SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 2015
CH A RL E S TO N ,
S O U T H CA ROLINA S P OLETO USA.O R G
MAY 2 2 – J U NE 7
OPERA 01
PARADISE INTERRUPTED COMPOSED BY HUANG RUO LIBRETTO BY JENNIFER WEN MA AND JI CHAO CONDUCTED BY JOHN KENNEDY DIRECTED AND DESIGNED BY JENNIFER WEN MA WORLD PREMIERE
Spoleto Festival USA presents the world premiere of Huang Ruo and Jennifer Wen Ma’s Paradise Interrupted, an arresting new opera marrying Chinese tradition dating from the Ming Dynasty with contemporary Western idioms. In a dream, a woman meets her lover and searches for an unattainable ideal as a vast garden grows from an empty stage, only to disappear as her dream ends. Revered visual artist Jennifer Wen Ma, known to global audiences for her work on the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, directs and designs this exquisite opera. The dreamer is Qian Yi, whose performance in Lincoln Center Festival’s The Peony Pavilion—presented at Spoleto Festival USA in 2004—was lauded by The New York Times: “She is now China’s reigning opera princess, and in The Peony Pavilion her talents are in full flower.” Director of Orchestral Activities John Kennedy leads a chamber orchestra mixing Western and Chinese instruments in a score that is at once a continuation of tradition and entirely new. Sung in Mandarin with English supertitles. Paradise Interrupted is co-commissioned and co-produced by Spoleto Festival USA and Lincoln Center Festival. MEMMINGER AUDITORIUM
Friday
May 22
7:00pm
Sunday
May 24
8:00pm
Wednesday
May 27
8:00pm
Friday
May 29
8:00pm
Sunday
May 31
1:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES COMMISSIONED AND PRODUCED WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF TANG FAMILY FOUNDATION. SPONSORED BY BMW MANUFACTURING CO. ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONING SUPPORT PROVIDED BY MRS. SUSAN KESSLER, WILLIAM & HELEN LITTLE FOUNDATION, MS. HESTER DIAMOND, AND US-CHINA CULTURAL INSTITUTE. MADE POSSIBLE IN PART THROUGH AN AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. OPERA PROGRAMMING IS ENDOWED BY THE ARTHUR AND HOLLY MAGILL FOUNDATION.
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 843.579.3100 02
“ . . . ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING YOUNG COMPOSERS.” – The New Yorker
CONVERSATIONS WITH
Sunday
May 24
3:30pm
Host Martha Teichner interviews Director and Visual Designer Jennifer Wen Ma and Composer Huang Ruo at the Charleston Library Society, 164 King Street.
THEATER 03
SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE
ROMEO AND JULIET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare’s Globe makes its Spoleto Festival USA debut with a brand new production of Romeo and Juliet. Flames of youthful passion ignite amidst a maelstrom of warring families and violence, creating a whirlpool of secrets and misunderstandings that lead the star-cross’d lovers to their tragic fate. Featuring many of William Shakespeare’s most beloved lines, Romeo and Juliet is as thrilling and heartbreaking for those discovering this classic play as it is for those who have experienced it many times. Renowned for its authentic yet bold productions, this esteemed company hails from London’s rebuilt Globe Theatre—the venue Shakespeare called home. Spoleto Festival USA presents the first US performances of this new production. DOCK STREET THEATRE
Thursday
May 21
8:00pm (preview)
Friday
May 22
8:00pm
Sunday
May 24
3:30pm & 8:30pm
Monday
May 25
3:30pm & 8:00pm
Wednesday
May 27
7:30pm
Thursday
May 28
8:00pm
Friday
May 29
3:30pm & 8:00pm
Sunday
May 31
3:30pm & 8:00pm
Monday
June 1
7:30pm
Wednesday
June 3
7:30pm
Thursday
June 4
3:30pm & 8:00pm
Saturday
June 6
3:30pm & 8:00pm
Sunday
June 7
3:30pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS, 40 MINUTES SPONSORED BY FIRST CITIZENS
CONVERSATIONS WITH
Saturday
May 23
3:30pm
Host Martha Teichner interviews artists from Shakespeare’s Globe at the Charleston Library Society, 164 King Street.
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA SPOLETOUSA.ORG 04
WELLS FARGO JAZZ 05
MADELEINE PEYROUX “The only thing that matters is the song,” says singersongwriter Madeleine Peyroux. That conviction along with a one-of-a-kind voice has carried her from busking on the streets of Paris all the way to mainstream recognition. Through distinctive renditions of old classics and modern tunes by the likes of Leonard Cohen and The Beatles, Peyroux has proven to be an insightful interpreter with flawless choices in material. “Someone gave me early Columbia recordings with Billie Holiday and instructed me to learn the songs,” she recalls. Peyroux grasped not just the melodies, choice of tone, and phrasing, but the power of the iconic artist’s presence. “It was by learning Billie’s mannerisms that I was learning to listen to my own.” With this self-awareness she developed her signature sound and created a series of acclaimed recordings, including Careless Love in 2004. She continues to evolve and explore new ground showing that, like jazz itself, she is willing to take new chances. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CISTERN YARD
Thursday
May 28
9:00pm
Friday
May 29
9:00pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO
AMERICAN EXPRESS WOOLFE STREET SERIES | DANCE 843.579.3100 06
WHAT MOVES YOU FEATURING LIL BUCK AND ASHLEY BATHGATE WORLD PREMIERE
Charles “Lil Buck” Riley brought international attention to jookin’—a street dance originating in Memphis—when a video of his improvised performance with cellist Yo-Yo Ma went viral on YouTube in 2011. After being declared a “genius” by Ma, Lil Buck, who is trained in both ballet and hip-hop, has performed with Madonna, New York City Ballet, and Cirque du Soleil, and in 2014 The Wall Street Journal Magazine named him Performing Arts Innovator of the Year. Making his Spoleto Festival USA debut with cellist Ashley Bathgate, a member of the adventurous group Bang on a Can All-Stars, this duo champions artistic versatility with equal comfort in the concert hall and rock club. The world premiere of What Moves You promises innovation and inspiration as these genre-bending talents challenge the boundaries of what the body and cello can do. With music ranging from J.S. Bach to contemporary composer Yoav Shemesh, this creative collaboration of performance and demonstration illustrates what it means when Lil Buck says “I see sounds everywhere.” WOOLFE STREET PLAYHOUSE
Friday
May 29
7:30pm
Saturday
May 30
2:00pm & 9:00pm
Sunday
May 31
6:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS SPONSORED BY BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA. SPONSORED BY AMERICAN EXPRESS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS PROVIDED BY THE HARKNESS FOUNDATION FOR DANCE.
“. . . IT SEEMS LIKE THIS COMPELLING DANCER IS MADE OF A DURABLE AND GRACEFUL RUBBER, SO EASILY DOES HE BEND AND TWIST HIS BODY INTO IMPOSSIBLE POSES.” – Associated Press
DANCE 07
SCOTTISH BALLET
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE DIRECTED BY NANCY MECKLER CHOREOGRAPHED BY ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA
Dance, desire, and despair vividly combine in this retelling of Tennessee Williams’s famous play by the Scottish Ballet—a company with a strong reputation for embracing classic
stories
and
creating
groundbreaking
works
performed around the world. Director Nancy Meckler and choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa construct a dramatic battleground pitting masculine and feminine power against each other in this acclaimed production The Sunday Times calls “Persuasive, exhilarating, moving and ingenious.” The story of Blanche DuBois, Stella, and Stanley is expressively played out with Ochoa’s “clever, articulate physical vocabulary” (The Observer). A sultry score by Peter Salem conjures the steamy sounds of New Orleans jazz in this story ballet that maintains the complexity of Williams’s original form. A Streetcar Named Desire marks the Scottish Ballet’s return to the Festival where it made its American debut in 1986. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SOTTILE THEATRE
Friday
May 22
7:00pm
Saturday
May 23
2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sunday
May 24
3:00pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS SPONSORED BY BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS PROVIDED BY THE HARKNESS FOUNDATION FOR DANCE. ORIGINAL PLAY BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS. PRESENTED THROUGH SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH, SEWANEE, TENNESSEE.
