South Carolina
Spoleto Festival USA
Program No. 21257RJ
The Spoleto Festival is a performing arts festival set in Charleston, a city chosen for its similarities to Spoleto, Italy. Come see for yourself as you enjoy art, cuisine and culture.
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
10 meals (
5B, 2L, 3D
)
3 expert-led lectures
1 expert-led field trip
7 performances
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-In, Orientation, Get Acquainted
Location:
Charleston, South Carolina
Meals:
D
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Walking from hotel to Spoleto venues is can be as close as 2 blocks or as far as 6-8 blocks. The city offers free shuttle service at selected pickup points but is not always reliable on time. Bike taxis are also available for hire at a cost of $10 per rider (2-3 people per bike) or $15 for solo riders, for every 10 minutes. We recommend a bike taxi if you are unable to walk the distance. We will provide telephone numbers for you.
Afternoon:
HOTEL CHECK-IN: Available from 4:00 pm. PROGRAM REGISTRATION: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar desk in the lobby to register with the program staff at our desk in the lobby beginning at 4:30 pm. You’ll receive your arrival packet containing the most up-to-date schedule and program information that we’ll review during our orientation session before dinner. If you arrive late, please pick up your packet at the hotel front desk. ORIENTATION: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful, rewarding, and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
The remainder of the evening is yours to begin getting to know one another, walk around the neighborhood, or relax in the hotel as you prepare for tomorrow. You are embarking on a special Road Scholar program that includes expert lectures and attending selected events from the schedules of Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto as well as a significant amount of free time to pursue your own interests with opportunities to dine out on your own. The preparatory materials you receive following enrollment will provide more details about the ticketed events included in your program. We highly recommend checking the Spoleto USA website that explains how the festival is organized and how you can purchase tickets when the time comes for the events you would like to attend on your own. To avoid duplication, DO NOT ORDER TICKETS UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED ON roadscholar.org UNDER YOUR PROGRAM WEEK TO SEE WHAT TICKETS ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR PROGRAM. This will not be available until January. For information on Spoleto go to http://spoletousa.org/home/
Day
2
Spoleto Presentation, Chamber Music IX, Mahler Symphony
Location:
Charleston, South Carolina
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Classroom presentation. Walk from hotel to Chamber Music at the Dock St. Theater is 1 mile. Walk from Dock St. Theater to lunch restaurant is .4 mile. Walk from hotel to Gaillard Center for Mahler Symphony is .4 mile. Walk is on concrete sidewalks that may be uneven in areas.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
PRESENTATION: Exclusively for our group, a member of the Spoleto Board of Directors (or other festival insider depending on availability) will provide an overview of the festival and discuss its history. 11:00 am, Chamber Music IX, Dock St. Theater, 1 hr, 15 min. A Festival institution rooted in revelry and fellowship, this series features globally renowned musicians performing 11 programs that range from canonical classics to vibrant new works.
Lunch:
At a popular restaurant in the historic district.
Afternoon:
Take time to work in your own activity this afternoon.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
7:00 pm, Mahler Symphony No. 1, Gaillard Center, 1 hr, 30 min. The Festival Orchestra leads audiences through Mahler’s “Titan,” a symphony celebrated for its darkly humorous funeral march and triumphant finale. Opening this program is Paul Wiancko’s new violin concerto, co-commissioned by Spoleto and written for renowned violinist Livia Sohn. Inspired by their longtime friendship, the concerto highlights Sohn’s virtuosity and their artistic bond forged at Spoleto.
Day
3
Conversations, Spoleto Chorus USA
Location:
Charleston, South Carolina
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Classroom presentation. Walk from hotel to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church for Spoleto Chorus USA is 351 feet.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
PRESENTATION: "Conversations With" -- Meet someone from the Charleston Historic Preservation Society to learn more about Spoleto coming to Charleston and about the new and old Charleston.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
5:30 pm, Spoleto Chorus USA: Story Telling, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, 1 hr. n her inaugural season as Music Director of the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, Dr. Amanda Quist leads Storytelling—a program that honors legacy while looking toward the future. Through works by American composers and others who explore identity, memory, and belonging, the concerts celebrate the power of the human voice to connect, reflect, and inspire. Set within the soaring Gothic interior of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, one of Charleston’s most acoustically and architecturally stunning spaces, the Festival Chorus invites audiences to experience music as a shared act of community and renewal.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure
Day
4
Carriage Ride, Sound of Charleston, Sullivan Fortner Trio
Location:
Charleston, South Carolina
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Carriages pull up to a nearly level boarding platform inside the Big Red Barn. There is a small gap to step over, but no steps—access is provided by a ramp to the platform. Walk to Carriage Ride is 1 mile. Walk to lunch is .6 mile. Walk to Circular Church is .4 mile. Walk to COC Recital Hall is .4 mile.
