Spoleto Festival
About this festival
Many people consider the Spoleto Festival to be the most important arts festival in the U.S. And with over 100 performances by artists from around the world, it is definitely a notable event!
Gian Carlo Menotti, a Pulitzer Prize winning composer, founded The Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of Two Worlds) in Spoleto, Italy in 1958. The festival was meant to be a forum for American artists to showcase their talents. Soon, Spoleto became a home for singers, actors, dancers and visual artists to produce traditional and experimental works.
In 1977, Menotti decided to create a U.S. version of the festival. After examining many U.S. cities, he found Charleston, South Carolina to be best suited to host Spoleto USA. It is large enough to handle 17 days of non-stop events and small enough to recreate Spoleto, Italy's charm.