The 17-day festival, which begins May 22 in Charleston, boasts a varied lineup of artists and performers, both renowned and emerging. Highlights in each discipline include:
Opera: The festival will premiere the contemporary opera “Paradise Interrupted,” directed and designed by Jennifer Wen Ma, whose installations were part of the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The opera mixes Chinese and Western styles.
“Veremonda, l'amazzone di Aragona” has not been staged in more than 350 years, and never in the U.S. The baroque opera tells the story of the Spanish seize of a Moorish fortress, with a tangle of love and mistaken identity.
Theater: London-based Shakespeare’s Globe will make its first Spoleto appearance with a new production of “Romeo and Juliet.” If you're a fan of the classic story of star-crossed lovers, you’ll have 18 chances to see it during the festival.
Dance: Street dancer Charles “Lil Buck” Riley will make his Spoleto Festival debut with cellist Ashley Bathgate. His style, "Jookin' " or "Gangsta Walking," involves a dancer spinning and walking on the tips of his toes. Riley received international attention when a video of his improvised performance with cellist Yo-Yo Ma went viral on YouTube in 2011.
The Scottish Ballet will be retelling Tennessee Williams’s famous play “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Critics say the danced version has such clear storytelling that audiences need not have seen the movie nor the play beforehand.
Music: Nashville legend Emmylou Harris will perform with Rodney Crowell on May 25. In 2012, Harris and Crowell released an album together, “Old Yellow Moon,” named Americana Album of the Year at the 2014 Grammys.
The Westminster Choir will perform two hour-long concerts during the festival. The choir comprises students at Westminster Choir College, a division of Rider University in New Jersey. It has been the chorus-in-residence for Spoleto since 1977.
A full schedule and more information can be found at spoletousa.org.
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