The Natchez Festival of Music has successfully kicked off our 27th Season with an amazing opening night of the Best of the Mississippi Blues II with Vasti Jackson last Saturday night followed by a week full of live music leading into From Mississippi to Motown Saturday night. The festival was once known as the Natchez Opera Festival and has since expanded its offerings to provide not only world class opera and musical theater but everything from the Blues, Motown, Rock and Roll, Gospel, Jazz and so much more!

The journey to provide world class opera and musical theater to the Natchez community begins nearly a year in advance of the performances with live auditions held in New York City and Natchez annually. This year’s auditions included more than 100 in New York and 40 in Natchez with vocalists from all over the country trying out for an approximate 30-person roster. The 30 roles hired will make up many of the performers for our upcoming productions of both Camelot and The Barber of Seville. Once the artists are hired they are compensated for their travel, housed with many wonderful “Housing Angels” in the community, fed during the week by our many wonderful “Food Angels” and they receive a weekly paycheck!

The opportunity to provide world class opera and musical theater doesn’t just include our ticketed annual season events. The Natchez Festival of Music also offers a youth outreach program to expose the children of not only the Miss-Lou, but Southwest Mississippi and Central Louisiana to world class opera and musical theater. Many of the performers hired arrive in Natchez during April and begin rehearsing for an annual children’s opera which is performed to approximately 10,000 students every year. The children’s opera is not only performed locally but travels to area schools. The festival also is excited to be able to expand its youth outreach from not only the children’s opera but to provide free children’s events every Saturday during festival season.

Come out and experience a World Class production of Camelot on Saturday, May 20 and The Barber of Seville Saturday, May 27.

Camelot is a timeless and magical musical by Lerner and Lowe. As one of the world’s favorite musicals, it has an incredible 1,447 performances on Broadway and in London’s West End, receiving four Tony Awards. Camelot brings to life the classic tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The Barber of Seville is an opera by Rossini. Many musicals and operas present a tragic version of love, sorrow and death, but this one takes a comedic approach and is one of the greatest comic opera of all times.

Camelot will be Saturday, May 20 and The Barber of Seville will be Saturday, May 27, both at 7 p.m. at the Natchez Performing Arts Center at Margaret Martin, 64 Homochitto St., with cash bar refreshments beginning at 6 p.m. in The Grape Escape Club Room. Admission is $25 ($10 for Student K-12, Adult with K-12 student, College and Active Military with current ID).

Other upcoming events include Rossini, Puccini and Martinis at the Historic Natchez Foundation May 16, Rockin on the River featuring Ben Lewis at Bowie’s Tavern May 17, Mississippi Concert Hall a Tribute to Mississippi’s Greatest Classical Composers and Performers at First Presbyterian Church May 18, The First Lady of Song: A Tribute to the Ella Fitzgerald Centennial at the Prentiss Club Friday, May 19, Highway to Heaven: Alvin Shelby and the Natchez Community Gospel Choir at Beulah Baptist Church Thursday, May 25 and The King of Rock and Roll: An Evening with Elvis Presley starring Victor Trevino Friday, May 26. For more information on our entire season, please visit www.natchezfestivalofmusic.com.

For tickets to all events please visit www.natchezfestivalofmusic.com, or in person at Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, Destination Natchez or Tourology, or telephone 888-718-4253, or at the door for all events.
Mary Lessley is the chairwoman of the Natchez Festival of Music.