The Festival Orchestra leads audiences through Mahler’s “Titan,” a symphony celebrated for its darkly humorous funeral march and triumphant finale. Opening this program is Paul Wiancko’s new violin concerto, co-commissioned by Spoleto and written for renowned violinist Livia Sohn. Inspired by their longtime friendship, the concerto highlights Sohn’s virtuosity and their artistic bond forged at Spoleto.

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Mahler Symphony No. 1

Gaillard Center

Celebrate the richness of American music with the Festival Orchestra, under the dynamic direction of Music Director Timothy Myers, in the stunning, historic St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. This program brings to life the charm, lyricism, and storytelling that define America’s musical heritage. Featuring Aaron Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring Suite and its powerful setting of the Shaker tune “Simple Gifts,” the program also includes Samuel Barber’s luscious Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and Jessie Montgomery’s poignant Banner.

Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra: Appalachian Spring and American Classics

St. Matthew's Lutheran Church

Mozart’s Mass in C Minor is a dazzling masterpiece that resonates powerfully with America’s 250th anniversary. Premiered in 1783—the same year the British monarchy formally recognized the independence of the Thirteen Colonies—this work shares a historical moment with the birth of the United States.

Amanda Quist conducts her first performance as Music Director of the Festival Chorus, continuing the ensemble’s cherished traditions through her unique musical lens and deep commitment to choral excellence.

Mozart’s Mass in C Minor

College of Charleston

Two women. Two crowns. One story. The US premiere of Scottish Ballet’s newest creation, Mary, Queen of Scots, is a sweeping dance-theater work exploring power, identity, and the reverberations of the Reformation amid Europe’s dynastic conflicts—England rise toward global supremacy. As Elizabeth I nears death, she is haunted by memories—real and imagined—of her cousin, Mary, the Queen of Scotland. Two queens who never met, locked in a fatal dance of sex, jealousy, political intrigue, and religious warfare. 

This major new production from Scottish Ballet’s choreographer-in-residence Sophie Laplane and co-creator James Bonas draws on the complex, combustible relationship between Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England — two women whose rivalry defined an era. Laplane’s bold choreography blends classical technique with contemporary edge, reshaping their story with powerful originality. 

Soutra Gilmour’s striking, contemporary set is complemented by gritty and glamorous costumes that capture the grandeur of the Tudor era, with nods to haute couture and subversive street style. Guest Artist Charlotta Öfverholm, as the older Elizabeth, brings her rich storytelling expertise to the company’s acclaimed ensemble. 

A longtime Festival favorite since its American debut at Spoleto in 1986, Scottish Ballet returns with this bold new work blending history, movement, and music in a vivid reflection on ambition and legacy. Celebrated for its contemporary interpretations and groundbreaking collaborations, this is an iconic story unconventionally told: where Renaissance meets punk, where classical ballet meets visceral theatre, and where history becomes urgent, immediate, and unmissable.

Scottish Ballet: Mary, Queen of Scots

Experience Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, celebrated for its sweeping melodies and narrative brilliance—qualities that also define his iconic ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. The program also features the world premiere of a new work for cello and orchestra by Michael Abels, co-composer of the Pulitzer Prize winning opera Omar that had its acclaimed premiere at Spoleto in 2022. Abels brings his distinctive voice to this exciting new work, performed by renowned cellist Zuill Bailey.

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Spoleto Festival USA presents Opera Queensland’s production of Dido and Aeneas in association with Circa.

Heart-stopping acrobatics and Henry Purcell’s masterful score for Dido and Aeneas—rich, haunting, and unforgettable—soar to new heights in a visionary collaboration with the internationally acclaimed physical theater ensemble Circa. This is opera transformed: soaring voices, awe-inspiring physical artistry, and striking design collide in a riot of color, motion, and sound.

Dido and Aeneas

Step into a world of gossip and intrigue in The Old Maid and the Thief by Gian Carlo Menotti, the visionary founder of Spoleto Festival USA. Produced by Spoleto, this comedic one-act — composed in 1939 as a radio opera and never before performed at the Festival — is reimagined as a live radio broadcast—complete with onstage Foley sound effects, object manipulation, and the thrill of storytelling in real time. Set in the golden age of radio, the singers become both performers and sound artists, crafting the opera’s world before our eyes and ears. Campy, inventive, and delightfully mischievous, this brand-new staging celebrates Menotti’s wit and theatrical flair in a vibrant homecoming to the Spoleto stage.

The Old Maid and the Thief

Dock Street Theatre

Two iconic Baroque works frame this heavenly program, featuring 24 musicians from the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra with the full Festival Chorus. George Frideric Handel’s monumental Dixit Dominus pairs with Henry Purcell’s Te Deum Laudamus and Jubilate, one of his final religious works, a revelation in its time for the scoring of hymn to orchestral accompaniment.

Spoleto Festival USA Chorus + Orchestra: Handel’s Dixit Dominus

Salem is on the brink. Its people fear the shadows in the forest, but the real monsters are much closer to home. Returning to Spoleto after its lauded 2015 rendition of A Streetcar Named Desire, Scottish Ballet unleashes the emotional force of Arthur Miller’s masterpiece in this “blazing interpretation” (The Observer), choreographed by Helen Pickett and accompanied by members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.

Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra

Jun 4, 2026

Mahler Symphony No. 1

May 31, 2026

Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra: Appalachian Spring and American Classics

Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra