Come join me as I host the 23/24 Poetry and Music Project Concert.

In Fall 2023, Opera Omaha and the Nebraska Writers Collective invited students from Nebraska and Iowa to submit works of poetry on the theme “Discovery” focusing on the subthemes Examining Growth, Uncovering Art, Pinpointing Place, Exploring Relationships, and Finding Yourself. Throughout the fall over 470 elementary, middle, and high school students took part in NWC led Poetry & Music writing workshops focused on helping students to add musicality to their poetry.

Opera Omaha received 103 poem submissions from student poets at 45 schools in 12 counties across Nebraska and Iowa. The poets ranged from second graders to high school seniors, including first time poets and seasoned writers. All poems are included in the Poetry & Music Project Book.

While there were many outstanding poems submitted to the project, in the end, project composers Amber Vistein and Sidney Marquez Boquiren selected 13 poems that inspired them and took to the task of setting these poems to original music. In Spring 2024, poets and composers along with project pianist, Opera Omaha Head of Music Josh Quinn, and Opera Omaha singers gathered for workshops to collaborate on the original pieces of music. These workshops were a magnificent inspiration for the composers and singers as they heard the students read the poems in their own voice for the first time. The students participated in the collaborative process of molding the pieces into their final form through thoughtful questions and energetic responses.