Theater, dance, music highlight 41st Spoleto Festival USA
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Russian composer P.I. Tchaikovsky's sumptuous opera "Eugene Onegin," a concert by jazz master Dee Dee Bridgewater and performance by flamenco dance star Maria Pages are just a few of the many highlights promised in this spring's 2017 Spoleto Festival USA.
The internationally renowned Charleston, South Carolina-based array of music, theater and dance is set to run from May 26 to June 11, organizers announced Sunday.
The lineup for the event's 41st year includes the Irish Druid theater company's performance of Samuel Becket's "Waiting for Godot," the choral masterpiece of Mozart's "Great Mass," and dance performances ranging from hip hop to tap.
In a statement, festival general director Nigel Redden pledged the 2017 program offers "even more dance and theater performances than in previous years."
In all, 160 ticketed events are being held at 12 sites around Charleston, organizers said.
The Spoleto Festival USA was founded in Charleston in 1977 by Gian Carlo Menotti and is modeled after his Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy.
Grammy-award winning jazz master Dee Dee Bridgewater kicks off the festivities with his performances May 25 and May 26 at the College of Charleston's Cistern Yard.
And in the wake of its $142 million renovation, Charleston's Gaillard Center will again host the event's featured opera.
"Eugene Onegin" begins on May 26, and runs June 1, 4, and 8. Conductor Evan Rogister is leading the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, joined by soprano Natalia Pavlova in the role of Tatyana and baritone Franco Pomponi as Onegin. The opera will be sung in Russian with English subtitles provided.
The Dock Street Theatre hosts the Druid production of "Waiting for Godot," beginning May 25, while the American premier of Antonio Vivaldi's opera "Farnace," is set for May 27 at the same site.
Acclaimed flamenco artist Maria Pages will perform her work, "Yo, Carmen," at the Gaillard Center on May 27 and May 28.
The Israeli dance company L-E-V will perform at the College of Charleston's Sottile Theater on June 2, 3 and 4, while the French circus-arts group Compagnie XY brings its family-friendly feats to the Memminger Auditorium starting June 6.
The Westminster Choir, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the Spoleto Festival USC Orchestra will combine forces on June 6 to present works including Mozart's "Great Mass," which has captivated audiences for more than 200 years.
The New Orleans-based band The Revivalists wrap up the festival finale at Middleton Place outside Charleston followed by a post-concert fireworks display on June 11.
___
Follow Susanne M. Schafer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/susannemarieap
___
This story has been corrected to read Maria Pages instead of Marla Pages in the first paragraph.
