Opera Carolina’s “The Flying Dutchman.” Photo by jonsilla.com

The Ulysses Festival kicked off this past weekend, starting more than a month of arts events celebrating the 50 year legacy of the 1964 Civil Rights Act with the 2014 theme: “A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood.” The Festival is an artistic, educational and marketing collaboration between Charlotte arts organizations, including the Batte Center at Wingate University, Charlotte Symphony, Discovery Place, Levine Museum of the New South, McColl Center for the Visual Arts, The Mint Museum, Opera Carolina, UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture and 89.9 WDAV. Arts events will range from lectures and exhibitions to operas and film screenings, with a variety of events free of admission.

Highlights of the Ulysses Festival:

• Opera Carolina’s performance of “The Flying Dutchman” on March 27th at 7:30 p.m. and March 30th at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $134. “The Flying Dutchman” is a romantic opera filled with sailors, misguided love and tragedy in three acts by Richard Wagner. It will be performed in German with English titles.
• McColl and Response with the Jazz Arts Initiative on April 17th from 6-8 p.m. Free admission. Enjoy an evening of jazz exploring interpretations on classic hits of what is often considered America’s only true original art form.
• North Carolina Dance Theatre’s performance of “Othello” on April 24-26 at the Knight Theatre. Tickets range from $35 to $85. Dwight Rhoden’s modernized Shakespearean tale transports “Othello” into a 21st-century rock-and-roll lifestyle. The ballet will feature seductive pas de deux and large scale, intricate dance numbers.
• “Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment” at The Mint Museum from March 29-July 20. With 11 photographers and more than 100 photographs, this exhibition testifies to the passion and commitment to storytelling that National Geographic embodies.
• Gospel SHOUT! will be presented by the Levine Museum of the New South and Charlotte Center City Partners on March 27th at 7:30 p.m. Free admission. A celebration of religious “roots music” featuring a capella singing, plus the high-energy trombone “shout band” tradition performed at the United House of Prayer for All People.

For a full listing of events, visit the Ulysses Festival Website.