60 Spoleto Festival USA, in Charleston, SC. Marcus Overton hosts Spoleto Today each weekday, live from Charleston, beginning the Monday before the Opening Ceremony and continuing each weekday for the run of the Festival. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/ en-us South Carolina ETV Commission South Carolina ETV Alfred Turner alfturner@scetv.org http://www.scetv.org/images/podcasts/{podcast_name}.jpg http://www.scetv.org/podcast/ Circa Emma and Frieda, performers Taylor Mac, “Comparison is Violence” Dr. Brent Nelson, chairman of the ETV Commission Nigel Redden, General Director of Spoleto USA Circa Emma and Frieda, performers Taylor Mac, “Comparison is Violence” Dr. Brent Nelson, chairman of the ETV Commission Nigel Redden, General Director of Spoleto USA http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/nigel_redden_taylor_mac_brent_nelson_and_performers_from_circa_emma_an/ Fri, 10 Jun 2011 04:00:51 +00:00 00:49:41 Joseph Flummerfelt, conductor Cynthia Word of Word Dance Theatre, Duncan, Sand & Chopin Cedric Andrieux, his dance autobiography Mike Seekings, Charleston City Council Charlie Ross, a one man Lord of the Rings Joseph Flummerfelt, conductor Cynthia Word of Word Dance Theatre, Duncan, Sand & Chopin Cedric Andrieux, his dance autobiography Mike Seekings, Charleston City Council Charlie Ross, a one man Lord of the Rings http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/for_june_9_2011/ Thu, 9 Jun 2011 13:00:05 +00:00 00:56:04 Inon Barnatan, Pianist JD Steele, Choir Director, the Gospel of Colonus Ellen Moryl, part 2 Elizabeth Futral, soprano, Emilie Inon Barnatan, Pianist JD Steele, Choir Director, the Gospel of Colonus Ellen Moryl, part 2 Elizabeth Futral, soprano, Emilie http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/elizabeth_futral_j.d._steele_ellen_moryl_inon_barnatan/ Wed, 8 Jun 2011 13:00:26 +00:00 00:49:45 Jonathan Ryan, Organist Martha Teichner, “Conversations with…” Series Patrick Sharbaugh, in the Press Box Stede Bonett, Pirate Jonathan Ryan, Organist Martha Teichner, “Conversations with…” Series Patrick Sharbaugh, in the Press Box Stede Bonett, Pirate http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/jonathan_ryan_stede_bonette_patrick_sharbaugh_and_martha_teichner/ Tue, 7 Jun 2011 04:00:29 +00:00 00:50:15 Garry Hynes, Director, The Cripple of Inishmaan  Susie Prueter, Assistant Production Manager, SFUSA Enrique Graf, Young Artist Series Sharon Gracie, Artistic Director of Pure Theatre Garry Hynes, Director, The Cripple of Inishmaan  Susie Prueter, Assistant Production Manager, SFUSA Enrique Graf, Young Artist Series Sharon Gracie, Artistic Director of Pure Theatre http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/enrique_graf_garry_hines_sharon_gracie_and_susie_prueter/ Mon, 6 Jun 2011 04:00:25 +00:00 00:56:04 Mike Shepherd, The Red Shoes Lara Wilson of Charleston Chamber Opera Toninho Ferragutti, accordionist Eames Demetrios, visual storyteller Mike Shepherd, The Red Shoes Lara Wilson of Charleston Chamber Opera Toninho Ferragutti, accordionist Eames Demetrios, visual storyteller http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/day_seven_of_spoleto_usa_2011/ Fri, 3 Jun 2011 13:00:46 +00:00 00:49:46 Karrin Allyson, jazz singer extraordinare, who appears at the Wells Fargo Jazz series Sandra Nikolajevs of Chamber Music Charleston In the Press Box: Jack McCray  Karrin Allyson, jazz singer extraordinare, who appears at the Wells Fargo Jazz series Sandra Nikolajevs of Chamber Music Charleston In the Press Box: Jack McCray  http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/thursday_june_2nd/ Thu, 2 Jun 2011 13:00:19 +00:00 00:45:00 Kaija SaariahoComposer, Emilie Lemon Anderson, Theatrical Poet, County of Kings Marjory Wentworth, SC Poet Laureate and participant in Piccolo Spoleto's Sundown Poetry series Kaija SaariahoComposer, Emilie Lemon Anderson, Theatrical Poet, County of Kings Marjory Wentworth, SC Poet Laureate and participant in Piccolo Spoleto's Sundown Poetry series http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/sundown_poetry_emilie_and_county_of_kings/ Wed, 1 Jun 2011 13:00:17 +00:00 00:49:20 Today's program is a 100th-birthday tribute to Spoleto founder Giancarlo Menotti Barbara Dever, who portrays Madame Flora in Menotti's The Medium Interview: Donald Portnoy, Conductor Interview: Alisa Weilerstein, cellist, player in the Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music Series Today's program is a 100th-birthday tribute to Spoleto founder Giancarlo Menotti Barbara Dever, who portrays Madame Flora in Menotti's The Medium Interview: Donald Portnoy, Conductor Interview: Alisa Weilerstein, cellist, player in the Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music Series http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/day_5_of_the_festival/ Tue, 31 May 2011 13:00:38 +00:00 00:43:26 Guests today include: Steven Sloane, conductor of Mozart's The Magic Flute Lindsay Koob, guest in today's Press Box segment And, soprano Audrey Luna, who portray's the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute Guests today include: Steven Sloane, conductor of Mozart's The Magic Flute Lindsay Koob, guest in today's Press Box segment And, soprano Audrey Luna, who portray's the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/day_4_of_this_years_festival/ Mon, 30 May 2011 11:00:23 +00:00 00:50:23 Spoleto Festival USA opens Friday morning and Spoleto Today hosts Marcus Overton and Jeanette Guinn have the inside scoop on what's hot at this year's Spoleto Festival and Piccolo Spoleto. Marcus sits down with Piccolo Festival founder Ellen Dressler Moryl, and also chats with Cleve Callison about the art of Sacred Harp Singing. And Jeanette Guinn has a survival guide for packing in as many events as humanly possible during your festival stay. Spoleto Festival USA opens Friday morning and Spoleto Today hosts Marcus Overton and Jeanette Guinn have the inside scoop on what's hot at this year's Spoleto Festival and Piccolo Spoleto. Marcus sits down with Piccolo Festival founder Ellen Dressler Moryl, and also chats with Cleve Callison about the art of Sacred Harp Singing. And Jeanette Guinn has a survival guide for packing in as many events as humanly possible during your festival stay. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/let_the_festivities_begin/ Fri, 27 May 2011 13:00:48 +00:00 00:51:29 Opener: Summarizing Spoleto 2010From men in tutus, an opera featuring puppets and everything in between, Spoleto Festival USA’s 2010 season has delighted, and at times, disappointed. Hosts Jennifer Foster and Marc Overton talk over the best – and worst – in this summary of the Spoleto Festival USA, and we’ll revisit some of the memorable voices from the 2010 Festival, including General Director Nigel Redden, new Chamber Music Director Geoff Nuttall, Colla Marionette General Manager Piero Corbella, Polish jazzman Leszek Możdżer, and Charleston mayor Joseph P. Riley. Music: Emmanuel Villaume: Completing the Circle (Mozart: Overture, Le nozze di Figaro)We’re also hearing another Spoleto voice – and personality - for the last time. Emmanuel Villaume made his Spoleto Festival USA debut 20 years ago conducting Renée Fleming in The Marriage of Figaro. Completing the circle, Villaume conducted the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in the Overture to Mozart’s opera as one of two encores at his last concert as Spoleto’s Music Director for Opera and Orchestra. Feature:  Robert McPherson: Whistling Past the WellWhistling may not come to mind when you think of necessary skills on a job application. But, for tenor Robert McPherson’s job as Hob in Flora, an Opera, this skill set was at the top of the list. As with any new position, skills take time to master, and after a while, Robert was whistling while he worked, as he explains to Marc Overton.          