The College of Charleston Friends of the School of the Arts will host a sneak preview of the Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. This hour-long event will be presented by music professors Edward Hart and Robert Taylor, theatre professor Todd McNerney, and director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art Mark Sloan. The lecture will highlight various, must-see arts events, as well as give a brief history of both Festivals. The presentation will take place Monday, May 13, 2013 at 6 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip Street. Admission is free and seating is limited. A reception will follow the event.

The School of the Arts has a long-standing relationship with the Spoleto USA and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals. For many years, School of the Arts faculty have taught specialized Spoleto classes at the College of Charleston, introducing the arts to students in conjunction with the Festivals’ performances. Hart and Taylor have performed, or had their original compositions performed, for Piccolo Spoleto on numerous occasions. McNerney has served as Theatre Coordinator for Piccolo Spoleto for over a decade and currently coordinates the Stelle di Domani Series. The Halsey Institute has coordinated exhibitions with both Festivals; this year’s exhibit, part of Spoleto Festival USA, is Rebound: Dissections and Excavations in Book Art by Long-Bin Chen.

Additionally, School of the Arts faculty, students and alumni perform in Festival concerts and productions every year, including the Department of Music’s own Young Artists Series and the Department of Theatre and Dance’s Stelle di Domani Series, both of which involve award-winning students performing alongside well-established guests and alumni.

The Friends of the School of the Arts promotes and supports the School of the Arts’ departments and programs, and also strengthens the relationships amongst the School, the College, the community, and other academic and cultural groups.