Hundreds of College of Charleston students, faculty, staff and alumni contribute to Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. You’ll see them center stage and back stage – they’re planning the events and performing in them. And this year, for the first time, the College’s TD Arena is one of the premiere venues for Spoleto Festival USA. The Arena will host thousands of audience members for dance performances from Compagnie Käfig and Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, musicians Angelique Kidjo, Rosanne Cash, and the Punch Brothers, and Messa da Requiem, the orchestral send-off for Spoleto Artistic Director for Choral Activities Joseph Flummerfelt. Read more about the transformation of TD Arena.
The College’s School of the Arts plays an integral role with faculty and students starring in dozens of events. As part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the Department of Theatre presents its Stelle di Domani (“stars of tomorrow”) series and the Department of Music presents its Young Artists Series. Music Department Chair Steve Rosenberg produces the Early Music Series that features faculty, students and alumni.
View a full list of Stelle di Domani events featuring College performers.
View a full list of Young Artists Series events.
View a full list of Early Music Series events featuring College performers.
For the past 10 years, Theatre Department Chair Todd McNerney has selected a student intern to help produce the Stelle di Domani series. This year, Rachel Feldman, an arts management major with a theatre minor, will be the line producer. She will work on publicity (designing posters, writing press releases and managing social media), in artist relations, and in front-of-house organization.
Arts management professor Jeanette Guinn also incorporates students into the Spoleto Festival, through her radio show “Spoleto Today.” Maymester class “Arts and the Media at Spoleto” offers students real experience working on the preproduction for the daily hour-long radio coverage of Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto. Artist research, scheduling, question development, interviewing, app development, broadcast programming, social media, promotion, marketing, script writing, voice over, media relations, and remote and studio video and audio recording and editing will be included. Watch a video on the class.
The School of the Arts also offers one of the most popular Maymester classes focusing on the festivals. Students learn about all aspects of the productions and attend many performances as part of the annual course. Watch a video of the Spoleto class offered during Maymester.
For the second year in a row, the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art will present an exhibition as part of Spoleto Festival USA. Artist Long Bin Chen has transformed various types of literature and/or printed books through sculptural intervention. The result is a magnificent zen garden in the rotunda of the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library. The exhibition, called “Rebound: Dissections and Excavations in Book Art” will be on display through July 6, 2013.
College of Charleston faculty will also be center stage for some of the Festival’s special performances.
Professor Franklin Ashley will perform during the Jazz Cruise, a Piccolo Spoleto event. Taking place on May 28, 2013, the Franklin Ashley Jazz Quintet will perform aboard a Harbor cruse that leaves from the Fountain Walk Dock at Aquarium Wharf. More information.
The College of Charleston Opera will present “The Three Little Pigs” at the Charleston County Public Library Auditorium (68 Calhoun St.) on May 30 at 9:15am, 10:45am, 12:15pm. Admission is free. More information.
