NATCHEZ — The historic dome of Temple B’nai Israel was built for music to reverberate off of its walls, making it the ideal location for musical entertainment this evening — and for a great cause, said Nora Katz, co-chair of the Temple B’nai Israel Board of Overseers.

The Natchez Festival of Music and the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life will help fans of Broadway and opera classics start their weekend early at 7 p.m. this evening during the second annual Cabaret Under the Dome, tickets to which are $20 each.

“We did our first Cabaret Under the Dome last year in January,” Katz said. “It went beyond our expectations. We had a wonderful crowd at the event and the sanctuary was full, which is amazing. We got wonderful feedback from folks who enjoyed being able to hear beautiful music in that setting. The sanctuary was built for music and for singing as a really important part of Jewish tradition. It was wonderful to see that space used in that way and we’re really excited to see a lot of those performers back again this year as well as some new faces.”

The Festival of Music has brought performers back from Houston, Mobile, Jackson and Louisiana who will be providing a selection from classic musicals, art songs and arias from Puccini, Mozart, Haydn, Verdi and Rossini, Katz said.

Katz said 100% of event proceeds would support the temple’s restoration project that is well underway.

“We are trying to build up our funds so that we are able to match grants that we have been awarded for the restoration and preservation of Temple B’Nai over the past couple of years,” she said. “Twenty nineteen was a big year for us. We finished out the construction of the wheelchair access ramp and set up appropriate fire exits on both levels. We also restored and repaired the roof of the historic dome so that we’d be leak-free and we’ve just received over $286,000 in grant funding from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s preservation grant program. … That is going to go toward completely replacing the outdated electrical system in the building as well as installing a fire suppression system.”

Katz said she is grateful for the event to continue on to another year and is excited to welcome everyone back to it.

“We are excited to welcome our wonderful friends and community back and hope that it’s an even bigger crowd than we had last year,” she said. “We’re also excited that this has become an annual event and are very grateful to the Natchez Festival of Music for their support and continued partnership with us. This would not be possible without them.”

Tickets may be purchased online at natcheztemple.org.