First Presbyterian Church of Natchez, State Street, Natchez, MS, USA
THE SOUND OF BRILLIANCE…
An Evening of Baroque and Classical Trumpet Masterpieces is an exciting program featuring the brilliant sounds of the trumpet, performed by Dr. Ryan Stransky. This program will include “Prelude to Te Deum” by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, “Concerto in D Major” by Giuseppe Tartini, “Aria con Variazione” by Georg Frederic Handel, and the “Concerto in E Flat Major” by Jan Krtitel Jiri Neruda. The program will conclude with a virtuosic showpiece for trumpet, “The Maid of the Mist” by Herbert L. Clarke.
Live @ Five is a free, outdoor, family-friendly concert at the Bandstand on the Bluff that begins at 5:00 P.M. and ends at sunset. Sunsets on the Bluff overlooking our Mighty Mississippi River simply never get old! It is the perfect backdrop for live music.
The purpose of Live @ Five is to create positive economic impact, while bringing many local organizations and our diverse community together. By now, you know what to do… Grab your chairs, blankets, friends and family and celebrate in Natchez style! The shows end with plenty of time to visit one of our local restaurants or watering holes. Shop – Dine – Drink…Like a Local – just have your designated driver on call. Don’t take our one-of-a-kind city, with the best people and views, for granted! Join us!
Natchez Civic Center, Franklin Street, Natchez, MS, USA
IN NEW YORK CITY,…
the stretch between 42nd St. and 66th St. on Broadway, one of the most famous streets in the world, is an area of artistic convergence where classic tradition meets the cutting edge. Just on that one street, one can travel from the center of the Operatic world to the very heart of American Musical Theatre.
Broadway Meets the Met is a concert that weaves together the wonder of a musical and the beauty of opera. Come be a part of an evening where powerful vocal performances bring to life an array of beautiful operatic arias as well as exhilarating musical theatre selections. This event showcases a mesmerizing blend of talent and fervor, offering an unparalleled fusion of these renowned musical genres.
John Christopher Adams, Maryann Kyle, Mario Manzo, Nicholas Perna, Mandy Spivak, Anna Tesh Manzo, Victoria Tomasch, and the Tyler Kemp Trio invite you to take a musical stroll to the place where Broadway Meets the Met!
First Presbyterian Church of Natchez, State Street, Natchez, MS, USA
SCHUMANN'S PIANO QUINTET …
in E-flat Major, Op. 44, is both his most frequently performed chamber composition and the pioneering quintet for piano and string quartet, made possible by the improvement in pianos. It inspired other great works for the combination, including ones by Brahms, Franck, Faure, Dvorak and Shostakovich. Composed in 1842, a gloriously productive year for his chamber music, it was dedicated to his wife Clara.
THE BRAHMS PIANO QUINTET …
in F Minor, Op. 34 is considered the greatest work for its instrumentation, but it underwent some major changes before emerging in its final form. Brahms first composed it for a string quintet, with two cellos. When that proved unsatisfactory, he reworked it as a two-piano sonata, which is still performed as an alternate version. But on the advice of his friend Clara Schumann, he revised it again as a piano quintet and it was premiered in 1866.
Trinity Episcopal Church, South Commerce Street, Natchez, MS, USA
A free lecture entitled The Magical Music of Gustav Mahler will be presented by Dr. Joseph E. Jones, musicologist at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Music. He will discuss Mahler’s life and work in Europe and the United States and the significance and meaning of Mahler’s incredible symphonic work, The Song of the Earth. He will also talk about turn-of-the-century Vienna, where Austria's artistic and literary elite came together. Being a part of this cultural environment along with Sigmund Freud, Gustav Klimt, Arnold Schoenberg, and many other intellectual and cultural giants, it was here that Mahler began to explore new musical territory. Song of the Earth (Das Lied von der Erde) is a perfect example of the modernism that became a feature of Mahler’s late style. Dr. Jones’ lecture will prepare the audience for the Song of the Earth concert that will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 16. This lecture, to take place in Trinity Church, is free and open to the public.
12 noon, Thursday, May 9: Let’s Visit Mahler’s Vienna,
A $20 Viennese inspired luncheon, will take place in the Rectors Room in Kuehnle Hall of Trinity Episcopal Church. The menu will include an Austrian-style entrée, sides, and bread rolls, with a Viennese-inspired dessert and coffee.
EVENT 3 | CONCERT
7 p.m., Thursday, May 16:
For the first time in Mississippi, Gustav Mahler’s spectacular and moving concert, The Song of the Earth, will be presented. Conducted by Jay Dean, Natchez Festival of Music Artistic Director, the concert will feature two renowned vocalists, Jonathan Yarrington, tenor, and Myka Murphy, mezzo soprano, as well as the Festival of Music Chamber Players. This world-class ensemble of professional musicians, who hail from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia, are experienced members of regional and national orchestras, chamber ensembles, and opera companies. Joining this incredible production is Ward Emling, actor and former Mississippi Film Office Director, who will present the poetry that inspired each of the symphony’s six movements. Also included will be special elements that will maximize the audience’s experience.
Live @ Five is a free, outdoor, family-friendly concert at the Bandstand on the Bluff that begins at 5:00 P.M. and ends at sunset. Sunsets on the Bluff overlooking our Mighty Mississippi River simply never get old! It is the perfect backdrop for live music.
The purpose of Live @ Five is to create positive economic impact, while bringing many local organizations and our diverse community together. By now, you know what to do… Grab your chairs, blankets, friends and family and celebrate in Natchez style! The shows end with plenty of time to visit one of our local restaurants or watering holes. Shop – Dine – Drink…Like a Local – just have your designated driver on call. Don’t take our one-of-a-kind city, with the best people and views, for granted! Join us!
