Piccolo Spoleto is an annual event that focuses primarily on artists of the Southeast region to celebrate literary, performing and visual arts.
Piccolo Spoleto is a complement to its parent festival, Spoleto Festival, which brings 700 events in 17 days throughout the Charleston area. The Piccolo Spoleto Festival is produced and directed by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and is funded in part by grants.
In the Summerville area, there will be two Bluegrass cookouts at the Farmhouse Pavilion at the YMCA’s The Ponds facility, shag dancing night at Farringdon Bistropub and a special performance by the Summerville Community Orchestra.

Tammerlin and Sugar Hill at The Ponds
May 24 at 5 p.m.
Bring your picnics and lawn chairs to the family-friendly setting at The Ponds, where Lowcountry folk and bluegrass groups Tammerlin and Sugar Hill will strum guitars and sing harmonies. Tammerlin fuses traditional folk with innovative sounds that will create a new, varied folk art. Sugar Hill’s performance is inspired by and will honor those who fought in the Civil War, along with a salute to the veterans of World War II and the Vietnam conflict. Folk singer/banjo player Kathie Livingston will emcee this special event. Food and soft drinks are available for purchase thanks to Swamp Fox District Boy Scout Troop 759. Arts and crafts activities are coordinated by Flowertown Elementary School. Visit www.DiscoverThePonds.com for directions.

Yeehaw Junction at The Ponds
June 5 at 7 p.m.
Lowcountry bluegrass group Yeehaw Junction is keeping the spirit of traditional bluegrass music alive with a picnic-style, family-friendly night of uplifting bluegrass sounds. The harmonious blend of guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and fiddle bring audiences to their feet. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs since you will be surrounded by a refreshingly natural atmosphere. Folk singer/banjo player Kathie Livingston will emcee this special event. Food and soft drinks available for purchase thanks to Swamp Fox District Boy Scout Troop 759. Arts and crafts activities coordinated by Flowertown Elementary School.

‘Shag The Night Away’ at Farringdon Bistropub
May 30 at 6 p.m.
Farringdon Bistropub, 214 N. Cedar St.
Admission: $10 (Food and drink available for purchase).
Enjoy an evening at Summerville’s newest hotspot and only outdoor bar shagging to all your favorite beach music classics played by Carolina Shag DJ Gerald Scott. If you don’t know South Carolina’s state dance, don’t worry! Charleston’s premiere Shag instructors Jerry and Barbara Wade will be giving lessons from 6 to 7 p.m. Farringdon teamed up with Big Mamma Entertainment and the Beach Music and Shag Preservation Society of S.C. for this event so you know it’s the best Charleston has to offer. Food and drink specials will be available all night. For more info visit www.farringdonbistropub.com.

Summerville Community Orchestra presents George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
June 1 at 8 p.m.
George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, featuring guest artist Maxim Lubarsky with the Summerville Community Orchestra (SCO), is a highlight of this year’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival with a June 1 performance at 8 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke & St. Paul on Coming Street in downtown Charleston.
 Conducted by SCO Music Director, Alexander Agrest, the program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony #1, and Gounod’s Petite Symphony. Tickets cost $10 and may be purchased at the Piccolo Box office at Gaillard Auditorium, online at www.piccolospoleto.com or at the door.