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“SCOTTISH BALLET’S A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE COULD SERVE AS A TEMPLATE FOR HOW TO TELL A STORY THROUGH DANCE. . . . EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS . . .” – London Evening Standard
MUSIC 09
WESTMINSTER CHOIR CONCERTS CONDUCTED BY JOE MILLER
Lauded as “remarkable for its precision, unanimity and power” by The New York Times, Joe Miller’s Westminster Choir performs at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul in one of the Festival’s most well-loved traditions. The choir explores its striking sonic capabilities in a program that celebrates inspiration and creation: Urmas Sisask’s mystical Oremus is paired with Eric Whitacre’s compelling Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, followed by Monteverdi’s revolutionary passion Sí ch’io vorrei morire and the perfect composition that is J.S. Bach’s opening chorus from Cantata 79. CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST. LUKE AND ST. PAUL
Sunday
May 24
5:00pm
Wednesday
May 27
5:00pm
Tickets start at $25 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR SPONSORED BY THE HENRY AND SYLVIA YASCHIK FOUNDATION
LANG / THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL PA SSION WITH CHOREOGRAPHY BY PONTUS LIDBERG CARISSIMI / JEPHTE In a brilliant coupling of works composed nearly 400 years apart, Westminster Choir approaches two stories of loss and transcendence under the baton of Director for Choral Activities Joe Miller. David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion recasts Hans Christian Andersen’s poignant tale in the format of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. In his choreography for two dancers, Pontus Lidberg reimagines the little match girl, not as a starving child, but as an everywoman longing for human contact. Giacomo Carissimi’s Jephte tells the Old Testament story of Jephte, who prays for victory in battle, promising to sacrifice the first person he sees upon arriving home if God will grant his enemy’s defeat. Having heard word of her father’s triumph, Jephte’s daughter runs out of the house to greet him as he returns. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SOTTILE THEATRE
Saturday
May 30
5:00pm
Sunday
May 31
7:00pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES SPONSORED BY THE HARKNESS FOUNDATION FOR DANCE MADE POSSIBLE IN PART THROUGH AN AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 843.579.3100 10
MUSIC | AMERICAN EXPRESS WOOLFE STREET SERIES 11
TAYLOR MAC Flamboyant provocateur Taylor Mac returns to Spoleto Festival USA to take the stage at our newest venue, Woolfe Street Playhouse, for an evening of glittering musical time travel. The concert will feature popular songs selected from time periods as diverse as the 1770s through the 2000s performed by Mac and a three-piece band in his indomitable style. Last here in 2011 with his show Comparison Is Violence or The Ziggy Stardust Meets Tiny Tim Songbook, Mac is equal parts bedazzled shaman, searing social critic, radical angel and Elizabethan fool who “. . . doesn’t just defy categorization; he makes the categories themselves seem irrelevant” (Time Out New York). WOOLFE STREET PLAYHOUSE
Wednesday
June 3
9:00pm
Thursday
June 4
9:00pm
Friday
June 5
9:00pm
Saturday
June 6
9:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES SPONSORED BY AMERICAN EXPRESS
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DIANNE REEVES Dianne Reeves is among the world’s preeminent jazz vocalists, and a standard by which others inevitably measure themselves. Early on she recognized the breadth of her vocal instrument and over the years has taken inspiration from instrumentalists and singers of different languages to develop her own color and detail, creating a vast range of expressive possibilities. Like Sarah Vaughan, writes The New York Times, she “has the resources of an opera singer who has chosen jazz.” While jazz is the basis of her repertoire, she interprets songs from all corners of music, a reflection of a trend from her youth when listening audiences routinely crossed genres with ease. Today, she remains focused on moving forward into new material. Her artistic devotion has already earned four Grammys, and with the release of her first studio album in five years, a fifth may be on the way.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CISTERN YARD Saturday
May 30
9:00pm
Tickets start at $40 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO
“NOT ONLY DOES SHE NAIL ALL THE THINGS THAT DEFINE GREAT JAZZ SINGERS, BUT SHE ALSO EXPANDS THE IDEA OF WHAT A JAZZ VOCALIST IS.” – NPR Music
OPERA 13
CONVERSATIONS WITH
Saturday
May 30
3:30pm
Host Martha Teichner interviews Director Stefano Vizioli and Conductor Aaron Carpenè at the Charleston Library Society, 164 King Street.
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VEREMONDA, L’AMAZZONE DI ARAGONA COMPOSED BY FRANCESCO CAVALLI LIBRETTO BY GIULIO STROZZI CONDUCTED BY AARON CARPENÈ DIRECTED BY STEFANO VIZIOLI DESIGNED BY UGO NESPOLO AMERICAN PREMIERE
A baroque opera in the Dock Street Theatre—what could be more perfect? The Spanish King and Queen’s siege of the Moorish fort on the Rock of Gibraltar is tangled with passionate love stories and comical mistaken identities in Francesco Cavalli’s opera Veremonda, l’amazzone di Aragona. This season, a new performance edition commissioned by Spoleto Festival USA makes its debut, created and conducted by early music specialist Aaron Carpenè and performed by members of New York Baroque Incorporated; the enthralling mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux makes her Festival debut in the fiery title role. Directed by Stefano Vizioli—known to Festival audiences from his 2013 double-bill of Mese mariano and Le villi—Veremonda explores gender equality, problems of international diplomacy and religious-based conflicts, and the use of one’s sexuality in pursuit of power. Adored Italian artist Ugo Nespolo captures the vivid Mediterranean culture with his signature audacious style, bringing this captivating work to life more than 350 years after its last performance. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. DOCK STREET THEATRE
Saturday
May 23
7:30pm
Tuesday
May 26
7:30pm
Saturday
May 30
8:00pm
Tuesday
June 2
7:30pm
Friday
June 5
8:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS, 30 MINUTES SPONSORED BY BMW MANUFACTURING CO. MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY THE BRAND FOUNDATION OF NEW YORK, INC. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED THROUGH AN AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. OPERA PROGRAMMING IS ENDOWED BY THE ARTHUR AND HOLLY MAGILL FOUNDATION.
THEATER 15
GOLDEN DRAGON WATER PUPPET THEATRE Audiences who experience Vietnam’s Golden Dragon
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CISTERN YARD
Water Puppet Theatre are astonished and delighted at the
Tuesday
June 2
5:30pm
fire-breathing dragons, fantastical fish, plumed peacocks,
Wednesday
June 3
11:00am & 1:00pm
and more that dance, dive, and glide over the water’s
Thursday
June 4
11:00am & 1:00pm
surface. Coming to Spoleto Festival USA for the first time
Friday
June 5
11:00am & 1:00pm & 5:00pm
in 2015, this thousand-year-old art form features colorful
Saturday
June 6
11:00am & 1:00pm & 5:00pm
characters including crafty leopards, phoenixes, and lions
Sunday
June 7
11:00am
in scenes that depict heroism, magic, and comical everyday life. Live traditional music on centuries-old Vietnamese
Tickets start at $30
song. Performing outdoors in a specially built pool in the
SPECIAL TICKET PRICE AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN (12 AND UNDER; MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT)
College of Charleston Cistern Yard, hidden puppeteers will
APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR
instruments animates the fast-paced blend of action and
enchant you with a vision of an ancient culture.