Natchez Civic Center, Franklin Street, Natchez, MS, USA
KAISO! IS A CARIBBEAN JAZZ QUINTET…
that never lacks in energy. The group has been performing since 1998 at festivals, universities, casinos, nightclubs, and formal concerts. They have been featured with symphonies and marching bands. KAISO! has a unique way of turning jazz standards into Caribbean tunes unlike any other. They also compose much of their own material. They have recorded two commercial CDs, and are presently working on a recording of original material. KAISO’s instrumentation is steel pans, piano, bass guitar, drums, and percussion.
The word calypso has its roots in the Caribbean, France, Spain, West Africa. ‘Kaiso,’ is a corruption of the word ‘Kaito,’ which means ‘Bravo.’ In Africa whenever an excellent calypso is sung, the crowd shouts “KAISO!” The group features John Wooton on Steel Pans, Percussion and Vocals, Sam Bruton on piano, Larry Panella on saxophone, Lowery Hicks on bass, and Nathan Sanders on drums.
Historic Natchez Foundation, South Commerce Street, Natchez, MS, USA
JOIN US FOR AN ENTERTAINING…
lecture on the astounding history of ragtime music. Dr. Frederick Hodges, concert pianist, and Oxford University-trained Historian, will give a richly illustrated presentation on the origins, development, and impact of this uniquely American musical genre.
In his lecture, Dr. Hodges will explore the roots of ragtime in early 19th-century African American music, its rise to international popularity in the early 20th century, and its enduring legacy. He will also discuss the lives and works of some of the most important ragtime composers and performers, such as Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, Irving Berlin, and James P. Johnson.
This fascinating lecture is sure to appeal to music lovers of all ages.
The Carriage House Restaurant, High Street, Natchez, MS, USA
JOIN US FOR AN EVENING…
of classic ragtime piano music! World-renowned pianist Frederick Hodges will perform a toe-tapping solo concert featuring a wide variety of ragtime-era classics by America's greatest composers, such as Scott Joplin, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter, written for Vaudeville, the Broadway Stage, and Silent Movies. Frederick will share stories about the history of ragtime and the stars who made it famous.
The Carriage House Restaurant, High Street, Natchez, MS, USA
JOIN US FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE EVENING…
of musical enchantment as we celebrate the timeless genius of George Gershwin. From the glittering lights of Broadway to the depths of his serious compositions, our performance will traverse the breadth of Gershwin's incomparable legacy. Be transported to the dazzling heyday of New York's theater scene with the lush harmonies and jazzy rhythms that defined an era.
Trinity Episcopal Church, South Commerce Street, Natchez, MS, USA
GUSTAV MAHLER IS CONSIDERED BY MANY…
to be the premier composer in the history of symphonic music. He followed Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, and was a contemporary of both Brahms and Strauss. That list of composers surpasses all others in terms of their historical contributions to symphonic music. However, Mahler, whose music reached a level of profundity that has seldom been reached, was able to reach new symphonic heights.
The Song of the Earth is one of the last works that Mahler wrote. In fact, he never heard it performed; it premiered six months after his death. It is really his ninth symphony, but Mahler, being superstitious about dying after the completion of his ninth symphony, simply called it a “Song Symphony.” Arnold Schoenberg, another giant among classical composers, was a friend of Mahler’s and after World War I produced a reduced version of this work. This is the version that will be performed at this festival. The Song of the Earth has never been performed in Mississippi.
Live @ Five is a free, outdoor, family-friendly concert at the Bandstand on the Bluff that begins at 5:00 P.M. and ends at sunset. Sunsets on the Bluff overlooking our Mighty Mississippi River simply never get old! It is the perfect backdrop for live music.
The purpose of Live @ Five is to create positive economic impact, while bringing many local organizations and our diverse community together. By now, you know what to do… Grab your chairs, blankets, friends and family and celebrate in Natchez style! The shows end with plenty of time to visit one of our local restaurants or watering holes. Shop – Dine – Drink…Like a Local – just have your designated driver on call. Don’t take our one-of-a-kind city, with the best people and views, for granted! Join us!
Natchez Civic Center, Franklin Street, Natchez, MS, USA
A CAST OF INCREDIBLE…
rock singers and instrumentalists join together to celebrate the iconic rock group Journey and their more than 50 years of global musical stardom. A meteoric force in the stadium rock scene, Journey ensured their legacy in rock ‘n’ roll history using a mix of musical virtuosity, soaring balladry, and undeniable appeal. Journey helped open the doors to pop-tinged Rock that was as hard rocking as Heavy Metal and Classic Rock, but as infectious and melodic as Top 40 playlists. Today, one can hear Journey's anthems everywhere including major sports events, campaign tours, internationally televised talent competitions and many other major productions around the world. “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and don’t miss this one-night-only finale concert!
Live @ Five is a free, outdoor, family-friendly concert at the Bandstand on the Bluff that begins at 5:00 P.M. and ends at sunset. Sunsets on the Bluff overlooking our Mighty Mississippi River simply never get old! It is the perfect backdrop for live music.
The purpose of Live @ Five is to create positive economic impact, while bringing many local organizations and our diverse community together. By now, you know what to do… Grab your chairs, blankets, friends and family and celebrate in Natchez style! The shows end with plenty of time to visit one of our local restaurants or watering holes. Shop – Dine – Drink…Like a Local – just have your designated driver on call. Don’t take our one-of-a-kind city, with the best people and views, for granted! Join us!