Feature: Inon BarnatanWinner of the 2009 Avery Fisher Prize, the young Israeli pianist is one of the most talked-about young artists today   He joins Marc Overton to discuss his style, his approach to chamber Music…and Brahms, whose music he’s playing for his Spoleto debut. Music: Brahms with a Bang  (Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25, Finale)A zesty performance of the “Rondo Alla Zingarese” movement, played in concert this week at the Dock Street Theatre, featuring violinist Livia Sohn, violist Barry Shiffman, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and pianist Inon Barnatan. Feature: Unleashing instrumentsGervais Street Hagerty takes a walk down our street to Marion Square and finds an unconventional petting zoo with a refreshing mission. Chamber Music Charleston’s Instrumental     Petting Zoo unleashes  instruments to budding instrumentalists. Feature: Churches of Charleston: Kahal Kadosh Beth ElohimOur audio/video tour continues with a visit to the spiritual heart of Jewish Charleston.  Music: Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66: FinaleKahal Kadosh is home to Piccolo Spoleto’s popular “World of Jewish Culture” series, including a June 6 concert called “Jewish Music Among Old Friends.”  From that concert we’ll hear violinist Yuriy Bekker, cellist Kenneth Law, and pianist Stephen Buck play Mendelssohn.  Overtone: Space for Art; Art in SpacesMarc Overton revels in experiencing the arts “outside the box,” e.g., beyond the television screen… Music: Mascagni: Intermezzo from Cavalleria RusticanaThe second of two encores to Emmanuel Villaume’s last concert as Spoleto Festival USA Director for Opera and Orchestra, and a fitting end to our 2010 Spoleto Festival USA coverage. Villaume conducts the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra. Opener: Summarizing Spoleto 2010From men in tutus, an opera featuring puppets and everything in between, Spoleto Festival USA’s 2010 season has delighted, and at times, disappointed. Hosts Jennifer Foster and Marc Overton talk over the best – and worst – in this summary of the Spoleto Festival USA, and we’ll revisit some of the memorable voices from the 2010 Festival, including General Director Nigel Redden, new Chamber Music Director Geoff Nuttall, Colla Marionette General Manager Piero Corbella, Polish jazzman Leszek Możdżer, and Charleston mayor Joseph P. Riley. Music: Emmanuel Villaume: Completing the Circle (Mozart: Overture, Le nozze di Figaro)We’re also hearing another Spoleto voice – and personality - for the last time. Emmanuel Villaume made his Spoleto Festival USA debut 20 years ago conducting Renée Fleming in The Marriage of Figaro. Completing the circle, Villaume conducted the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in the Overture to Mozart’s opera as one of two encores at his last concert as Spoleto’s Music Director for Opera and Orchestra. Feature:  Robert McPherson: Whistling Past the WellWhistling may not come to mind when you think of necessary skills on a job application. But, for tenor Robert McPherson’s job as Hob in Flora, an Opera, this skill set was at the top of the list. As with any new position, skills take time to master, and after a while, Robert was whistling while he worked, as he explains to Marc Overton.          Feature: Inon BarnatanWinner of the 2009 Avery Fisher Prize, the young Israeli pianist is one of the most talked-about young artists today   He joins Marc Overton to discuss his style, his approach to chamber Music…and Brahms, whose music he’s playing for his Spoleto debut. Music: Brahms with a Bang  (Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25, Finale)A zesty performance of the “Rondo Alla Zingarese” movement, played in concert this week at the Dock Street Theatre, featuring violinist Livia Sohn, violist Barry Shiffman, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and pianist Inon Barnatan. Feature: Unleashing instrumentsGervais Street Hagerty takes a walk down our street to Marion Square and finds an unconventional petting zoo with a refreshing mission. Chamber Music Charleston’s Instrumental     Petting Zoo unleashes  instruments to budding instrumentalists. Feature: Churches of Charleston: Kahal Kadosh Beth ElohimOur audio/video tour continues with a visit to the spiritual heart of Jewish Charleston.  Music: Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66: FinaleKahal Kadosh is home to Piccolo Spoleto’s popular “World of Jewish Culture” series, including a June 6 concert called “Jewish Music Among Old Friends.”  From that concert we’ll hear violinist Yuriy Bekker, cellist Kenneth Law, and pianist Stephen Buck play Mendelssohn.  Overtone: Space for Art; Art in SpacesMarc Overton revels in experiencing the arts “outside the box,” e.g., beyond the television screen… Music: Mascagni: Intermezzo from Cavalleria RusticanaThe second of two encores to Emmanuel Villaume’s last concert as Spoleto Festival USA Director for Opera and Orchestra, and a fitting end to our 2010 Spoleto Festival USA coverage. Villaume conducts the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/the_final_episode_of_spoleto_today_for_2010/ Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:00:22 +00:00 0:58:53 Opener: Audience BehaviorCharlestonians, renowned for grace and proper etiquette, have been putting their skills to work as patrons at the Spoleto Festival USA. Or have they? A recent dust-up at the Dock Street Theatre during a Gate Theatre production of "Present Laughter" sparks a discussion between Marc Overton and Jennifer Foster about regional differences in audience habits. Feature/Music: Alisa Weilerstein I: Chopin for the Cello?Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, at 28 already a veteran of seven Spoleto seasons, stops by our studios to set up her Dock Street performance (with pianist Inon Barnatan) of Chopin's Introduction & Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 3…a piece she says has been made a lot more interesting for cellists thanks to some of her illustrious predecessors.  