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NOV. 13 & 15, 2026

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LA BOHÈME NOV. 13 & 15, 2026

Letter from the General Director �� 4 Board of Directors �� 6 Opera Omaha Staff �� 7 Major Contributors �� 11 Conductor's Note �� 14 Director's Note �� 16 Title Page �� 19 Synopsis �� 20 Artist Biographies �� 22 Opera Omaha Chorus �� 29 Production & Music Staff �� 29 Omaha Symphony �� 30 Craftsman’s Guild �� 32 Opera Omaha Guild �� 32 Holland Community Opera Fellowship �� 38 Poetry & Music Project �� 40 Education Programs �� 42 Opera Omaha Donors �� 46 Memorials & Tributes �� 48 Fortissimo Society & Special Funds �� 52 Corporate & Foundation Donors �� 53 Repertoire History �� 54 OPA Board & Administration �� 56 OPA General Information �� 57 Get Involved �� 58

Visit operaomaha.org/blog to view this program's content on our website. Click the icon for translations and other accessible digital options.

FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR

DEAR FRIENDS: Welcome to La bohème, the first production of Opera Omaha’s 26/27 Season—our 69th Season. Our longevity is a true testament to the community of arts lovers, including you, that have supported us since 1958. Thank you for believing in the value of our work, and we look forward to celebrating our 70th Anniversary with you next year! La bohème is the most performed opera in our history. It is also the most performed opera in The Metropolitan Opera’s history, and the most performed opera in the United States in 2026, with over 2,000 known performances. Why is La bohème so beloved? Some say that La bohème is the perfect opera. The music is lush and beautiful, the story is finely crafted and relatable, and we are out of the theater in 2 hours and 30 minutes (a short night by operatic standards!). We laugh, we cry, and we pull out all the stops for a spectacular second act that, in this production, features confetti, stilt walkers, and a children’s chorus. And did I mention the first two acts take place in Paris on Christmas Eve? At the heart of La bohème is nostalgia for youth. Our six main characters are learning how to be adults. The four men are artists of different disciplines, trying to “make it” with limited success. The two women are also struggling, especially in a society where poor, single women have few options. Despite their circumstances, our bohemians fill their days with laughter, friendship, and love. But in the end, the consequences of poverty, including vulnerability to illness, change their lives forever.

The cast includes Opera Omaha mainstage debuts by all six leads, and the first engagement of conductor Jonathan Brandani leading the Omaha Symphony in the pit. The production by E. Loren Meeker and directed by Rebecca Herman updates the setting from the 1830s to the 1890s to highlight the stylistic elements of the Belle Époque era in Paris. La bohème is the first production in a season of diverse offerings. Don’t miss The Pigeon Keeper, Ariadne auf Naxos, or Alessandro. Just typing those titles fills me with pride and gratitude. We live in a community that allows us to produce new and rarely performed works at the highest level of excellence. That is not the norm, and we don’t take it for granted! More information about upcoming productions is in the program book, at the welcome table in the lobby, and on our website. Finally, Opera Omaha will roll out the red carpet for opera royalty on Friday, April 16 when mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato headlines our Gala at Steelhouse. You do not want to miss this performance! It will go down in Opera Omaha history with past storied appearances by Plácido Domingo and Beverly Sills. Please save the date and join us for this special evening in honor of The Holland Foundation and Dick and Mary Holland.

With thanks always,

Allison Swenson GENERAL DIRECTOR

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

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OPERA OMAHA

BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORS

Kiley Freeman

Linda Andersen

CHAIR

Jo Bartikoski

Barbara Person VICE CHAIR

Dr. Ali Khan

Dr. Jawed Bharwani Nicholas Bjornson

SECRETARY

Roger Blauwet

Linda Burt Rebrovic

Sandra Bruns

TREASURER

Michael Chase

Dr. Jawed Bharwani

Dr. Karen Fannin

ADVISORS' CHAIR

Carrie Nath COMMUNITY PANEL REPRESENTATIVE

Nicholas Bjornson Dr. Anne Bruckner James Davenport Dr. Jonathan Fuller Mihaela Kobjerowski Hillary Nather-Detisch Dr. Jeffrey Robinson Terri Sanders Jara Sturdivant-Wilson Jerry Syslo Tony Vargas

EMERITUS BOARD

Betty Foster Lauren Garcia Leslie Garth Dr. Fred Hanna Ryan Hansen Dr. Hamza Haqqi Don Horn Megan Hunt Lora Kaup Mark Allen Maser Sheila McNeill Jessica Olsen Deb Peterson Alysia Radicia Dr. Debra Reilly-Culver Kelly Sanford Karl Schwent

Terrence J. Ferguson

Mary Ann Strasheim

Robert E. Owen

Jerry Syslo

Mary Ann Strasheim

Dr. James Tracy Dr. Joachim Voss Jim Winner Connie Kinnear OPERA OMAHA GUILD PRESIDENT

Chris Tombrello CRAFTSMAN’S GUILD PRESIDENT

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

OPERA OMAHA STAFF

Allison Swenson GENERAL DIRECTOR

ADMINISTRATION

ENGAGEMENT

Shannon Walenta

Lauren Medici

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS & PROGRAMS

Jenny Daggett

Wendy Kaiser

FINANCE CONSULTANT

COMMUNITY OPERA FELLOWSHIP DIRECTOR

April Hartman

Abz Cameron

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT

HOLLAND COMMUNITY OPERA FELLOW

Cydnea Hoff

Alice Franssen

OFFICE MANAGER

HOLLAND COMMUNITY OPERA FELLOW

ARTISTIC Katrina Thurman

Tobias J. Garcia HOLLAND COMMUNITY OPERA FELLOW

Chloe Janae Gormley

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION & PLANNING

HOLLAND COMMUNITY OPERA FELLOW

Trisha Berquist

Pat McEvoy

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Josh Quinn

ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR

HEAD OF MUSIC & ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR

MARKETING

Steven White

Kyle Thomas

PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

DEVELOPMENT Joe Prickett DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & CAMPAIGNS

Rebecca Hays

Rachel Austin ART DIRECTOR

Howard Coffin AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & SALES MANAGER

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

PRODUCTION

Laura Jaros

Kate Whitecotton

DEVELOPMENT DATABASE & ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Tim Combs TECHNICAL DIRECTOR LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

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connected moved transported exhilarated affected Be Omaha together. curious human creative engaged transformed Since 1958, Opera Omaha has been led by devotion to two elements: Art and Community. To this day, our pride and purpose is to gather our city together to enrich and expand our common humanity.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT OPERAOMAHA.ORG

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

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LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

WITH GRATITUDE

FOR OUR CONTRIBUTORS Opera Omaha honors Richard D. Holland and the Holland Foundation for unyielding major support over the years, and the entire Simon family and Omaha Steaks for their sustaining generosity. With our sincere gratitude, we acknowledge the following foundations and businesses that make our programming a reality. Opera Omaha would also like to recognize the institutions and corporations that provide operating support or sponsor our community engagement programs, which are designed to educate, uplift, and enrich our community.

SEASON SPONSORS

PRODUCTION SPONSORS

ARTIST SPONSOR

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Giger Foundation

Anonymous Allan and Ann Mactier Charitable Foundation

Adah and Leon Millard Foundation

GENEROUS PUBLIC SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

The Nebraska Arts Council, a state agency, has supported this program through its matching grants program funded by the Nebraska Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Visit www.nebraskaartscouncil.org for information on how the Nebraska Arts Council can assist your organization, or how you can support the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

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LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

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FROM THE

CONDUCTOR Puccini’s La bohème is one of those operas which took the world by storm soon after its premiere back in 1896; since then, it has never ceased to inspire and to move audiences around the globe. La bohème is the first Puccini opera that totally captivated my imagination and the one I kept listening to over and over again when I was about 18 years old. I had just bought a CD recording, which came with a very nice printed version of the libretto, and I remember listening to the opera every day for hours at a time. Even now, after many years since that time, I still consider this opera a miracle of musical and theatrical perfection. Nowadays, notwithstanding the fact that I've had the privilege of conducting it on multiple occasions, every time I encounter it, I am still deeply moved by its power. It doesn’t matter how many times I have been hearing, playing, or conducting the last scene - every time I am moved to tears and amazed at how powerful it still is. This opera - like all great masterworks - never ceases to shine and to reveal different sides of itself every time we interact with it. Every time that I get to perform it, I keep discovering and learning new things; sometimes it’s a slightly different take on one of the characters, some other times it’s a precious detail in the orchestration, sometimes it’s a different interpretative nuance in a specific passage. I have been thinking a lot about the reasons that make La bohème such a powerful opera. Is it because of its romantic story, with its unique mix of youthful comedy and timeless heartbreak? Is it because of its music, which, in its incredible sincerity, brings to the forefront all the different emotions that permeate the story? Is it because of the soaring melodies and incredible arias that fill the score? Is it because of its lush and brilliant orchestration, which literally both supports and enhances the musical storytelling? Most likely, it is because of all of this and much more which is hard to put into simple words…

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

While this opera is indisputably full of memorable moments, I have to admit that I have a couple of personal favorite spots. The first one is almost at the end of Act 2, when Marcello reunites with Musetta and all six principals join forces in a very short, yet musically superb sextet. The orchestra and the voices soar to such a compelling climax that I find absolutely irresistible - the sheer amount of sound that comes up from the pit and down from the stage at that point is so exhilarating and aptly translates into music all the passions and all the enthusiasm that inhabits the characters at that specific moment! The other spot is the quartet in Act 3. In this ensemble piece, Puccini manages to combine intense lyricism with incredible realism: while Mimì and Rodolfo sing soaring melodies that renew their love commitment, Marcello and Musetta argue in a lively and fiery manner, totally unaffected by what’s going on around them. I always find it fascinating that opera, in the hands of skilled composers like Puccini, has the power to present and successfully overlap such two (or more!) very different situations happening at the same time! I believe that La bohème is an opera that has something for everyone; it doesn’t matter how young or old, hopeful or disillusioned, romantic or pragmatic one is. At every performance there will be something that will resonate with us and will make us feel the poetic power of Puccini’s genius.

