Also slated for the coming season are performances of Respighi's puppet opera Sleeping Beauty in the Woods and the U.S. premiere of Braunfels' The Birds.

The dance program includes works by Italian choreographer Emio Greco, and performances by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Savion Glover.

Among the jazz artists on the schedule are Kate McGarry, Andre Mehmari, Tord Gustavsen, and Shirley Horn.

Spoleto Festival USA was founded in 1977 as an American counterpart to the Festival of Two Worlds held every year in Spoleto, Italy. The composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who founded both the American and the Italian versions, created the festival as a forum for young American artists in Europe; it has since grown to a highly regarded program of both traditional and experimental work, producing its own operas, and with a resident ensemble made up of musicians from all over the country.