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Opera Omaha is a major regional opera company in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
. 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
Maria Padilla ''Maria Padilla'' is a '' melodramma'', or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Gaetano Rossi and the composer wrote the Italian libretto after François Ancelot's play. It premiered on 26 December 1841 at La Scala, Milan. The plot is lo ...
, was among the primary debuts for noted soprano Renee Fleming.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
/ref> "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." 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 most exciting cities in America." Similarly, in 1988, the
Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper b ...
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." 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
Beverly Sills Beverly Sills (born Belle Miriam Silverman; May 25, 1929July 2, 2007) was an American operatic soprano whose career peak was between the 1950s and 1970s. Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verd ...
,
Tatiana Troyanos Tatiana Troyanos (September 12, 1938 – August 21, 1993) was an American mezzo-soprano remembered as "one of the defining singers of her generation". Her voice, "a paradoxical voice — larger than life yet intensely human, brilliant yet wa ...
,
Samuel Ramey Samuel Ramey (born March 28, 1942) is an American operatic bass. At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique which enabled him to sing the mu ...
,
Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade (born 1 June 1945) is a semi-retired American classical singer. Best known for her work in opera, she was also a recitalist and concert artist, and she recorded more than a hundred albums and videos. She is especially associa ...
,
Catherine Malfitano Catherine Malfitano (born April 18, 1948) is an American operatic soprano and opera director. Malfitano was born in New York City, the daughter of a ballet dancer mother, Maria Maslova, and a violinist father, Joseph Malfitano. She attended the ...
and
Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticker ...
have performed in this company's productions. Sills in 1975 performed the title role in Opera Omaha's production of
Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...
, which was the first production to grace the stage of the then-newly renovated Creighton Orpheum Theater, still the home of the company's main-stage productions. In September 1989, the company presented a concert at the
Ak-Sar-Ben (arena) The Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track and Coliseum was an indoor arena and thoroughbred horse race, horse racing complex in the central United States, located in Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska. Built to fund the civic and philanthropic activities of the K ...
by
Placido Domingo Placido may refer to: People Surname *José Plácido de Castro (1873–1908), Brazilian soldier and politician *Michele Placido, (born 1946) Italian actor and director * Plácido Vega y Daza, (1830-1878) 19th century Mexican general and politician ...
, drawing 6,231 people, according to a local press account. The Omaha Symphony Orchestra 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. 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.


Commissions

Opera Omaha is known for commissioning a number of modern American works: Eric Hermannson's Soul, based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', ''The Song of the Lark (novel), The Song of the Lark'', a ...
. The work was performed in 1998 under the direction of then-Music Director Hal France. The opera was composed by
Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...
with a libretto by Chas Rader-Shieber. Wakonda's Dream 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
Ponca The Ponca people are a nation primarily located in the Great Plains of North America that share a common Ponca culture, history, and language, identified with two Indigenous nations: the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma or the Ponca Tribe of ...
Chief
Standing Bear Standing Bear (–1908) (Omaha-Ponca language, Ponca official orthography: Maⁿchú-Naⁿzhíⁿ/Macunajin;U.S. Indian Census Rolls, 1885 Ponca Indians of Dakota other spellings: Ma-chú-nu-zhe, Ma-chú-na-zhe or Mantcunanjin pronounced ) was ...
.
Anthony Davis (composer) Anthony Davis (born February 20, 1951) is an American pianist and composer. He incorporates several styles including jazz, rhythm 'n' blues, gospel, non-Western, African, European classical, Indonesian gamelan, and experimental music. He has play ...
composed the opera, with the libretto written by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa. Rhoda Levine served as director. Blizzard Voices in 2008, based on a work by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Ted Kooser Theodore J. Kooser (born April 25, 1939) is an American poet. He won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2005. He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006. Kooser was one of the first poets laureate ...
, who also served as the work's librettist. Pulitzer Prize–winning musician
Paul Moravec Paul Moravec (born November 2, 1957) is an American composer and a university professor at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York and also a member of the composition department of the Mannes School of Music. Already a prolific composer, he ...
composed the work, which was performed under the direction of then-Opera Omaha Music Director Stewart Robertson. The company, along with the New Jersey State Opera, the Rochester Opera and the
Celebrity Series of Boston The Celebrity Series of Boston is a non-profit performing arts presenter established in Boston, Massachusetts by Boston impresario Aaron Richmond in 1938 as Aaron Richmond's Celebrity Series. History Below is a partial list of performers by gen ...
commissioned the 1997 work Many Moons, which is based on the children's book of the same name.