— Jonathan Brandani

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

FROM THE

DIRECTOR It is a joy to return to this production of La bohème, originally created for The Glimmerglass Festival in 2016. The production has since traveled with me to OPERA San Antonio and back to Glimmerglass. Nearly a decade after we first imagined it, I am delighted to introduce this very special Bohème to Opera Omaha. When we began designing the production, we wanted to place these characters in the vibrant world of Belle Époque Paris; a city alive with painters, poets, performers, cafés, cabarets, and people living just outside the boundaries of respectable society. Toulouse-Lautrec and the nightlife he captured became important visual touchstones for us. This is a world filled with color and personality, but also one in which poverty is never far away. That combination seemed perfect for Puccini’s bohemians. 16

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

Rodolfo, Marcello, Schaunard, and Colline are struggling artists, but what defines them is their charisma, their humor, their ambition, and their extraordinary friendship. They have chosen to live with almost nothing, yet at the beginning of the opera their world feels enormous. A manuscript can become firewood. A meager meal can become a feast. An empty room can be filled with laughter. They possess the optimism of youth – the belief that somehow everything will work out. Mimì enters that world from somewhere very different. She is young, reserved, and working to support herself as a seamstress. As she falls in love with Rodolfo, she is also drawn into the freedom and unconventionality of his circle. Musetta, by contrast, seems born to inhabit this Paris: theatrical, independent, sensual, and completely aware of the effect she has on everyone around her. These women are very different, but neither is merely an accessory to the men who love them. They bring their own desires, choices, contradictions, and vitality into the story. With this in mind, the creative team deliberately chose a sparse scenic vocabulary for the production. Rather than recreate Paris

naturalistically, a few pieces of architecture, furniture, light, and the ever-present Parisian sky suggest the world around the characters. Objects transform and spaces are reconfigured before our eyes. What matters is not the completeness of the room, the café, or the city gate, but what happens between the people in these spaces. And as their story changes, so does their world. The expansive promise of the opening gradually disappears. By Act 3, winter has arrived, relationships are fracturing, and the characters have reached an emotional low point. The architecture itself begins to feel more exposed and broken apart. When we return to the garret in Act 4, there is even less than there was at the beginning. What once seemed playfully impoverished now feels genuinely empty. The friends can still joke and pretend, but we understand that youth cannot protect them from everything. That is one of the things I find so devastating about La bohème. Puccini does not tell us the story of extraordinary people. He gives us ordinary moments and allows us to discover how extraordinary they become because they will not last.

Our goal was to never have the production design compete with the brilliance of simple human moments. The purpose of the environment is to give these young people a world in which to live— and then allow Puccini, and the artists performing his opera, to do the rest. Every time I return to La bohème, the production feels new because the people inside it are new. Each Rodolfo and Mimì find their own way toward one another. Each Marcello and Musetta discover their own wonderfully impossible relationship. And each group of bohemians creates the sense that, for one fleeting period of their lives, these friends truly are a family. Perhaps that is why we continue to return to La bohème. Most of us know something about a time when our friends were our world, when the future seemed impossibly large, and when we did not yet understand how quickly those days would pass. It is a delight to return to this production once again, and a privilege to share it with Omaha.

— E. Loren Meeker

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

LA BOHÈME Music by Giacomo Puccini

Libretto by Luigi Illica and Guiseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger Performed in Italian with English supertitles

November 13 & 15, 2026 Orpheum Theater, Slosburg Hall | Omaha, Nebraska First performance: Teatro Regio Turin, February 1, 1896 First Opera Omaha performance: April 27, 1962

CREATIVE

CAST

Jonathan Brandani*

Karen Chia-ling Ho*

Matthew Burns

CONDUCTOR

MIMI

BENOIT/ALCINDORO

E. Loren Meeker

Demetrious Sampson Jr.*

Jackson Kissler

PRODUCTION BY

RODOLFO

PARPIGNOL

Rebecca Herman

Katrina Galka*

Schuyler Rose

DIRECTOR

MUSETTA

CUSTOM HOUSE OFFICER

Kevin Depinet*

Darren Drone*

Gavin Rasmussen

SET & PROPERTIES DESIGNER

MARCELLO

PRUNE MAN

Erik Teague*

Johnathan McCullough

Garrett Scholberg

COSTUME DESIGNER

SCHAUNARD

SERGEANT

Robert Wierzel

Nicholas Newton*

Vi Westman

LIGHTING DESIGNER

COLLINE

CHILD

Ronell Oliveri WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER

*Opera Omaha Debut

Eric Sean Fogel* CHOREOGRAPHER

Madison Hertel* ASSOCIATE CHOREOGRAPHER

With immense gratitude for a remarkable legacy of support for Opera Omaha, the opening night performance of La bohème is dedicated to the Julie Morsman Schroeder Foundation. Matthew Burns sponsored by Husch Blackwell The Omaha Symphony Opera Omaha Chorus and Youth Chorus | Josh Quinn, director This production was originally produced by The Glimmerglass Festival. The performance runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission. The use of flash-equipped cameras, audio recorders, video cameras or any other recording device during the performance is strictly prohibited.

LA BOHÈME

SYNOPSIS ACT I A garret in the Latin Quarter On a bitter Christmas Eve in 1890s Paris, three bohemian friends, poet Rodolfo, painter Marcello, and philosopher Colline try to keep warm in their threadbare attic. They joke and burn pages of Rodolfo’s latest play for heat. Their fourth roommate, the musician Schaunard arrives with food and firewood, which he has earned by being hired to play until a parrot falls down dead. When the landlord, Benoit, enters demanding rent, the gang gets him drunk, then cheerfully hustle him out without his money. The friends head to Café Momus, leaving Rodolfo behind to finish writing an article. A soft knock. Their neighbor Mimì, a shy seamstress, asks for a light, her candle has blown out. In the dim room, they search for her lost key; hands touch, hearts quicken. Rodolfo introduces himself, she tells of her simple life and love of spring flowers; the spark is instant. They leave arm-in-arm to join the others, their new love warming them against the cold.

ACT II Café Momus, the Latin Quarter Café Momus glitters with hawkers and revelers. Rodolfo proudly presents Mimì to his friends, who welcome her with warmth and teasing. Amid the swirl arrives Musetta, Marcello’s glamorous, tempestuous, on-again/off-again lover, on the arm of the pompous Alcindoro. Musetta launches into her famous waltz, dazzling the crowd and re-ensnaring Marcello. With a mischievous ruse, she sticks Alcindoro with the dinner bill and dashes off with Marcello to rejoin the bohemians, who stream into the merry Paris night.

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

ACT III Two months later, the Barrière d’Enfer, a snowy dawn Winter deepens. Outside a toll gate at dawn, Mimì, coughing and exhausted, seeks Marcello at a nearby tavern where he and Musetta are working. She confides that Rodolfo’s jealousy has become unbearable. Marcello hints the poet fled more from fear than temper. Rodolfo appears and admits the truth: he adores Mimì, but her illness worsens in their poverty; his jealousy is a mask for anguish and helplessness. Overhearing, Mimì steps forward. The lovers agree to separate in spring, unable to part in the icy moment. Nearby, Marcello and Musetta quarrel and split yet again.

ACT IV Back in the garret Spring and summer have come and gone. Rodolfo and Marcello pretend to work while pining for their lost loves. Colline and Schaunard arrive with a meager feast, and the four turn their hunger into slapstick bravado. Musetta bursts in. She found Mimì gravely ill, and brought her to the garret because she wished to die near Rodolfo. The friends scramble to help. Musetta rushes out to sell her earrings for medicine; Colline quietly decides to pawn his beloved overcoat to buy a muff to warm Mimì’s cold hands. Alone together, Rodolfo and Mimì reminisce about their first meeting: the candle, the key, the joy of that night. The others return with small comforts. For a fleeting moment she seems better, grateful for the muff against the chill. Then, as laughter fades, Mimì slips away, serene; Rodolfo realizes the truth. His cry shatters the little attic.

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

ARTIST

BIOGRAPHIES Jonathan Brandani

E. Loren Meeker

Italian conductor Jonathan Brandani makes his Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. Mr. Brandani is Artistic Director of Calgary Opera. His recent engagements include appearances at The Atlanta Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Calgary Opera, Bregenzer Festspiele (Austria), Teatro Lirico di Cagliari (Italy), Göteborg Opera (Sweden), Danish Royal Opera House Copenhagen, and Staatstheater Meiningen. In recent seasons he has also conducted at Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Italy), Théatre Royal de Wal-lonie-Liège (Belgium), Orchestra Filarmonica Toscanini (Italy), Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf (Germany), Palau de les Arts in Valencia (Spain), Wexford Festival Opera (Ireland), and Donizetti Festival in Bergamo (Italy). He has been Associate Conductor of Minnesota Opera (USA, 2014-2019), and Principal Guest Conductor of Daegu Opera House (South Korea, 2017-2020). After receiving his degree in Piano, Mr. Brandani graduated in Conducting with full marks and honor at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna; he also earned a Master of Arts in Orchestra Conducting from Yale University.