SPONSORED BY BELMOND CHARLESTON PLACE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED THROUGH AN AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
“. . . A TRULY AMAZING SIGHT . . . GRACEFUL AND MESMERIZING STORYTELLING.” – Chicago Sun-Times
PHYSICAL THEATER SPOLETOUSA.ORG 16
CASUS CIRCUS
KNEE DEEP Australian company Casus Circus makes its Spoleto Festival USA debut with Knee Deep—a bold and captivating work that has catapulted the performers into the international spotlight. Described by The Guardian as “. . . full of extraordinary skill and brute strength . . . but also exquisite beauty,” bodies are pushed and pulled, weighed and tested as performers explore the boundaries of strength and fragility. The members of Casus bring a wealth of knowledge to this innovative and understated work having performed extensively with lauded Australian ensembles including Circa, Legs on the Wall, Briefs, and Circus Oz. Previous physical theater shows by Circa, Compagnie XY, and Gravity & Other Myths were wildly popular with Festival-goers, so don’t miss your chance to see this daring new company as they bring honesty and a raw emotional edge to the stage. MEMMINGER AUDITORIUM
Tuesday
June 2
6:00pm
Wednesday
June 3
7:00pm
Thursday
June 4
8:00pm
Friday
June 5
9:00pm
Saturday
June 6
7:00pm
Sunday
June 7
1:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR SPONSORED BY SHERMAN CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC MADE POSSIBLE IN PART THROUGH AN AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY SPOLETO SCENE
“ . . . THIS IS HIGH-OCTANE ACROBATICS – BEAUTIFULLY EXECUTED, INTENSELY WATCHABLE, AND FULL OF IMAGES THAT LINGER LONG IN THE MEMORY.” – Time Out Magazine (London)
MUSIC | FILM 17
CITY LIGHTS WITH
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM EDDINS
Charlie Chaplin’s pinnacle film City Lights—a masterpiece from the end of the silent film era—comes alive in a screening accompanied by a live orchestra performing Chaplin’s own score. This romantic comedy portrays “The Little Tramp” in his most beloved role, the final scene of which author James Agee described as the “greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.” Performing in the College of Charleston Sottile Theatre, which opened as a movie house just a few years before City Lights came out in 1931, Conductor William Eddins leads the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in Chaplin’s charming and heartfelt music. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SOTTILE THEATRE
Monday
May 25
5:00pm
Tickets start at $20 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES SPONSORED BY GLASER DUNCAN, CPAs MUSIC FOR CITY LIGHTS © ROY EXPORT COMPANY ESTABLISHMENT AND BOURNE CO. EXCEPT “LA VIOLETERA” © JOSÉ PADILLA.
FILM | MUSIC 843.579.3100 18
DECASIA WITH
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY JOHN KENNEDY
Constructed of found footage, visionary filmmaker Bill Morrison’s Decasia is a 2002 film that assembles and meditates on the age and decay of silent films. The only 21stcentury film to be declared part of the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry, Decasia includes original footage largely obtained through the University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research Collection. The film features a soundtrack by composer Michael Gordon with a detuned orchestra playing out of phase with itself, performed live by the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra under the direction of John Kennedy. The program opens with the US premiere of Giacinto Scelsi’s recently-discovered Kamakala (1956), a stunning work that stylistically anticipates the deconstructed sounds of the future. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SOTTILE THEATRE
Monday
June 1
8:00pm
Tickets start at $20 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES
“DECASIA HAS GONE ON TO BECOME THAT RAREST OF BIRDS, AN EXPERIMENTAL FILM WITH CROSSOVER APPEAL.” – The New York Times
WELLS FARGO JAZZ 19
RITA MARCOTULLI AND LUCIANO BIONDINI RITA MARCOTULLI, PIANO LUCIANO BIONDINI, ACCORDION
In the hands of these two renowned Italian musicians, the rich sounds of the grand piano and accordion evoke their traditions while exploring vast possibilities. Rita Marcotulli, a native of Rome, and Luciano Biondini, a native of Spoleto, share musical intuition from their classical training, love of jazz, and the music of their home country, leading them to a bright, lyrical, and dynamic repertoire that ranges from fast dances to sublime ballads. Their collaboration has been described as “. . . one of the most inspired duos that the European jazz scene has to offer” (London Jazz). SIMONS CENTER RECITAL HALL AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Thursday
May 28
5:00pm and 7:00pm
Friday
May 29
5:00pm and 7:00pm
Saturday
May 30
5:00pm and 7:00pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO
WELLS FARGO MUSIC JAZZ 843.579.3100 SPOLETOUSA.ORG 20
M Ô NI CA S A LMA SO MÔNICA SALMASO, VOICE NELSON AYERS, PIANO TECO CARDOSO, SAXOPHONE AND FLUTE
Since making her stunning Spoleto Festival USA debut in 2003, Mônica Salmaso has broadened her repertoire and solidified her standing at the pinnacle of modern Brazilian singing. Ranging in style from the chants of traditional AfroBrazilian songs to the works of contemporary composers, her voice is crystal clear, whether delivering a playful lyric or a haunting ballad; and, like a great instrumentalist, her expression reaches into the emotional depths only music can find. Teamed with two of Brazil’s most esteemed musicians—pianist Nelson Ayers and saxophonist and flutist Teco Cardoso—her performance will explore the Brazilian songbook of various eras and styles. Exuding the lyric soul of Brazil, Salmaso’s music is a place where the rustic and urban worlds of the samba and the waltz meet. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CISTERN YARD
Saturday
May 23
9:00pm
Sunday
May 24
9:00pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO
“. . . THE MOST PURE SINGER IN BRAZIL TODAY. SHE HAS, FROM THE OUTSET OF HER CAREER, POSSESSED A VOICE WITH REMARKABLE CLARITY, WHICH IS MATCHED BY SALMASO’S FORMIDABLE INTERPRETIVE GIFT.” – Billboard
MUSIC 21
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 843.579.3100 22
BANK OF AMERICA CHAMBER MUSIC With legendary wit and a remarkably broad repertoire,
DOCK STREET THEATRE
violinist Geoff Nuttall directs the Bank of America Chamber
PROGR AM I
Music series featuring 11 revelatory programs, each performed three times by a line-up of exceptional musicians. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein and baritone Tyler Duncan return to the historic Dock Street Theatre, joined by Festival favorites including flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, pianists Pedja Muzijevic and Inon Barnatan, and the St. Lawrence String
Friday May 22 1:00pm Saturday May 23 11:00am & 1:00pm
PROGR AM II
Sunday May 24 11:00am & 1:00pm Monday May 25 11:00am
PROGR AM III
Quartet—which celebrates its 25th year as an ensemble, 20
Monday May 25 1:00pm Tuesday May 26 11:00am & 1:00pm
in residency at Spoleto Festival USA. Nuttall also welcomes
PROGR AM IV
newcomers violinist Benjamin Beilman and composer-inresidence Mark Applebaum, who will compose a new work to premiere at the Festival. A brilliant combination
Wednesday May 27 11:00am & 1:00pm Thursday May 28 11:00am
PROGR AM V
of canonic jewels and obscure findings, Bank of America
Thursday May 28 1:00pm Friday May 29 11:00am & 1:00pm
Chamber Music crafts an extraordinary experience that is
PROGR AM VI
equal parts learning, laughing, and musical nirvana. Tickets start at $20
Saturday May 30 11:00am & 1:00pm Sunday May 31 11:00am
PROGR AM VII
APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES
Sunday Monday
SPONSORED BY BANK OF AMERICA
PROGR AM VIII
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY PALMETTO PARTNERS, LTD./THE ROBERT AND JANICE MCNAIR FOUNDATION. THE ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET IS THE ARTHUR AND HOLLY MAGILL QUARTET IN RESIDENCE.