World and U.S. Premieres

Opera Omaha is internationally known for its productions of world and U.S. premieres of a number of classical and modern works: 1988: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1730
George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
opera seria '' Partenope'' under music director
John DeMain John DeMain is an American conductor who serves as music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, as well as serving as artistic director of Madison Opera. He was music director and principal conductor of Houst ...
and stage director Stephen Wadsworth.Smaller opera companies provide a means for young singers to grow. FESTIVAL IN OMAHA – CSMonitor.com
/ref> 1988: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1967
Udo Zimmermann Udo Zimmermann (6 October 1943 – 22 October 2021) was a German composer, musicologist, opera director, and conductor. He worked as a professor of composition, founded a centre for contemporary music in Dresden, and was director of the Leipzig ...
piece '' Weiße Rose'' under music director
John DeMain John DeMain is an American conductor who serves as music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, as well as serving as artistic director of Madison Opera. He was music director and principal conductor of Houst ...
and stage director Stephen Wadsworth. 1990: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1924 Nicolae Bretan opera ''
Golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...
'' under stage director and the opera's associate artistic director
Keith Warner Keith Reginald Warner (born 6 December 1956) is a British opera director, designer and translator. Early years Warner was born in Finchley, North London and then studied English and drama at the University of Bristol from 1975-78. He subsequent ...
. The production was designed by John Pascoe. 1990: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1841
Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic music, Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''be ...
melodrama ''
Maria Padilla ''Maria Padilla'' is a '' melodramma'', or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Gaetano Rossi and the composer wrote the Italian libretto after François Ancelot's play. It premiered on 26 December 1841 at La Scala, Milan. The plot is lo ...
''. The production was considered a breakout performance of then-young soprano Renee Fleming. John Pascoe was director and designer of the U.S. premiere in Omaha. 1992: The company staged the U.S. premiere of the 1819
Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...
''azione tragica'' ''
Ermione ''Ermione'' (1819) is a tragic opera (azione tragica) in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the play '' Andromaque'' by Jean Racine. Performance history 19th century ''Ermione'' was first p ...
'' with stage director
Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...
. 1992: 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;
Ricky Ian Gordon Ricky Ian Gordon (born May 15, 1956) is an American composer of art song, opera and musical theatre. Life Gordon was born in Oceanside, New York. He was raised by his mother, Eve, and father, Sam, and he grew up on Long Island with his three sist ...
, composer and pianist; and
Keith Warner Keith Reginald Warner (born 6 December 1956) is a British opera director, designer and translator. Early years Warner was born in Finchley, North London and then studied English and drama at the University of Bristol from 1975-78. He subsequent ...
as director." 1992: The company presented the world premiere of the 1959 Hugo Weisgall work ''The Gardens of Adonis'', based on the eponymous poem by William Shakespeare. It was staged by Opera Omaha's associate artistic director at the time,
Keith Warner Keith Reginald Warner (born 6 December 1956) is a British opera director, designer and translator. Early years Warner was born in Finchley, North London and then studied English and drama at the University of Bristol from 1975-78. He subsequent ...
. Soprano Melanie Helton originated the "fiendishly difficult role of Venus." 1994: The company staged the world premiere of
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
's ''Requiem Variations'' under the baton of Lionel Friend, who for 13 years was chief conductor of the
English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
. Lloyd Webber attended the final performance; the production ran for 10 performances at the Creighton Orpheum Theater 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. 2004: 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 Omaha South High School on the work. 2004: The company staged the world premiere of the "Dream of the Pacific," with music by Stephen Mager and a libretto by Elkhanah Pulitzer.