E. Loren Meeker returns to Opera Omaha after last directing La traviata. Ms. Meeker is a stage director whose work has been seen at companies across the U.S., South America, Asia, and Europe. Since 2019, she has served as The Tobin Endowment Executive Director of OPERA San Antonio. Her 26/27 Season includes Madama Butterfly with Washington National Opera, La traviata with Austin Opera and OPERA San Antonio, and Gianni Schicchi with Florentine Opera. Recent productions include Madama Butterfly for Lyric Opera of Kansas City, a new production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea with Florentine Opera, a new, Pablo Picasso-inspired Le nozze di Figaro at Wolf Trap Opera, and Madama Butterfly for Austin Opera and OPERA San Antonio. Other highlights include Hansel and Gretel and Turandot for New Orleans Opera, Così fan tutte for her debut with Arizona Opera, Le nozze di Figaro with Austin Opera, Rigoletto, Hansel and Gretel, The Pirates of Penzance, and Tosca with OPERA San Antonio, Madama Butterfly with Portland Opera and Florida Grand Opera, Don Giovanni with Washington National Opera, Susannah with Rice University, and Show Boat with The Glimmerglass Festival.

Rebecca Herman

Kevin Depinet

Rebecca Herman returns to Opera Omaha after last Assistant Directing La traviata. Based in Austin, Texas, Ms. Herman serves as Artistic Producer of Local Opera Local Artists (LOLA), where she champions both inventive interpretations of the operatic canon and the development of new works. She made recent directorial debuts at Madison Opera (The Barber of Seville), Washington National Opera (The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs), Florentine Opera (Don Giovanni), and Pensacola Opera (La traviata). In the 26/27 Season, she looks forward to a directorial debut at Opera Orlando (Madama Butterfly) as well as revisiting The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at Utah Opera. Deeply committed to collaborative creation, Rebecca has facilitated the development of numerous new works, including Lardo Weeping (Peter Stopschinski, Terry Galloway), Good Country (Keith Allegretti, Cecelia Raker), Undine Speaks (Keith Allegretti, Amy Herman), Un Cuento de Luces y Sombras (Carlos Cordero, Germán Barboza), The Butterfly (Keith Allegretti, Amy Herman), and The Wildman at the Palace (Peter Stopschinski, Rude Mechs).

Kevin Depinet makes his Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. Mr. Depinet has been designing stage, film, and exhibitions from his home base of Chicago for the past 15 years. His Chicago theater credits include productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook and Chicago Children’s Theatre. He was the associate designer for the Broadway productions of Of Mice and Men, August: Osage County, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, On Your Feet, and the Cats current North American Tour. His many regional credits include productions at McCarter Theatre, Denver Center Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Arden Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Public Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and The Glimmerglass Festival. International credits include National Theatre of Great Britain, Dominion Theater London, Danish National Opera House, and the Frederica Theatre in Denmark. He is currently designing The Prince of Egypt in the West End, the North American Tour of The King's Speech, and several touring exhibitions including The Hunger Games: The Exhibition and Jurassic World: The Exhibition.

Conductor

Director

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

Production by

Set & Properties Designer

Erik Teague

Robert Wierzel

Erik Teague makes his Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. Mr. Teague’s works of note include: The Glimmerglass Festival: Pagliacci, The Cunning Little Vixen, La bohéme, Ariadne auf Naxos, Odyssey, The Flying Dutchman, Trouble in Tahiti, The House on Mango Street; Atlanta Opera: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Threepenny Opera, Cabaret, As One; Washington National Opera: The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me, The Jungle Book; Chicago Opera Theatre: The Nose, Der Silbersee; Florentine Opera: Acis and Galatea; Opera Southwest: Lohengrin; New Orleans Opera: Hansel and Gretel; Fingerlakes Opera: The Elixir of Love; Signature Theatre DC: Pippin, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Ragtime, RENT, Blackbeard; Wolf Trap Opera: The Touchstone; John F. Kennedy Center: The Mortification of Fovea Munson, Acoustic Rooster, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs; Synetic Theater: Antony and Cleopatra, Frankenstein, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Phantom of the Opera, Titus Andronicus, Sleepy Hollow, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Man in the Iron Mask; Constellation Theatre: Master and Margarita, The Wild Party, Equus; Center for Puppetry Arts: Stellaluna, Ruth and the Green Book.

Robert Wierzel returns to Opera Omaha after last designing Rigoletto. As a lighting designer, Mr. Wierzel has worked with artists from diverse disciplines and backgrounds in theater, dance, opera, and museums, with companies throughout the country and abroad. His theater work has been seen on and off Broadway, including the new musical A Walk On The Moon, Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill, starring Audra McDonald, the musical Fela! (Tony Award nomination), Dreams and Nightmares, and productions at PAC/NYC, the NYSF/Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Signature Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, Mostly Mozart Festival, BAM, The Acting Company, and the Lincoln Center Festival/ American Songbook Series. He has worked with opera companies in Paris, Versailles, Tokyo, Toronto, Norway, and Sweden; as well as the Dutch National, Wexford Festival Opera, NYCO, and The Glimmerglass Festival, among others. He has collaborated for decades with choreographer and director Bill T. Jones and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company.

Costume Designer

Ronell Oliveri

Lighting Designer

Eric Sean Fogel

Wig & Makeup Designer

Choreographer

Ronell Oliveri has been designing wigs and makeup for opera, theater, ballet, and film for the past 25 years for such companies as Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Columbus, Pacific Symphony, Opera Las Vegas, The ART, VH1, and The History Channel. She is currently the resident wig and makeup designer for Opera Colorado and Opera Omaha. As a wig and makeup artist, her professional credits include engagements with Chicago Lyric Opera, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Boston Ballet. She was a Prime Time Emmy nominee as key makeup artist for her work in television. Her work can also be seen in several Broadway shows including Wicked, All The Way, and Waitress. Recent engagements include: Opera Las Vegas’ Pagliacci, Opera Omaha’s Susannah, Pacific Symphony's Turandot, Opera Columbus' The Anonymous Lover, and Opera Colorado’s Madama Butterfly. Upcoming engagements include: Opera Colorado’s Macbeth, Opera Columbus’ The Shining, and Central City Opera’s 2027 Summer Festival.

Eric Sean Fogel makes his Opera Omaha debut in La bohéme. As Artistic Associate of The Glimmerglass Festival, Mr. Fogel has worked at the festival for 16 Seasons, directing or choreographing over 30 new productions, most notably The Rake's Progress in 2025. He is also a Guest Stage Director on staff at The Metropolitan Opera, where he currently serves as Revival Director for The Magic Flute and Norma. Other new productions as a Director include The Barber of Seville at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Songbird for Washington National Opera. He recently choreographed new productions of Ragtime at Opera Montana, Tannhäuser at Houston Grand Opera, Porgy and Bess at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Oklahoma! at The Glimmerglass Festival. Mr. Fogel has created new productions for Opera Australia, Opera Bordeaux, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Linzer Klangwolke, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, LA Opera, Metropolitan Art Museum, Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Opera Philadelphia, Paris Fashion Week, Royal Opera of Versailles, Seattle Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Théâtre du Capitole, Theater St. Gallen, and Washington National Opera. LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

ARTIST

BIOGRAPHIES Madison Hertel

Karen Chia-ling Ho

Madison Hertel makes her Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. Ms. Hertel is a New York City based performer and choreographer. Select credits: West Side Story (Anybodys) Washington National Opera; Fun Home (Medium Alison) The Hangar Theatre; Sunday in The Park with George (Choreographer, winner 2025 Musical Theatre Award, International Opera Awards) The Glimmerglass Festival; Songbird (Swing) Washington National Opera; Ride the Cyclone (Jane Doe) The Hangar Theatre; The Rake’s Progress (Assistant Choreographer/Principal Dancer) The Glimmerglass Festival; The Sound of Music (Associate Choreographer/Sister Sophia) Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Inherited by Word of Mouth (Dancer/Choreographer) The Kitchen Theatre. Ms. Hertel is an Ithaca College graduate and Northern Michigan raised.

Karen Chia-ling Ho makes her Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. In the 26/27 Season, Ms. Ho will premiere the role of Himiko Hamilton in Carla Lucero and Velina Hasu Houston's Tea at Hawaii Opera Theatre and sing Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly at Knoxville Opera. In concert, she will appear in Verdi's Requiem with the Bozeman Symphony and premiere Scott Gendel's Spacious Skies with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Her recent highlights include highly lauded debuts in one of her signature roles as Cio-Cio-San at Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, Virginia Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Arizona Opera, and Vancouver Opera. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Meretaten in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten and Apparition in Macbeth. She sang Liù in Turandot with St. Petersburg Opera and Tosca in Hong Kong and made her Carnegie Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra in Ernst Krenek’s Der Diktator as Maria.

Demetrious Sampson Jr.

Katrina Galka

Demetrious Sampson Jr. makes his Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. Mr. Sampson finished his undergraduate studies at Georgia State University’s School of Music in May of 2023, after which, he joined the Sarah and Ernest Butler Studio at Houston Grand Opera. The 26/27 Season features his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Fourth Squire in Parsifal, El último sueño de Frida y Diego with Seattle Opera, and holiday concerts with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. He returns to Houston Grand Opera in the 27/28 Season. The summer of 2026 marked Mr. Sampson’s role debut as Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca at Wolf Trap Opera, in addition to performing as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra. He made his role and company debut as Rodolfo in La bohème with Austin Opera. He concluded his time in the HGO Studio during the 25/26 Season, singing the principal roles of Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess, Lennie in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, and The Witch in Hänsel und Gretel.