May 31 1:00pm June 1 11:00am & 1:00pm
Tuesday June 2 11:00am & 1:00pm Wednesday June 3 11:00am
PROGR AM IX
Wednesday June 3 1:00pm Thursday June 4 11:00am & 1:00pm
PROGR AM X Friday Saturday
June 5 11:00am & 1:00pm June 6 11:00am
PROGR AM XI
Saturday June 6 1:00pm Sunday June 7 11:00am & 1:00pm FULL PROGRAM DETAILS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN MARCH 2015 AT SPOLETOUSA.ORG DETAILS ABOUT BANK OF AMERICA CHAMBER MUSIC SUBSCRIPTIONS CAN BE FOUND AT SPOLETOUSA.ORG/CHAMBER-MUSIC-SUBSCRIPTIONS
THEATER 23
CARLO COLLA AND SONS MARIONETTE COMPANY
SLEEPING BEAUTY Italy’s Carlo Colla and Sons Marionette Company charmed Festival audiences with its production of Cinderella in 2010, and now returns to weave the enchanting tale of the cursed Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora’s story is told in dazzling detail with 165 meticulously handcrafted marionettes in resplendent costumes and sumptuous hand-painted scenery. Performed in English and accompanied by excerpts of Tchaikovsky’s lush ballet score, Eugenio Monti Colla’s retelling is based on Charles Perrault’s original 1697 fairy tale The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood and contains delights for audiences of all ages—including some cheeky cameo appearances by characters from other stories. EMMETT ROBINSON THEATRE AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Friday
May 22
3:00pm & 6:00pm
Saturday
May 23
12:00pm & 5:00pm
Sunday
May 24
12:00pm & 5:00pm
Monday
May 25
1:00pm & 7:30pm
Tuesday
May 26
6:00pm
Wednesday
May 27
6:00pm
Tickets start at $25 SPECIAL TICKET PRICE AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN (12 AND UNDER; MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT) APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES SPONSORED BY RENAISSANCE CHARLESTON HISTORIC DISTRICT HOTEL
“. . . SIMPLY A GORGEOUS AND GLORIOUS SPECTACLE.” – The New York Times
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DANCE 25
TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY SET AND RESET IF YOU COULDN’T SEE ME ROGUES PRESENT TENSE
Trisha Brown Dance Company has been at the forefront of postmodern dance for the past 45 years, helping to define the genre. This season, the company brings four of its influential works to Spoleto Festival USA. The iconic Set and Reset features Brown’s geometric style performed to Laurie Anderson’s driving score with Robert Rauschenberg’s sets and costumes—it has been called “surely the most beloved and irresistible work of postmodern dance” (The New York Times). The provocative and seductive solo piece If you couldn’t see me is another Rauschenberg collaboration, followed by Rogues, a rhythmic male duet with dancers “sharing adventures like a pair of footloose hobos” (StarLedger). In PRESENT TENSE, dancers engage in aerial choreography, riding and tumbling to a piano score by John Cage. Trisha Brown Dance Company, under the leadership of Artistic Associates Carolyn Lucas and Diane Madden, has traveled the world paying homage to its founder Trisha Brown, who retired in 2011. These performances provide Festival audiences the chance to join this international celebration of an American dance legend. EMMETT ROBINSON THEATRE AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Friday
May 29
8:00pm
Saturday
May 30
8:00pm
Sunday
May 31
3:30pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS SPONSORED BY BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS PROVIDED BY THE HARKNESS FOUNDATION FOR DANCE.
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 843.579.3100 26
“WORKS BY BROWN DON’T JUST CHALLENGE OUR PERCEPTIONS; THEY EXPAND OUR MINDS AND UNTETHER OUR SPIRITS.” – The Village Voice
WELLS FARGO JAZZ 27
KATE DAVIS Whether she’s crooning rootsy ballads or plucking bright riffs from her bass, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kate Davis puts a fresh spin on the standards and brings a canonical sensibility to her own lush creations. This gutsy songstress from Portland, Oregon trained at the Manhattan School of Music, broadening her palette to include dazzling skill and impeccable taste. She alternates between achingly soulful and flippantly funny, and her songwriting combines a wide range of sonic textures and inventive lyrics. If you put a mid-career Jenny Lewis album in a room with Regina Spektor’s coloring, Joanna Newsom’s lyric poetry, and a dose of Tina Fey’s sharp wit—then add two decades of rigorous musical education—Kate Davis might come strolling out. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CISTERN YARD
Thursday
June 4
9:00pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO
THEATER SPOLETOUSA.ORG 28
2B THEATRE COMPANY
WHEN IT RAINS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ANTHONY BLACK
An award-winning and internationally praised production from one of Canada’s most heralded companies, When It Rains is at once a dark comedy, social satire, heartbreaking drama, and visually arresting theatrical illusion. When the improbable happens, two couples are beset with misfortune
and
communication
begins
to
fracture.
Relationships crumble, behavior becomes absurd, and “ . . . the play becomes a haunting depiction of the physical and psychological spaces between, theoretically, the closest of people” (National Post). With compelling lighting and set design entirely generated by projector, When It Rains engages the audience in an experience that is deeply funny, devastating, and daring. This program contains nudity. EMMETT ROBINSON THEATRE AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Wednesday
June 3
7:00pm
Thursday
June 4
7:30pm
Friday
June 5
8:30pm
Saturday
June 6
2:00pm & 8:30pm
Tickets start at $25 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR
“ WHEN IT RAINS IS EXTRAORDINARY THEATER, WISE AND FUNNY AND HUMAN AND PROFOUND.” – nytheatre.com
MUSIC 29
MUSIC IN TIME Under the direction of John Kennedy, the Music in Time series explores the vibrancy and power of contemporary music.
THE LOST GARDEN The tactile, expressive, and dynamic music of Huang Ruo, the composer of Spoleto Festival USA’s 2015 opera offering Paradise Interrupted, including his evocative The Lost Garden, forms the centerpiece of this program and showcases members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra. SIMONS CENTER RECITAL HALL AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Saturday
May 23
5:00pm
THE BOOK OF SOUNDS German sound artist and composer Hans Otte’s concertlength piano suite Das Buch der Klänge (The Book of Sounds) is a revelation of beauty and meditation. A finely-crafted architecture with Asian influence and elements of minimalism, The Book of Sounds is a rhapsodic and exhilarating journey. Festival favorite Conor Hanick, described as “brilliant” by The
HUANG RUO
New York Times, performs this monumental work. SIMONS CENTER RECITAL HALL AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Sunday
May 31
5:00pm
THE CONCORD SONATA Charles Ives’s Piano Sonata no. 2, Concord, Mass., 184060 remains a colossal, invigorating musical depiction of the American transcendentalist movement. Largely finished 100 years ago in 1915, the work’s four movements depict Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, and Thoreau, as well as quote Beethoven and weave in a flute and viola. Pianist Conor Hanick performs the work and introduces it with an overview of Ives’s “Essay Before a Sonata.” SIMONS CENTER RECITAL HALL AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Tuesday
June 2
5:00pm
Tickets start at $25 ALL CONCERTS APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR
CONOR HANICK
AMERICAN EXPRESS WOOLFE STREET SERIES | MUSIC 843.579.3100 30
MUSIC IN TIME AT WOOLFE STREET PLAYHOUSE
QUARTER-TONE SHREDDING
DOUBLE HAPPINESS
Is this post-classical new music, rock and roll, or
The Living Earth Show pushes the boundaries of
heavy metal? The Living Earth Show, San Francisco’s
technical and artistic possibility in a performance of
iconoclastic electric guitar and percussion duo, performs
immensely entertaining new works commissioned from
Damon Waitkus’s North Pacific Garbage Patch and
young composers. Hear Christopher Cerrone’s Double
an illustration of the new complexity movement with
Happiness, Anna Meredith’s Tassle, Adrian Knight’s
Brian Ferneyhough’s Renvoi/Shards. The program also
Family Man, Timo Andres’s You broke it, you bought it,
includes the Farsi-infused Sooge Sohrab by Iranian-born
and new works from Nicole Lizée and Samuel Carl Adams.
