Why go
Founded in 1977 by composer Gian Carlo Menotti as an American counterpart to the festival in Spoleto, Italy, the event uses Charleston’s theaters, churches, and other spaces as part of the experience. A performance can lead you into a building or part of the peninsula you might otherwise pass by.
What to look for
- Opera, dance, theater, classical music, and jazz all belong to the festival’s artistic range.
- Performances use Charleston theaters, churches, and other city spaces.
- The festival grew from Menotti’s link with Spoleto, Italy.
The full story
Composer Gian Carlo Menotti founded Spoleto Festival USA in 1977 as an American counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Charleston was selected partly for its stock of theaters, churches, and other performance spaces. That choice makes the city more than a backdrop: different forms of performance can take visitors into different parts of the peninsula and different kinds of buildings. The festival’s artistic range has included opera, dance, theater, classical music, and jazz, bringing established and emerging performers into the same citywide program. Its early years also had financial and leadership disputes, and Menotti left the Charleston festival in 1993; the event continued. For a visitor, the lasting idea is the pairing of live work with Charleston venues. The specific show and room matter more than the festival name alone, so a current program is the useful starting point for a day or evening built around it.
Useful to know
- Choose a performance first, then plan travel around its specific venue.
- Check the official current program for dates, locations, and ticket details.