Spoleto Festival USA 2009 Showcases 125 Performances

In 2009, Spoleto Festival USA showcased 125 performances, ranging from the critically acclaimed LOUISE to the U.S. premiere of Kneehigh Theatre's DON JOHN. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hugh Hughes' STORY OF A RABBIT, Punch Brothers and Jake Shimabukuro were some of the other breakout hits of the 2009 festival.

Confirming the festival's international prominence, media from around the world--from Los Angeles, Boston and Cartagena to Reykjavik and London--ran stories on Spoleto Festival USA. And, for the first time, audience members traveled from all 50 states (in 2008 they came from all but North Dakota) to take part in the event that Smithsonian ranked America's number one "hotspot" destination.

A 2009 festival highlight was the announcement that Geoff Nuttall has been named the new Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Artistic Director for Chamber Music, succeeding Charles Wadsworth in that role. Nuttall, an accomplished violinist and St. Lawrence String Quartet co-founder, has served as Associate Artistic Director since 2008. In Nuttall's 2010 inaugural season, chamber music will return to its traditional home in the newly renovated Dock Street Theatre, Charleston's historic treasure.

Spoleto Festival USA was founded in 1977 by Gian Carlo Menotti, Christopher Keene and others involved in the Festival of Two Worlds as the American counterpart to that festival held annually in Spoleto, Italy. A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Menotti began the Italian festival in 1958 as a forum for young American artists in Europe. The festival quickly became a haven for a large group of artists, both traditional and experimental, who found the mix of dance, theater, opera, music, and the visual arts to be both exciting and stimulating.

When the organizers of the Festival of Two Worlds planned an American festival, they searched for an American city that would offer the charm of Spoleto, Italy, and also its wealth of theaters, churches, and other performance spaces. Charleston, South Carolina was the perfect counterpart. The city is small enough to be dominated by nonstop arts events during the 17-day festival, but also large and sophisticated enough to provide a knowledgeable audience and appropriate theaters. Furthermore,Charleston has an extensive history of involvement with the arts from housing America's first theater and ballet companies to housing the oldest musical organization in the country.

Spoleto Festival USA has maintained traditions of the Festival of Two Worlds such as a dedication to young artists, a fascination with contemporary effort, an enthusiasm for providing unusual performance opportunities to recognized masters in their fields, and a commitment to all forms of the performing arts. Each year, audience members experience a broad range of artistic styles and forms, including classical ballet; modern and post-modern dance; opera; chamber, symphonic, and choral music; jazz; theater; and visual arts. Spoleto has earned a reputation for offering programs of the highest artistic caliber, supporting new and innovative works, nurturing outstanding young artists, and expanding public appreciation of the arts. This focus has brought the festival international acclaim year after year.

Spoleto Festival USA will be held in Charleston, SC May 28 through June 13, 2010.