CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The Spoleto Festival USA renewed ties with the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, on Friday amid brass fanfares, jazz, tumbling acrobats and a shower of white confetti.
"Today we begin again a process of mutual benefit to share and collaborate, engage our communities and our festivals," Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. told about 2,000 people gathered in front of city hall for the opening of the Charleston festival. "Our family is back together."
Minutes earlier, Mr. Riley and Spoleto Mayor Massimo Brunini signed a partnership agreement between the two cities.
Mr. Brunini, speaking through a translator, said he hoped the festivals will be able to have significant exchanges while maintaining their own autonomy.
"Culture is a feature that brings people closer," Mr. Brunini said. "We always meant our festival as a tool to put different people and cultures in relation to each other."
Both festivals were founded by composer Gian Carlo Menotti and, in the past, had cooperated with shared productions. But that ended 15 years ago when Mr. Menotti left the Charleston festival in a dispute over money and his successor.
The festivals began exploring ways to again cooperate after the composer died last year at age 97.
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