Pia de’ Tolomei
Date: May 27, 31, June 3, 6, 8
Venue: College of Charleston Sottile Theatre
Donizetti’s tragic telling of a jealous husband and the consequences of his distrust, set in pre-World War II Italy.
Tree of Codes
Date: May 26, 29, June 1, 4, 7
Venue: Dock Street Theatre
This US-premiere opera illuminates the space between present and future to explore multiple realities.
Il matrimonio segreto
Date: May 28, 29, 30
Venue: Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston
Members of Westminster Choir give voice to handcrafted Italian marionettes in this charming production of a classical-era comic opera.
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart
Date: May 31, June 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Venue: Woolfe Street Playhouse
Delivered in a riotous romp of rhyming couplets, this production introduces an uptight academic to the devil in an immersive theater experience.
The Pied Piper
Date: May 25, 26, 27
Venue: Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston
Italian marionettes animate this classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm.
The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk
Date: May 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, June 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Venue: Dock Street Theatre
Whimsy and romance accompany Marc and Bella Chagall as they navigate the Russian Revolution, the pogroms, and each other.
Borders
Date: May 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
Venue: Woolfe Street Playhouse
A Syrian refugee’s experiences are contrasted with those of a celebrated American war photographer in this high-energy theater piece.
Backbone
Date: May 25 – 30
Venue: Memminger Auditorium
Ten acrobats take over Memminger Auditorium for a joyous and extraordinary display of athleticism and physical storytelling set to live music.
Celebration: The Art of the Pas de Deux
Date: May 25
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
Miami City Ballet—one of the country’s leading classical ballet companies—pays tribute to choreographer Jerome Robbins with this evening of perfectly paired duets.
Miami City Ballet
Date: May 26, 27
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
This leading classical ballet company is internationally renowned for its interpretation of iconic choreography as well as its commitment to presenting the works of contemporary innovators.
Dorrance Dance
Date: June 1 – 4, 6 – 9
Venue: Memminger Auditorium
Pushing tap dance’s rhythmic, technical, and conceptual boundaries, choreographer Michelle Dorrance brings two programs that confirm her status as a true visionary.
One of Sixty-Five Thousand Gestures / NEW BODIES
Date: June 7, 8, 9, 10
Venue: Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston
Three New York City Ballet dancers, including principal Sara Mearns, team up with postmodern choreographer Jodi Melnick to present an intriguing evening of dance—without pointe shoes or tutus.
A.I.M
Date: June 1, 2, 3
Venue: Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston
Drawing from a wide range of contemporary dance styles, choreographer Kyle Abraham creates movement that speaks through silence and hip-hop beats.
Bank of America Chamber Music
Date: May 25 – June 10
Venue: Dock Street Theatre
Host Geoff Nuttall leads some of the world’s most skilled chamber musicians in diverse, intimate, and thrilling programs.
Mozart and Mahler
Date: June 9
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
Pedja Muzijevic performs a Mozart piano concerto followed by the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra’s rendition of Mahler’s first symphony.
Westminster Choir Concerts
Date: May 26, June 1
Venue: Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul
An eclectic program and pristine acoustics showcase this phenomenal ensemble in what has long been one of the Festival’s most beloved traditions.
Angels
Date: May 29
Venue: St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
The sopranos and altos of Westminster Choir present works that bring a woman’s perspective to the spiritual world in this candlelit performance.
You Are Mine Own
Date: June 2
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
A cinematic staging of love poetry combines with late romantic orchestral scores to create a symphonic experience like no other.
Music In Time | An Elemental Thing
Date: May 28
Venue: Woolfe Street Playhouse
Music expresses the collision of our culture and environment.
Music In Time | Brilliant Nights
Date: May 30
Venue: Woolfe Street Playhouse
Salvatore Sciarrino’s Tre Notturni Brillanti opens this program that celebrates the broad possibilities of listening.
Music In Time | Departure Duo
Date: June 4
Venue: Woolfe Street Playhouse
A soprano and bassist consider the “in-between.”
Brahms’s German Requiem
Date: June 5
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
The Festival’s entire choral and orchestral forces come together for this lush, rapturously beautiful masterwork.
Wells Fargo Festival Finale featuring The Lone Bellow
Date: June 10
Venue: Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park
Nashville-based Americana, soul, and rock-and-roll band The Lone Bellow brings the 2018 Festival to a celebratory close at “The Joe.”
Fred Hersch Trio
Date: May 27
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
A night of “luxurious, free-flowing, unashamedly gorgeous jazz” at College of Charleston Cistern Yard
Jon Batiste
Date: May 25, 26
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
A musical party at the Cistern Yard with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader kicks off Spoleto’s 2018 season; funk and soul band, the Dap-Kings, amps up the festivities on night two.
Jazzmeia Horn
Date: May 28
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
On the cusp of international stardom, this acclaimed vocalist—and 2018 Grammy Award nominee—leads her new septet for an evening of vocal fireworks.
Chucho Valdés Quartet
Date: May 31
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
A giant in Afro-Cuban jazz, pianist Chucho Valdés leads his latest quartet with incomparable gusto, lyricism, and virtuosity.
Craig Taborn
Date: June 6, 7, 8, 9
Venue: Simons Center Recital Hall at College of Charleston
This experimental jazz pianist plays outside the lines, infusing his artful improvisations with nearly every musical form, from baroque to heavy metal.
Artifacts
Date: May 26, 27, 28, 29
Venue: Simons Center Recital Hall at College of Charleston
A trio of renowned composers reinterprets time-honored compositions from a legendary Chicago institution.
Trio 3 plus Vijay Iyer
Date: June 3
Venue: Charleston Gaillard Center
Three master improvisers, who have long been at the forefront of the cutting-edge jazz movement, are joined by one of today’s most celebrated pianists.
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
Date: May 31, June 1
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
Legendary picker Ricky Skaggs delivers blistering mandolin technique under the Cistern Yard oaks for this quintessential southern experience.
Ranky Tanky
Date: June 2
Venue: College of Charleston Cistern Yard
Gullah traditions blend with jazz, gospel, and R&B to produce a uniquely vibrant yet universally intoxicating sound.
Opening Night Fête
Date: May 25
Venue: Bedon's Alley
Toast Miami City Ballet and the beginning of the 2018 season at the party of the season with refreshing cocktails, sumptuous tropical food, and live music.
Behind the Garden Gate
Date: May 26, June 2
Venue: Various
Sixteen of the Holy City’s most charming private gardens–eight each weekend–are available for exploration for ticket holders.
Spoleto Salons
Date: May 1, 8, 15
Venue: 14 George Street
The Spoleto Salons aim to illuminate elements of the 2018 Festival, offering fascinating behind-the-scenes perspectives from various creative personnel.
Conversations With
Date: May 26, 27, June 3, 7
Venue: Various
CBS journalist Martha Teichner interviews artists from the Festival’s 2018 program.
Front Row Talk
Date: June 1
Venue: Simons Center Recital Hall at College of Charleston
Members of Ranky Tanky discuss Charleston’s Gullah culture and how the group’s music champions this tradition within a contemporary framework.
Jazz Talk
Date: May 29
Venue: Simons Center Recital Hall at College of Charleston
The members of Artifacts speak to the enduring legacy of Chicago’s AACM and how it has influenced and empowered their work as composers, performers, and educators.