Warm up your winter with Auburn’s second annual music event

Published 11:40 am Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Illustration by Ben HIllyer / The Natchez Democrat — Musicians Kathleen Mackey-King, Anton Zholondz, Donna Schaffer and Vera Zholondz will return to entertain crowds during the second annual Auburn winter concert.

Illustration by Ben HIllyer / The Natchez Democrat — Musicians Kathleen Mackey-King, Anton Zholondz, Donna Schaffer and Vera Zholondz will return to entertain crowds during the second annual Auburn winter concert.

The sounds of antebellum Natchez will fill the parlor of Auburn Antebellum Home Sunday.

Auburn will host the second annual Winter Musical Performance from 4 to 6 p.m. The first event last year, which celebrated Auburn’s 200th anniversary, was such a hit, that the same four performers will come back to Auburn to entertain the guests.

“People who came last year really enjoyed it,” Auburn Antebellum Home President Clark Feiser said. “They said, ‘This was really great,’ and they asked to bring the performers back.”

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Local artists Donna Schaffer and Kathleen Mackey-King will perform music from the 1812 era. The Natchezians will be accompanied by Russian musicians Vera and Anton Zholondz who now reside in Baton Rouge.

“It will be the same performers (as last year) but more songs,” Feiser said.

The performers will play for an hour, and then guests will have the opportunity to meet with the artists over mint juleps and hors d’oeuvres in the second hour.

The event will take place in the parlor, which holds approximately 60 people, and Feiser said he hopes to fill every seat this year.

“We had about 25 last year, but we are hoping it gets bigger,” he said.

The parlor provides a wonderful setting for the musicians and audience, Feiser said.

“We have a rather large baby grand piano, and probably the finest hand-carved cypress wood work around the parlor, but that’s my opinion, and I’m sort of partial,” he said.

Feiser said a winter concert is a great way to extend the antebellum experience into February before Spring Pilgrimage kicks off in March.

“We felt in the winter, before Pilgrimage starts, there’s a lull in the action,” he said.

Tickets can be purchased by e-mail at auburnmuseum@gmail.com or natchezpilgrimage.com. Guests can also call Auburn at 601-442-5981, the Natchez Visitors Center at 601-446-6345 or Natchez Pilgrimage Tours at 601-446-6631.

The performance is limited to the first 60 tickets sold.