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 {…}
The Spoleto Festival USA General Director Nigel Redden announced his retirement in a statement Thursday, September 24. Redden cited the cancellation of the 2020 season and “the enforced isolation of the past several months,” as his reasons for departure after 35 years at the Festival’s helm. Redden went on to say, “The Festival continues to mean an enormous amount to {…}
The Spoleto Festival USA has announced a free digital platform that begins streaming on May 22, 2020. For the purposes of this article, our sole focus will be on operatic and vocal performances being showcased. Arguably the most fascinating of offerings will be a preview for the upcoming opera “Omar” by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels. The work was one {…}
Opera America has announced the recipients for the grants given to female composers. The recipients include Du Yun, for her opera “Sweet Land;” this work is set to be presented by The Industry in Los Angeles, California. The work was written by Douglas Kearny and Aja Couchois and will also be co-composed by Raven Chacon. Next up is Caroline Shaw {…}
The Spoleto Festival USA has announced that it will be producing a new untitled opera that will be the first opera by Rhiannon Giddens. The work will center on the 1831 autobiography of Omar Ibn Said, an enslaved Muslim-African who came to Charleston’s Gadsden’s Wharf in 1807. Giddens, will be composer and librettist on the project. She is a Grammy {…}
