The Jessye Norman School of the Arts will host its 20th Anniversary Benefit Concert on October 8th at 4 PM, featuring four Rising Stars in the Opera World: Veronica Williams, Aslief Willmer, Andrew Gilstrap, and Dominic Armstrong. The rising talents will perform classical and contemporary favorites with featured performances by the Jessye Norman School’s students to benefit the school’s continued operations. The concert will be held at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theater on the Augusta University Summerville Campus.

The school began operating in the fall of 2003 as a response to budget cuts in the arts leaving the school district with only two, full-time art teachers serving nearly 35,000 students. Offering programs in Drama, Dance, Music, and Visual Art, the Jessye Norman School of The Arts may have been the only avenue to art enrichment for many students.

Founding Board Chair Dr. Linda Scales saw the need and acted along with Ellis Johnson and other community members to reach out to Jessye Norman, asking for her support and to inquire if she would bring her values and lend her name to the organization. She enthusiastically agreed and helped to raise the first $50,000 to start the school.

Since 2003, JNSA has moved in to its own 18,000 sq.ft. building, donated by Peter Knox IV. The school renovated 9,000 square feet of the building, and grew programming to serve more than 400 students in free programming every year and more than 2000 in all programs combined. JNSA has developed programs serving students and adults in Aiken, Edgefield, Richmond, Columbia, and Burke Counties.

Beyond providing free arts education, the Jessye Norman School also offers services impacting the entire community. The school offers ASL learning classes, home school enrichment, private music tutoring, and classes for local seniors. The school also hosts services for students in the foster care system and students of military families. The benefit concert helps support all of these services.

Tickets are available on the website, www.thejnsa.org.

If you are interested in tickets or sponsoring this event, please contact the school at

[email protected]