Collaboration with Jun Kaneko

Noted Japanese ceramic artist
Jun Kaneko is a Japanese-born American ceramic artist known for creating large scale ceramic sculpture. Based out of a studio warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska, Kaneko primarily works in clay to explore the effects of repeated abstract surface motifs by using ...
has collaborated with Opera Omaha on two productions, a 2006 production of
Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...
and a 2013 co-production with the
San Francisco Opera The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
and the
Washington National Opera Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performance ...
of
The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...
. Kaneko, born in 1942 in Nagoya, Japan, came to the United States in 1963 and has lived in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
since 1990, where he established his studio. In 2008, Kaneko designed a production of
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...
for the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Kaneko was a founder of Omaha's
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts is located in the Old Market Historic District of downtown Omaha, Nebraska, at the corner of 12th Street and Leavenworth Street. In addition to an international artist-in-residence program, Bemis Center hosts te ...
, a residency program that has been called the "largest urban artists' colony in the world."San Francisco Opera – Jun Kaneko


Music, Artistic and General Directors and Advisers

1958–60: Richard Valente, Director
1960–69: Joseph Levine, Music and Artistic Director
1969–74: Leo Kopp, Music Director
1970–76: James de Blasis, Resident Director
1974–77: Jonathan Dudley, General Director
1977–78: Peter Mark, Artistic Adviser
1978–80
Richard Gaddes Richard Gaddes (23 May 1942 – 12 December 2023) was a British opera company administrator based in the United States. Early life and career in Britain Gaddes was born in Wallsend, England on 23 May 1942, one of the three sons of Emily Gaddes ...
, Artistic Adviser
1980–81: Paulette Haupt-Nolen, Artistic Adviser
1981–1995: Mary Robert, General Director
1982–83:
George Manahan George Manahan (born 1952, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) is an American conductor. Biography Manahan's parents were church musicians. In high school, he was a drum major in his high school marching band, and also conducted this band. Another of his earl ...
, Music Director
1983–92:
John DeMain John DeMain is an American conductor who serves as music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, as well as serving as artistic director of Madison Opera. He was music director and principal conductor of Houst ...
, Music Director
1992–93:
Keith Warner Keith Reginald Warner (born 6 December 1956) is a British opera director, designer and translator. Early years Warner was born in Finchley, North London and then studied English and drama at the University of Bristol from 1975-78. He subsequent ...
, Artistic Director
1995–2003: Jane Hill, Executive Director
1995–2005: Hal France, Artistic Director
2003–2007: Joan Desens, General Director
2005–2008: Stewart Robertson, Artistic Director
2007–2010: John Wehrle, General Director
2011–2023: Roger Weitz, General Director
2023-current: Allison Swenson, General Director


Venues

The company's main productions are staged at the near-3,000-seat Creighton Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha. Other venues include the 1,000-seat Witherspoon Concert Hall at the
Joslyn Art Museum The Joslyn Art Museum, commonly referred to as the Joslyn, is a fine arts museum in Omaha, Nebraska, the largest in the state. It opened in 1931 at the initiative of Sarah H. Joslyn, in memory of her husband, businessman George A. Joslyn. Sinc ...
, the 2,500-seat Music Hall at the
Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha Civic Auditorium was a multi-purpose convention center located in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CHI Health Center ...
, the 1,000-seat Rose Theater at the Omaha Theater Company for Young People and the 500-seat performance hall in the Scottish Rite Center. Its administrative offices are in downtown Omaha.


Outreach

The company says its goal is to "make opera accessible to everyone in the community."Opera Omaha – Opera in the Community
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. In the 2012–13 season, more than 1,800 middle and high school students attended Opera Omaha performances, many for the first time. 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 resource to the community. 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 citizenship.


See also

* Culture in Omaha, Nebraska


References


External links


Opera Omaha
website.
Finding aid for the Opera Omaha Records
at the
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library The Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library is a library on the campus of the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). History In 1916 a formal library was established on the UNO campus when construction of Joslyn Hall was completed on the original Om ...
*
Digital collections from the Opera Omaha Records
at the
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library The Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library is a library on the campus of the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). History In 1916 a formal library was established on the UNO campus when construction of Joslyn Hall was completed on the original Om ...
{{authority control Music of Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
Musical groups established in 1958 1958 establishments in Nebraska Performing arts in Nebraska