Emmanuel Villuame directs a Spoleto Festival USA orchestra rehearsal.

Official release from Spoleto Festival USA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Emmanuel Villaume to Step Down
as Spoleto Festival USA Music Director for Opera & Orchestra

MAY 31, 2010 (CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA)—Emmanuel Villaume, the Christel DeHaan Music Director for Opera & Orchestra for Spoleto Festival USA, announced at today’s full board meeting that he will leave his position after the current season. “I love this Festival deeply and I have always said that if I could not give the organization what I consider to be the necessary time, I would step down from my position,” said Villaume. Recently appointed Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Maestro Villaume also serves as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and is a highly sought-after guest conductor worldwide.

Maestro Villaume is the longest serving Music Director for Opera & Orchestra for Spoleto Festival USA, having taken up this post in 2001. Prior to that, he made his 1990 American debut with the Festival’s acclaimed production of Le nozze di Figaro, directed by Gian Carlo Menotti, in which Renée Fleming first sang the role of the Countess.

“Emmanuel will be deeply missed. He did brilliant work developing the quality of our orchestra,” said Spoleto General Director Nigel Redden. “We have already talked about his returning to the Festival in future seasons as a guest conductor,” Mr. Redden added.

“Emmanuel has been a wonderful music director and an important presence here at the Festival. We are grateful that he is leaving the orchestra and the Festival in such good shape,” said Spoleto Chairman Martha Ingram.

Mr. Villaume has conducted many celebrated productions over the last ten years. The production of Don Giovanni, directed by Günther Krämer, was described in The New York Times as a “triumph.” The success of that production led to the innovative renovation of Memminger Auditorium in which it was staged. Maestro Villaume chose to open the newly renovated Memminger with the premiere of Anthony Davis’ newly revised Amistad. Opera Today declared the production “a coup of music theater for Spoleto — an experiment in opera grand and intimate and timely in its content.”

Perhaps Maestro Villaume’s major achievement at the Festival was his work with the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra. The orchestra, made up of young musicians chosen from some 800 candidates who audition throughout the United States, has been described as “one of the best orchestras in America” by Tim Page of The Post and Courier (Charleston). “The orchestra is truly the star of this show” declared James Oestreich of The New York Times on its work in 2008’s Faustus, the Last Night.

During the 2010 season, Maestro Villaume will conduct the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in two orchestral concerts, on Monday, May 31, and Sunday, June 6.

The Tweet Wall at Gaillard Auditorium

Have you seen our Tweet wall? It will be making appearances around town at special events. It is the brainchild of Sarah Zimmerman, a Goldring Arts Journalism writer who studies design. It is the Twitter feed for all items Spoleto and Piccolo.

Tweet and join the conversation. Use #spoto to appear on the wall. (Hint: It changes every 6 seconds.)

As you no doubt read in today’s review by Carol Furtwangler of the College of Charleston’s production of “Quills” for Piccolo Spoleto, there’s more than an hour’s worth of full-frontal male nudity onstage there. That beats the blink-and-you-might-miss-it naked moment in the Big Festival’s production of “Don John,” although “Don John” has plenty of R-rated material. “Quills” is about the Marquis de Sade. “Don John” is about, you know, Don Juan. So … similar perversions abound.

So far, I’ve heard of no MORE  naked moments in Spoleto or Piccolo Spoleto productions. If you see one, quick, Tweet it to me. We were all a little disappointed  to find that the WOW! costume moment in the opera “Louise” was NOT a naked moment, but a costume made of (SPOLER ALERT!) lightbulbs.

Meanwhile, over at Chamber Music, cell phones have been going off … in quiet moments … in the middle of cello solos. Chamber maestro Charles Wadsworth  had to issue a reminder during one performance to turn off the jingle-jangler in your pocket. Only a few forgetful souls are to blame. This is probably not The End of Concert Etiquette As We Know It.

Overheard at King and Calhoun today: “It’s HOT here. Where’s that breeze that’s supposed to blow ALL the time?” Heat outside is one thing, but what is going on with the air-conditioning at Gaillard Auditorium? House air  is usually set to Arctic there, particularly in advance of a sellout crowd. It’s a well-worn Spoleto warning to wear a a jacket or take a pashmina to Gaillard Spoleto concerts; over the years, it’s been downright refrigerated. But this year I’ve heard several people say that all the performances of Alvin Ailey last weekend were uncomfortably hot and sticky.

Spoleto has said it ain’t them asking for the AC to be cut at Gaillard. But they might not 1) have a say or 2) know about it. Is the building trying to save energy and therefore money? Does it have anything today with today’s Page 1 story about the $105 million makeover that Gaillard needs? Spoletians are used to feeling like freshly sprayed spring vegetables in the cooler bins at the Piggly Wiggly. Is the lack of AC the city’s fault? Is this part of a Recessionista Conspiracy?

I’m just sayin’ …

All the Spoleto Today programming is coming together and helping each other out. The P&C’s Jack McCray, i.e. our jazz man and our overview critic Tim Page can be heard on the Spoleto Today program with Marcus Overton and Jennifer Foster. They will have lots of cool interviews and classical music.

Weekdays Friday, May 22 through Friday, June 5. The lineup includes:

11 a.m. – 12 noon - Marcus Overton & Jennifer Foster host Spoleto Today. This one-hour show will give listeners a daily tour of the art, the players, the sights and sounds of one of the world’s most comprehensive arts festivals

12 noon to 1 p.m., Jennifer Foster continues with The Mozart Café (available only on WDAV).

