NATCHEZ &045; The Alcorn State University Concert Choir will perform as part of the inaugural ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20.

A letter dated Nov. 16 made it official, said Dr. David Blackburn, director of the choir and a professor of music at Alcorn.

Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi heard the choir perform in Port Gibson in October, Blackburn said. &uot;He said to me then, ‘this is the choir I want to perform at the inauguration.’&uot;

Two weeks after the election, Blackburn received the phone call issuing the invitation. The letter from Lott, who is chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, came soon after.

&uot;Of course I told him we’d love to do it,&uot; Blackburn said. &uot;What an honor. We thought maybe we could sing at the National Cathedral or maybe at the White House. But at the inauguration &045; this is something you couldn’t ask to do.&uot;

This is a choir Blackburn is proud to take to Washington, he said. &uot;They are singing very well now,&uot; he said. &uot;This is my fourth year with the choir, and this is the best I’ve had. There is great unity.&uot;

Blackburn requires two things of his choral students &045; attitude and attendance. This choir has adhered to high standards, he said.

About 45 students will make the trip by bus, making stops along the way to give concerts. The first stop will be in Birmingham, Ala., where a church called to invite the choir to sing and pledged $1,000 as a donation.

&uot;I think the people of this area will be very proud of the choir for this invitation,&uot; Blackburn said.

His wife, Sarah Blackburn, is organizing the trip, including the stops along the way and the guest concert appearances. She also is organizing a tour of the Washington area for the students during their three-day stay in the capital city.

He does not know what music the choir will perform but awaits more detail about the program, David Blackburn said.

&uot;We have a great arrangement of &uot;The Star-Spangled Banner,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ll do whatever they want us to sing.&uot;

Lott was unavailable for comment on Tuesday, but in his letter to Blackburn he complimented the choir on their performance at a function in Port Gibson at Chamberlain Hunt Academy.

&uot;It would be a proud moment to have a musical group from the great state of Mississippi perform in such an important part of our nation’s history. I am most hopeful that you and your students can join us in Washington on January 20th,&uot; he said.

In addition to Lott, other members of the congressional inaugural committee are Sen. Bill Frist, Sen. Christopher Dodd, Rep. Dennis Hastert, Rep. Tom DeLay and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

George W. Bush will be sworn in at the upcoming inauguration.