Breakfast:
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning:
You are here because of the Spoleto Festival, but your experience would not be complete without a scenic introduction to the charming city of Charleston itself. Aboard horse-drawn carriages, we will enjoy a pleasant, relaxing, and informative ride through neighborhoods filled with colorful history and picturesque architecture.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
2:00 pm, Sound of Charleston, Circular Church, 1 hr. We will walk to the Circular Church for a performance called Sound of Charleston. "Through gospel spirituals, Civil War songs, Gershwin’s “Porgy & Bess” and “Rhapsody in Blue”, jazz and light classics of the St. Cecelia Society, you'll never forget this special event."
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
6:00 pm, Sullivan Fortner Trio, Simons Ctr, Recital Hall College of Charleston, 1 hr. Returning to Spoleto after his acclaimed 2025 collaboration with Cécile McLorin Salvant and the Festival Orchestra, Sullivan Fortner is one of today’s most celebrated jazz pianists. The first jazz pianist to receive a Gilmore Award, the inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, Fortner is a virtuoso solo artist, bandleader, composer, and McLorin’s primary collaborator. At Spoleto 2026, experience two programs: an intimate solo recital showcasing his improvisational brilliance, and a trio performance highlighting playful counterpoint and ensemble mastery. Don’t miss this rare chance to see a visionary musician at the height of his powers.
Day
5
Sweetgrass Baskets, Ayodele Casel:The Remix, Brandi Carlile
Location:
Charleston, South Carolina
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Start the morning off by hearing from a local expert about the Gullah culture of Charleston. At the hotel, we’ll be joined by a local expert who will tell us the history of sweet grass baskets. We’ll observe a demonstration and see finished baskets. Sweetgrass basket making is the oldest living African handmade art form in America. It was brought from the West Coast of Africa to this land before it was called America, when it was still a British colony. The tradition survives in South Carolina today because this knowledge and artistry have been continually passed down through generations of descendants of those Africans brought from West Africa. Sweetgrass baskets are crafted from sweetgrass, bulrush harvested from South Carolina’s saltwater marshes, and longleaf pine needles, all bound together with strips from palmetto tree leaves.
Lunch:
This meal has been excluded from your program cost to allow you to fit meals in around your Spoleto activities..
Afternoon:
2:00 pm, Ayodele Casel: The Remix, Sottile Theater, 90 min. Ayodele Casel returns to Spoleto Festival USA with The Remix, a vibrant celebration of tap dance as a uniquely American art form. Reflecting on her decades-long career, Casel reimagines works from the past 20 years through the music and cultural spirit of the 1990s tap renaissance. Directed by Torya Beard, the evening honors the innovation, community, and authenticity of hip-hop culture and the tap movement of that era. Joined by a dynamic ensemble of longtime collaborators—dancers and musicians alike—Casel showcases the cast’s distinctive artistic voices and celebrates the 20th anniversary of her acclaimed work Audrey, a tribute to Dave Brubeck, Honi Coles, and Cholly Atkins. “A tap dancer of fine-grained musicianship” — The New Yorker
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
9:00 pm, Brandi Carlile, College of Charleston Cistern Yard, 1 hr, 30 min. Brandi Carlile takes the Cistern stage for an intimate solo acoustic performance. Experience a deeply personal evening of music and storytelling—pure artistry at its finest. One of music’s most respected voices, Brandi Carlile is an Oscar-nominee, 11x Grammy-winner, 2x EMMY-winner and #1 New York Times Bestselling author. After pouring herself into projects with musical icons, Carlile is looking inward on her new album, Returning To Myself (Interscope Records/Lost Highway), produced by Carlile, Andrew Watt, Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon.
Day
6
Program Concludes, 12:00 pm Hotel Check Out and Departures
Location:
Charleston, South Carolina
Meals:
B
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
This concludes our program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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Please Note:
This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.
Jun 3 - Jun 8, 2026 Itinerary Differences:
Performances for Spoleto week of Jun 3 - 8, 2026:
Thurs, Jun 4, 11:00 am, Chamber Music IX
Thurs, Jun 4, 7:00 pm, Mahler "Titan" Symphony No. 1
Fri, Jun 5, 5:30 pm, Spoleto Chorus USA: Story Telling
Sat, Jun 6, 2:00 pm, Sound of Charleston
Sat, Jun 6, 6:00 pm, Sullivan Fortner Trio
Sun, Jun7, 2:00 pm, Ayodele Casel:The Remix
Sun, Jun 7, 9:00 pm, Brandi Carlile at Cistern
Daily, 3:00 pm, Piccolo Music, venue to TBD