Friday, May 23, 2008

The Post and Courier

This year’s Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto festivals begin today, opening our annual 17-day season of fine-arts immersion. It’s more culture than any individual can hope to absorb, and you’d have to be independently wealthy and blissfully idle to score tickets to all the festival highlights. So how do you make the most out of the festival experience? Listen up.

The 3-point plan

No matter how much money or time you have to spend, follow this formula to get the full festival experience: 1. Book seats at one of the ‘big festival’ headliners (operas, high-profile theater pieces, etc.); 2. Get tickets to a Chamber Music concert; 3. Spend the bulk of your time (or budget) on performances by Piccolo artists or lesser-known Spoleto acts. This plan exposes you to something grand, mainlines you into the heart of the festival (Charles Wadsworth’s Chamber Music concerts are Spoleto staples) and keeps things lively by filling your schedule with creative, quirky content you can’t find the rest of the year.
Stay cool, dry

Late May and early June can be lovely here, but if you’re planning a full day of attending performances, you’ll want to come prepared for heat, humidity and close quar- ters. Loose, light Carolina- casual style (with good walking shoes) makes a good wardrobe — unless you’re attending an after-5 p.m. premiere. The key? Stay hydrated and stay dry. Seasoned festival goers run on cases of bottled water, generous applications of sweat-absorbing powder and backup supplies of anti-perspirant deodorant. They’re also the ones with umbrellas handy whenever there’s a chance of afternoon showers.
Transportation

If you’re driving, add an extra 10 minutes for traffic and another 10 for parking. Though it’s a beautiful place to walk, historic Charleston wasn’t designed for cars, and festival traffic tends to demonstrate this. DASH trolleys can help, as can cabs and bike taxis, but finding a ride after a sold-out performance can be frustrating. One smart solution? If you’re coming to the peninsula for a day of multiple performances, rack your bike on your car, park the car and pedal your way between venues. A slow-moving bike makes better time in downtown traffic than a car does, and you’ll sweat less than you would hustling from a distant parking garage.
Mine Piccolo

Spoleto gets the publicity, but the Piccolo Spoleto lineup is what gives festival season its ‘always on’ feeling of energy and possibility. There are fantastic plays with great seats for $25, edgy improv and sketch comedies in the Fringe series for $15, and music (particularly jazz) that often challenges anything produced by ‘the big festival.’ Piccolo acts typically lack the spectacle and grandiosity of Spoleto productions, but the best of its program is provocative, exciting and a relative bargain. Study your Piccolo program when you’re making your schedule and plan to visit its visual arts exhibits whenever the time allows.
Spoleto Today

The P&C’s Spoleto Today site (www.spoletotoday.com) has evolved from a blog in 2005 to a hub of information and social activity. SpoletoToday delivers real-time reports, photos, videos, commentary and the daily festival buzz, but this year includes participation by local arts enthusiasts and festivalgoers. Subscribe to the podcast, enter a video in our contest, qualify for giveaways and pick up invitations to festive gatherings. If you’re trying to spot the hot show before it sells out or just looking for a place to meet other festival goers, Spoleto Today is where to begin.

article provided by:

http://charleston.net/news/2008/may/23/five_tips_rule_festival/

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For 17 days and nights each spring, Spoleto Festival USA fills Charleston, South Carolina’s historic theaters, churches and outdoor spaces with over 120 performances by renowned artists as well as emerging performers in disciplines ranging from opera, theater, music theater, dance, and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music, as well as the visual arts.

Spoleto Festival USA has firmly established itself as one of the world’s major arts festivals, presenting 100 world premieres and 93 American premieres since its inception in 1977. Past premieres and commissions include the highly acclaimed Peter and Wendy by Lee Breuer, Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams, The American Clock by Arthur Miller, The Mechanical Organ by the Nikolais Dance Theatre, Miracolo d’Amore by Martha Clarke, Empty Places by Laurie Anderson, Hydrogen Jukebox by Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg, Praise House by Urban Bush Women, Three Tales by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot, and the world premiere of a Spoleto commissioned work Tenebrae by Osvaldo Golijov.

One of the Festival’s tenets is to provide young performers the opportunity to work with veteran directors, designers and performers. World-renowned artists who performed early in their careers at Spoleto Festival USA include Renée Fleming, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, the Emerson String Quartet and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

article provided by http://www.spoletousa.org/about/program_history.php

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Spoleto History

What would Spoleto be without the presence of the pristine beauty of the Westminster Choir? The Westminster Choir College students again will treat audiences to two concerts conducted by Joe Miller and featuring laments by Brahms, Shakespearean sonnets set to music and contemporary versions of traditional spirituals. Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul. May 30 and June 6.

New to Spoleto, though they appeared down the road at the Savannah Music Festival, are the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The three African-American string musicians have been credited with reviving the Piedmont’s tradition of fiddle and banjo music. Simons Center for the Arts Recital Hall and College of Charleston Cistern. June 4-5.

This year’s Finale concert moves back to its home at the Butterfly Lakes at Middleton Place. You’ll still picnic in front of the house, but afterward find a spot near the lakes for the final concert and the fireworks. John Kennedy will conduct. Middleton Place. June 8.

Piccolo

This festival’s schedule lists about 20 performances under Special Events. We don’t have room to list them all, but here are a few.

“100 Years of Separation: Agrest Family Musical Reunion” reunites a family of musical relatives to present works by Vivaldi and Paganini among others. Brith Shalom Beth Israel Synagogue. June 1 and 8.

“An Afternoon of Porgy and Bess” features D’Jaris Whipper-Lewis, Warnell Berry and Richard Blakeney is an afternoon concert of music from the perennial Gershwin favorite. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue. May 25.

“Ayala Klaus’ Coffee House” presents the Israeli singer/songwriter in an informal setting. Coffee and dessert included. Jewish Studies Center. May 31 and June 1.

“Holy City Homecomin’ “ includes a jazz lecture by The Post and Courier’s Jack McCray, a master class led by Clay Ross and Gradual Lean. Footlight Players Theatre. June 3.

Quintango returns with two different programs, Piazzolla’s New Tango and Tango’s Golden Age, that are sure to set the stage a’sizzlin’. Footlight Players Theatre. May 25-26, 28-31.

And for a different approach to music, check out the Sanctuary Serenade during which you can nibble on light hors d’oeuvres, sip wine and stroll the boardwalk while listening to Kathie Livingston, Jesse Cockcroft and Jack Smith perform. Beidler Forest Audubon Center. May 31.

Piccolo also presents a number of free events at Marion Square, including the Children’s Festival (May 24), a Cuban Block Party (May 31), Memorial Day Concert (May 26) and a Reggae Block Dance (May 24). The Petite Performance Pavilion will present 20-minute excerpts from festival productions daily.

And the Piccolo Finale “Around the World in an Afternoon” offers a day of music, food and international traditions, followed by fireworks. Hampton Park. June 7.

article provided by www. charleston.net

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