Charleston to honor Piccolo founder Ellen Dressler Moryl with annual cello concert

Mayor William Cogswell and City Director of Cultural Affairs Rochelle Riley announced the first Ellen Dressler Moryl Cello Concert, which will be held each year to honor the founding director of the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs and founder of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. The concert will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the City Gallery, 34 Prioleau St.

Concert cellist Gabriel Martins, who gained recognition after winning both the Sphinx Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 2020, will perform at the concert. Registration is required. Click here to RSVP.

The concert comes a week after Moryl, a noted cellist, received a proclamation from the Mayor and City Council.

Moryl, a beloved arts advocate, not only created Piccolo, she also helped create Charleston’s Black Arts Festival, now known as the MOJA Arts Festival.

Thanks to Moryl, Piccolo Spoleto and MOJA broadened participation in the arts by creating accessible and community-based arts programming while OCA continues to partner with grassroots arts organizations and local artists to showcase their talents.

For decades before Covid-19 devastated the arts, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival hosted nearly 500 events across the city. Since Covid, Piccolo has slowly grown back in stature and number of entertainment experiences, from 134 events in 2023 to more than 250 this year.

Moryl’s vision laid the groundwork for that growth, which is why OCA is honoring her. She was widely regarded as a “driving force” behind Charleston’s arts scene for nearly four decades, working closely with civic leadership to embed arts and culture into the city’s long-term development strategy. Her leadership helped position the arts as both a community resource and a driver of economic growth and tourism.

In addition to festivals and policy leadership, Moryl played key roles in launching and overseeing major cultural initiatives and institutions, including the City Gallery at Waterfront Park.

For other Piccolo Spoleto events, please use the 2026 Piccolo Spoleto Festival Guide: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/14fc7fd16a.html#page/1. New print editions are available at the Dock Street Theatre and the Charleston County Library-Main Branch.