Katrina Galka makes her Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. A highlight this season is Glière’s virtuosic Concerto for Coloratura and Orchestra, Op. 82 (WDR Orchester Köln), and future seasons include debuts at The Metropolitan Opera and Dallas Opera. Recent engagements: La ragazza del villaggio/Statua della Vergine in Il nome della rosa (Teatro alla Scala); Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann (Opernhaus Zürich); Adele in Die Fledermaus (Semperoper Dresden, Staatsoper Hamburg); Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, Staatsoper Hamburg, Atlanta Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera San José); Janine-Ofwarren in The Handmaid’s Tale (San Francisco Opera); Marie in La fille du régiment (Opera Colorado); Lucia di Lammermoor (New Orleans Opera); Adina in L’elisir d’amore (Utah Opera, Portland Opera); Fritzi in Die Weiden (Wiener Staastoper); Cunegonde in Candide (Glimmerglass Festival, Arizona Opera); Musetta in La bohème (Staatsoper Hamburg, Portland Opera); and concert engagements (LA Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Teatro Carlo Felice, and Bard Music Festival).

Associate Choreographer

Rodolfo

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

Mimì

Musetta

Darren Drone

Johnathan McCullough

Darren Drone makes his Opera Omaha debut in La bohéme. In the 26/27 Season, Mr. Drone appears in the title role of Barrie Kosky’s Porgy and Bess with Komische Oper Berlin under James Gaffigan, returns to Opera Orlando in the title role of The Flying Dutchman, conducted by Geoffrey Loff, and makes his European debut with the Royal Danish Theatre as the title role in Rigoletto. In concert, he performs in Dayton Opera’s Opera is for Lovers. Last season, Mr. Drone returned to The Metropolitan Opera for Porgy & Bess as the Undertaker, as cover for Moralès in Carmen, and to Seattle Opera for Carmen as Zuniga. He was also featured in recital with the Sag Harbor Song Festival and joined Santa Fe Opera as cover for the title role in Rigoletto. Recent highlights include performances with The Metropolitan Opera in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Florentine Opera Company in L’elisir d’amore, Pagliacci with Utah Opera, Jubilee at Seattle Opera, Cendrillon with Opera Orlando, and Dayton Opera’s Aida.

Johnathan McCullough returns to Opera Omaha after last performing in Opera Outdoors. Mr. McCullough was recently nominated for a GRAMMY Award® for his cinematic adaptation of David T. Little’s Soldier Songs. In the 25/26 Season, he debuted with Lincoln Center Theater in their production of Amahl and the Night Visitors directed by Kenny Leon. Last season, he returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for Die Fledermaus, Lyric Opera of Kansas City for Il barbiere di Siviglia as Figaro, and Opera Philadelphia for L'amant anonyme as Ophemon. Recent highlights include his debuts with Pittsburgh Opera for Il barbiere di Siviglia, Lyric Opera of Kansas City for Roméo et Juliette, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra for Madama Butterfly, and The Amarillo Symphony for Carmina burana. He also made a string of debuts: Opera Montana for Il barbiere di Siviglia, Tulsa Opera for Gianni Schicchi, Portland Opera for The Central Park Five, and his UK debut at English National Opera in a new production of The Marriage of Figaro.

Nicholas Newton

Matthew Burns

Nicholas Newton makes his Opera Omaha debut in La bohème. Mr. Newton consistently garners due attention as a dynamic and compelling bass-baritone in the classical music world. The winner of the Kirsten Flagstad Award at the 2026 George and Nora London Foundation Competition, he has performed on the stages of The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra national de Paris, the Salzburg Festival, the Berlin Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Detroit Opera, Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati May Festival, and many others. In 2025, Nicholas was the winner of Washington National Opera’s Marian Anderson Vocal Award, which recognizes a young American singer in opera, oratorio, or recital repertory, and he subsequently made his Kennedy Center recital debut. In addition to his burgeoning profile on international opera and concert stages, Mr. Newton is the founder of the Black Opera Database, a nonprofit organization dedicated to archiving, showcasing, and contextualizing operas that have been created by and about people of the African Diaspora.

Matthew Burns returns to Opera Omaha after last performing in The Capulets and the Montagues. Mr. Burns’ repertoire includes standout portrayals of Leporello (Don Giovanni), Doctor Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia and Le nozze di Figaro), and Sulpice (La fille du régiment), alongside dramatic roles such as George (Of Mice and Men), Blitch (Susannah), and Dansker (Billy Budd). In recent seasons, Burns has been seen at The Metropolitan Opera for the revival of The Hours, and in roles such as Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Memphis, the title role in Don Pasquale with Festival Napa Valley, Don Magnifico in La cenerentola with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance with Nashville Opera, and in his acclaimed Sulpice in La fille du régiment with Utah Opera. His career includes seven seasons at The Metropolitan Opera and collaborations with companies such as Opera Colorado, Detroit Opera, Washington National Opera, and Festival Napa Valley. Upcoming engagements for the 26/27 Season include Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Pensacola Opera and Don Magnifico in La cenerentola with Utah Opera.

Marcello

Colline

Schaunard

Benoit/Alcindoro

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

ARTIST

BIOGRAPHIES Jackson Kissler

Schuyler Rose

Jackson Kissler returns to Opera Omaha after last performing in Opera Outdoors. Mr. Kissler is a tenor hailing from Grand Island, Nebraska. He recently graduated from the University of NebraskaLincoln with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and is excited to begin his professional career here in his home state! During his time at UNL, Mr. Kissler performed as the Witch in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Kaspar in Menotti’s Amahl & the Night Visitors, and First Officer in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, as well as singing in the chorus for Robert Owens’ Culture! Culture! and Mozart’s The Magic Flute. He also performed with Opera Omaha in the chorus for their 2025 production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress.

Bass Schuyler Rose returns to Opera Omaha after last performing in La traviata. Mr. Rose is an Omaha area artist who has been a member of the Opera Omaha Chorus for over 10 years. In his time with the company, he has been a featured soloist in Rigoletto, Pagliacci, and Sweeney Todd. Since his last appearance, he took a break from performing to welcome the birth of his daughter Charlotte. After two years away, he is overjoyed to perform for his wife and now two year old daughter on the Orpheum stage. He'd like to take this opportunity to thank his parents, Scott and Sheri Arnold, for their constant encouragement and presence in the audience. He is eagerly looking forward to spending more time with his mother as she begins her recent retirement. And to his loving wife, celebrating 5 years together this past June: Kim Rose, thank you for your unwavering love and support, without which none of this would be possible. And thank you to Opera Omaha for this opportunity and for the many years of artistic fulfillment.

Gavin Rasmussen

Garrett Scholberg

Parpignol

Prune Man

Gavin Kelley Rasmussen returns to Opera Omaha after last performing in Opera Outdoors. They made their debut with Opera Omaha in La bohème (2016) as a member of the chorus and is excited to be revisiting the masterpiece as the Prune Man. With Opera Omaha, they participated in the Fidelio and Madama Butterfly chorus opening the world-premiere of Andy Akiho’s three-time GRAMMY® nominated work, Sculptures. They also played the role of Giuseppe in La traviata and participated in the Poetry & Music Project for the 23/24 and 24/25 Seasons. Most recently, they joined the Cantare! Choir, bringing music and festivities to those during the holiday and spring seasons. They also performed as Mr. Leelandi in the world premiere of Noalia, An Opera of Love by Carole Jeanpierre and is excited to be returning to Opera Omaha later this season as the Officer in Ariadne auf Naxos.

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

Custom House Officer

Sergeant

Garrett Scholberg returns to Opera Omaha after last performing in Opera Outdoors. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Scholberg’s previous engagements include the world premiere of Vía Láctea and co-founding ᏣᎳᎩ ᎤᏪᏘ ᏗᏂᏃᎩᏍᎩ (Cherokee Language Repertory Choir) in Cherokee, North Carolina. He currently resides in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he sings with Abendmusik at First Plymouth Church and was recently featured as the bass soloist in Mozart's Requiem.

Vi Westman

Child

Vi Westman returns to Opera Omaha after last performing in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Miss Westman has studied classical voice with Karina Brazas for seven years and loved being in her first opera as a cast mate with her instructor. Enjoying a broad range of music styles, she also studies and performs vocals with School of Rock House Band. She began community theater as the Dutch Girl in a Circle Theatre production of Miracle on 34th Street when she was nine. Her love of acting for film began when she portrayed the role of Claire Moreau in a period-accurate historical film, The Cross, at age 15. She is a senior in Omaha Public Schools and hopes to continue her education in both music and film. She would like to thank Josh of Opera Omaha, her voice teacher Karina, and her parents for their support in this wonderful opportunity.

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For tickets, visit OmahaPlayhouse.com or call the OCP Box Office at (402) 553-0800

DECEMBER 6, 2026 DECK THE HALLS

‘Tis the season! LSO’s annual celebration returns with two performances for the whole family to enjoy! Join guest conductor Lucas Waldin and jazz/soul singer Rajdulari for a concert full of holly, jolly, and more. LSO will bring beloved holiday songs to life alongside Bell-issimo handbell choir, Lincoln Suzuki Studios, Standing Bear High School Vocal Music Program, and the adaptive dance company Dancing Beyond Limits.

