Alumni College at the Spoleto Festival
Friday, June 8
5:00-7:00 pm
Welcome dinner at Poogan’s Porch and talk by Ernest Liotti about the evening's composers
7:30 pm
Festival Orchestra Concert with piano soloist Stephen Prutsman
Tchaikofsky Piano Concerto #1
Stravinsky’s Petrushka
Special post-concert talk by Stephen Prutsman
Saturday, June 9
9:00-11:30 am
Historic Charleston Tour by coach
Visit with a local guide the old historic district, Joseph Manigault House, c. 1803, St. Michael’s church, pass the lovely homes along the battery, 18h c. Rainbow Row, magnificent public buildings and more.
11:30 am -1:00 pm
Meet Artistic Director Enrique Graf for a talk about the music and musicians before attending the Piccolo Festival Young Artists Chamber Music recital.
1:00 pm
Lunch at 82 Queen and talk by Ernest Liotti who will give background about the next day's Chamber XI concert
Afternoon free for optional Traces Circus performance or culinary tour.
5:00-7:00 pm
Tour and reception at Calhoun Mansion with remarks and musical interlude by flutist Tracey Schutty
Nothing else on the Charleston Peninsula compares to the Calhoun Mansion. Boasting a striking Italianate design, the Calhoun Mansion, the largest residence in Charleston, has 35 rooms, a grand ballroom, Japanese water gardens, 35 fireplaces, 75 foot high domed stairhall ceiling, khoi ponds, and many more wonderful surprises that make up the house's more than 24,000 square feet. It is filled with decorative splendor, exquisite antiquities and works of art, as well as compelling architectural spaces
Evening free for dinner and optional festival performances including Traces Circus, Hay Fever, Rebirth Brass and A Crack in Everything
Sunday, June 10
11:00 am
Chamber Music XI performance
12:30 pm
Lunch at Magnolia’s and lecture by Ernest Liotti on Gian Carlo Menotti, Pulitzer Prize winning composer and festival founder
Afternoon free
5:00-10:00 pm
Coach departs for Middleton Place where you will enjoy the magnificent gardens, wine and hors d’oeuvres picnic, Festival Finale concert with Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole and fireworks.
Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark and home to America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens. The Garden Club of America has called the 65 acres “the most important and most interesting garden in America”. Visit the newly rejuvenated 18th and 19th century Plantation Stable yards where costumed interpreters bring to life the sights and sounds of a Low Country rice plantation. Craft artisans include a weaver, blacksmith, potter and cooper/carpenter. Many heritage breeds are found in the living history Plantation Stable ards.
Festival Finale includes one of the brightest young talents to emerge on the Creole music scene of late. Cedric Watson is a fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and four-time Grammy nominee who, along with his ace band Bijou Creole, combine old-school zydeco with strong blues-inflected vocals. Watson & Bijou Creole will take the main stage at the Festival Finale for a zydeco dance party for all ages.