Three events tightly related to Vienna, Austria, will take place in May at Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez.

They are sponsored by the Natchez Festival of Music and Trinity Church. Two events are ticketed, and one is free of charge.

The Song of the Earth by Gustav Mahler, a symphony concert in six movements, will be presented for the first time in Mississippi at 7 p.m., Thurs., May 16, 2024, at Trinity Church. Tickets are $30.

Mahler is famed in Vienna, where he lived and worked until his death in 1911.

Conducted by Dr. Jay Dean, Natchez Festival of Music Artistic Director, the concert will feature:

• Two vocalists, Jonathan Yarrington, tenor, and Myka Murphy, mezzo soprano;
• The Festival of Music Chamber Players, musicians from nationally known music companies;
• Ward Emling, former Director of the Mississippi Film Office, who will present the poetry that inspired the symphony;
• Projected images of original oil landscapes by Will Smith, Jr., of Natchez and New Orleans that relate to the theme of the concert.

Setting the stage for the concert will be two additional Vienna-related events at Trinity Church, to be held Thurs., May 9, a week before the concert.

First is a free lecture at 11 a.m., May 9, called “The Magical Music of Gustav Mahler.” Presented by Trinity Church’s Marion Smith Speaker Series, the program will be by Dr. Joseph E. Jones, musicologist at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Music.

He will discuss Vienna in the early 20th century, when Austria’s artistic and literary elite came together. He will focus on Mahler, an intellectual and cultural giant whose style developed at the time.

Following the lecture, at 12 noon, May 9, in Trinity’s Kuehnle Hall will be a ticketed luncheon called Let’s Visit Mahler’s Vienna.

Adding to the ambiance will be Austrian-inspired foods, Austrian flags and images of dancers performing the Viennese Waltz.

Tickets are $20 and limited to 80 people.

Tickets to the luncheon May 9 and to the concert May 16 are available at natchezfestivalofmusic.com.

The concert benefits Trinity’s organ restoration fund and the Festival of Music.