Feature/Music: Alisa Weilerstein II: 5-Day Pie and an odd Quartet..in which we discover the connection between a pie recipe and Alisa's career, and discover the unusual String Quartet No. 2 in A minor by Russian composer Anton Arensky, a piece that swaps the second fiddle for an additional cello. We'll then hear a Spoleto Chamber Music performance of the Finale, featuring cellists Weilerstein and Christopher Costanza, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and violinist Daniel Phillips. Spoleto Daybook: FFJ is A-OKMarc Overton recommends an ode to a singular opera diva Florence Foster Jenkins, recounted for Piccolo Spoleto festival-goers in a one-woman show.Music: The Curious Moonlit BeastFrom the Dock Street Theatre, soprano Dawn Upshaw gives the Spoleto premiere of “Even When I Am not Playing,” the last of six "Piano Lesson," by pianist Stephen Prutsman, set to the poems of Billy Collins. Prutsman explains, “This curious and mysterious beast, with its enormous smile, occupies a large part of our collective heart. The song cycle is dedicated to those most patient of people: our piano teachers.”Feature: Dawn Upshaw: More than Beautiful MusicThe Prutsman premiere was one of several new works Dawn Upshaw sang in no fewer than three Chamber Music concerts at the newly-reopened Dock Street Theatre – a rare chance for Spoletians to savor Upshaw's remarkable vocal artistry and versatility. She joins Jennifer Foster to discuss her relationship to the music of composers Osvaldo Golijov and Spoleto Composer-in-Residence Jonathan Berger, how she strives to represent herself in her work, and how she's never seen her music as beautiful.Performance-Chat: Brooklyn RiderJennifer Foster doesn't "sits down with" but rather has a "stand up session" with the boys of Brooklyn Rider ,for music and conversation about the band's unique sounds as an energetic and innovative ensemble that's changing our concept of the string quartet. The ensemble is making its Spoleto Festival USA debut, and we'll hear them preview selections from their two Spoleto programs, including "Viaggo in Italia," by contemporary Italian composer Giovanni Sollima, the second movement ("Assez vif et bien ryhtmé") from Claude Debussy's String Quartet, and “Loveland,” from violinist Colin Jacobsen"s quartet tribute to Debussy called , "Achille's Heel."Overtone: The Women Behind the CurtainMarc Overton reveals the storied history of Charleston women, especially their roles on the plantations of early Charleston. Opener: Audience BehaviorCharlestonians, renowned for grace and proper etiquette, have been putting their skills to work as patrons at the Spoleto Festival USA. Or have they? A recent dust-up at the Dock Street Theatre during a Gate Theatre production of "Present Laughter" sparks a discussion between Marc Overton and Jennifer Foster about regional differences in audience habits. Feature/Music: Alisa Weilerstein I: Chopin for the Cello?Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, at 28 already a veteran of seven Spoleto seasons, stops by our studios to set up her Dock Street performance (with pianist Inon Barnatan) of Chopin's Introduction & Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 3…a piece she says has been made a lot more interesting for cellists thanks to some of her illustrious predecessors.  Feature/Music: Alisa Weilerstein II: 5-Day Pie and an odd Quartet..in which we discover the connection between a pie recipe and Alisa's career, and discover the unusual String Quartet No. 2 in A minor by Russian composer Anton Arensky, a piece that swaps the second fiddle for an additional cello. We'll then hear a Spoleto Chamber Music performance of the Finale, featuring cellists Weilerstein and Christopher Costanza, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and violinist Daniel Phillips. Spoleto Daybook: FFJ is A-OKMarc Overton recommends an ode to a singular opera diva Florence Foster Jenkins, recounted for Piccolo Spoleto festival-goers in a one-woman show.Music: The Curious Moonlit BeastFrom the Dock Street Theatre, soprano Dawn Upshaw gives the Spoleto premiere of “Even When I Am not Playing,” the last of six "Piano Lesson," by pianist Stephen Prutsman, set to the poems of Billy Collins. Prutsman explains, “This curious and mysterious beast, with its enormous smile, occupies a large part of our collective heart. The song cycle is dedicated to those most patient of people: our piano teachers.”Feature: Dawn Upshaw: More than Beautiful MusicThe Prutsman premiere was one of several new works Dawn Upshaw sang in no fewer than three Chamber Music concerts at the newly-reopened Dock Street Theatre – a rare chance for Spoletians to savor Upshaw's remarkable vocal artistry and versatility. She joins Jennifer Foster to discuss her relationship to the music of composers Osvaldo Golijov and Spoleto Composer-in-Residence Jonathan Berger, how she strives to represent herself in her work, and how she's never seen her music as beautiful.Performance-Chat: Brooklyn RiderJennifer Foster doesn't "sits down with" but rather has a "stand up session" with the boys of Brooklyn Rider ,for music and conversation about the band's unique sounds as an energetic and innovative ensemble that's changing our concept of the string quartet. The ensemble is making its Spoleto Festival USA debut, and we'll hear them preview selections from their two Spoleto programs, including "Viaggo in Italia," by contemporary Italian composer Giovanni Sollima, the second movement ("Assez vif et bien ryhtmé") from Claude Debussy's String Quartet, and “Loveland,” from violinist Colin Jacobsen"s quartet tribute to Debussy called , "Achille's Heel."Overtone: The Women Behind the CurtainMarc Overton reveals the storied history of Charleston women, especially their roles on the plantations of early Charleston. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/thursdays_spoleto_today/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:00:08 +00:00 0:58:53 Opener: More Songs about Buildings and Food… Besides the Charleston cuisine, Jennifer Foster and Marc Overton consider the costs, and the consequences, of the auditorium-renovation parade, starting with the $6 million Memminger makeover, the $18 milliion Dock Street Theatre do-over, and now the proposed $142 million campaign to gut-and-glitzify Gaillard Auditorium. Feature: Joe Riley: No Guts, No Gaillard, No GloryThe Mayor of Charleston, Joseph P. Riley, stops by the Spoleto Today studios to make his case for what he calls the new “Gaillard Center,” and what it represents for the city’s future, and considers the current financial straits of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Music: The Sparkle in the Dock Street ShineOne of the bright spots of the current Spoleto season has been the steady attendance at the Chamber Music Series at the Dock Street Theatre, drawing crowds curious to see the plumped-up surroundings, sample the acoustics, and to hear new Spoleto Director of Chamber Music Geoff Nuttall in action. None of the above disappoints in this performance of the sparkling Flute Quartet in D by Mozart, featuring flutist Tara Helen O’Connor. Feature: Pirates of the…..Caroiinas?We pay a visit to the Powder Magazine, the 18th-century garrison on Cumberland Street in what was then “Charles Towne” to take in a little of the popular Piccolo Spoleto presentation of The Trial Of The Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet, and to converse with its creator, actor Rodney Lee Rogers. Music: Bach for celloAn entirely different solo act from Piccolo Spoleto: Cellist Natalia Khoma, in recital Tuesday afternoon at a Piccolo Spoleto Early Music Spotlight series concert at First Scots Presbyterian Church in Charleston, plays the Prelude from Bach’s Solo Cello Suite No. 3 in G. Feature: Heather Buck: The Breakout Star of Prosperina Marc Overton talks to soprano Heather Buck, who has dazzled audiences in Charleston in her tour-de-force performance in the title role in German composer Wolfgang Rihm’s opera Proserpina (pro-SEHR-pee-nah), receiving its American premiere at the Spoleto Festival USA. Music: Bloch (after Bach & Buck) From a Piccolo concert called “Jewish Music Among Old Friends,” violinist Yuriy Bekker, the Charleston Symphony concertmaster, joins Converse College cellist Kenneth Law and pianist Stephen Buck in the Andante quieto from one of Ernest Bloch’s Two Nocturnes for Piano Trio. Spoleto Daybook: Cheerfully Un-centered EclecticismMarc Overton recommends a performance by a company that’s “part theatre, part carnival sideshow and part dance, something that blurs the line between dreams and reality.” Music/Feature: The Churches of Charleston II: The Cathedral Church of St. Luke & St. PaulAfter a musical introduction from the Westminster Choir performance space of choice (the catchy Serbian wedding dance Fatice Kolo), our audio/video tour series of some of the Churches of Charleston continues with tour guide Scott Cullom Howell, the church’s Archivist. Followed by a performance of the first of the beautiful Litanies of the Blessed Virgin by French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Joe Miller conducts the Westminster Choir and Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.Overtone 9 – Whence the Charleston name “Meminger”More Lowcountry lore as only Marc Overton can tell it…. Opener: More Songs about Buildings and Food… Besides the Charleston cuisine, Jennifer Foster and Marc Overton consider the costs, and the consequences, of the auditorium-renovation parade, starting with the $6 million Memminger makeover, the $18 milliion Dock Street Theatre do-over, and now the proposed $142 million campaign to gut-and-glitzify Gaillard Auditorium. Feature: Joe Riley: No Guts, No Gaillard, No GloryThe Mayor of Charleston, Joseph P. Riley, stops by the Spoleto Today studios to make his case for what he calls the new “Gaillard Center,” and what it represents for the city’s future, and considers the current financial straits of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Music: The Sparkle in the Dock Street ShineOne of the bright spots of the current Spoleto season has been the steady attendance at the Chamber Music Series at the Dock Street Theatre, drawing crowds curious to see the plumped-up surroundings, sample the acoustics, and to hear new Spoleto Director of Chamber Music Geoff Nuttall in action. None of the above disappoints in this performance of the sparkling Flute Quartet in D by Mozart, featuring flutist Tara Helen O’Connor. Feature: Pirates of the…..Caroiinas?We pay a visit to the Powder Magazine, the 18th-century garrison on Cumberland Street in what was then “Charles Towne” to take in a little of the popular Piccolo Spoleto presentation of The Trial Of The Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet, and to converse with its creator, actor Rodney Lee Rogers. Music: Bach for celloAn entirely different solo act from Piccolo Spoleto: Cellist Natalia Khoma, in recital Tuesday afternoon at a Piccolo Spoleto Early Music Spotlight series concert at First Scots Presbyterian Church in Charleston, plays the Prelude from Bach’s Solo Cello Suite No. 3 in G. Feature: Heather Buck: The Breakout Star of Prosperina Marc Overton talks to soprano Heather Buck, who has dazzled audiences in Charleston in her tour-de-force performance in the title role in German composer Wolfgang Rihm’s opera Proserpina (pro-SEHR-pee-nah), receiving its American premiere at the Spoleto Festival USA. Music: Bloch (after Bach & Buck) From a Piccolo concert called “Jewish Music Among Old Friends,” violinist Yuriy Bekker, the Charleston Symphony concertmaster, joins Converse College cellist Kenneth Law and pianist Stephen Buck in the Andante quieto from one of Ernest Bloch’s Two Nocturnes for Piano Trio. Spoleto Daybook: Cheerfully Un-centered EclecticismMarc Overton recommends a performance by a company that’s “part theatre, part carnival sideshow and part dance, something that blurs the line between dreams and reality.” Music/Feature: The Churches of Charleston II: The Cathedral Church of St. Luke & St. PaulAfter a musical introduction from the Westminster Choir performance space of choice (the catchy Serbian wedding dance Fatice Kolo), our audio/video tour series of some of the Churches of Charleston continues with tour guide Scott Cullom Howell, the church’s Archivist. Followed by a performance of the first of the beautiful Litanies of the Blessed Virgin by French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Joe Miller conducts the Westminster Choir and Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.Overtone 9 – Whence the Charleston name “Meminger”More Lowcountry lore as only Marc Overton can tell it…. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/wednesdays_spoleto_today/ Wed, 9 Jun 2010 15:00:26 +00:00 0:58:53 More from Spoleto USA and Piccolo Spoleto... More from Spoleto USA and Piccolo Spoleto... http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/tuesdays_spoleto_today/ Tue, 8 Jun 2010 15:00:51 +00:00 0:58:53 Feature/Music: Gulliver's Suite New Spoleto Chamber Music Director Geoff Nuttall introduces a charming musical sketch that Georg Philipp Telemann composed just two years after Jonathan Swift's timeless tale of Gulliver's Travels appeared in print for the first time. He then joins his wife, Livia Sohn, to play this little suite for two violins. Feature/Music: By Strauss, Con BrioEmmanuel Villaume could safely be described as a “whole-body” conductor, as you'll see, using an amazing variety of movements and gestures to communicate with the orchestra. But that's much more evident in rehearsal than in performance, and Emmanuel Villaume says there's a reason for that. We'll then hear Villaume lead the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in the Overture to Die Fledermaus, by Johann Strauss II, in a performance recorded Monday night at the Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston. Feature: John Kennedy: Music in TimeJohn Kennedy, the longtime curator – and advocate - of Spoleto’s contemporary music activities joins Marc Overton to discuss this season’s “Music in Time” series, and to consider the role of new music at the Festival. Music: Neely Bruce: Louis Chauvin Surveys…Part of the “Music in Time” series this year is also devoted to showcasing the works of two of the contemporary composers involved in operatic productions at the 2010 Spoleto Festival USA: Wolfgang Rihm, composer of Persepina, and Neely Bruce, commissioned to