JANUARY 23, 2027 TCHAIKOVSKY’S FOURTH

LSO presents the newly commissioned My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Paola Prestini, celebrating female friendship as portrayed in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. LSO principal horn Greg Helseth joins the orchestra to perform Richard Strauss’ lyrical and nostalgic Horn Concerto No. 2. The program closes with Tchaikovsky’s electrifying Symphony No. 4.

LINCOLNSYMPHONY.COM | 402.476.2211

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

OPERA OMAHA

CHORUS

YOUTH CHORUS

SOPRANO

TENOR

SUPERNUMERARY

Lucy Beutler*

Lauren Breed

Connor Gelvin

Clint Beaver

Kavya Bhardwaj*

Crystal Dunning

Jonathan Gilchrist

Ashlynn Cutinella*

Rosemary Joyce

Jackson Kissler

Elizabeth Davies*

Evangeline Mason

Nate Petsche

Emma Kaiser*

Darien Myers-Krommenhoek

Aiden James Poling

Claudia Kammerer

Elizabeth Peters*

Gavin Rasmussen

Hannes Kulik*

Nicole Thoms

Daniel Schreiber

Natalie O’Toole*

MEZZO-SOPRANO

BASS

Stefanie Cannon

Jon Hickerson

Blair DeBolt

Viktor Khanzhyn

Lauren Paul

Kirby Le

Kaitlin Pearson

Drew Milburn

Laura Petry

David Petry

Samantha Schmitz

Schuyler Rose

Judi Unger

Garrett Scholberg

Amelia Peters* Lucy Posch* Margot Stevenson* Vi Westman

OPERA OMAHA

PRODUCTION & MUSIC STAFF Kimberley S. Prescott

Seth Brown*

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER

Edward Sturm

Amanda Jones

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

COSTUME SUPERVISOR

Ben Kulwanoski

Zach Kloppenborg*

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

WARDROBE COORDINATOR

Laurel Schmidt*

Candace Leyland

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

ASSISTANT WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER

Kori Archbold

Megan Bertoldi

YOUTH SUPERVISOR

ASSISTANT WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER

Max Monahan*

Kelley Rourke

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

SUPERTITLE DESIGNER

Lindsay Woodward

Byron Farrar

REHEARSAL PIANIST

SUPERTITLE OPERATOR

Evan McFadden*

Al Dusek+

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

HEAD PRODUCTION CARPENTER

Laura Peters

Scott Wasson+

PROPERTIES SUPERVISOR

HEAD PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN

+IATSE Local 42 Stagehand Services are provided by IATSE Local 42. Wardrobe Services are provided by IATSE Local 831.

Opera Omaha is a member of OPERA America.

*Opera Omaha Debut LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

OMAHA

SYMPHONY VIOLIN

BASS

TROMBONE

Susanna Perry Gilmore, Concertmaster Iris Wu, Associate Concertmaster Henry Jenkins, 2nd Associate Concertmaster Christopher Hake, Assistant Concertmaster Keith Plenert, Principal Second Violin Frank Seligman, Associate Principal Second Violin Kevin Tompkins, Associate Principal Second Violin Tracy Dunn Rebecca Kia-Mills Ha-Young Kim Alfiia Musurova Anne Nagosky Yulia Price Scott Shoemaker Janani Sivakumar Yi-Miao Huang Lucy Duke Glen Kluezi Melissa Pruss Mary Perkinson

Nate Olson, Principal Bobby Scharmann, Assistant Principal James Giles Jeremy Baguyos Danielle Meier Michael Swartz

Patrick Pfister, Principal Jason Stromquist, Assistant Principal Jay Wise, 3rd Trombone & Bass Trombone

VIOLA

BASSOON

Thomas Kluge, Principal Tyler Sieh, Associate Principal Alexa Brown Victor Diaz Juliet Yoshida Bozhidar Shopov Sarah Curley Rebecca Vieker

CELLO Paul Ledwon, Principal Gregory Clinton, Associate Principal Zachariah Reff, Assistant Principal Timothy Strang Holly Gullen-Stout Shannon Merciel Trev Petersen Korynne Bolt

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

FLUTE Maria Harding, Principal Nicholas Fitton, Assistant Principal & Piccolo Lisa Meyerhofer, 3rd Flute & Piccolo

OBOE Alexandra Rock, Principal Heather Baxter, Assistant Principal & English Horn Christine Sallas, 3rd Oboe & English Horn

CLARINET Carmelo Galante, Principal Rosario Galante, Assistant Principal Orlanda Scalia, 3rd Clarinet & Bass Clarinet

James Compton, Principal Nicholas Nelson, Assistant Principal Karen Sandene, 3rd Bassoon & Contrabassoon

HORN Katya Jarmulowicz, Principal Jake Rensink, Associate Principal Kerrig Kelly Steven Schultz

TRUMPET Scott Quackenbush, Principal Federico Montez, Associate Principal Christopher Haas

TUBA Riley Lindsey, Principal

TIMPANI Jack Rago, Principal

PERCUSSION Paul Matthews, Principal Derek Dreier, Assistant Principal

HARP Janna Young, Principal

KEYBOARD Christi Zuniga, Principal

ORCHESTRA OPERATIONS Jennifer Boomgaarden Daoud, President & CEO Kyra Hansen, Chief Operating Officer & Director of Production Dani Meier, Vice President of Artistic Administration Jamie Pham, Artistic Manager John Coate, Operations & Production Manager Tim Fogarty, Operations & Production Manager Emily Duffin, Orchestra Personnel Manager Erica Ostermiller, Operations & Personnel Coordinator Nicholas Buonanni, Head Librarian Ryland Muñoz, Librarian Nicole Cowan, Assistant Librarian Margaret Shumate, Stage Manager Hannah Aldridge, Assistant Stage Manager

Energizing Impact

Husch Blackwell proudly supports Opera Omaha’s 2026-2027 season and celebrates its ongoing mission to enrich the quality of life in our community by creating professional opera that expresses humanity’s deepest emotions and highest aspirations.

David E. Gardels Partner | 402.964.5027 david.gardels@huschblackwell.com 14606 Branch Street, Omaha, NE 68154

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Opera Omaha productions are made possible, in part, with significant support from the Craftsman’s Guild. Cindy & Mike Baumer

Nora Mae Gibson

Rebecca Reed

Betty Beach

Don Horn

Margret Sexton

Ian Bugeja

Mark Kalal

Toni Shelton

Tom Burton

Christine Lund

Kent Standerford

Gina Carusi

Julie Mead

Janet Syslo

Kate & Chris Gannon–Tombrello

Christine & Patrick Peters

Saprina Thiesen

Bill Gaus

Hilarie Price

Leslie Vann

Melissa Gebauer

Valerie Proctor

Annika Weber

The Opera Omaha Guild is a dedicated group of individuals who actively support Opera Omaha’s fundraising, community engagement, and education programs. Members plan and promote events such as Cotillion (etiquette classes for area sixth graders), social luncheons, educational activities, opera study groups, and pre-performance parties. If you are interested in joining the Opera Omaha Guild, please call (402) 346-7372 or visit operaomaha.org/guild for additional information. We appreciate your interest and look forward to hearing from you soon!

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Connie Kinnear PRESIDENT

Elizabeth Peters PRESIDENT ELECT

Lora Kaup PAST PRESIDENT & ADVISOR

Deb Peterson VP ENGAGEMENT

Kelly Sanford VP FUNDRAISING

Mark Maser VP MEMBERSHIP

Lisa Hagstrom COTILLION LIAISON

Vivian Davis CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

Lora Kaup RECORDING SECRETARY

April Nebel TREASURER

GUILD STANDING COMMITTEES

AT LARGE BOARD MEMBERS

VICTORIAN TEA

Dana Carlton-Flint

Connie Kinnear Lora Kaup SPRING LUNCHEON

Lauren Garcia

COTILLION

Marilyn Martin

Natalie Bartling Lisa Hagstrom Elizabeth Hall PATRON PARTY

Linda Andersen Connie Kinnear Mark Maser Elizabeth Peters Deb Peterson Kelly Sanford OPENING NIGHT OVERTURES

Christina Miller

SOCIAL MEDIA/NEWSLETTER

Lauren Garcia STUDY GROUP

NE DISTRICT METROPOLITAN OPERA LAFFONT COMPETITION AUDITIONS

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

Laura Hale

Connie Kinnear

Betty Foster

Kathy Gross

Mary Ellen Mulcahy

Christina Miller Karen Nelsen Mary Ellen Mulcahy Deb Peterson Sherry Taxman Jacqueline Sorrels Josie Wadman Sara Young

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AS A FELLOWSHIP, WE BUILD

relationships and engage in collaboration with community partners

EMPOWER

individuals to explore their creativity through the elements of opera

COLLABORATE WHAT IS THE HOLLAND COMMUNITY OPERA FELLOWSHIP? Launched in 2017, the Holland Community Opera Fellowship (HCOF) leads the opera field in civic practice by deepening relationships outside of performance venues. Across the Omaha metro, our team engages with the community, bringing artistry and connection to a variety of long-term and short-term co-created programs. Programming focuses on creativity and inspiration, utilizing the elements of opera (drama, word, art, movement and music) in a variety of community-based settings. 38

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

with others in programming that amplifies and supports the mission of our partners

CREATE

opportunities for safe expression, including a full range of emotions

INSPIRE

and cultivate a diverse, empathetic, and creative community in Omaha

26/27 FELLOWSHIP TEAM Seated left to right: Tobias J. Garcia, second year Fellow, Alice Franssen, first year Fellow Standing left to right: Lauren Medici, Director of Partnerships & Programs, Chloe Janae Gormley, second year Fellow, Wendy Kaiser, Community Opera Fellowship Director, Abz Cameron, second year Fellow

Left: Gotta Be Me, Inc. Heartlight Choir performing at Opera Outdoors, August 2026. Right: Two youth adding art to the cardboard house display that Abz Cameron created as a part of their “Oh, to Be a Kid Again” installation at Clover 24, August 2026.

