ETV Radio and WDAV Again Join Forces for Coverage of Spoleto Festival USA

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South Carolina ETV Radio and WDAV to Broadcast from Charleston's Spoleto Festival - May 28 to June 11

Featuring Interviews, Previews and Performances Direct From the Festival

For Immediate Release
May 19, 2010

Columbia, SC and Davidson, NC... When Charleston’s Spoleto Festival USA opens this year on Friday, May 28, South Carolina ETV Radio and WDAV 89.9 Classical Public Radio will take their listeners to the stages and behind-the-scenes of this world-renowned cultural festival.

Through their continued partnership, South Carolina ETV Radio and WDAV co-produce and broadcast Spoleto Today each weekday at 11 a.m. and Carolina Classics each weekday at 1 p.m. Both shows feature performances, interviews and previews from Spoleto Festival USA and the regionally-focused Piccolo Spoleto.

Radio listeners can hear the Spoleto programming on WDAV-FM 89.9 in the Charlotte area and on South Carolina ETV Radio's Classical NPR stations: WSCI-FM Charleston 89.3, WEPR-FM Greenville 90.1 and WLTR-FM Columbia 91.3. Online listeners can listen live to the shows at spoletofest.org, and stream, download, and share previous broadcasts.

"South Carolina ETV is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and our annual coverage of the Spoleto Festival USA stands out as one of the brightest spots in our history. We haven't missed a year since the festival's inception," said ETV's Director of Radio, Shari Hutchinson. "We're delighted to continue this tradition, and are so pleased to once again work with WDAV to not only expand our coverage of all the events packed into this year's festival, but to also bring the festival to an even wider audience."

“It’s an historic year at Spoleto, with the restoration and grand re-opening of the festival’s premiere venue, the Dock Street Theater,” notes WDAV General Manager Benjamin K. Roe. “Add to that four operas, thirteen chamber music concerts and a host of choral, symphony, jazz, dance and theater events – it’s a cultural treasure trove! All Carolinians should hear and enjoy this festival. We’re proud to partner with South Carolina ETV Radio to bring it to WDAV listeners. I’m also especially proud to note that we are playing host to American Public Media’s Performance Today – that show’s first visit in the 33-year history of the Spoleto Festival.”

Broadcasting from CofC Radio and The Cougar Media Network at the College of Charleston, South Carolina ETV and WDAV’s Spoleto lineup includes:

11 a.m. - Spoleto Today, featuring hosts Marcus Overton and Jennifer Foster. This one-hour show gives listeners a daily tour of the art, the players, the sights and sounds of one of the world's most comprehensive arts festivals. (Friday, May 28 - Friday, June 11)

12 noon - Foster continues with The Mozart Café, her regular daily midday show. During the festival, the show features special selections inspired by the Spoleto schedule. (available only on WDAV)

1 p.m. - Carolina Classics, hosted by Foster, offers next-day broadcasts of Spoleto Chamber Music concerts under the direction of Geoff Nuttall, who is in his inaugural year at the helm of the venerable series after its former leader, Charles Wadsworth, retired last year (Friday, June 4 - Friday, June 18). Carolina Classics will also feature live recordings of other outstanding classical-music performances from the Carolinas.

Roe and Hutchinson serve as executive producers for Spoleto Today and Carolina Classics.

In addition to the insider commentary of Overton and Foster, Spoleto Today also includes the perspectives of another trusted local media voice, The Post & Courier of Charleston. As a Spoleto Today regular feature, "The Press Box" offers previews and reviews from journalists covering Spoleto Festival USA for The Post & Courier.

About Marcus Overton
Marcus Overton is an Emmy Award-winning television producer, radio commentator, arts administrator, writer and actor. He has served an impressive array of arts organizations, including Chicago's Lyric Opera, The Ravinia Festival, The Washington National Opera and the National Endowment for the Arts. In December 1991, composer Gian Carlo Menotti invited Overton to become Executive Director of Spoleto Festival USA, and in 1994, he assumed the title of Producing Director. Today, Overton makes his home in San Diego. He has served as Board Chairman of the Actors Alliance of San Diego and has enjoyed a long association with La Jolla Music Society.

About Jennifer Foster
Jennifer Foster is a Producer and On-Air Personality at WDAV 89.9. In addition to her midday show, Foster is the producer of WDAV's Radio Chopin, as well as weekly shows, including Artist Spotlight and Choral Showcase. Foster's voice is regularly heard in commercials for television, radio, the Web and movie theaters. Foster's experimental audio sculpture, "The Interview: When Words Fail," premiered at the Baltimore Contemporary Museum as part of the exhibit, More Than Words: Innovative Uses of the Human Voice.

About South Carolina ETV Radio
With eight stations around the state, ETV Radio provides both the NPR News format and the Classical NPR News format and gives South Carolinians a wide variety of programming that suits their needs and helps keep them informed about what matters most to them. Listeners can hear some of the best classical music, but also keep up to date on national news through programs such as Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, The Takeaway, and All Things Considered. ETV Radio produces NPR's longest-running and most widely carried jazz program, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, as well as many local productions, including The Big Picture on the Radio, Your Day, and Walter Edgar's Journal. With live streaming over the Internet at etvradio.org, fans can listen no matter where they are; at home, in the office, in the car, or even from their Web-enabled mobile devices.

About WDAV 89.9 Classical Public Radio
WDAV is one of America’s leading producers of original classical-music programming. In addition to producing 140 hours per week for its own broadcast use on its HD-1, HD-2, and wdav.org channels, the station produces nationally-distributed programs, including A Carolina Christmas with Kathy Mattea, NPR World of Opera, Radio Chopin, and, in partnership with South Carolina ETV Radio, Spoleto Chamber Music. A service of Davidson College in Davidson, NC, WDAV’s 89.9FM signal reaches a 22-county region centered in the Charlotte, NC metro area and ranging from Rock Hill, SC to Galax, VA. WDAV’s broadcasts can be heard live online 24 hours a day at wdav.org and iTunes, as well as on any iPhone equipped with the Public Radio Player.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller (ETV) at (803) 737-6556 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Lisa Gray (WDAV) at (704) 641-4691 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Photos may be downloaded for the sole purpose of publicizing this program. To download an image, click on the picture below. A new Web page will open containing the hi-res version. Right click on the hi-res image, and select "Save As" or "Save Picture As."

Marcus Overton and Jennifer Foster in front of Charleston's newly restored Dock Street Theatre. Photo credit: Wiley Stewart.