re-create the 18th-century ballad opera Flora. From Wednesday afternoon's “Music in Time” concert at the Simons Center at the College of Charleston, Bruce introduces, and then plays his 1991 piano piece Louis Chauvin Surveys the Current State of Affairs. Feature/Music: Spoleto Day Book – Musings on MarionettesMarc Overton has a recommendation – and an explanation – for the Spoleto Festival'straditional fascination with puppets, manifested this year in the appearance in two productions by the Colla Marionette Theatre of Milan. And we'll revisit the glorious final scene of Haydn's puppet opera Philemon & Baucis. (PS: Watch the curtain call here.) Press Box Feature: The Charleston Jazz InitiativeCharleston Post & Courier Jazz critic Jack McCray joins Jennifer Foster to preview the Piccolo Spoleto “Festival within a Festival” – the Charleston Jazz Initiative Legends Festivals, which this weekend will unite such jazz luminaries as Ellis Marsalis, Slide Hampton, and Jimmy Heath, with such Palmetto State greats as tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Overtone 6 – Ginger & Fred…on the Beach in the LowcountryMarc Overton shares another slice of life from Charleston’s colorful past…. Feature/Music: Gulliver's Suite New Spoleto Chamber Music Director Geoff Nuttall introduces a charming musical sketch that Georg Philipp Telemann composed just two years after Jonathan Swift's timeless tale of Gulliver's Travels appeared in print for the first time. He then joins his wife, Livia Sohn, to play this little suite for two violins. Feature/Music: By Strauss, Con BrioEmmanuel Villaume could safely be described as a “whole-body” conductor, as you'll see, using an amazing variety of movements and gestures to communicate with the orchestra. But that's much more evident in rehearsal than in performance, and Emmanuel Villaume says there's a reason for that. We'll then hear Villaume lead the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in the Overture to Die Fledermaus, by Johann Strauss II, in a performance recorded Monday night at the Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston. Feature: John Kennedy: Music in TimeJohn Kennedy, the longtime curator – and advocate - of Spoleto’s contemporary music activities joins Marc Overton to discuss this season’s “Music in Time” series, and to consider the role of new music at the Festival. Music: Neely Bruce: Louis Chauvin Surveys…Part of the “Music in Time” series this year is also devoted to showcasing the works of two of the contemporary composers involved in operatic productions at the 2010 Spoleto Festival USA: Wolfgang Rihm, composer of Persepina, and Neely Bruce, commissioned to re-create the 18th-century ballad opera Flora. From Wednesday afternoon's “Music in Time” concert at the Simons Center at the College of Charleston, Bruce introduces, and then plays his 1991 piano piece Louis Chauvin Surveys the Current State of Affairs. Feature/Music: Spoleto Day Book – Musings on MarionettesMarc Overton has a recommendation – and an explanation – for the Spoleto Festival'straditional fascination with puppets, manifested this year in the appearance in two productions by the Colla Marionette Theatre of Milan. And we'll revisit the glorious final scene of Haydn's puppet opera Philemon & Baucis. (PS: Watch the curtain call here.) Press Box Feature: The Charleston Jazz InitiativeCharleston Post & Courier Jazz critic Jack McCray joins Jennifer Foster to preview the Piccolo Spoleto “Festival within a Festival” – the Charleston Jazz Initiative Legends Festivals, which this weekend will unite such jazz luminaries as Ellis Marsalis, Slide Hampton, and Jimmy Heath, with such Palmetto State greats as tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Overtone 6 – Ginger & Fred…on the Beach in the LowcountryMarc Overton shares another slice of life from Charleston’s colorful past…. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/fridays_spoleto_today/ Fri, 4 Jun 2010 15:00:31 +00:00 0:51:15 Feature: Spoleto CollaborationHost Marc Overton gives a glimpse of the Spoleto-inspired collaborations that happen between thefestival's artists, managers and others.  Music:  Vivaldi, from Spoleto’s Chamber Music VetsWe open up with the opening movement of a Concerto for Bassoon & Strings by Antonio Vivaldi, featuringPeter Kolkay, a young bassoonist in his twenties who now teaches at the University of South Carolina, and the sensational young cellist Alisa Weilerstein. They are joined by some true Spoleto veterans: violist Daniel Phillips, who’s been part of EVERY Spoleto Chamber Music summer since the Festival began in 1977; violinist Scott St. John of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and Edward Allman, a double assist who’s a year-round Charlestonian; he’s also a member of the Charleston Symphony. On the harpsichord, Pedja Muzijevic, one of the most fascinating – and versatile – musicians in ANY genre at Spoleto. Feature:  Backstage with Pedja MuzijevicLike the controversial Spoleto Festival Poster for this year, Pedja Muzijevic has his own South Carolina – Rhode Island connection: he spent many summers at the Newport Festival in Rhode Island, a festival distinguished by performances in grand mansions of lesser-known material…with little or no time to prepare! Muzijevic was born in Sarajevo, and his resume includes being a top-prize winner of the Busoni Piano Competition; a prize winner from the Chopin Society of Warsaw; a degree recipient from the Academy of Music in Zagreb, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, and the Juilliard School in New York. Muzijevic has been gaining a lot of attention as the Music Director of the Innovative new Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York, founded by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Our Spoleto Today wxecutive producer Ben Roe goes backstage at Charleston's Dock Street Theatre to talk with the “triple-threat” chamber musician.  Music:  Pedja & SLSQ Play SchumannPedja Muzijevic - at the piano this time - is joined by the members of the St. Lawrence String Quartet in the Finale of one of Schumann’s great works: The Piano Quintet in E-flat major. Played at the Dock Street Theatre in Charleston last Friday afternoon, it’s the first of the 17 different programs of chamber music taking place this Spoleto season. Almost all of those performances will feature the musicians heard in this performance, in one combination or another: pianist Pedja Muzijevic, Geoff Nuttall and Scott St. John, violins; Lesley Robertson, viola; and Christopher Costanza playing the cello.  Feature:  Charlotte’s RenaissanceMarc Overton introduces us to Bob Pritchard, director of the Charlotte-based choral group Renaissance.  We hear two performances by the ensemble: First up, Philip Stopford's For the Beauty of the Earth, performed at Charleston's Circular Congregational Church at last year's Piccolo Spoleto Festival.  And from this year's Piccolo Spoleto performance at the Circular Congregational Church, Renaissance performs the eight-part anthem O Clap Your Hands, a piece written by Orlando Gibbons in 1622.  