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The Spoleto Festival 2008 Charleston, South Carolina May 28 to June 1, 2008 |
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For 17 days and nights each spring, Spoleto Festival USA fills Charleston, South Carolina’s historic theaters, churches and outdoor spaces with over 120 performances by renowned artists as well as emerging performers in disciplines ranging from opera, theater, music theater, dance, and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music, as well as the visual arts. Spoleto Festival USA has firmly established itself as one of the world’s major arts festivals, presenting 100 world premieres and 93 American premieres since its inception in 1977. Join us for a taste of this extraordinary musical feast! Performances Booked for this Tour! Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour Itinerary |
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 28 Depart Ottawa for Charleston via Chicago on United Airlines arriving into Charleston International Airport at 1:50 p.m. Meet our local guide and transfer by motorcoach to the Mills House Hotel, a gem of a luxury historic hotel – the epitome of true southern hospitality. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Evening transfer to Gaillard Municipal Auditorium for the 8 pm performance of Newman/Brahms. Transfer back to the hotel following the event. |
 
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THURSDAY, MAY 29 Breakfast at the hotel prior to gathering in the lobby to depart for Middleton Place Plantation. Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark and a carefully preserved 18th century plantation that has survived revolution, Civil War, and earthquake. It was the home of many generations of Middletons, beginning with Henry Middleton, President of the First Continental Congress; his son Arthur, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; his grandson Henry, Governor of South Carolina and an American Minister to Russia; and his great-grandson Williams, a signer of the Ordinance of Secession. Enjoy a guided tour of the house, gardens and stable yard followed by a buffet lunch in the pavilion. After lunch, depart for Liberty Square to prepare to board the boat for a cruise of the harbour and a tour of Fort Sumter – the Island Fort where the Civil War began. South Carolina had seceded from the Union, yet Union forces still occupied strategic Fort Sumter at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. The South demanded that Fort Sumter be vacated; the North refused. Finally, on April 12th, 1861, from nearby Fort Johnson, South Carolina troops of the Confederacy fired on the Fort – the start of a two-day bombardment that resulted in the surrender of Fort Sumter by Union troops. We will return to the docks and board our coach for transfer back to the hotel. Dinner on your own. Evening transfer to Memminger Auditorium for the 8 pm performance of Armistad. Following the performance transfer back to the hotel. BL |
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FRIDAY, MAY 30 Breakfast at the hotel, then gather in the lobby to meet our guide for a walking tour of the highlights of the charming historical city of Charleston. Our city guide will begin with the early colonial history of the South Carolina Lowcountry continuing with the antebellum city and then concluding with the Victorian era. Enjoy the splendour of Charleston’s stately colonial and antebellum homes that have survived for centuries. Our tour will include St. Michael’s Church, the oldest church edifice in the City of Charleston, standing on the site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia, and the Nathaniel Russell House as well as many of the lovely gardens of Charleston. The morning will conclude with a guided tour and lunch at the Edmondston-Alston House Museum. The stately Edmondston-Alston House was built in 1825 on Charleston’s High Battery and is one of the city’s most splendid dwellings, a gracious example of early nineteenth-century commitment to elegance, style and comfort. Alston family furniture, silver, books and paintings remain in the high-ceilinged rooms much as they have been for over a century and a half. In the 1860’s, its piazzas provided a front-row vantage point to history as General Beauregard joined others at the Alston’s to watch the bombardment of Fort Sumter. The Edmondston-Alston House was one of the first dwellings built on Charleston’s High Battery. Following lunch, return to the hotel at your leisure. Remainder of the afternoon is free to shop or continue exploring this lovely city, with its cobblestone alleys, historic Charleston retains an old world image of horse drawn carriages, church steeples, moss laden live oaks, and wrought iron gates. Evening transfer to the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium for the 7:30 pm performance of La Cenerentola. Following the performance transfer back to the hotel. BL |
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SATURDAY, MAY 31 Morning guided tour at Gibbes Museum of Art. This museum's permanent collection includes over 10,000 pieces of art – primarily American art with an emphasis on the art of Charleston and the South Carolina Low-country. Established in 1905 by the Carolina Art Association, the Gibbes Museum contains an intriguing collection of prints and drawings from the 18th century to the present. On display are landscapes, genre scenes, panoramic views of Charleston harbor, and portraits of South Carolinians (Thomas Middleton by Benjamin West, Charles Izard Manigault by Thomas Sully, or John C. Calhoun by Rembrandt Peale are stand-outs). The museum's collection of some 400 miniature portraits ranks as one of the most comprehensive in the country. Noted artists on display include Washington Allston, Gilbert Stuart and America's first professional female artist, Henrietta Johnston. Remainder of day free. Evening transfer to the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium for the 8 pm performance of Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve. Following the performance transfer back to the hotel. B SUNDAY, JUNE 1 Breakfast at the hotel and morning at leisure. Check out and depart for Charleston International Airport and our return flight to Ottawa, via Chicago. B |
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Travel Agency: Executive Worldwide Travel Agent: Jean Sheikh, C.T.C. (613) 236-5555 Or 1-800-267-5552 Registration No.: 1892605 Coordinator: Suzanne Bisson |
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