, 30, June 2, 5, 8, 12
Venue: College of Charleston Sottile Theatre
Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’s world premiere opera recounts the life and autobiography of Omar Ibn Said, an African scholar enslaved in the Carolinas who refused to be defined or erased by his captors.
Presented by Wells Fargo
La bohème
Date: May 28, 31, June 4, 7, 11
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
What if life didn’t end in death, but in a return to love? This reimagined classic rewinds a tragic tale and takes us from devastation to hope, from loneliness and despair to the greatest joy of life.
Unholy Wars
Date: May 29, June 1, 3, 6
Venue: Dock Street Theatre
Selections from the European opera canon–from the likes of Monteverdi to Handel—are reframed by tenor Karim Sulayman to reveal a new story of belonging and resilience.
The Approach
Date: May 26 – June 12
Venue: Dock Street Theatre
Three conversations draw us into the inner lives of Anna, Cora, and Denise. What will they reveal to each other? And what does each of them have to hide?
Until the Flood
Date: June 3 – 6
Venue: Festival Hall
A one-woman tour de force from Dael Orlandersmith links eight distinct characters, all reacting to traumatic events that ignite a national movement.
Storm Large
Date: May 26 – June 1
Venue: Festival Hall
Chanteuse and musical sensation Storm Large mixes the Great American Songbook with pop hits, jazz standards, and punk rock for performances that are one part saucy, one part spicy, and nonstop sizzle.
Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group
Date: May 28, 29
Venue: College of Charleston Sottile Theatre
Unfolding obscure histories of Black Shaker communities, the celebrated choreographer draws from extensive research and his signature “post-African/neo-HooDoo modern dance” lens to bring new perspective to the spectrum of American Christian religion.
Ballet Encore
Date: June 1, 3, 4
Venue: College of Charleston Sottile Theatre
Top New York City Ballet dancers illuminate dynamic choreography by George Balanchine, Lar Lubovitch, and Justin Peck in a romantic, expanded program.
Malpaso Dance Company
Date: June 10, 11
Venue: College of Charleston Sottile Theatre
Cuba’s brightest contemporary dancers showcase the breadth of their excellence in three disparate yet vibrant selections spanning exuberance, loss, and apocalyptic fears.
Machine de Cirque
Date: June 8 – 12
Venue: Festival Hall
Breathtaking stunts and live music illuminate this showcase of dizzying feats that are at once playful, poetic, and perilous.
Bank of America Chamber Music
Date: May 27 – June 12
Venue: Dock Street Theatre
Ebullient musicianship and artistic camaraderie blend in an extraordinary presentation of fresh compositions and canonic gems onstage at the Dock Street Theatre. Hear beloved returning players and fresh faces mix old and new in the Festival’s signature series.
Music in Time
Date: May 29
Venue: Festival Hall
In a program at once meditative and exhilarating, works by current composers invite us to consider and reframe our sonic and social sensibilities.
Lift Every Voice
Date: June 1
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
Principal artists and choristers of Omar join in song for a remarkable evening highlighting music of the Black experience.
Spoleto Festival USA Chorus Concert
Date: June 3, 11
Venue: St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
The country’s most gifted choristers unite in the glorious, transformational power of song in Spoleto Festival USA Chorus’s inaugural solo debut featuring voices of Romanticism: Britten, Brahms, and Bruckner.
Rhapsodic Overture
Date: June 3
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
Two premieres bookend an orchestral triple bill unbound by time and place in a virtuosic showcase of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, conducted by John Kennedy.
Tyshawn Sorey, For Orchestra
Date: June 6
Venue: College of Charleston Sottile Theater
Tyshawn Sorery’s compositions transcend tidy musical boxes. Following a jazz trio appearance, his daring work in the classical sphere is showcased by members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.
The Street
Date: June 7
Venue: St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
In the serene sanctuary of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Harpist Parker Ramsay, joined by eight voices of the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, enlivens new work from composer Nico Muhly offering 14 Meditations on the Stations of the Cross.
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Date: June 9
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
Delight in Beethoven’s epic, uplifting final symphony as the Spoleto Festival USA’s Orchestra and Chorus join the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus for this offering of effervescent joy.
Wells Fargo Festival Finale featuring Shakey Graves
Date: June 12
Venue: Firefly Distillery
Perplexingly memorable, narrative-wrapped songs from Texas theater-kid-turned-Americana rocker Shakey Graves headline this celebration of the Festival’s 46th season. And yes, the fireworks are back, baby.
Youssou NDOUR: Mbalax Unplugged
Date: May 29
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
Youssou NDOUR is, simply, one of the world’s greatest singers. This acoustic one-night-only performance comprises traditional melodies, mbalax rhythms, and never-before-heard compositions that speak to his range and innovation.
Nduduzo Makhathini
Date: May 30
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
A deep spirituality is inseparable from the improvisational performance of pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, whose cross-continental, multilayered melodic groove is informed by a childhood where music and ritual are symbolically linked.
Linda May Han Oh and Fabian Almazan
Date: June 2 – 6
Venue: Festival Hall
Defying categorization, the compositions of pianist Fabian Almazan match ideally with the dynamic superstar bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh. This intimate and experimental duo explore sonic possibilities as their musical sensibilities align.
Ravi Coltrane: Universal Consciousness
Date: June 3
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
The Melodic Meditations of Alice Coltrane: Gifted saxophonist Ravi Coltrane pays tribute to the musical legacy of his mother—an incomparable keyboardist, harpist, and singer—for one celebratory evening embracing and commemorating her lasting influence.
Tyshawn Sorey / Aaron Diehl / Matt Brewer
Date: June 4
Venue: TD Arena at College of Charleston
The virtuosic Tyshawn Sorey, one of the 21st century’s leading musical minds, blends composition and improvisation in a collective jazz trio with pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Matt Brewer.
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Date: June 10
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
Genre-obliterating virtuoso vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant makes her third Festival appearance on the heels of three Grammy wins and a MacArthur Fellowship.
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi
Date: May 28
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
Illuminating the universality of music and the commonality of human experience, these two 2022 Grammy-nominated artists play selections from their latest albums and trace the overlooked influence of African and Arabic sounds on European and American music.
Allison Russell
Date: June 1
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
This Grammy-nominated artist’s cathartic and soulful voice takes centerstage in this Cistern Yard concert–a display of her extraordinary gift of songcraft that roars with dignity and hope in the face of overwhelming darkness.
The War and Treaty
Date: June 2
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
The husband-and-wife duo return to Spoleto for a concert trumpeting their signature bluesy but joyful fusion of Southern soul, gospel, country, and rock-and-roll in an exhilarating exchange of energy with the audience.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Date: June 9
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
Her fingers are just that fast. Among the most brilliant guitarists of this generation, Molly Tuttle brings accolades of brash, beautiful musicianship to an unforgettable Cistern Yard concert experience that is truly original.
Conversations With
Date: May 28, June 5, 7
Venue: Various
Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent Martha Teichner hosts riveting, intimate conversations with the artists and companies of Spoleto Festival USA, illuminating the creative process and delving into the stories that form the 2022 productions.
Jazz Talks
Date: May 28, June 2
Venue: Various
Spoleto Festival USA’s Wells Fargo Jazz advisor and Wall Street Journal jazz critic Larry Blumenfeld speaks with artists from the 2022 Wells Fargo Jazz Series.
More On That Now: A Spoleto Discussion Series
Date: Virtual
Venue: Virtual
More On That Now, a virtual discussion series, covers a wide range of topics drawing inspiration from themes found in the 2022 Festival program and the broader artistic industry. Free event