“Spoleto ~ a Tour de Force Since 1976”

May 26, 2009: Nigel Redden stated to our Club what we all know: Charleston, with its long and rich history of culture and its natural beauty has provided tremendous inspiration to artists over the years. Charleston, South Carolina remains the most appropriate place in the United States to stage a festival that celebrates the arts. Charleston claims many cultural firsts. The very first performance of an opera in the American colonies took place in the city during the first half of the 18th century. While the English Ballad opera Flora or Hob in the Well is no longer performed, Porgy and Bess – which has often been called the greatest American opera – was written in Charleston some two hundred years later.

We all know the first theater built specifically for public performances in the American colonies, the Dock Street Theatre, was built in Charleston in 1734. The original theater burned down two years later and was eventually rebuilt. Over the next two hundred and fifty years, many other theaters said to rival the best in Europe were built in Charleston. Today, Charleston is a well-preserved city of stately homes, lofty churches and numerous historical sites needing our support: especially in the venue preservation areas such as the Gaillard Auditorium’s required $105M makeover. We all need to support this wonderful festival! www.spoletousa.org.

View Festival Calendar of Events
www.spoletousa.org/2009.php

View Festival Map:
www.spoletousa.org/charleston/festival_venues.php

Submitted by: Bill Crowe, Keyway Committee Chair