Spoleto Festival USA

festival, Charleston, South Carolina, United States

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July 17, 2026

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The Spoleto Festival USA is a prominent arts festival held annually in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1977 by Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti, it serves as the American counterpart to his Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. The festival showcases a wide array of artistic talent, featuring hundreds of performers including actors, singers, dancers, and musicians in over 100 different performances. This event contributes significantly to Charleston's cultural landscape, which also boasts historic architecture and other cultural institutions like the Gibbes Museum of Art.12

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South Carolina
Sports and recreation
…prominent of these is Charleston’s Spoleto Festival, which was founded in 1977 by the Italian opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti as the New World branch of his Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. The annual event features hundreds of actors, singers, dancers, musicians, and other artists in more than…
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…prominent of these is Charleston’s Spoleto Festival, which was founded in 1977 by the Italian opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti as the New World branch of his Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. The annual event features hundreds of actors, singers, dancers, musicians, and other artists in more than…
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Osvaldo Golijov
…composer in residence at the Spoleto Festival USA; the annual festivals held at Marlboro, Vermont, and at Ravinia in Highland Park, Illinois; the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center; and elsewhere. His numerous honours included a MacArthur fellowship in 2003. In 2006 he was named Composer of the Year by…
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…composer in residence at the Spoleto Festival USA; the annual festivals held at Marlboro, Vermont, and at Ravinia in Highland Park, Illinois; the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center; and elsewhere. His numerous honours included a MacArthur fellowship in 2003. In 2006 he was named Composer of the Year by…
Read More