The Spoleto Festival USA has announced its 2026 season. The season will showcase “The Old Maid and the Thief,” a Spoleto production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s 1939 radio opera, is reimagined as a live radio-drama with hand-crafted sound effects, period microphones, and on-stage musicians, creating a witty, immersive, and accessible entry point for opera newcomers. Performance Dates: May 22, 25,27, {…}
Spoleto Festival USA has named Dr. Amanda Quist to the position of Music Director of the Spoleto Festival Chorus. Dr. Quist, who begins her tenure in 2026, is an assosicate professor and director of choral activities at Western Michigan University. Her experience includes working for a decade teaching at Westminster Choir College. As a result of that position, she performed {…}
Spoleto Festival USA has unveiled its 2025 season. Here is the rundown of the vocal and operatic performances on offer. The company will also showcase a concert staging of “Thaïs” starring Nicole Heaston and Troy Cook. Timothy Myers conducts the opera. Crystal Manich will direct. Performance Dates: May 23 & 25, 2025 The Spoleto Festival USA Chorus will showcase two concerts, {…}
Joe Miller, the Director of Choral Activities at Spoleto Festival USA, has announced the end of his tenure with the organization in June 2025. Miller, who has been with the company for 19 years, will be celebrated with a series of special programs throughout the festival. Those events will be unveiled in early 2025. During his tenure, Miller championed the {…}
The Spoleto Festival USA has announced the addition of a third choral concert to the previously announced lineup. The newly announced concert will be a candlelit performance of Arvo Pärt’s choral masterpiece “The Deer’s Cry” with other works performed by the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus. The concert will be performed on May 31 in the historic Cathedral of St. Luke {…}
Spoleto Festival USA has announced that Timothy Myers will be the company’s new Music Director. Myers is the Music Director at Austin Opera and has performed with such organizations as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and the Wexford Festival. He has also been a speaker at the SXSW Festival, {…}
The Spoleto Festival USA has announced a new program entitled “Pay What You Will” ticket pricing. General Director & CEO Mena Mark Hanna noted that the program was created with an aim to welcome new audience members to Spoleto this season. Patrons will be able to purchase tickets for a price they determine (at a minimum of $5 per ticket {…}
Spoleto Festival USA has announced its 2023 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be on vocal and operatic performances. The company will present “Vanessa” at the Charleston Gaillard Center. The Barber opera will star Nicole Heaston, Zoie Reams, Edward Graves, Rosalind Plowright, and Malcolm MacKenzie. The opera is conducted by Timothy Myers and directed by Rodula {…}
Spoleto Festival USA has announced four new members to its executive leadership team. Joining the team will be Brent Dickman as Chief Financial Officer, Dexter Foxworth as Chief Operating Officer, Liz Keller-Tripp as Lead Producer, and Katharine Laidlaw as Chief Marketing Officer. “As we look to build upon our institution’s profound legacy, I am thrilled to welcome these talented and {…}
Spoleto Festival USA has announced the formation of the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, a new professional choir that builds upon the company’s commitment to showcasing exceptional choral music and artists. The chorus will embark on an audition tour in search of 50 inaugural vocal fellows, who will perform major choral works, as well as sing in mainstream opera productions and {…}
(Credit: Peter Adamik) The Spoleto Festival USA in South Carolina has appointed Mena Mark Hanna as its new General Director. The new Director brings more than a decade of experience working in the performing arts field, both in leadership roles and as an educator. He was previously at Berlin’s Barenboim-Said Akademie where he was the Founding Dean and Professor of {…}