26/27 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

26/27 COMMUNITY PANEL Tiffiny Clifton, Gotta Be Me Geri Knight, Journey 29 Rachel Morgan, Nebraska Arts Council Carrie Nath, Arts Access & Outreach Consultant Rita Paskowitz, Storyteller John Paul, Clover 24 Paula Wallace, Artist Gwyn Williams, Independent Leadership Coach Aiden James Poling, Holland Community Opera Fellowship Alum

Sarpy County Juvenile Justice Center

FIND MORE INFORMATION AT OPERAOMAHA.ORG/HCOF

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS The Poetry & Music Project connects student poets and their words with composers to create original music and explore the connections between poetry and music.

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 26/27 POETRY & MUSIC PROJECT This year’s theme is “Belonging.” From the submitted poems, nationally renowned professional composers will select poems that inspire them. The composers then create original songs, setting the student's poetry to music. They will share their work with the poets in collaborative music workshops. The program culminates in a public performance of the selected poems, now songs, at the Poetry & Music Concert on May 8, 2027 at the Omaha Conservatory of Music.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Open to all K-12 students in Nebraska and Iowa • All work must be original • Poems can be submitted via the online submission form

SUBMISSION DEADLINE November 30, 2026

PRODUCING PARTNER:

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PROMPTS, AND FULL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS VISIT:

OPERAOMAHA.ORG/POETRY 40

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

SUPPORTED BY:

FEBRUARY 20, 26 & 28, 2027

APRIL 24, 30 & MAY 2, 2027

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Opera Omaha's Education Programs serve over 1,500 local students each year, ranging from early education to graduate school. Education Programs invite students to experience opera as a living art form, one that connects music, storytelling, design, history, language, and imagination. • Free Tickets to Dress Rehearsals • Artist Visits and Masterclasses • “Opera 360” Backstage Tours • Poetry & Music Project • Curriculum Resources Opera Omaha's Education Programs are always free!

TO LEARN MORE VISIT OPERAOMAHA.ORG/EDUCATION 42

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

2027 FESTIVAL SEASON JULY 2 - 25 THE TALES OF HOFFMANN OFFENBACH ORPHÉE GLASS BILLY BUDD BRITTEN For tickets, visit dmmo.org or call (515) 209-3257

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LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

OPERA OMAHA

DONORS We are immensely grateful for our incredible community of supporters. Through their remarkable generosity in support of Opera Omaha’s Annual Fund, our donors empower us to produce world-class opera and deliver groundbreaking, free community engagement and education programming for the tens of thousands of audience members, artists, and neighbors we serve. This listing reflects gifts received between April 15, 2025- September 15, 2026.

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

$100,000+

Steve Menzies Jane and David Offutt Donald Wurster J. Allen Soderlund Irrevocable Trust Mary and Richard* Parrish

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE $50,000- $99,999

Robert E. Owen Todd Simon Annette and Paul Smith Donna and Coyner* Smith

PRODUCER $25,000-$49,999

Linda Burt Rebrovic and John Rebrovic Kate and Roger Weitz

BACKER

$10,000-$24,999

Anonymous Cindy and Mogens Bay Dr. Betty L. Beach Sara and Jawed Bharwani Betty Foster and Roger Blauwet Dr. Anne and Stephen Bruckner Barbara Person and Scott Burger Catherine and Terry Ferguson Kyoko and Jonathan Fuller Jerry C. Gose Vivian and Allen Hager Belle and Ryan Hansen Vicki and David Krecek Janet and H. Frederick Kuehl Pauline Quinn Silvia Greene Roffman

Kara and Joe Spitzenberger Jean and Eugene Stark, Jr. Janet and Jerry Syslo Gail and Irving Veitzer Katie Weitz, PhD and Tim Wilson Jo Bartikoski and Don Westling

BENEFACTOR $5,000-$9,999

Devin J. Fox, MD and Rob Block Sandi and Bill Bruns Jerome Coe Debra Reilly-Culver and Robert Culver, Jr. Vernie and Carter Jones Mihaela and Brett Kobjerowski Joanne and David Kolenda Sharee and Murray Newman Ann and Paul O'Hara Rita and Donald Otis Deb and Eric Peterson Jacqueline Sorrels and Alex Ritter Jill Slupe and Kerry Finnegan Mary Ann Strasheim Dr. and Mrs. James Tracy Maureen and Steven Turner

GUARDIAN $3,500-$4,999

Anonymous Linda and David Gardels Ruth Keene Dr. Ali Khan Ava and Bruce Ross Constance Ryan Mary Beth and James Winner

SUSTAINER $1,500-$3,499

Anonymous Linda Matson Andersen Sidney Marquez Boquiren Eleanor Shirley and Dan Cox

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

James and Jennifer Davenport Hillary Nather-Detisch and John R. Detisch Kate and Chris GannonTombrello Bill L. Gaus Jane and Edward Hawks Tim Held and Jay Worden Susan Thomas and Steven Hutchinson Mary Jetton Mark Maser and Paul Ledwon Sharon McGill Sheila McNeill Matthew Messner and Neil Sechan Connie and H. Don* Osborne Elizabeth and Jerry Powell Lora Kaup and Michael Pray Dr. Jeffrey A. Robinson, M.D. Kelly and Mark Sanford Marika and Peter Stone Anne and Arnold Weitz

PATRON

$750-$1,499

Anonymous Laura and Bryan Alexander Bridget Barron Natalie and Chris Bartling Ashley and Nicholas Bjornson Janet and Samuel Cohen Jesse Espinosa Hal France Judy and George Haecker, Jr. Jim and Carol Healy Don Horn and Dr. Joachim Voss Dr. Linda Matson and Mr. Michael Howland Anne Marie Hubbard Ruth Ann Keene Alfred G. Kelley Connie and John Kinnear Wade Leak and Jay Yost Deana Liddy Timothy Markel Marilyn and Robert Marion Martin Jessica and Dennis Pate

Alysia Radicia Kitty and John Ransom Greta Vaught and John Ritland Sarah Billinghurst Solomon Anne Stoddard Dr. Terry Tomcsik Kiley and James Thiele Shannon and Michael Walenta Paula Wallace Laura Wilwerding Patricia Wright

ADVOCATE $300-$749

Anonymous (2) Eileen and Timothy Arkebauer Mayrene Bentley Samuel Bierner and Joseph Pinson Teri and David Black Jerry Brabec and Patrick Mantell Kathleen Joan Bradley Nancy Ward and Toby Bright Bill Brosius Ann and David Burkholder Murray Joseph Casey Joan and Don Cimpl Linda and Tim* Daugherty Bev and Dick Fellman Andrea and Donald Fineberg Autumn Foland Tamara and Thomas Foley Elizabeth and John Fullerton Leslie Garth Randall Geer John K. Green Joan H. Squires and Dan Hamann Marilyn and Robert Hansen April Hartman Stanton and Julia Hoppe Susan and Craig Ihnen Bonnie and David Jaros Susan Jensen Vibeke Jensen Jeffrey Johnston Mary and Thomas Kerr

*Deceased

Marilyn and Mark Kirchhoff Adam Klepper Stacy and Jay Kozisek Ronna and Joseph Kutlas Lourdes Secola and Sheldon Lerner Kathleen and John Lohr Peter Lundberg Meredith Fuller and James Luyten Dorothy* and Daniel McKinney Donald Moran Karen and Paul Mullen Kevin Murray Karen and Larry Nelsen Jessica Olsen Polly and Frank Partsch Rebecca Planer Lisa and Dan Prickett Cynthia and David Rector Tom Richter Terri D. Sanders Callie Kanthack and Karl Schwent Charles and Joan Shapiro Janelle Siffring Sissy Katelman Silber Donald Slaughter Jara and Kenley SturdivantWilson Jillian Tuck Pia Ulrich Verne Weber Ann and John Williamson James Wink Brad Woolbright Melanie and John Wright Mary* and Anthony Yonkers

FRIEND $1-$299

Anonymous (5) Mary Absolon Demetrio Juan Aguila Tim Anderson Cindy and Rod Anderson Ronald and Maria Bailey Susan Baumert Kelli and Brian Bello Ang Bennett Richard Berkland Shana Bernache Duane Bier Dawn Ann Boll Trevor Borton Anne and Robert Bothe Lyn and Stephen Bouma Olivia and Jeff Brockman Stanford Brown

Mario and Janice Buda William Bunderson Wiiliam Burriss Michael Bykerk Ann Caldwell Deborah Cameron Karen and David Campbell Annette Carlin Thomas Carr Joan Desens and Simon CarrEllison Alexander Cayetano Amy Cerra Felicia Cervantes Melanie and Jeffrey Chapman Susan Chenoweth Christine and Bob Chilcoat Dr. Gerald Christensen* and Ms. Mary Clare Haven Jeannine Christensen Donna Christian Alec Colgan Deborah Cooper Caitlin Copenhaver Denise Cotton Carmelita Cox Kris Vikmanis and Denny Creighton Dr. Timothy J. Crowley and Ms. Celann LaGreca Donna Dahlsten Timothy F. Daugherty and Rosemary J. Pauley Spencer and Vivian Davis Sarah Davis Roxanne and Mark Draper Dr. Trudy D. Eblen Amy and Matthew Epp Karla Ermel Allison Evans Karen and Richard Everett Michael Faust Mary and Ronald Ferdig Sarah Marie Ferneding Dr. Mary C. Fieber Terry and Mollie Foster Sandra Franklin Danie and Steven Frazee Morgann Freeman Karen Gahl-Mills Daniel Gallagher and Jeffrey Grinnell Judith Gannon Rose Glock Cheryl Goodrich Mary Green Natasha Gromak Cathy and Guy Gronquist M. Kathlyn and R. Michael Gross EmmaRose Grothaus