Gibbons had something to clap about, all right – he wrote this piece on the occasion of receiving his Doctor of Music degree from Oxford.  Spoleto DayBook: Invitation to the Dance Music:  QuinTango: La PuñladaMarc Overton has some Dance suggestions for Spoleto, and we hear a little music by El Rey del Compas - the King of the Beat – Argentinian tango composer Juan D’Arienzo, played here by the piano-and-string group called QuinTango. They’re back at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival this year with two shows that mix music, stories, dances, and even some video.  Feature:  Perry Tannenbaum in the Press BoxPerry Tanenbaum, an arts writer for Charlotte's Creative Loafing, details his Festival stand-outs from Week 1.  Music:  Beethoven con brioThe Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra plays a couple of full-sized concerts at the Gaillard Auditorium, but this young “supergroup” of musicians also performs in smaller incarnations at a series of 5 pm concerts called “Intermezzi” at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.  Here they play, with a little brio, the last movement of the Symphony No. 4 by Beethoven. Pierre Vallet conducted this first Intermezzi concert of the 2010 Spoleto Festival USA.  Overtones IV -Skeletons in Charleston’s ClosetMarc Overton joins Jennifer Foster to consider some long-buried Charleston legends that deserve to resurface, if only to be put out to sea….    Feature: Spoleto CollaborationHost Marc Overton gives a glimpse of the Spoleto-inspired collaborations that happen between thefestival's artists, managers and others.  Music:  Vivaldi, from Spoleto’s Chamber Music VetsWe open up with the opening movement of a Concerto for Bassoon & Strings by Antonio Vivaldi, featuringPeter Kolkay, a young bassoonist in his twenties who now teaches at the University of South Carolina, and the sensational young cellist Alisa Weilerstein. They are joined by some true Spoleto veterans: violist Daniel Phillips, who’s been part of EVERY Spoleto Chamber Music summer since the Festival began in 1977; violinist Scott St. John of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and Edward Allman, a double assist who’s a year-round Charlestonian; he’s also a member of the Charleston Symphony. On the harpsichord, Pedja Muzijevic, one of the most fascinating – and versatile – musicians in ANY genre at Spoleto. Feature:  Backstage with Pedja MuzijevicLike the controversial Spoleto Festival Poster for this year, Pedja Muzijevic has his own South Carolina – Rhode Island connection: he spent many summers at the Newport Festival in Rhode Island, a festival distinguished by performances in grand mansions of lesser-known material…with little or no time to prepare! Muzijevic was born in Sarajevo, and his resume includes being a top-prize winner of the Busoni Piano Competition; a prize winner from the Chopin Society of Warsaw; a degree recipient from the Academy of Music in Zagreb, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, and the Juilliard School in New York. Muzijevic has been gaining a lot of attention as the Music Director of the Innovative new Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York, founded by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Our Spoleto Today wxecutive producer Ben Roe goes backstage at Charleston's Dock Street Theatre to talk with the “triple-threat” chamber musician.  Music:  Pedja & SLSQ Play SchumannPedja Muzijevic - at the piano this time - is joined by the members of the St. Lawrence String Quartet in the Finale of one of Schumann’s great works: The Piano Quintet in E-flat major. Played at the Dock Street Theatre in Charleston last Friday afternoon, it’s the first of the 17 different programs of chamber music taking place this Spoleto season. Almost all of those performances will feature the musicians heard in this performance, in one combination or another: pianist Pedja Muzijevic, Geoff Nuttall and Scott St. John, violins; Lesley Robertson, viola; and Christopher Costanza playing the cello.  Feature:  Charlotte’s RenaissanceMarc Overton introduces us to Bob Pritchard, director of the Charlotte-based choral group Renaissance.  We hear two performances by the ensemble: First up, Philip Stopford's For the Beauty of the Earth, performed at Charleston's Circular Congregational Church at last year's Piccolo Spoleto Festival.  And from this year's Piccolo Spoleto performance at the Circular Congregational Church, Renaissance performs the eight-part anthem O Clap Your Hands, a piece written by Orlando Gibbons in 1622.  Gibbons had something to clap about, all right – he wrote this piece on the occasion of receiving his Doctor of Music degree from Oxford.  Spoleto DayBook: Invitation to the Dance Music:  QuinTango: La PuñladaMarc Overton has some Dance suggestions for Spoleto, and we hear a little music by El Rey del Compas - the King of the Beat – Argentinian tango composer Juan D’Arienzo, played here by the piano-and-string group called QuinTango. They’re back at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival this year with two shows that mix music, stories, dances, and even some video.  Feature:  Perry Tannenbaum in the Press BoxPerry Tanenbaum, an arts writer for Charlotte's Creative Loafing, details his Festival stand-outs from Week 1.  Music:  Beethoven con brioThe Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra plays a couple of full-sized concerts at the Gaillard Auditorium, but this young “supergroup” of musicians also performs in smaller incarnations at a series of 5 pm concerts called “Intermezzi” at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.  Here they play, with a little brio, the last movement of the Symphony No. 4 by Beethoven. Pierre Vallet conducted this first Intermezzi concert of the 2010 Spoleto Festival USA.  Overtones IV -Skeletons in Charleston’s ClosetMarc Overton joins Jennifer Foster to consider some long-buried Charleston legends that deserve to resurface, if only to be put out to sea….    http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/spoleto_today_for_thursday/ Thu, 3 Jun 2010 15:00:19 +00:00 0:58:51 On Wednesday's edition of Spoleto Today, making Flora flourish again after 274 years of blackout dates: Composer Neely Bruce talks about reconstructing the first opera ever heard in America - in time for its renovated Dock Street debut. And Performance Today host Fred Child drops by our Spoleto studio for a national view on a Charleston tradition. On Wednesday's edition of Spoleto Today, making Flora flourish again after 274 years of blackout dates: Composer Neely Bruce talks about reconstructing the first opera ever heard in America - in time for its renovated Dock Street debut. And Performance Today host Fred Child drops by our Spoleto studio for a national view on a Charleston tradition. