Nelson, who took the position in March 2025, is also the Director of Music at Holy Trinity as well as the organist. Prior to coming on as the director of the conservatory, Nelson was with the Vicksburg Warren County School District, where he taught choir at the Academy of Innovation.
“ I taught in the public schools for four years, and the joy of that for me was getting to work with the kids. Now I ' m here at the conservatory, and I ' m still getting to teach children,” Nelson said.“ So, I still get to work with kids, but in such a different capacity... I have so much fun getting to work with these children and these young adults.”
As part of its educational outreach, the conservatory offers a wide variety of workshops and private lessons. Music lessons are available for a variety of instruments, including voice, piano, violin, beginner viola, music composition, brass, woodwind, and percussion. Visual arts workshops that the conservatory has offered in the past include crochet, digital art, watercolor, photography, and basket weaving. Nelson is also looking forward to adding ceramics to that list, with the addition of a new instructor.
The conservatory also provides rehearsal space for the Vicksburg Orchestral Society, and it has become home to the Voices of Vicksburg, which Nelson started in July 2025.
The Voices of Vicksburg, he said, is a com-
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