Andi Grubb Carol and Peter Gwilt Dr. Hamza Haqqi Allison Hardy Melanie Hartman Lisa Hawk Katrina Thurman and Robert Hawkey Cheryl and Joe Hazel Anne Hellbusch Holly Herman Kasey Hesse Mary Hewitt Megan Hilger Marilyn Hoegemeyer Shari Hofschire Margaret Horvath Ann and Don Hosford Annette and Steven Huff Megan Hunt Anita Jaynes Gayle and Marlin Jeffers Marti Baumert and Richard Jeffrey Debra and Byron Jensen Barbara Johnston Alice Jorgensen Donna and James Kalar Madison Kaulfuss Viktor Khanzhyn Julia Kleinschmit Geri Knight Wende and John Kotouc Suzanne and Rudy Kotula Candida Kraska Mike Kreikemeier Barbara Kuhn Leslie Kuhnel Robert Kuzelka Patricia Leamen Julie and Joseph Lecci Alison Lee Elaine Leise Patricia and Edmund Leslie Cindy Rickard and Derek Leslie Donna and Mark Lett Ka'ai and Rob Li Stephanie Liekhus Sherryl and Hiram Lilley Douglas Little Billie D. Logan Lorraine Beadell and Greg Love Cedric Ludlow David Luepke Christine Lund Charles MacKay Jodie and William Mackintosh Amy Mather Monika and Terry Maides Heidi Malowski

Thomas Manning Karla and John Marburger Karen and Michael Markey Eric Martens Amy Mather Molly Mattingly Cyndi and Wayne Mattson Linda and Terry McClain Catherine Biddulph and Keith McClure Theresa McCrackine Susan and Michael McGillick Jackie McLellan Susan and John McMannama Christine and Jim Medici Ann Jansen Michelson and Brent Michelson Cindy Miserez Bill Miskell Randall Moore Tom Murnan Ann Nelson Diana Nevins Shawn and John Newman Dawn and John Nielsen Patricia and Anthony Nogg Neil O'Donnell Kathleen and Louis O'Konski Mary Helms and Kenneth Olson Duane Ostlund Sean Otterberg Pablo Pacheco Mike Pape Diane and Robert Peabody Christopher Pedersen Lois Pesek Margery Radek Pope H. Margo Prentiss Abigail Kutlas-Prickett and Joseph Prickett Kathleen Doak Pyper Kathleen Pyper James Pyrzynski Jacqueline Quigley Silva Raker Tina Ray Toni Reese Kate and James Ritter Victoria and Edward Roche Britt Roeder Noyes W. Rogers Alexis Rothenberg Diana Roucka Lee Emma Running Rev. David Rykwalder David Sampson Daniel Scanlan Polina and Robert Schlott Scott Schroetlin

*Deceased

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

OPERA OMAHA

MEMORIALS & TRIBUTES Michelle and Brett Scollard Susan and Craig Seamands Marshall Severson Margret Sexton Kay M. Shilling, M.D. Tom Simmons Kim and James Simon Ellen and Richard Slosburg Shannon and John Slowiaczek Alexia Kniska and Bo Smith Kim Smith-Ferguson Stacy Spale Dr. Sandra Squires Tami Steensma Glenda and George Steinsberger Barb Stratman Joe Stubler Mary A. Sturek Karen and Robert Sundell Allison and Hunter Swenson Monte and Duane Thompson Melani Torrez Courtney Tracy Jerry Tyrrell Patricia Victor Jaymi and Jaymi Victor Trilety Wade Sarah Watson Annika and Allen Weber Carolyn B. Weber Kevin Wetzel Mathew Whitlock Patricia Wise Anastasia Wood Edith and Robert Zahniser Melissa Zierke Michael Zimmerman Matthew Zwick

Donors who made gifts to the Annual Fund in honor or in memory of a loved one are recognized below. This listing reflects gifts received between April 15, 2025- September 15, 2026.

IN MEMORY OF: JOHN GIBSON

Hal France Bill Gaus Opera Omaha Craftsman’s Guild Kathleen Pyper

CONNIE HEIDEN KAMMANDEL

Linda Andersen Cindy and Rod Anderson Cynthia and Mogens Bay Anne and Robert Bothe Dr. Anne and Stephen Bruckner Sandi and Bill Bruns Mary Helen and Andrew Cockle Cheryl Goodrich Kathy and Michael Gross Annette and Steven Huff Ruth Keene Mary and Thomas Kerr Jodie Mackintosh Timothy S. Markel Marilyn and Robert Martin Susan McGillick Susan and John McMannama Bill Miskell Mary Ellen Mulcahy Jessica and Dennis Pate Barbara and Daniel Scanlan Ellen and Richard Slosburg Shannon and John Slowiaczek Mary Ann Strasheim Karen and Robert Sundell Maureen and Steven Turner Mary Beth and James Winner

JOHN HUTZLER

Christine and Jim Medici

BILLIE F. AND MASAKO O. LOGAN Billie D. Logan

*Deceased

JANET MCCRAE

Elizabeth and John Fullerton

MARY MITCHELL Mary Ann Strasheim

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

RICHARD PARRISH

Linda Andersen Cindy and Mogens Bay Kelli and Brian Bello Richard Berkland Sara and Jawed Bharwani Duane Bier Jeannine and Dale Christensen Sarah Davis Des Moines Metro Opera Tamara and Tom Foley Polly Goecke Kathy and Michael Gross Janet and H. Frederick Kuehl Patricia and Edmund Leslie Deana F. Liddy Linda and Terry McClain Mary Ellen Mulcahy Duane Ostlund Jacqueline Quigley Diana and Steve Roucka Dawn Suing Joan Swahn Mary Ann Strasheim Allison and Hunter Swenson Shannon and Michael Walenta Mary Beth and James Winner

RICHARD B. PETERSON Mary Absolon Rebecca Planer Kitty and John Ransom Rebensdorf Family Foundation

ALICE ROTERT

Marilyn Hansen Joanne and David Kolenda

RICHARD (DICK) SERPAN

Mary Jetton Mary Ellen Mulcahy Mike Pape Margery Radek Pope Annika and Allen Weber

JANET SIFFRING Janelle Siffring

JACK SIMMONS

Anonymous Mary Lou and William Burriss Victoria Roche

ELOUISE SQUIRES Dr. Sandra Kay Squires

JEFF TAXMAN

Opera Omaha Guild Debra and Eric Peterson Kelly and Mark Sanford Sissy Silber

RAYMOND VONDRAK Mark Maser and Paul Ledwon

MIKE YANNEY

Kim and James Simon Mary Ann Strasheim

IN HONOR OF: LINDA ANDERSEN’S BIRTHDAY

Anne Hellbusch

BETTY BEACH Bill Gaus

JAN BUCKINGHAM Anonymous

BARBARA PERSON AND SCOTT BURGER Samuel Bierner and Joseph Pinson

SCOTT BURGER’S BIRTHDAY

Allison and Hunter Swenson

BRUCE CHEMEL

Ann Caldwell

HOWARD COFFIN

Dr. Lourdes Secola and Sheldon Lerner

CAROL DOMINA’S BIRTHDAY

Joan Desens and Simon Carr-Ellison

NADIA AND NABEEL HAKKI Mahjabeen and Samin Hakki

REBECCA AND PATRICK HAYS' WEDDING Bill Gaus

REBECCA HAYS

Dr. Lourdes Secola and Sheldon Lerner

DR. ALI KHAN

Dr. Anne Marie Hubbard Jessica and Dennis Pate

MARK MASER

Suzanne and Rudy Kotula

MARY ELLEN MULCAHY

Joanne and David Kolenda

DEB PETERSON’S RETIREMENT

Helen Burns Susan Estep Joseph Gasnick Linda Lynch Monika Maides

CHARLES PIGOTT Dr. Barbara Johnston

JOSH QUINN Bill Gaus

LINDA BURT REBROVIC AND JOHN REBROVIC Mary and Thomas Kerr

LINDA BURT REBROVIC

Jessica and Dennis Pate

COURTNEY LOVE PERSSON AND BARRY RUBIN Mary Beth and James Winner

ALLISON SWENSON

Andrea and Donald Fineberg Matthew Messner and Neil Sechan

CATHERINE AND TERRY FERGUSON

ALLISON AND HUNTER SWENSON

Joanne and David Kolenda

Charles MacKay Brad Woolbright

HAL FRANCE

ALOYSIUS VANDERSLICE III

Dr. Lourdes Secola and Sheldon Lerner

Pia Ulrich

KATE AND CHRIS GANNONTOMBRELLO Judith Gannon

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

TURANDOT

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

COSÌ FAN TUTTE

KÁTYA KABANOVÁ

OF ONE BLOOD

Puccini

Rossini

Mozart

Janáček

Dean | Betts

santafeopera.org | 505-986-5900 50

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

Photo by Paul Horpedahl

Explore The Season

Jim Brickman: A Christmas Celebration DEC 11 @ 7:30PM

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PURCHASE TICKETS: 712.388.7140 artscenter.iwcc.edu

