The 32nd Spoleto Festival USA comes to Charleston May 23 through June 8. Artists from around the world will perform in more than 45 productions. I will be reviewing six of these, three of which are operas.

The first is "Amistad," the two-hour premiere of a newly revised version of Anthony Davis' opera. "Amistad" is the true story of a slave ship seized off the coast of Long Island in 1839 by the U.S. Coast Guard. It should be exciting to hear beautiful music while learning a history lesson. I think it is indeed fitting that a new work about new beginnings will be performed in the newly renovated Memminger Auditorium.

Another American premiere I will be seeing is the two-hour spectacular "Monkey: Journey to the West." This opera is an adaptation of a 400-year-old classic of Chinese literature -- the travels of the Monkey King. More than 60 performers will be on stage mixing music, acrobatics and the martial arts.

Gioachino Rossini's "La Cenerentola" is the third and final opera I will be reviewing. This version of the classic tale of Cinderella premiered in Rome in 1817, a year after his "Barber of Seville." Instead of a fairy godmother and glass slippers, Rossini uses philosophers and magic bracelets. However, be prepared to sit for a while; this performance lasts nearly three hours.

On a change of pace, I will also be seeing "The Break/s." Marc Bamuthi Joseph -- with two turntables, live feed and his own voice -- recreates the living history of the hip-hop generation. Theater, dance and film come together in this one-hour performance.

Another fairy tale-themed performance will be "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." This production blends live performance with pre-recorded silent movie film. The 90-minute story is told in a series of vigne

ttes that are supposedly dark, comedic and innovative. I can hardly wait.

I chose to see the Carolina Chocolate Drops because my husband enjoys good banjo music. This trio of string and jug-band musicians combines rich tradition of fiddle and banjo music from the 1920s and '30s in a 75-minute show. The Drops, from the Carolina Piedmont, are heralded as leading a revival of traditional African-American string music. Their music can be heard in the latest Denzel Washington film "The Great Debaters."

The six I chose to review are only a small sampling of the varied art forms you can enjoy at Spoleto Festival USA. For a list of these and more, visit www.spoletousa.org. Piccolo Spoleto is the sister organization that will be ongoing at the same time. This venue has hundreds of offerings, many of which are free. For more information on Piccolo Spoleto, visit www.piccolospoleto.com.

Orangeburg native Boo Sheppard, retired host of Time-Warner's "Orangeburg Inside Out," lives in Charleston with her husband, Macon.

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