Mississippi Opera performs in various venues in Jackson. The company has its roots in the Jackson Opera Guild, which was organized in 1945. During the 1970s, that group changed its name to the Mississippi Opera Association and, later, the Mississippi Opera Guild.

The long list of front-rank singers who have appeared with the company over the decades includes Norman Treigle, Beverly Sills, Roberta Peters, Jan Peerce, Richard Tucker, Montserrat Caballe, Robert Merrill, Cornell MacNeil, Claramae Turner, and Jerome Hines. Gian-Carlo Menotti was closely involved with Mississippi Opera in the 1980s, and such important conductors and stage directors as Anton Guadagno, Anton Coppola, and Bodo Igesz have worked here as well.