Spoleto Festival USAWorld-renowned celebration of the performing arts in Charleston

Your Travel Itinerary

May 29 — Welcome to Charleston, Mese Mariano / Le Villi
Individual arrivals at The Mills House Hotel. Gather for a welcome reception with your Study Leader Stan Engebretson. Afterwards, enjoy an early dinner at the hotel. Depart the hotel by motor coach for the opera. The 2013 Festival presents a double-bill of one-act operas by two important Italian composers, a pair of rarely performed, emotionally rich works steeped in the anguish of a woman’s love. In Umberto Giordano’s Mese Mariano, Carmela longs to see the son she gave up to an orphanage in her youth. Giacomo Puccini’s first opera, Le Villi, is the tale of a man who abandons his lover for the riches of the city only to be tormented by the scorned woman’s vengeful spirit after her death. Directed by Stefano Vizioli, and conducted by Maurizio Barbacini, it is sung in Italian with English supertitles. (R,D)

May 30 — Chamber Music, Westminster Choir, Le Grand C Circus
Breakfast is served in the hotel each morning at your leisure. Meet for a morning lecture with Study Leader Stan Engebretson. Depart for the short walk to the Dock Street Theater. Enjoy a Chamber Music Performance led by violinist Geoff Nuttall. Gather for a group lunch at Magnolia Café. Late in the afternoon depart by motor coach for Saint Luke & Saint Paul Church for a performance by the Westminster Choir, widely acclaimed for the purity and beauty of their sound. Enjoy a light boxed dinner. This evening Compagnie XY make their Spoleto Festival USA debut with Le Grand C, a quintessentially French circus spectacle of heart-stopping stunts, stunning skill, and distinctive style. (B,L)

May 31 — Charleston Carriage Ride, Ballet Flamenco
Enjoy a narrated carriage ride through Charleston followed by a lecture by Stan Engebretson. This evening attend Ballet Flamenco. Under the direction of Ruben Olmo, one of flamenco’s brightest contemporary stars, the exquisite dancers of Spain’s renowned Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía take the stage in a blaze of castanets, fans, and traditional “bata de cola” dresses. (B)

June 1 — Middleton Place Plantation, Matsukaze
Depart the hotel by motor coach for Middleton Place Plantation. Enjoy a guided tour of the mansion followed by a tour of the spectacular gardens. Enjoy a group lunch at the plantation. This evening depart the hotel for the short walk to the Dock Street Theater to attend the opera Matsukaze. With a hypnotic tapestry of sound, Toshio Hosokawa—one of Japan’s most prominent living composers—conjures up the spirit world of the Noh play on which his ethereal new opera is based. The performance is directed by acclaimed Chinese hi-Zheng, who was responsible for the Festival productions of The Peony Pavilion and Monkey: Journey to the West, conducted by Resident Conductor John Kennedy, and is sung in German with English supertitles. (B,L)

June 2 — Charleston Grille, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
This morning gather for a wrap-up talk with Study Leader Stan Engebretson. Enjoy a leisurely Sunday afternoon in Charleston. Gather in the hotel lobby and depart by motor coach for your farewell dinner at the famed Charleston Grille. This evening attend A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Having last worked together on the powerful Tony Award–winning production of War Horse, Bristol Old Vic and South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company turn their innovative artistry to Shakespeare’s enduring comedy, making their U.S. debut at the 2013 Festival. This highly anticipated production will be a truly magical theatrical event. (B,D)

June 3 — Depart for Home
Individual departures from the hotel. (B)