SC Public Radio announces coverage plans for Spoleto Festival USA 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Public Radio (SC Public Radio) today announced coverage plans for Spoleto Festival USA 2021. Sonatas & Soundscapes, which airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on the network’s News & Music stations, will feature Spoleto content from May 28 through June 18. Additionally, SC Public Radio is continuing its Spoleto Backstage podcast for the 2021 festival with new episodes premiering Tuesdays and Fridays from June 1 to July 5.

Although Sonatas & Soundscapes will begin festival coverage May 28, the program won’t start broadcasting live from the Dock Street Theatre in downtown Charleston, S.C. until Friday, June 4, when recordings from the festival’s renowned Chamber Music series will be featured. Hosted by SC Public Radio’s Bradley Fuller, Sonatas & Soundscapes will also feature interviews with musicians and Geoff Nuttall, the festival’s director of Chamber Music.

South Carolinians looking to listen to Sonatas & Soundscapes can tune in to 89.3 FM HD1 in Charleston, 91.3 FM in Columbia and 90.1 FM in Greenville/Spartanburg. In addition, a livestream of SC Public Radio’s News & Music format broadcast can be accessed on www.southcarolinapublicradio.org or by downloading the SCETV app, which is available on all iOS and Android devices.

Spoleto Backstage, a podcast featuring interviews with key figures and artists, is also returning for the 2021 festival. In total,11 episodes will be released with episode premieres occurring twice weekly through July 5. All episodes will be available here and wherever podcasts are heard.

SC Public Radio began covering Spoleto Festival USA in 1981, meaning this year’s festival marks four decades of collaboration. Now in its 48th year of broadcasting, SC Public Radio reaches more than 300,000 listeners each week. With eight transmitters located across the state, the network offers two formats – News/Talk and News/Music. For more on SC Public Radio, visit southcarolinapublicradio.org.

For more on this year’s Spoleto Festival, visit spoletofestival.org

QUOTE:

“Spoleto Festival USA is one of the world’s most renowned arts festivals, and we’re excited to celebrate SC Public Radio’s four-decade partnership with the festival this year. Although tickets and seating will be limited to ensure social distancing, we hope our coverage of the 2021 season will allow many across our state and beyond the opportunity to enjoy the world-class talent that will be on display.” –SCETV and SC Public Radio President and CEO Anthony Padgett

“This year especially, we are thrilled for SCETV and SC Public Radio’s commitment to and support of Spoleto Festival USA. Due to limited capacities, so many chamber music enthusiasts were not able to get a seat inside the Dock Street Theatre, and the radio broadcasts of the concerts are truly the next best thing. Not only is the sound quality impeccable, listening on ‘Sonatas and Soundscapes’ also provides extra insight to the artists and music thanks to Bradley Fuller’s engaging interviews. Through the last 40 years, SCETV producers have become some of our closest collaborators; we look forward to continuing that relationship for many years to come.” –Spoleto Festival USA General Director Nigel Redden

FIVE FAST FACTS:                                               

  • SC Public Radio to cover Spoleto Festival USA 2021 on Sonatas & Soundscapes program and Spoleto Backstage podcast.
  • Broadcasting live from the historic Dock Street Theatre, Sonatas & Soundscapes will air recordings from the festival’s renowned Chamber Music series, starting Friday, June 4 at 11 a.m.
  • In total, 11 episodes of the Spoleto Backstage podcast will be released twice per week through July 5, with the first episode premiering on June 1.
  • SC Public Radio began covering Spoleto Festival USA in 1981, meaning this year’s festival marks four decades of collaboration.
  • A livestream of SC Public Radio’s broadcast can be accessed on www.southcarolinapublicradio.org or by downloading the SCETV app, which is available on all iOS and Android devices.