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/flora_fred_child_of_performance_today/ Wed, 2 Jun 2010 15:00:54 +00:00 0:58:51 Feature:  Emmanuel Villaume Steps Down; Weekend HighlightsNews of Spoleto Music Director for Opera & Orchestra Emmanuel Villaume's decision to step down after the 2010 season, and a critical view of some of the Spoleto Festival's long-weekend opening with Charleston Post & Courier critic Adam Parker. Music:  A Moravian DiscoveryPart of the opening-day Chamber Music Concert at the 18th-century-replica Dock Street Theatre      was a piece by 18th century North Carolina Moravian composer Johann Peter.  New Chamber Music Artistic Director Geoff Nuttall and his fellow members of the St. Lawrence String Quartet are joined by violist Hsin-Yun Huang in the first movement of Peter's String Quintet No. 1. Feature: The Dock Street DocketGeoff Nuttall joins Jennifer Foster to elaborate on what he's planning for the Dock Street Chamber Music programs: A range of works that stretch from Charleston's colonial past to a world premiere to be sung by multi-Grammy winner Dawn Upshaw. Music:  Here Comes the SunPost & Courier critic Adam Parker is impressed with Geoff Nuttall's on-stage demeanor as the host of the Chamber Music Concerts.  Different from his illustrious predecessor, Charles Wadsworth, but no less distinct.  Hear for yourself in Nuttall's introduction to the String Quartet in D, Op. 20, No. 4.   You'll then hear it played by the Saint Lawrence String Quartet. Feature: Spoleto Day BookMarc Overton has an Invitation to the Dance at Spoleto… Performance-Chat: Leszek MozdzerJennifer Foster sits down at the Steinway with the remarkable Polish jazz pianist Leszeck Mozdzer to discuss Chopin, Charleston, and his habit of putting drinking glasses, combs, and even his own CDs on the piano strings to combat boredom.  Along the way Mozdzer discovers his unwitting hand in creating the Spoleto Today theme song… Overtone 3 – The Villaume VacuumMarc Overton shares his thoughts with Jennifer Foster about the surprising resignation of Spoleto's Opera and Orchestra Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, and his contributions have meant to the evolution of the Spoleto Festival USA. Feature:  Emmanuel Villaume Steps Down; Weekend HighlightsNews of Spoleto Music Director for Opera & Orchestra Emmanuel Villaume's decision to step down after the 2010 season, and a critical view of some of the Spoleto Festival's long-weekend opening with Charleston Post & Courier critic Adam Parker. Music:  A Moravian DiscoveryPart of the opening-day Chamber Music Concert at the 18th-century-replica Dock Street Theatre      was a piece by 18th century North Carolina Moravian composer Johann Peter.  New Chamber Music Artistic Director Geoff Nuttall and his fellow members of the St. Lawrence String Quartet are joined by violist Hsin-Yun Huang in the first movement of Peter's String Quintet No. 1. Feature: The Dock Street DocketGeoff Nuttall joins Jennifer Foster to elaborate on what he's planning for the Dock Street Chamber Music programs: A range of works that stretch from Charleston's colonial past to a world premiere to be sung by multi-Grammy winner Dawn Upshaw. Music:  Here Comes the SunPost & Courier critic Adam Parker is impressed with Geoff Nuttall's on-stage demeanor as the host of the Chamber Music Concerts.  Different from his illustrious predecessor, Charles Wadsworth, but no less distinct.  Hear for yourself in Nuttall's introduction to the String Quartet in D, Op. 20, No. 4.   You'll then hear it played by the Saint Lawrence String Quartet. Feature: Spoleto Day BookMarc Overton has an Invitation to the Dance at Spoleto… Performance-Chat: Leszek MozdzerJennifer Foster sits down at the Steinway with the remarkable Polish jazz pianist Leszeck Mozdzer to discuss Chopin, Charleston, and his habit of putting drinking glasses, combs, and even his own CDs on the piano strings to combat boredom.  Along the way Mozdzer discovers his unwitting hand in creating the Spoleto Today theme song… Overtone 3 – The Villaume VacuumMarc Overton shares his thoughts with Jennifer Foster about the surprising resignation of Spoleto's Opera and Orchestra Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, and his contributions have meant to the evolution of the Spoleto Festival USA. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/goeff_nutall_leszek_mozdzer_and_the_press_box/ Tue, 1 Jun 2010 15:00:12 +00:00 0:58:51 Opening Weekend: What's Next for Spoleto? Jennifer Foster and Marcus Overton revisit the talk – and the hot topics – at the openingweekend festivities at the Spoleto Festival USA. With the Dock Street Theatre renovation complete, there's an even more ambitious project on the City of Charleston's drawing board: a $100 million makeover of Gaillard Auditorium, the city's largest performance space. Feature: Emmanuel Villaume: Conducting in Charleston Spoleto Today producer Benjamin K. Roe sits in on a rehearsal session at the Gaillard to hear Spoleto's Music Director for Opera & Orchestra Emmanuel Villaume whip the orchestra into shape with some of the most difficult works in the repertory. Villaume discusses the challenges – and rewards – of getting this orchestra of talented students to jell in a matter of days, producing what he calls "explosions – but elegant ones" in works such as Ravel's La Valse, as well as the challenges and rewards he faces crafting his programs at home and abroad. We'll also hear Villaume lead the orchestra through the exciting final pages of Ravel's masterpiece (and see it, too...via the video on the spoletofest.org website!) Music: A Dock Street Downbeat New director Geoff Nuttall leads fellow Spoleto Chamber musicians in the first music to be heard in the series at the renovated Dock Street Theatre: The Canon & Gigue by Johann Pachelbel. Feature: The Marionettes from Milan Jennifer Foster examines the enchanting work of the Cola Marionette Theatre, the Italian troupe that's delighting Spoleto audiences with their production of Philemon and Baucis, the little- known "puppet opera" by Haydn. Director Piero Corbella maintains that the centuries-old tradition of his company are the 18th-century equivalent of modern-day avatars – only more compelling. MUSIC/Feature: Spoleto's Early Music Tradition From an opening-day concert by Charleston Pro Musica and the Madrigal Singers of Charlotte, we'll hear Piccolo Spoleto's Early Music Series director Steve Rosenberg lead a performance of Les Bouffons by 16th century Flemish composer Pierre Phalese, a piece with a Monty Pythonesque plot. Rosenberg shares some ideas about the success of the 15-concert Early Music Series at Piccolo, before picking up his Renaissance guitar and joining the groups in two anonymous 16th-century selections: the Italian Ben venga maggio, and the Catalan L'amor dona . Recorded in concert Friday afternoon 5/28 at First Scots Presbyterian Church in Charleston. The Press Box Charleston Post & Courier critic Jack McCray joins Marc Overton to preview one of the most Intriguing weeks of jazz performances in Spoleto's history, with performances on tap by a Polish pianist (Leszek Mozdzer), a Brazilian vocalist (Fabiana Cozza), and a bluesy Georgian diva (Lizz Wright) MUSIC: Mozdzer's Mazurka Leczek Mozdzer says, "The melodic quality of Chopin's music and this Slavonic sorrow appeal to me most. Also, I am