composer Sahba Aminikia, Ken Ueno’s WATT, and the theatrical Captain’s Testament by Luciano Chessa.
WOOLFE STREET PL AYHOUSE Thursday
May 28
9:00pm
WOOLFE STREET PL AYHOUSE Wednesday
May 27
9:00pm
Tickets start at $20 ALL CONCERTS APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR SPONSORED BY AMERICAN EXPRESS
THE LIVING EARTH SHOW
DANCE 31
SHEN WEI DANCE ARTS MAP New work CONCEPT, CHOREOGRAPHY, AND SET DESIGN BY SHEN WEI
Hailed as “. . . a brilliant, mesmerizing flow of invention” by The Boston Globe and “. . . 40 minutes of sheer gorgeousness” by The Washington Post, Map is both vigorous and whimsical. Set to selections from Steve Reich’s The Desert Music, dancers rotate, bounce, swivel, and swirl with a palpable kinetic joy. Alternating between metronomic precision and silky fluidity, the dance culminates with a kaleidoscopic human map that shifts and unfurls with the pulsing rhythms and fluctuating melodies of Reich’s score. This program also includes the first theatrical performances of a work Shen Wei will premiere at Art Basel-Miami Beach. Originally conceived to be performed in a museum, the Festival performances feature a dance created for the proscenium stage and include Shen Wei’s recent series of large-scale abstract paintings. These imposing black, white, and gray compositions—suggestive of sublime landscapes—will be set in dialogue with the moving body. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SOTTILE THEATRE
Friday
June 5
8:00pm
Saturday
June 6
8:00pm
Sunday
June 7
1:00pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS SPONSORED BY BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE 2015 DANCE SERIES IS PROVIDED BY THE HARKNESS FOUNDATION FOR DANCE.
CONVERSATIONS WITH
Saturday
June 6
3:30pm
Host Martha Teichner interviews Shen Wei at the Charleston Library Society, 164 King Street.
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA SPOLETOUSA.ORG 32
MUSIC 33
EMMYLOU HARRIS AND RODNEY CROWELL Long before they were giants in Nashville’s soundscape, two of America’s greatest country artists were a part of each other’s early careers. As Emmylou Harris sought material for her first album in the 1970s, she was intrigued by Rodney Crowell’s songwriting, and after recording some of his creations on her 1975 debut album Pieces of the Sky, Crowell played guitar and sang backup in her Hot Band’s formative years. The two continued on different paths until 2012, when they reconvened to release Old Yellow Moon, named Americana Album of the Year at the 2014 Grammys. The joy they found in its creation has spurred them to work on another, and the task is always new. “If the songs are good, you get to lay it on the line and deliver a performance worthy of the song, and if you come up to snuff enough times you got a record,” says Crowell. “It’s a commitment to the art of the song so we can give it to an audience and it can become theirs.” Hear the product of their nearly 40-year friendship on Memorial Day in the resounding acoustics of the TD Arena. TD ARENA AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Monday
May 25
7:30pm
Tickets start at $30 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES
“. . . THE POTENCY OF THEIR SHARED HISTORY ENTERS A SUBLIME REALM BEYOND WORDS.” – Paste
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 843.579.3100 34
MUSIC 35
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA ORCHESTRA TAN DUN / CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA BARBER / KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 1915 SIBELIUS / SYMPHONY NO. 5 CONDUCTED BY JOHN KENNEDY
The Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, conducted by Director of Orchestral Activities John Kennedy, is showcased in Tan Dun’s Concerto for Orchestra (2012), a tour de force for what the composer calls the “orchestra of the future.” The celebrated composer—perhaps best-known for the soundtrack to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon—melds Eastern and Western musical traditions in a spectacular form of orchestral theater. Samuel Barber’s moving setting of James Agee’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 is a lyric rhapsody depicting nostalgia for summer evenings in the American south when both composer and writer were five years old. Jean Sibelius’s majestic and towering Symphony no. 5 closes the program with mellifluous splendor. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SOTTILE THEATRE
Tuesday
May 26
8:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 45 MINUTES SPONSORED BY SOUTH STATE BANK
MUSIC SPOLETOUSA.ORG 36
ST. MATTHEW PASSION CONDUCTED BY JOE MILLER
The Passion genre may never have reached a higher peak
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SOTTILE THEATRE
than it did in J.S. Bach’s contribution featuring a libretto
Wednesday June 3
based on the Gospel of Matthew. Double-choir dialogue and a double orchestra dramatically represent Christ’s last days before crucifixion in a setting that beautifully accounts for the gravity of this central Christian event and its glorious message of redemption. Both monumental and intimate, St. Matthew Passion presents The Last Supper, Judas’s betrayal, Peter’s denial, and Jesus’s trial and crucifixion. Director for Choral Activities Joe Miller leads his magnificent Westminster Choir, members of Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Taylor Festival Choir, musicians from New York Baroque Incorporated performing on period instruments, and the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in this edifying masterpiece.
7:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS, 30 MINUTES SPONSORED BY SOUTH STATE BANK
CHARLESTON 37
BEHIND THE GARDEN GATE THE GARDEN CONSERVANCY’S NATIONAL OPEN DAYS PROGRAM CHARLESTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Hidden behind ivy-covered walls and artfully wrought iron gates, some of Charleston’s most charming gardens burst with color and brim with cool shade. Building on the popularity of the past two years, Spoleto Festival USA again collaborates with the Charleston Horticultural Society and The Garden Conservancy to open 16 of the gorgeous gardens that grace the Holy City. Each weekend—ticketed separately—features eight gardens in the historic district of Charleston. The tours are self-guided and will be offered rain or shine. Saturday
May 23
between 10:00am and 4:00pm
Saturday
May 30
between 10:00am and 4:00pm
All tickets are $65 MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GARDENS CAN BE FOUND AT GARDENCONSERVANCY.ORG BEGINNING MARCH 1, 2015.