1 to 3 PM, Carolina Classics offers next-day broadcasts of Spoleto Chamber Music concerts, Piccolo Spoleto performances and more.

Here’s the link:

http://www.classicalpublicradio.org/site/

SPOLETO

“Louise.” Boho Paris.  30 characters.  Another chance to hear French opera. What else do you need? I hear there’s a wow! costume entrance. Plus, you know the story already. June 4 at 5 p.m., “Louise” cast singers will give a recital of arias and art songs. (Intermezzi.)

“Don John.” The Cornwallish wacko Kneehigh Theatre returns. I hear the lead is really cute. Plus, you know the story already.

Pianist Andre von Oeyen. (Intermezzi.)

Mahler’s “Song of the Earth.”

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s golden anniversary retrospective. No matter how many times you’ve seen them, they’re always magic. This will sell out.

Mozart’s “Requiem.” Poulenc’s “Gloria.” Nice pair.

“Addicted to Bad Ideas: Peter Lorre’s 20th-Century” by the World/Inferno Friendship Society. Multimedia punk song cycle with style, range and attitude. Follow these guys around town. I hear they’ll be staying up late.

Celebrate Charles Wadsworth. Of the several opportunities to say farewell to the longtime maestro of the chamber series, I’d pick high tea on Sunday, June 7, if I could afford it. OK, it’s 100 bucks, but hey, there’s a concert and it’s tea! For the cheap crowd, Wadsworth will yak for free June 4 at 5 p.m. at Simons Center Recital Hall, C of C.

Chamber Music. Pick one. Or three. Any one. Any three.

Music in Time. All three of these performances … by Michael Harrison on just-intonation piano, Yumiko Tanaka on the trad. Japanese stringed instrument the shamisen, Phillip Bimstein on various human and animal sounds, including moo cows … sound fab.

Sarah Chang, violinist. On Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Sarah Chang has been around since she first auditioned for Zubin Mehta at age 8.  I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing her, but I have tickets. This will sell out.

Blues guitarist Beverly Watkins. Rules. (Jazz)

Florin Niculescu

Punch Brothers. Filling this year’s Carolina Chocolate Drops slot in the jazz series, sort of. They get their chops genetically, and it’s fair to say they’ve all put in their 10,000 hours. Plus, they blog. (Jazz)

Florin Niculescu. As a huge fan of the late Django Reinhardt and a huge fan and one-time dinner guest of the late, elegant Stephane Grappelli, I must hear this Gypsy fiddler in his American debut. (Jazz)

Ramberto Ciammarughi. As a piano fanatic, I must see this Italian heavyweight in his American debut. (Jazz … great Jazz lineup, Michael)

It’s true: Life can come at you fast, as the TV ad says. Such as when going out to dinner results in an injury that forces the cancellation of a long-anticipated and carefully rehearsed musical appearance. University of South Carolina music professor Marina Lomazov, who lives in Columbia, was looking forward to her performance in the prestigious Piccolo Spoleto Spotlight Concert Series to be held Thursday night, May 29, at the New Tabernacle Fouth Baptist Church, 22 Elizabeth St. And, for sure, at $10 a head, the 11-concert series is one of the best deals in town.

However, according to the Spotlight coordinator Norbert Lewandowski, a cellist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, several days ago Lomazov was going through the door of a restaurant in Columbia.  When the friend with her pushed the double doors open, an 8-foot-long, approximately 50-pound dividing rod connecting the two-parts of the double doors, crashed down upon her, breaking her collar bone.

Unfortunately, this meant Lomazov would be unable to perform in a concert titled “Marina Lomazov and Friends,” featuring six of the state’s musicians performing music by Shostakovich and Schnittke.
Piccolo officials had to scramble to get someone to take her place, but Andrew Armstrong, who now lives in New York but has frequently played for events here such as the College of Charleston’s International Piano Series, agreed to take her place and the program was renamed “Andrew Armstrong and Friends.”
The good news is that Lewandowski reports that doctors expect Lomazov to fully recover within four weeks.

And, of course, there’s always next year.

We hear that Lou Reed, past master of kinkiness (with the Velvet Underground), avante ’60s New York artist, looming figure of black leathery campiness, and possessor one of rock and roll’s darkest visages (along with Keith Richards) … is coming to Spoleto. We hear that he’s booked a palatial … well, maybe not palatial, call it presidential … suite at Charleston Place.

This makes total sense. Lou Reed is married to performance artist Laurie Anderson … since last month (congratulations brilliant couple!) and the two have been collaborating musically since they got together in the 1990s.

Lou Reed, with the Velvet Underground, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Last time I saw him was when he was touring behind the “New York” studio album, or maybe behind “Songs for Drella,” a collaboration with John Cale. Can’t remember.

Anyway, I’ve always loved Lou Reed’s finely crafted tunes that go places other songwriters won’t. Laurie Anderon’s “Homeland” arrives at Spoleto during its world tour June 4-6. We don’t know if Reed is involved in that project. But if you see him around town and you appreciate his career, say hi. We will not link here to the famous Lester Bangs interviews with Lou Reed although we recommend them as being among the funniest rock and roll mashups in music history.