constantly inspired by his harmony, especially his masterly use of diminished chords and the chromaticism, which electrify every jazz man." Mozdzer was so inspired, in fact, that he made a landmark (and controversial) recording in 1999 called "Impressions on Chopin." Is it Jazz? Is it Classical? Does it matter? Listen to Mozdzer's take on Chopin's Mazurka in F, Op. 68, No. 3 Overtone 2– Marcus Overton & Jennifer Foster Yes, times are tight, so Marc Overton has some suggestions as to some of the great FREE Things to Do in Charleston during the Spoleto run. Opening Weekend: What's Next for Spoleto? Jennifer Foster and Marcus Overton revisit the talk – and the hot topics – at the openingweekend festivities at the Spoleto Festival USA. With the Dock Street Theatre renovation complete, there's an even more ambitious project on the City of Charleston's drawing board: a $100 million makeover of Gaillard Auditorium, the city's largest performance space. Feature: Emmanuel Villaume: Conducting in Charleston Spoleto Today producer Benjamin K. Roe sits in on a rehearsal session at the Gaillard to hear Spoleto's Music Director for Opera & Orchestra Emmanuel Villaume whip the orchestra into shape with some of the most difficult works in the repertory. Villaume discusses the challenges – and rewards – of getting this orchestra of talented students to jell in a matter of days, producing what he calls "explosions – but elegant ones" in works such as Ravel's La Valse, as well as the challenges and rewards he faces crafting his programs at home and abroad. We'll also hear Villaume lead the orchestra through the exciting final pages of Ravel's masterpiece (and see it, too...via the video on the spoletofest.org website!) Music: A Dock Street Downbeat New director Geoff Nuttall leads fellow Spoleto Chamber musicians in the first music to be heard in the series at the renovated Dock Street Theatre: The Canon & Gigue by Johann Pachelbel. Feature: The Marionettes from Milan Jennifer Foster examines the enchanting work of the Cola Marionette Theatre, the Italian troupe that's delighting Spoleto audiences with their production of Philemon and Baucis, the little- known "puppet opera" by Haydn. Director Piero Corbella maintains that the centuries-old tradition of his company are the 18th-century equivalent of modern-day avatars – only more compelling. MUSIC/Feature: Spoleto's Early Music Tradition From an opening-day concert by Charleston Pro Musica and the Madrigal Singers of Charlotte, we'll hear Piccolo Spoleto's Early Music Series director Steve Rosenberg lead a performance of Les Bouffons by 16th century Flemish composer Pierre Phalese, a piece with a Monty Pythonesque plot. Rosenberg shares some ideas about the success of the 15-concert Early Music Series at Piccolo, before picking up his Renaissance guitar and joining the groups in two anonymous 16th-century selections: the Italian Ben venga maggio, and the Catalan L'amor dona . Recorded in concert Friday afternoon 5/28 at First Scots Presbyterian Church in Charleston. The Press Box Charleston Post & Courier critic Jack McCray joins Marc Overton to preview one of the most Intriguing weeks of jazz performances in Spoleto's history, with performances on tap by a Polish pianist (Leszek Mozdzer), a Brazilian vocalist (Fabiana Cozza), and a bluesy Georgian diva (Lizz Wright) MUSIC: Mozdzer's Mazurka Leczek Mozdzer says, "The melodic quality of Chopin's music and this Slavonic sorrow appeal to me most. Also, I am constantly inspired by his harmony, especially his masterly use of diminished chords and the chromaticism, which electrify every jazz man." Mozdzer was so inspired, in fact, that he made a landmark (and controversial) recording in 1999 called "Impressions on Chopin." Is it Jazz? Is it Classical? Does it matter? Listen to Mozdzer's take on Chopin's Mazurka in F, Op. 68, No. 3 Overtone 2– Marcus Overton & Jennifer Foster Yes, times are tight, so Marc Overton has some suggestions as to some of the great FREE Things to Do in Charleston during the Spoleto run. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/mondays_spoleto_today1/ Mon, 31 May 2010 15:00:29 +00:00 0:58:51 Prologue to a New Old TheatreJennifer Foster and Marcus Overton discuss the renovated Dock Street Theatre, with commentary from Spoleto General Director Nigel Redden and Chamber Music director Geoff Nuttall. And actress Heather Gillespie is heard in Charleston playwright Dubose Heyward’s stirring Prologue, written for the 1937 dedication of Dock Street. South of Broad: Pat Conroy’s CharlestonThe mega-selling author muses on his adopted state, his mother’s advice, his father’s legacy, and his first visit to Charleston, the memories of which inspired the title of his new novel, South of Broad. The Choir Master: Rob TaylorMarcus Overton talks to the College of Charleston conductor, who directs the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Spotlight on the Art of Choral Music series, in addition to several other vocal ensembles around town.  We’ll hear Taylor’s Madrigal Singers perform a selection from their program Pleasures of the Royal Courts. Feature: The Press BoxCharleston Post & Courier critic Adam Parker joins Jennifer to explain the Spoleto happenings that are catching his eye.  And he gives us his take on the controversial Rhode Island-South Carolina connection highlighted in the 2010 commemorative poster by Maya Lin. Overtone 1– Marcus Overton & Jennifer FosterMarc, a veteran observer of the Spoleto scene offers his own history and insight into the meaning of the Dock Street Theatre renovation. Prologue to a New Old TheatreJennifer Foster and Marcus Overton discuss the renovated Dock Street Theatre, with commentary from Spoleto General Director Nigel Redden and Chamber Music director Geoff Nuttall. And actress Heather Gillespie is heard in Charleston playwright Dubose Heyward’s stirring Prologue, written for the 1937 dedication of Dock Street. South of Broad: Pat Conroy’s CharlestonThe mega-selling author muses on his adopted state, his mother’s advice, his father’s legacy, and his first visit to Charleston, the memories of which inspired the title of his new novel, South of Broad. The Choir Master: Rob TaylorMarcus Overton talks to the College of Charleston conductor, who directs the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Spotlight on the Art of Choral Music series, in addition to several other vocal ensembles around town.  We’ll hear Taylor’s Madrigal Singers perform a selection from their program Pleasures of the Royal Courts. Feature: The Press BoxCharleston Post & Courier critic Adam Parker joins Jennifer to explain the Spoleto happenings that are catching his eye.  And he gives us his take on the controversial Rhode Island-South Carolina connection highlighted in the 2010 commemorative poster by Maya Lin. Overtone 1– Marcus Overton & Jennifer FosterMarc, a veteran observer of the Spoleto scene offers his own history and insight into the meaning of the Dock Street Theatre renovation. http://www.scetv.org/index.php/spoleto_today/show/the_kick-off/ Fri, 28 May 2010 14:58:24 +00:00 0:42:26