WELLS FARGO MUSIC JAZZ 843.579.3100 843.579.3100 38
CARLOS AGUIRRE SOLO PIANO
One of the hidden gems of Argentine music makes his North American debut. Hailing from the province of Entre Rios—a place where, like Charleston, the culture is deeply connected to the water—Carlos Aguirre’s compositions and arrangements draw upon the fluidity and drama of combined currents as he fuses South American folklore, jazz, and chamber music idioms. For his Spoleto debut, he turns to the piano—his principal vehicle for expression in emphasizing lyricism and the beauty of melody. Appealing to audiences who admire innovation that honors tradition and authenticity, Aguirre is one of the most respected musicians in South America. SIMONS CENTER RECITAL HALL AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Monday
May 25
5:00pm
Tuesday
May 26
5:00pm & 7:00pm
Wednesday
May 27
5:00pm & 7:00pm
Tickets start at $35 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO
WELLS FARGO JAZZ 39
MUSICA NUDA PETRA MAGONI, VOICE FERRUCCIO SPINETTI, DOUBLE BASS
This Italian duo’s mission is as simple and as it is bold: to make music with the bare necessities—a stunning voice and a double bass—and be free to trace any music back to its core. Fusing bits of jazz, songwriting, rock, punk, and classical music, Musica Nuda has no boundaries. They use the art of silence as well as sound, underlining the value of a lyric, a story, and the meaning of every song, whether it’s dramatic, funny, energetic, sarcastic, or romantic. Get a jumpstart on 2015 festivities with the Festival-Eve performance on Thursday night. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CISTERN YARD
Thursday
May 21
9:00pm
Friday
May 22
9:00pm
Tickets start at $25 APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO
FINALE SPOLETOUSA.ORG 40
WELLS FARGO FESTIVAL FINALE FEATURING
ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES Live music, gourmet picnic fare, and local craft beers under
MIDDLETON PLACE
Charleston’s sweeping oaks—what a fantastic way to cap
Sunday
off 17 days of unforgettable Festival performances. This
Gates and Beer Garden open at 3:30pm
annual event at Middleton Place includes a beer garden
Live music starts at 4:00pm
with your favorite Charleston brews and the best local
St. Paul & The Broken Bones performs at 8:30pm
and regional bands playing on the main stage throughout the afternoon. St. Paul & The Broken Bones take the stage at dusk. Evoking tremendous soul singers like Otis Redding and working as hard as James Brown, singer Paul Janeway fronts the Alabama-based St. Paul & The Broken Bones, known for their fiery passion and lack of restraint. Janeway comes by his gospel roots honestly, having been groomed for life as a preacher since he was a child. On stage, he translates the theater of the pulpit into his voice’s growl, a sound known to suck all the air out of any room. This sevenpiece soul band electrifies audiences across the globe with their reverence for a sultry, gritty tradition. No Finale would be complete without a spectacular display of post-concert fireworks to bring the Festival to its celebratory close. Arrive early to explore Middleton Place’s stunning landscaped gardens and enjoy refreshments. A performance schedule for live music prior to St. Paul & The Broken Bones will be posted at spoletousa.org.
June 7
Tickets start at $30 for adults and $15 for children (ages 6 to 12) Children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge. Middleton Place is located 14 miles from downtown Charleston. Seating is on the lawn and unreserved. The ticket price includes admittance to Middleton Place. Patrons are welcome to bring their own chairs, blankets, and picnics; food and beverage will also be available for purchase until 7:30pm. This event is rain or shine.
FÊTE 41
OPENING NIGHT FÊTE Following the exciting opening day of Spoleto Festival USA, the sixth annual Opening Night Fête returns to kick off the 2015 Festival in jubilant fashion. Attend a Friday-night performance, then mingle with Festival patrons and artists in Charleston’s newest venue, Cannon Green. The evening will feature a sumptuous cocktail supper, live music, full premium bar, and dancing into the night. Cocktail attire. $350 per person ($200 tax deductible) Fête ticket only. Purchase a ticket to the pre-Fête performance of Paradise Interrupted (p 1) or A Streetcar Named Desire (p 7). $4,000 per table of 10 *Complimentary shuttle provided from select performance venues CANNON GREEN 103 SPRING STREET
Friday
May 22
8:30pm
MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY CANNON GREEN
THIS SEASON OF SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART THROUGH FUNDS FROM THE SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA ENDOWMENT, GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA, WELLS FARGO, BANK OF AMERICA, AND BY THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING FUNDERS.
City of Charleston Tang Family Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation South State Bank
Palmetto Partners, LTD./The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation County of Charleston South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts Sherman Capital Markets, LLC
Arthur and Holly Magill Foundation
The Harkness Foundation for Dance
The Brand Foundation of New York, Inc.
Belmond Charleston Place
Christel DeHaan Family Foundation The Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Charitable Trust
Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel The Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation GlaserDuncan, CPAs
42
BECOME INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FESTIVAL’S SUCCESS For 17 days each spring, Spoleto Festival USA transforms
As a token of our gratitude, the Festival will offer a donor
historic Charleston—one of America’s most beautiful
pre-sale starting on January 6, 2015. Contributors of $100
cities—into a cultural gathering place where artists are
or more will have exclusive access to tickets two weeks
nurtured, ideas are shared, and audiences are enchanted.
before they go on sale to the general public on January 20.
The Festival’s unique traditions in this exceptional setting
The donor pre-sale benefit is available to all Festival
for world-class performing arts can only continue with
Circle, Spoleto Society, and SCENE members.
the generosity of supporters like you. By becoming a contributor, you are assisting in meeting the enormous cost
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CONTRIBUTING
of producing operas in Charleston, commissioning new
TO SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA, PLEASE
works from important creators in the global community, bringing prodigious young professionals together with
VISIT SPOLETOUSA.ORG/SUPPORT OR
acclaimed voices in their respective fields, and delivering
CALL 843.720.1176.
unmatched talent on Charleston stages. Festival donors receive an array of benefits, including advance access to tickets, special behind-the-scenes events, and performance opportunities. At any giving level, your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and ensures that the Festival can not only continue to offer a dynamic artistic program, but also make artists available for community engagements and educational outreach.
PICCOLO SPOLETO Piccolo Spoleto, the official outreach companion to Spoleto Festival USA, partners with the Festival each Spring to host an exuberant 17day celebration of the arts and community. Each year, Piccolo Spoleto features hundreds of free and modestly priced events with a focus on accessibility and participation in the arts. Detailed program information and advance ticketing will be available in the spring at www.piccolospoleto.com or by phoning the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs at 843.724.7305.
INDEX OPERA
MUSIC
Paradise Interrupted 1 Bank of America Veremonda, Chamber Music 21 l’amazzone di Aragona 13 City Lights 17 Decasia 18 THEATER Emmylou Harris Romeo and Juliet 3 and Rodney Crowell 33 Sleeping Beauty 23 Music in Time 29 Golden Dragon Spoleto Festival Water Puppet Theatre 15 USA Orchestra 35 When It Rains 28 St. Matthew Passion 36 Taylor Mac 11 DANCE Westminster Choir A Streetcar Concerts 9 Named Desire 7 Shen Wei Dance Arts 31 WELLS FARGO JAZZ What Moves You 6 Carlos Aguirre 38 Trisha Brown Dianne Reeves 12 Dance Company 25 Kate Davis 27 Madeleine Peyroux 5
Mônica Salmaso 20 Musica Nuda 39 Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini 19
PHYSICAL THEATER
Knee Deep 16
AND MORE…
Accommodations 44 Behind the Garden Gate 37 Conversations With 2, 3, 13, 31 Event Calendar 45 Opening Night Fête 41 Sponsors 41 Venue Map 43 Wells Fargo Festival Finale 40
IMAGERY CREDITS: Doug Hickok, covers and pp 37, 44; Jennifer Wen Ma, pp 1 & 2; shutterstock.com, pp 3 & 4; Rocky Schenck, p 5; Kyle Cordova, p 6; Andrew Ross, pp 7 & 8; Julia Lynn Photography, pp 9 &
10, 35, 42; Ves Pitts, p 11; Jerris Madison, p 12; Ugo Nespolo, pp 13 & 14; courtesy of Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre, p 15; SYC Studios-Sean Young, p 16; City Lights© Roy Export S.A.S, p 17; courtesy of Bill Morrison, p 18; Maria Birba, p 19; Dani Gurgel, p 20; William Struhs, pp 21 & 22; Piero Corbella, pp 23 & 24; Julieta Cervantes, pp 25 & 26; Emma Lauren, p 27; Mel Hattie, p 28; courtesy of Huang Ruo, p 29; Jonathan Waiter, p 29; courtesy of The Living Earth Show, p 30; Christopher Duggan, pp 31 & 32; David McClister, pp 34, 40; lessingimages.com, p 36; courtesy of Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini, p 38; Angelo Trani, p 39; Alice Keeney Photography, p 41.
