Charleston’s annual arts event celebrates America’s 250th with US composers and artists
”The freedom of expression is a fundamental human right,” says Mena Mark Hanna, general director and CEO of Charleston’s Spoleto Festival USA. “Spoleto celebrates that in the widest terms.”
It’s within this context that Spoleto USA joins arts organizations around the country in commemoration of the country’s 250th anniversary with 17 days and nights May 22 to June 7 of curated programming, heavily focused on US composers and artists. “It’s a moment to evaluate the founding principles of our country,” Hanna says.
The season maintains Spoleto’s signature variety of artistic forms and expression in the festival’s 49th year, the lineup representing what Hanna identifies as the tension resulting from hosting such a festival in Charleston, specifically, and, more broadly, the United States. “It’s the only place on earth to see Yo-Yo Ma and Patti Smith under one roof,” Hanna says.
This year’s celebration of human expression, filling Charleston’s historic theaters, churches, and outdoor spaces, presents performances in opera; theater; dance; and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music, including a new Spoleto production of festival founder Gian Carlo Menotti’s comedic radio opera, The Old Maid and the Thief.
Among the 100-plus scheduled performances, many are either specifically aligned with the 250th anniversary theme or represent various aspects of American artistic heritage. A couple of standouts are even inspired by the host city.
250th Anniversary of the United States Spoleto Performances
The world premiere of George + George brings Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson back to Charleston for their third Spoleto collaboration. A comedic romp through the American Revolution, this new work unfolds as a lively staged reading May 29, 30 and 31.
Another new play by O’Hare, The Duchy, will be presented May 31 in a special table reading. Set in a divided near-future America, this sharp, provocative story imagines a time where the Red States and the Blue States have separated, leaving a tiny island of neutrality called the “Duchy” (formerly Las Vegas) in a wild and tenuous position.
An Evening with Ken Burns on May 27 is a celebration of the US’s 250th year with the creator of documentary films on the Civil War, jazz, and the Vietnam War, with Burns reflecting on the struggles and ideals that shaped a nation and transformed the world. Part conversation, part concert, this narrative and musical meditation honors the spirit of independence and the enduring pursuit of the principles on which the United States was founded.
Charleston-Inspired Performances
The Tell Your Story Fellows musicians perform new, original works inspired by members of the Charleston community on May 26. The pieces feature the voices of local Charlestonians sharing their stories alongside sights and sounds of the region. The production is the result of a six-month collaboration and oral history interview with a community member.
Explore the Untold Story of Porgy & Bess in a one-night-only free event on June 2 featuring excerpts from the documentary When Porgy Came Home, live music, and a panel on its Gullah roots, Charleston legacy, and the opera’s complex journey. Charleston audiences first experienced Porgy & Bess in 1970 in a production featuring local singers—many of whom were Gullah—presented before the first integrated audience in the city’s history.
Experience Spoleto in style at three of Charleston’s newest hotels
Located right on King Street, French-inspired The Nickel Hotel features 50 rooms and suites, a lush interior courtyard, the intimate Bar Daniel, and Rosemary Rose, a rooftop bar and lounge with one of the best views in the city.
Luxury waterfront accommodations await at The Cooper at 176 Concord St. on the harbor. Complete with a 7,000-square-foot spa, rooftop infinity pool, and four new on-site dining options with water views, this hotel that opened March 30 has already made a splash.
Hotel Richemont at 93 Society St., from the Indigo Road Hospitality group, offers guests a more residential-feeling option than many other hotels with rooms designated as Queen, King, and Flats, which include living and kitchen areas. Two Bit Club’s Vietnamese-inspired menu provides a singular dining option onsite.
Spoleto Festival USA runs May 22-June 7. See the full slate of events at spoletousa.org.
