Piccolo Spoleto

Under the direction of Ellen Dressler Moryl, Piccolo Spoleto was designed and launched in 1979 by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs together with a group of volunteers from the Charleston arts community. These arts professionals devoted their time and energy to help produce the various series and presentations which comprised the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Their individual artistic taste and judgment manifested into the comprehensive festival program which for the last 26 years has been produced and presented by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs. Piccolos mission is to provide access to the Spoleto Festival experience for everyone, regardless of their economic, social or physical circumstances and to provide the opportunity for excellent local and regional artists, writers and performances to be presented in Piccolos local venue. Piccolo Spoleto offers something wonderful for everyone – from classical to contemporary, from traditional to cutting edge. One of the unique aspects of Piccolo Spoleto is the accessibility to the Spoleto Festival experience. Half of Piccolos events are admission-free, and the rest are offered at very modest ticket prices. The Piccolo Spoleto Festival is produced and directed by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and is funded in part by grants from the City of Charleston; Charleston County; South Carolina Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; and the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.