43
MIDDLETON PLACE
1
WOO
LFE S
TREE
T
P1 P2
ER ST.
2
ALEXAND
3 P4
P7
P6
P3
4 5
7
P5
6 P9
8
P8
P11
P10
P12
QU
EEN
ST.
P13
P15 P16
9 P17
11
P14
10 P18
VENUE GUIDE 5
CIS College of Charleston Cistern Yard, 66 George St.
9
CLS Charleston Library Society, 164 King St.
3
CTL Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming St.
2
CVC Charleston Visitor Center/Spoleto Festival USA Box Office, 375 Meeting St.
10
DST Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church St.
8
MEM Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain St.
6
SOT College of Charleston Sottile Theatre, 44 George St.
7
TDA TD Arena at College of Charleston, 301 Meeting St.
1
WSP Woolfe Street Playhouse, 34 Woolfe St.
MID Middleton Place, 4300 Ashley River Rd. (not on map) 11
OPN Opening Ceremonies, City Hall, 80 Broad St.
4
REC Simons Center Recital Hall at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip St.
4
ROB Emmett Robinson Theatre at College of Charleston, 54 St. Philip St.
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA
CHARLESTON ACCOMMODATIONS GUIDE ANSONBOROUGH INN (Circa 1900) This 4-Diamond AAA-Rated boutique inn offers complimentary breakfast and afternoon wine and cheese reception. We are walking distance to most Spoleto Festival events. 21 Hasell St. / ansonboroughinn.com / 800.522.2073
reception daily. Parking, Valet. 337 Meeting Street / historiccharleston.embassysuites. com / 843.723.6900 FRANCIS MARION HOTEL GO! Historic hotel in the grand tradition. In the historic district and walking distance to many Festival venues, restaurants and shops. Rooms and spacious penthouse suites with unsurpassed views of Charleston. Parking, valet. 387 King Street / francismarioncharleston.com / 877.756.2121
BELMOND CHARLESTON PLACE GO! Historic Charleston’s premier hotel features luxury accommodations including the private Club Level, a full-service European spa, rooftop pool, awardwinning restaurants, exclusive boutiques and legendary service. 205 Meeting Street / belmond.com/CharlestonPlace / 800.611.5549
GO!
SPOLETO!
Learn more about Go Spoleto! hotel and ticket packages at spoletousa.org/gospoleto or when making your hotel reservation with a Go Spoleto! hotel partner.
HISTORIC CHARLESTON BED & BREAKFAST Experience the old world of Charleston in a carriage house with lovely walled gardens or a luxury apartment in the Historic District. Furnished, fully-equipped monthly rentals are also available. Call M-F, 9am-5pm. Photos available on website. historiccharlestonbedandbreakfast.com / 800.743.3583 or 843.722.6606
CHARLESTON HARBOR GO! RESORT & MARINA A full-service waterfront resort located on the Charleston Harbor at Patriots Point. The resort offers 125 guestrooms, free parking, three on-site restaurants, complimentary hotel trolley, fitness center, pool, private beachfront, a full service marina, & bike rentals. 20 Patriots Point Rd. / charlestonharborresort.com / 888.856.0028
RENAISSANCE CHARLESTON GO! HISTORIC DISTRICT HOTEL An upscale location within steps of the festivities, each turn will surprise and delight. Featuring luxurious full-service accommodations, unique designs that meld historic charm with modern sophistication, plus palate-pleasing culinary delights. 68 Wentworth St. / renaissancecharlestonhotel. com / 843.534.0300
CHARLESTON MARRIOTT HOTEL The Charleston Marriott is conveniently located downtown, one mile from historic district with complimentary parking, award-winning service, Concierge Level, fitness center and pool, with shuttle service to downtown. 170 Lockwood Blvd. / marriottcharleston.com / 843.723.3000
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
EMBASSY SUITES HISTORIC Home of the original 19th century Citadel, this all-suite hotel, located within walking distances of many venues and attractions, includes a complimentary full breakfast buffet each morning and an evening
PARKING GUIDE
44
ONLINE:
SPOLETOUSA.ORG BY PHONE:
843.579.3100
SEE MAP ON PAGE 43
P1 VRTC Garage 63 Mary Street
P6 Marion Square Garage 399 King Street
P11 Wentworth Garage 81 Wentworth Street
P15 Market/Horlbeck Lot 131 Market Street
P2 Visitor Center Lot 375 Meeting Street
P7 College of Charleston Garage 91 St. Philip Street
P12 Majestic Square Garage 153 Market Street
P16 Queen Street Garage 93 Queen Street
P3 Aquarium Garage 24 Calhoun Street
P8 George Society Lot 31 George Street
P4 Camden Garage 47 John Street
P9 St. Philip Street Garage 34 St. Philip Street
P13 Cumberland Street Garage 160 Meeting Street
P17 Garage at King and Queen Streets 114-128 King Street
P5 Gaillard Garage 32 Alexander Street
P10 Charleston Place Garage 85 Hasell Street
P14 Concord Garage 1 Cumberland Street
P18 East Bay Garage 25 Prioleau Street
PARKING GARAGES: There are many parking garages located throughout downtown Charleston. Garages typically charge by the hour. SURFACE PARKING LOTS: Surface lots either charge by the hour or a flat daily rate. METERED PARKING: Most meters are checked 9:00am until 6:00pm Monday through Saturday. Parking at meters is free on Sunday and city holidays. RESIDENTIAL AREAS: Visitors can park for free for one to two hours on residential streets. Time limitations are posted in these areas.
