26:. Founded in 1958, the professional company is widely known for the International Fall Festival events it held in the 1980s and 1990s, which garnered international attention and served as the U.S. and world premieres for a number of notable works. One of these performances, the 1990 U.S. premiere of the 1841 work
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After attending the 1992 Fall
Festival, Denver Post critic Jeff Bradley wrote that "this quiet prairie city on the Missouri River is becoming one of the most exciting operatic meccas in the country." The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram in 1992 said Omaha had become "operatically speaking, one of the
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Opera Omaha is the home to the
Holland Community Opera Fellowship. Begun in 2017, The Holland Community Opera Fellowship works collaboratively with community partners to co-create programming that helps individuals, organizations, and communities reach their goals, serving as a creative and artistic
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The
Fellowship brings community-minded, entrepreneurial artists to live and work in Omaha. Fellows serve as ambassadors of the company, developing relationships with community leaders to co-design and implement unique projects that combine artistry and musicianship, leadership, advocacy, and
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Opera Omaha is also home to the Opera Omaha
Craftsman's Guild, the nation's only volunteer organized guild that is integral to Opera Omaha's success since 1962. The Craftsman's Guild members donate stagecraft skills in the areas of wardrobe, makeup/wigs, concessions, and parties.
34:. "I’ve been calling all my singer friends and saying, 'You’ve got to sing for this company.'" Fleming said at the time. It has "a lot of vision." In 2007, the Toronto Star said "Opera Omaha has grown into one of the continent's most enterprising regional opera companies."
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The company's beginnings were decidedly more humble, with its 1958 bill as the Omaha Civic Opera
Company composed of four performances: Madama Butterfly, Hansel and Gretel, Oklahoma! and Tosca. Since its founding, singers such as
304:: The company staged the world premiere of "Autumn Valentine: Dorothy Parker's General Review of the Sex Situation." The New York Times called it "an unclassifiable collaboration by Angelina Reaux and Michael Sokol, singers;
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and drew a total of 21,546 people, according to an August 1994 Omaha World-Herald article. "It certainly seems that I'd like to come to Omaha and have another show again if they like me," Weber told The World-Herald.
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is the opera company's resident orchestra. Opera productions are sometimes under the direction of the company's music director, the baton of a guest conductor or the baton of the orchestra's own music director.
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said of Opera Omaha: The company "demonstrated that 'regional opera' is no longer a pejorative term, that companies such as Opera Omaha offer a real service to their communities as well as the opera world."
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359:: The company staged the world premiere of the locally written "Bloodlines," a work whose music and libretto were composed by Deborah Fischer Teason. Teason collaborated with students from majority-Latino
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In
November 2011, its 10 student performances of Hansel & Gretel delivered kid-friendly opera to nearly 8,000 students from elementary schools across the region.
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From the
Archives: Opera Comes Alive Behind the Scenes at Opera Omaha Staging of Donizetti’s ‘Maria Padilla’ Starring Rene Fleming | Leo Adam Biga's Blog
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in 2003, a work that had its premiere in 2007 and was inspired by events that took place in
Nebraska in the late 19th century, including the trial of
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In the 2012–13 season, more than 1,800 middle and high school students attended Opera Omaha performances, many for the first time.
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Opera Omaha is internationally known for its productions of world and U.S. premieres of a number of classical and modern works:
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369:: The company staged the world premiere of the "Dream of the Pacific," with music by Stephen Mager and a libretto by
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have performed in this company's productions. Sills in 1975 performed the title role in Opera Omaha's production of
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Smaller opera companies provide a means for young singers to grow. FESTIVAL IN OMAHA – CSMonitor.com
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Smaller opera companies provide a means for young singers to grow. FESTIVAL IN OMAHA – CSMonitor.com
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composed the work, which was performed under the direction of then-Opera Omaha Music
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348:. Lloyd Webber attended the final performance; the production ran for 10 performances at the
401:. Kaneko, born in 1942 in Nagoya, Japan, came to the United States in 1963 and has lived in
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in downtown Omaha. Other venues include the 1,000-seat
Witherspoon Concert Hall at the
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The company says its goal is to "make opera accessible to everyone in the community."
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since 1990, where he established his studio. In 2008, Kaneko designed a production of
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under the baton of Lionel Friend, who for 13 years was chief conductor of the
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composed the opera, with the libretto written by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
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Review/Opera; Love's Labors Exercised in a Series in Omaha – New York Times
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has collaborated with Opera Omaha on two productions, a 2006 production of
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Opera Omaha is known for commissioning a number of modern American works:
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Blizzard Voices in 2008, based on a work by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
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The company's main productions are staged at the near-3,000-seat
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under stage director and the opera's associate artistic director
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The plains are alive with the sound of opera | Toronto Star
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In September 1989, the company presented a concert at the
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most exciting cities in America." Similarly, in 1988, the
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Melanie Helton | MSU Music Faculty | MSU College of Music
318:: The company presented the world premiere of the 1959
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1960–69: Joseph Levine, Music and Artistic Director
282:: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1819
262:: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1841
242:: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1924
222:: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1967
202:: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1730
421:Music, Artistic and General Directors and Advisers
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431:1970–76: James de Blasis, Resident Director
336:: The company staged the world premiere of
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433:1974–77: Jonathan Dudley, General Director
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483:2011–2023: Roger Weitz, General Director
481:2007–2010: John Wehrle, General Director
473:2003–2007: Joan Desens, General Director
465:1995–2003: Jane Hill, Executive Director
445:1981–1995: Mary Robert, General Director
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128:with a libretto by Chas Rader-Shieber.
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236:and stage director Stephen Wadsworth.
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435:1977–78: Peter Mark, Artistic Adviser
22:is a major regional opera company in
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853:Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
632:OPERA America – New Works Directory
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610:OPERA America – New Works Directory
599:OPERA America – New Works Directory
501:, the 2,500-seat Music Hall at the
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889:Musical groups established in 1958
425:1958–60: Richard Valente, Director
415:Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
413:. Kaneko was a founder of Omaha's
389:and a 2013 co-production with the
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346:English National Opera
204:George Frideric Handel
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114:Eric Hermannson's Soul
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232:under music director
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471:, Artistic Director
463:, Artistic Director
391:San Francisco Opera
338:Andrew Lloyd Webber
73:Lucia di Lammermoor
65:Catherine Malfitano
61:Frederica von Stade
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342:Requiem Variations
84:Ak-Sar-Ben (arena)
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475:2005–2008:
467:1995–2005:
455:John DeMain
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214:John DeMain
106:Commissions
20:Opera Omaha
873:Categories
546:References
469:Hal France
383:Jun Kaneko
266:melodrama
229:Weiße Rose
186:Many Moons
159:Ted Kooser
122:Hal France
459:1992–93:
453:1983–92:
447:1982–83:
209:Partenope
845:website.
824:Archived
801:Archived
783:Archived
754:Archived
751:Composer
736:Archived
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678:Archived
660:Archived
534:See also
509:Outreach
437:1978–80
409:for the
393:and the
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407:Fidelio
291:Ermione
489:Venues
246:opera
226:piece
176:, the
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322:work
249:Golem
136:Ponca
367:2004
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