Spoleto may rejoin with Italian roots

Charlestonians may be hearing more Italian spoken at the Spoleto Festival USA arts festival this year.

On Monday, the city was visited by a contingent from the Umbrian town of Spoleto, Italy, including Spoleto Mayor Massimo Brunini and a number of Italian business and tourism officials. The group opened a special "Spoleto Corner" at the Charleston Visitor and Convention Center, met with Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, and ended the day with a cocktail party and dinner at the Mills House, featuring Umbrian wines and specialty dishes prepared by three chefs flown in from Spoleto.

Beneath the extensive business promotion, which was three months in the planning, lies the impetus for the visit: to reunite the Spoleto Festival USA, formed in 1977 in Charleston, and the Festival of Two Worlds (Festival dei Due Mondi), which started in 1958 in Spoleto.

Both arts festivals were founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who severed ties with Spoleto Festival USA after a disagreement with the festival board in 2003. Menotti, who died at 95 in 2007, bequeathed the Festival of Two Worlds to his adopted son, Francis Menotti. After a lackluster festival in 2007, he was replaced in January by theater and film director Giorgio Ferrara.

Ferrara was introduced Monday at the Mills House as the new artistic director and president of the Festival of Two Worlds Foundation, the festival's new name. Ferrara said he had a short time to put together the festival, but that it will present theater, opera, classical music and dance.

"This new name for the festival has been approved by the Italian Parliament," Brunini said through an interpreter. "We are creating a festival without Francis Menotti because last year the festival had lots of debt, and the Ministry of Culture wouldn't authorize the funding for it under Francis. Also, Francis wanted conflict with Charleston; we want peace. The big war is over."

Although he was not at the meeting, Spoleto Festival USA General Director Nigel Redden already has been in contact with Ferrara.

In fact, Ferrara said Emmanuel Villaume, Spoleto Festival USA's music director for opera and orchestra, will conduct one of the operas at the June 27-July 13 Festival of Two Worlds Foundation.

He said there are also plans to produce an opera at Spoleto, which will be held May 23 to June 8. "I will visit all the theaters in Charleston to see what will fit and how we can collaborate," Ferrara said.

Before Gian Carlo Menotti departed the Charleston festival, the "sister" festivals shared an orchestra, chamber music, the Westminster Choir and other artists. However, Menotti forced artists to choose between the festivals.

Sergio Fedelini, honorary consul of Italy, said that 122 people were expected to attend the dinner Monday night, including Riley, Charleston City Council members, the mayors of several cities around Charleston, and notable business and tourism leaders.

"The Italian government and individuals have gone to great expense to start this relationship between Charleston and Spoleto," said Riccardo Strano, manager of the Italian Tourism office in North America.

Reach Dottie Ashley at 937-5704 or dashley@postandcourier.com.