45
2015 EVENT CALENDAR
WHAT MOVES YOU Page 6
VEREMONDA, L’AMAZZONE DI ARAGONA Page 13
EMMYLOU HARRIS AND RODNEY CROWELL Page 33
21 MAY: THURSDAY
25 MAY: MONDAY
8:00pm 9:00pm
11:00am 1:00pm 1:00pm 3:30pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
Romeo and Juliet (preview) DST (p 3) Musica Nuda CIS (p 39)
22 MAY: FRIDAY 12:00pm 1:00pm 3:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
Opening Ceremonies OPN Chamber I DST (p 21) Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) A Streetcar Named Desire SOT (p 7) Paradise Interrupted MEM (p 1) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Opening Night Fête (p 41) Musica Nuda CIS (p 39)
23 MAY: SATURDAY 10:00am Behind the Garden Gate (p 37) (self-guided tours until 4:00pm) 11:00am Chamber I DST (p 21) 12:00pm Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) 1:00pm Chamber I DST (p 21) 2:00pm A Streetcar Named Desire SOT (p 7) 3:30pm Conv | Shakespeare’s Globe CLS (p 3) 5:00pm Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) 5:00pm The Lost Garden REC (p 29) 7:30pm Veremonda, l’amazzone di Aragona DST (p 13) 8:00pm A Streetcar Named Desire SOT (p 7) 9:00pm Mônica Salmaso CIS (p 20)
24 MAY: SUNDAY 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 3:00pm 3:30pm
Chamber II DST (p 21) Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) Chamber II DST (p 21) A Streetcar Named Desire SOT (p 7) Conv | Jennifer Wen Ma and Huang
3:30pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
Ruo CLS (p 2) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) Westminster Choir CTL (p 9) Paradise Interrupted MEM (p 1) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Mônica Salmaso CIS (p 20)
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA ORCHESTRA Page 17, 18, 35, 36
Chamber II DST (p 21) Chamber III DST (p 21) Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Carlos Aguirre REC (p 38) City Lights SOT (p 17) Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell TDA (p 33) Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3)
SLEEPING BEAUTY Page 23
HOW TO BUY TICKETS ONLINE:
SPOLETOUSA.ORG BY PHONE:
843.579.3100
26 MAY: TUESDAY 11:00am Chamber III DST (p 21) 1:00pm Chamber III DST (p 21) 5:00pm Carlos Aguirre REC (p 38) 6:00pm Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) 7:00pm Carlos Aguirre REC (p 38) 7:30pm Veremonda, l’amazzone di Aragona DST (p 13) 8:00pm Tan Dun / Barber / Sibelius SOT (p 35)
27 MAY: WEDNESDAY 11:00am Chamber IV DST (p 21) 1:00pm Chamber IV DST (p 21) 5:00pm Carlos Aguirre REC (p 38) 5:00pm Westminster Choir CTL (p 9) 6:00pm Sleeping Beauty ROB (p 23) 7:00pm Carlos Aguirre REC (p 38) 7:30pm Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) 8:00pm Paradise Interrupted MEM (p 1) 9:00pm Quarter-Tone Shredding WSP (p 30)
IN PERSON:
BEGINNING MARCH 16 Spoleto Festival USA Box Office Charleston Visitor Center 375 Meeting Street Charleston, SC 29403
MARCH 16 – MAY 2 Monday – Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pm
MAY 3 – JUNE 6 Monday – Sunday 9:00am – 5:00pm
SUNDAY, JUNE 7 9:00am – 2:00pm
28 MAY: THURSDAY 11:00am 1:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:00pm
Chamber IV DST (p 21) Chamber V DST (p 21) Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini REC (p 19) Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini REC (p 19) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Double Happiness WSP (p 30) Madeleine Peyroux CIS (p 5)
Bold = opening performance
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 46
29 MAY: FRIDAY
2 JUNE: TUESDAY
6 JUNE: SATURDAY
11:00am 1:00pm 3:30pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm
11:00am Chamber VIII DST (p 21) 1:00pm Chamber VIII DST (p 21) 5:00pm The Concord Sonata REC (p 29) 5:30pm Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) 6:00pm Knee Deep MEM (p 16) 7:30pm Veremonda, l’amazzone di Aragona DST (p 13)
11:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:30pm 3:30pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
Chamber V DST (p 21) Chamber V DST (p 21) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini REC (p 19) Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini REC (p 19) What Moves You WSP (p 6) Paradise Interrupted MEM (p 1) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Trisha Brown Dance Company ROB (p 25) Madeleine Peyroux CIS (p 5)
30 MAY: SATURDAY 10:00am Behind the Garden Gate (p 37) (self-guided tours until 4:00pm) 11:00am Chamber VI DST (p 21) 1:00pm Chamber VI DST (p 21) 2:00pm What Moves You WSP (p 6) 3:30pm Conv | Veremonda CLS (p 13) 5:00pm Lang / Carissimi SOT (p 9) 5:00pm Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini REC (p 19) 7:00pm Rita Marcotulli and Luciano Biondini REC (p 19) 8:00pm Trisha Brown Dance Company ROB (p 25) 8:00pm Veremonda, l’amazzone di Aragona DST (p 13) 9:00pm Dianne Reeves CIS (p 12) 9:00pm What Moves You WSP (p 6)
31 MAY: SUNDAY 11:00am Chamber VI DST (p 21) 1:00pm Chamber VII DST (p 21) 1:00pm Paradise Interrupted MEM (p 1) 3:30pm Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) 3:30pm Trisha Brown Dance Company ROB (p 25) 5:00pm The Book of Sounds REC (p 29) 6:00pm What Moves You WSP (p 6) 7:00pm Lang / Carissimi SOT (p 9) 8:00pm Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3)
1 JUNE: MONDAY 11:00am Chamber VII DST (p 21) 1:00pm Chamber VII DST (p 21) 7:30pm Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) 8:00pm Decasia SOT (p 18)
FESTIVAL APP The Festival app for iPhone and Android phones is free and available at the iTunes Store and Google Marketplace.
3 JUNE: WEDNESDAY 11:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 1:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 9:00pm
Chamber VIII DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Chamber IX DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Knee Deep MEM (p 16) St. Matthew Passion SOT (p 36) When It Rains ROB (p 28) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Taylor Mac WSP (p 11)
4 JUNE: THURSDAY 11:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 1:00pm 3:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:00pm
Chamber IX DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Chamber IX DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) When It Rains ROB (p 28) Knee Deep MEM (p 16) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Kate Davis CIS (p 27) Taylor Mac WSP (p 11)
5 JUNE: FRIDAY 11:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 1:00pm 5:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:00pm
Chamber X DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Chamber X DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Shen Wei Dance Arts SOT (p 31) Veremonda, l’amazzone di Aragona DST (p 13) When It Rains ROB (p 28) Knee Deep MEM (p 16) Taylor Mac WSP (p 11)
FOLLOW THE FESTIVAL
Chamber X DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Chamber XI DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) When It Rains ROB (p 28) Conv | Shen Wei CLS (p 31) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Knee Deep MEM (p 16) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Shen Wei Dance Arts SOT (p 31) When It Rains ROB (p 28) Taylor Mac WSP (p 11)
7 JUNE: SUNDAY 11:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 1:00pm 1:00pm 3:30pm 3:30pm
Chamber XI DST (p 21) Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre CIS (p 15) Chamber XI DST (p 21) Knee Deep MEM (p 16) Shen Wei Dance Arts SOT (p 31) Romeo and Juliet DST (p 3) Festival Finale MID (p 40)
SENIOR AND MILITARY DISCOUNTS Senior citizens and military personnel may receive discounts on all performances with valid identification. Discounts may apply only to certain seating sections.
STUDENT DISCOUNTS For information on our student discount program, please visit spoletousa.org.
GROUP SALES Discounted rates are available for groups of 12 or more on selected performances. For more information, call 843.720.1116. Please call the box office at 843.579.3100 to request accessible seating. Program, artists, venues, and pricing are subject to change without notice. All running times are approximate.
LATE SEATING: Patrons arriving late to a performance will be seated solely at the house manager’s discretion. All audience members, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Lawn chairs are prohibited at all College of Charleston Cistern Yard events.
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA 14 GEORGE STREET CHARLESTON, SC 29401-1524
Design: Stitch Design Co., Charleston, SC
SPOLETOUSA.ORG
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID CHARLESTON, SC PERMIT No. 568
FOR 17 DAYS AND NIGHTS, SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA FILLS CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA’S HISTORIC THEATERS, CHURCHES, AND OUTDOOR SPACES WITH PERFORMANCES BY RENOWNED ARTISTS AS WELL AS EMERGING PERFORMERS IN DANCE, MUSIC, OPERA, AND THEATER.