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Choral Collaborative this Sunday - Tickets just $10

When: Sunday, November 15 @ 7:30 PM
Where: Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas Street
Tickets: $10; available by calling 402.342.3836 x107 or at the door

What do you get when you bring together one symphony orchestra, four professional opera singers, and seven high school choirs? The answer – Choral Collaborative. Created through a unique partnership between the Omaha Symphony and Opera Omaha, this event gives area high school students the opportunity to receive mentoring from professional musicians, participate in the planning of a professional music concert, and perform large symphonic and operatic works.
This year, more than 500 choir students from seven area schools – Bellevue East, Bellevue West, Fremont, Lincoln Southwest, Omaha Burke, Papillion-LaVista, and Papillion-LaVista South – will perform selections like Mozart’s Requiem, as well as a number of favorite opera choruses. Pieces from Bizet’s Carmen and Gounod’s Faust, along with “Duel of the Fates” from Stars Wars: Phantom Menace, are among the highlights.
These talented young people have put in hours of serious rehearsal that will culminate in this one-night-only performance. They have had one-on-one instruction from Opera Omaha Resident Music Director J. Gawf and Omaha Symphony Resident Conductor Ernest Richardson. “The opportunity to perform in the Holland Performing Arts Center is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of these students,” said Jennifer Boomgaarden, Vice President of education and community partnerships with the Omaha Symphony. “The opportunity to work with a professional opera company and a professional symphony orchestra is one these students are certain to remember for many years to come.”

Fine arts students stretch their skills outside of their schools

Photo by Jeff Beiermann/OWH
Article by John Keenan/OWH

Clarinet to her lips, Ashley Bigge blew the “B-Flat Blues (Shuffle Time)” -- her introduction to the world of jazz improvisation.

“I’m liking it,” she said after her solo. “I’ve never done jazz before. I’m in the wind ensemble and marching band, and I just wanted to try something different.”

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Love the violin? Don't miss "Mendelssohn's Masterpiece"

With music like Mendelssohn’s beloved Violin Concerto in its arsenal, it’s no wonder the violin is such a popular instrument. Romantic and riveting, Mendelssohn’s piece allows the violinist to show off their skills while showcasing the instrument’s full range of emotion. The Omaha Symphony is thrilled to present Mendelssohn’s Masterpiece November 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center. The symphony will also perform Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and Elgar’s In the South.

David Kim, violin, will shine as the concert’s featured soloist. Kim has served as concertmaster with the Philadelphia Orchestra for a decade. As a highly sought-after pedagogue, Kim presents masterclasses annually at institutions such as Curtis, Juilliard, and Yale, among others. On the Saturday morning he’s in Omaha, he will lead a masterclass with students from the Omaha Conservatory of Music. For more details on our guest artist, visit www.davidkimviolin.com.

Christopher Seaman, music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, will guest conduct at this MasterWorks program, sponsored by Omaha Steaks. Main floor tickets are still available, starting as low as $25. To purchase your tickets, call 402.342.3560, order online at www.omahasymphony.org, or visit the Omaha Symphony Box Office at 1605 Howard Street.