This is what it's all about.

Here are pictures from our visit to Children's Hospital & Medical Center on Monday. We hosted an instrument petting zoo and homemade instrument-making station in the Atrium. Then, musicians Maria Harding and Amy Peterson-Stout strolled through the hospital's halls, performing beautiful music for the patients and their families. What a wonderful visit! Thank you, Children's Hospital & Medical Center.

Ernest Richardson debuts world premiere, dedicates work to Omaha Symphony

What: SPIRIT OF CREATIVITY Chamber Concert
When: Saturday, May 28 7 PM
Where: UNO Strauss Performing Arts Center (60th & Dodge)
Tickets: $30 General Admission
Click here to order tickets online!

Omaha, Neb – Omaha audiences typically see Omaha Symphony resident conductor Ernest Richardson on the podium, but next Saturday, concertgoers will hear a piece of music by Ernest Richardson—the composer—for the very first time. Experience the world premiere of his Three Scenes for Chamber Orchestra at Spirit of Creativity Saturday, May 28 at 7 p.m. at the UNO Strauss Performing Arts Center. The piece, dedicated to the Omaha Symphony in honor of its 90th Anniversary, is the crown jewel of a program full of creative pieces that break the mold.

“Performing Ernest’s extraordinary composition is the perfect conclusion to our 90th anniversary season. It is the ideal time to honor one of our own who has given so much to this community,” said Omaha Symphony music director Thomas Wilkins, who will conduct the concert.

About the composition, Richardson wrote: “I began thinking about the musicians that I work with at the Omaha Symphony and musical ideas came to me as I imagined their playing. The work is very much crafted for them, as I know them through their playing. My job as a composer is to make the connection between audience and performer, and it always brings me a smile.”

The final Chamber concert of the 2010/11 season also features works by Copland, Bartók, and Barber. Spirit of Creativity also highlights the talents of three Omaha Symphony musicians: Maria Harding, flute; Jason Sudduth, oboe; and Scott Quackenbush; trumpet.

Join the Omaha Symphony for this celebration of creativity—and its own conductor Ernest Richardson! For tickets, please call 402.342.3560 or click here!

Read All About It! "Mr. Johnson's Opus"

Don't miss this tremendous article by Sarah Wengert with The Reader--a feature on our new President and CEO, James M. Johnson.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from James:

“How people listen to music has changed radically in the last 10 years. No one says, ‘I only listen to X, Y or Z.’ We’re all listening to everything,” says Johnson. “I think that’s something orchestras can learn from, and respect that even the crowd that comes for your Mozart concert could possibly be listening to Lady Gaga in the car on the way home.”

Do you like FREE MUSIC??? Join us Memorial Day Weekend!

A FREE Omaha Symphony concert? Outdoors? Spirit-lifting music in a gorgeous lake locale? YES, PLEASE! Pack a picnic and don't miss it!

Um, sir... you sound/look a lot like....

Tony Kishman, an entertainer with an uncanny visual and vocal resemblance to Sir Paul, is featured on "The Music of Paul McCartney" on May 21 at the Holland Center. Watch this video for a preview...and join us for this symphonic salute!

Reasons To Order 2011/12 Season Tickets Today!

You'll save money! Season ticket are much cheaper than regular-priced single tickets. Depending on your series and seating, you can save up to 40%! PLUS, series subscribers get a 20% discount on additional tickets to concerts in their series when purchased after August 31, 2011. (Excludes the Family Series)
Easy exchanges. We know you're busy and that conflicts can pop up. Don't worry! We're flexible. Exchanges can be made in person, via mail, or by phone to our Box Office.
Personal Ticketing Services. Our friendly, knowledgeable Box Office staff is ready to help you with any questions or changes.
Advance Tickets for Special Concerts. When we offer Special Concerts, you can purchase your tickets at a discount before they're offered to the general public!
Subscriber Express Will-Call. Avoid long lines! Ask to have your will-call tickets left at the Omaha Symphony subscriber services window at the Holland Center box office, starting one hour before each concert.
Be generous, Be a Benefactor. If you can't make it to one of your season concerts, we can pass on your tickets as a gift to community members who couldn't attend without your generosity.

With perks like these, it's clear that season tickets are the smart choice for music lovers who also love to save.

BECOME A SEASON TICKET HOLDER TODAY: Click here!

A Preview of Simply Sinatra with Steve Lippia

The Omaha Symphony presents the music of Frank Sinatra May 13-15 at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Steve Lippia, hailed by Sinatra’s own music director as “the best young singer I’ve heard in 25 years,” will wow audiences with his smooth vocals and swingin’ stage presence. Concertgoers will experience a feel-good Sinatra hit parade, including “New York, New York,” “Come Fly With Me,” “My Way,” “That’s Life,” “All The Way,” and more!

Lippia has quickly established his place among the finest interpreters of standards and traditional pop music in the nation. He has performed with dozens of major symphony orchestras and headlined highly successful, extended engagements in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. He has even headlined at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in New York City, backed by the Nelson Riddle and Woody Herman orchestras. TV appearances include Extra, FOX’s Good Day New York, CNN’s Showbiz Tonight, ABC, and the BBC.

JoAnn is thrilled... and we are, too!

JoAnn Falletta is in Omaha this weekend and she's pretty excited about it! Read all about it in the Omaha World-Herald preview HERE.

Omaha audiences will be swept away by the star power and musical beauty of Spring Enchantment, May 6 and 7 at the Holland Center. JoAnn Falletta will take the podium to conduct Elgar’s beloved Enigma Variations, as well as works by Prokofiev and Mendelssohn. Saint-Saëns’s romantic Cello Concerto No. 1 will feature rising star soloist Julian Schwarz.

Acclaimed by The New York Times as “one of the finest conductors of her generation,” JoAnn Falletta serves as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. With Falletta at the helm, the BPO has released 12 CDs on the Naxos label, garnering nine Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards. She frequently guest conducts many of the world’s great symphony orchestras.

Join us! Click here for tickets.

Meet our New President & CEO!

The Omaha Symphony is thrilled to announce that James M. Johnson has accepted the position of president and CEO of the Omaha Symphony. Johnson comes to Nebraska from New York City, where he has served as CEO of The New York Pops for more than 10 years. He will officially start with the organization on June 1, 2011.

“I feel privileged to join this esteemed institution. I cannot imagine a better opportunity,” said Johnson. “The Omaha Symphony is fortunate to have one of the country's great musical leaders in Music Director Thomas Wilkins and a remarkable and creative resident conductor in Ernest Richardson. The incredibly gifted musicians of the orchestra are a great resource for the Omaha community, and I look forward to working with them to find more opportunities to share their gifts.”

Johnson brings more than 25 years of experience in arts management to the Omaha Symphony. In his most recent role with The New York Pops, he managed the artistic, human, and financial resources of the organization, a $2.5 million, 77-piece professional orchestra performing primarily at Carnegie Hall. He forged significant relationships with major corporate funders, civic and charitable organizations, and leading performing artists. Prior to The New York Pops, Johnson served for nearly seven years as director of operations for the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and as general manager of the Martha Graham Dance Company.

Johnson will move to Omaha later this month with his wife and two daughters. “My family and I are eager to move to Omaha. We look forward to joining a community that is so supportive of culture and education—two of the cornerstones of any great city.”