III 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 68 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
APRIL 26, 2007 
Received 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Honoring the life and accomplishments of Gian Carlo 
Menotti and recognizing the success of the Spoleto Fes-
tival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, which he 
founded. 
Whereas Gian Carlo Menotti was born on July 7, 1911, in 
Cadegliano-Viconago, Italy; 
Whereas Mr. Menotti began writing songs at age 7, and at 
age 11 wrote both the libretto and music for his first 
opera, The Death of Pierrot; 
Whereas Mr. Menotti began his formal musical training in 
1923 at Milan’s Verdi Conservatory; 
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HCON 68 RDS 
Whereas after the death of his father, Mr. Menotti and his 
mother emigrated to the United States, and he enrolled 
at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music; 
Whereas Mr. Menotti’s first full-length opera, The Consul, 
premiered in 1950, and it won both the Pulitzer Prize for 
Music and, in 1954, the New York Drama Circle Critics’ 
Award for Musical Play of the Year; 
Whereas in 1951, Mr. Menotti wrote his beloved Christmas 
opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, for the Hallmark 
Hall of Fame; 
Whereas Amahl and the Night Visitors was the first opera 
ever written for television in the United States and was 
first aired on Christmas Eve in 1951; 
Whereas Amahl and the Night Visitors was such a success 
that it became an annual Christmas tradition and re-
mains Mr. Menotti’s most popular work to this day; 
Whereas in 1955, Mr. Menotti won a second Pulitzer Prize 
for his opera, The Saint of Bleecker Street; 
Whereas in 1958, Mr. Menotti founded the Festival dei Due 
Mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) in Spoleto, Italy, as 
a forum for young American artists in Europe; 
Whereas when the organizers of the Festival of Two Worlds 
decided to plan a companion festival in the United 
States, they searched for a city that would offer the 
charm of Spoleto, Italy; 
Whereas Mr. Menotti and the Spoleto USA organizers de-
cided that Charleston, South Carolina, was the perfect 
counterpart to Spoleto, Italy, because Charleston is small 
enough to be dominated by nonstop arts events during 
the 17-day festival, but also large and sophisticated 
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HCON 68 RDS 
enough to provide a knowledgeable audience and appro-
priate theaters; 
Whereas the Spoleto USA organizers also observed that 
Charleston has an extensive history of involvement with 
the arts, from housing the Nation’s first theater and bal-
let companies to housing the Nation’s oldest musical or-
ganization; 
Whereas Mr. Menotti founded the Spoleto Festival USA in 
1977, and the festival quickly became a haven for a large 
group of artists, both traditional and experimental, who 
were attracted to the mix of dance, theater, opera, music, 
and visual arts; 
Whereas the Spoleto Festival USA has maintained traditions 
of the Festival of Two Worlds, such as a dedication to 
young artists, an enthusiasm for providing unusual per-
formance opportunities to recognized masters in their 
fields, and a commitment to all forms of the performing 
arts, including classical ballet, modern and post-modern 
dance, opera, chamber, symphonic, and choral music, 
jazz, theater, and visual arts; 
Whereas the Spoleto Festival USA currently claims an audi-
ence of between 70,000 and 80,000 attendees each year; 
and 
Whereas Gian Carlo Menotti died on February 1, 2007, in 
a hospital in Monte Carlo: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress honors the life and accom-
plishments of Gian Carlo Menotti and recognizes the suc-
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cess of the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South 
Carolina, which he founded. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 25, 2007. 
Attest: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
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