Natchez opens its Festival of Music &045;&045; once called the Natchez Opera Festival &045;&045; this weekend and throughout the week with performances that will be near and dear to the hearts of many people in the community.

From tonight’s first performance of &uot;Showboat&uot; through next weeks tribute to jazz, the selections only help highlight how important the music festival is to the City of Natchez.

How many communities our size put on a month-long music series of such high caliber?

Under the direction of David Blackburn and with the support of countless volunteers, the Natchez Festival of Music &045;&045; renamed last year to broaden its appeal &045;&045; has been a highlight of Natchez’s annual cultural calendar.

This year’s schedule includes not only the Broadway musical &uot;Showboat&uot; and the jazz performances but also Mozart’s opera &uot;The Impressario,&uot; &uot;An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein,&uot; and &uot;Turandot.&uot;

Tickets will be sold for all of those performances, but along the way throughout May the festival offers free concerts in Memorial Park, free lectures at New Covenant Presbyterian Church and an educational program for students which was performed this week.

The Natchez Festival of Music not only provides a great opportunity for residents and visitors alike to expand their cultural horizons, it also gives back to the community through these wonderful free performances and programs.

We welcome all of the singers and directors and set designers and stagehands to our community for the month, and we urge all Natchez residents to take some time to enjoy the show.