One person can start an idea, but community carries it forward. pinnbank.com

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026 0926_POG_OPERAPROGRAM_AD.indd 1

9/21/26 5:02 PM

A tangible legacy – investment in the future of both Opera and Omaha Members of Opera Omaha’s Fortissimo Society have made arrangements to support Opera Omaha and its innovative role in the cultural vibrancy of our region for generations to come. By establishing bequests, gifts of life insurance, IRAs, trusts, and other estate plans, Fortissimo Society members demonstrate their commitment to the transformative power of opera in our community. Their legacies are tangible investments in our cutting-edge, human-centered work that is leading and redefining the future of opera. We proudly and gratefully acknowledge our Fortissimo Society members: Peppy* and Norman* Bahr Jo Bartikoski and Don Westling Sara and Jawed Bharwani Betty L. Beach, PhD Kathleen Joan Bradley Sandra L.E. and William C. Bruns Dr. Debra Reilly-Culver and Bob Culver Carol L. Dworak* Ike and Roz Friedman Foundation Linda and David Gardels Bill Gaus Jerry Gose Geof* Heiden and Connie Heiden Kammandel* Mary* and Charles* Heider Mary* and Richard* D. Holland Aline Hosman* Sally and Gary* Kaplan Joanne and David Kolenda Graham Lusk*

Ann* and Allan* Mactier Constance B. Meunier* Sharee and Murray Newman Ephraim L. Marks* and David M. Rice* Mark Allen Maser Joan F.* and Richard* L. O’Brien Ann and Paul O'Hara Mr. and Mrs.* Robert E. Owen Rev. David Pace Mary and Richard* Parrish Jane and Carl* Rohman Ruth and William* Scott Eve and Fred* Simon Dr. and Mrs. Michael* and Shirley Sorrell Dr. Judith Stoewe* Mary Ann and Jerrold* Strasheim Janet and Jerry Syslo Bruni and Roy* Thylin Mary Beth and James Winner

We are grateful to the following individuals who designated a portion of their estate to support Opera Omaha, upon their passing. Rabbi Myer S.* and Dorothy Kripke* Pauline D. Nelson* Howard B. Silberg* J. Allen Soderlund* Margaret Wiltse* Annie F. Zinn*

SPECIAL FUNDS We thank the donors who have established restricted funds to honor a family, friend, and loved one. These named funds provide important ongoing support through Opera Omaha’s endowment. The Barbara Willson Fund The Jane Hill Education Fund The William Randolph Hearst Fund

For more information about ways to give, sample language for bequests, or to inform us of your inclusion of Opera Omaha in your estate plans, please reach Joe Prickett, Director of Development & Campaigns at (402) 346-7372 or jprickett@operaomaha.org. *Deceased

OPERA OMAHA

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT DONORS CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

BACKER

ADVOCATE

Anonymous Applied Underwriters, Inc. Douglas County Board of Commissioners The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Holland Foundation Julie Morsman Schroeder Foundation Weitz Family Foundation

Americans for the Arts Heider Family Foundation Husch Blackwell LLP Kiewit Mutual of Omaha Omaha Magazine Owen Foundation Union Pacific Corporation University of Nebraska Medical Center

Amphion Foundation Backer Family Charitable Trust Centris Federal Credit Union Edward and Lida Robinson Charitable Trust Farm Credit Services of America Fraser Stryker Humanities Nebraska Lincoln Financial Foundation, Inc. Mark Sanford Group Paypal Giving Fund Rebensdorf Family Foundation Strauss Charitable Fund The Flatiron Luthier Cooperative University of Nebraska Foundation

$100,000+

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE $50,000-$99,000

Anonymous Allan and Ann Mactier Charitable Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Omaha Steaks/Simon Legacy Ventures LLC. Peter Kiewit Foundation

PRODUCER

$25,000-$49,999 Conagra Brands Foundation FNBO Nebraska Arts Council Nebraska Cultural Endowment Valmont Industries, Inc.

$10,000-$24,999

BENEFACTOR $5,000-$9,999

CL Werner Foundation Giger Foundation Gilbert M. and Martha H. Hitchcock Foundation HDR, Inc. Koley Jessen P.C., LLC Omaha Zoo Foundation Opera Omaha Craftsman's Guild Opera Omaha Guild

$1-$4,999

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

OPERA OMAHA

REPERTOIRE HISTORY 1958-59

Madama Butterfly Tosca Oklahoma! Hansel and Gretel

1959-60

Carousel Pagliacci/Quivera

1960-61

1971-72

Rigoletto The Tales of Hoffmann

1972-73

Madama Butterfly Romeo and Juliet Un Ballo in Maschera

1973-74

Die Fledermaus La traviata

Tosca The Marriage of Figaro The Elixir of Love

1961-62

1974-75

The Merry Widow La bohème

1962-63

Carmen La Périchole

1963-64

Aida The Barber of Seville

1964-65

Lucia di Lammermoor The Marriage of Figaro

1965-66

Rigoletto Madama Butterfly

La bohème Lucia di Lammermoor La Périchole

1975-76

1969-70

Faust Cavalleria Rusticana/ Pagliacci

1970-71

Aida Die Fledermaus

1977-78

The Barber of Seville Werther La bohème

1979-80

Die Fledermaus* La traviata* The Pirates of Penzance

1980-81

Così fan tutte Susannah Rigoletto

1981-82

The Daughter of the Regiment Carmen The Magic Flute

1984-85

Tosca Falstaff Gianni Schicchi/Pagliacci

1985-86

Turandot Lucia di Lammermoor The Marriage of Figaro

1987-88

Aida The Merry Widow Don Pasquale Don Giovanni

1978-79

La traviata Carmen

Aida* The Tales of Hoffmann Don Giovanni

1976-77

1967-68

1968-69

1983-84

1986-87

Il Trovatore The Ballad of Baby Doe Tosca La bohème

Don Pasquale Faust Madama Butterfly

La traviata Manon Bilby’s Doll The Barber of Seville

Madama Butterfly The Abduction from the Seraglio* The Bartered Bride

1966-67

1982-83

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

La traviata The Barber of Seville Porgy and Bess The Turn of the Screw* The Juniper Tree* Where’s Dick? Amahl & the Night Visitors* Carmen La bohème

1988-89

Oklahoma! Partenope+ The Diary of One Who Vanished White Rose A Celebration of Bel Canto Rigoletto Manon

1989-90

Plácido Domingo in Concert Show Boat Madama Butterfly Romeo and Juliet*

1990-91

Carousel Angelina Reaux in “Stranger Here Myself” Maria Padilla+ The Golem+ Il Trovatore* The Magic Flute

1991-92

My Fair Lady Tosca Don Giovanni*

1992-93

Ermione+ The Gardens of Adonis*** Autumn Valentine*** Eugene Onegin* The Flying Dutchman

1993-94

Vive Toulouse! Requiem Variations*** Fidelio The Pirates of Penzance

1994-95

The Merry Widow La traviata Carmen

1995-96

The Daughter of the Regiment* Turandot The Barber of Seville

1996-97

Così fan tutte* La bohème Faust

1997-98

Don Pasquale Madama Butterfly La Cenerentola Opera Omaha 40

1998-99

Eric Hermannson’s Soul***† Aida The Marriage of Figaro

1999-00

2008-09

Samuel Ramey in “A Date with the Devil” Samson et Dalila Tosca*

The Blizzard Voices***† The Pirates of Penzance La bohème

2000-01

Amahl & the Night Visitors* Carmina burana/Pagliacci Falstaff Man of La Mancha

Night for American Song Pagliacci Brundibár The Marriage of Figaro So in Love with Broadway*

2001-02

2010-11

All-American! Concert Amahl & the Night Visitors Otello Little Women Don Giovanni

2002-03

Richard Rodgers’ America Concert Carmen The Turn of the Screw* H.M.S. Pinafore Bloodlines***†

2003-04

La bohème Lucia di Lammermoor Cold Sassy Tree*

2004-05

The Threepenny Opera* The Tender Land* Dream of the Pacific***† Turandot La traviata

2005-06

Paul Bunyan Madama Butterfly* The Abduction from theSeraglio*

2006-07

Tosca Wakonda’s Dream***† The Barber of Seville

2007-08

All The King’s Men* The Tragedy of Carmen* Aida*

2009-10

Opera for the Cure* Don Giovanni Madama Butterfly

2011-12

This is Opera!* Hansel and Gretel* The Marriage Contract* The Mikado

2012-13

La traviata The Magic Flute* Bluebeard’s Castle*

2013-14

Opera Outdoors* Carmen Agrippina* La Cenerentola

2014-15

Opera Outdoors* Rigoletto* A Flowering Tree* Fidelio

2015-16

Opera Outdoors* The Barber of Seville La fanciulla del West Semele*

2016-17

Opera Outdoors* La bohème Così fan tutte* Flight* Stranger from Paradise***†

2017-18

Opera Outdoors* Tosca* Falstaff* Medea* Proving Up*† ONE Festival***

2018-19

2023-24

Opera Outdoors* Don Pasquale El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered La traviata El último sueño de Frida y Diego

2024-25

Opera Outdoors* Pagliacci The Elixir of Love Les Enfants terribles* Faust*+ ONE Festival***

Opera Outdoors* Don Giovanni The Rake's Progress Giulio Cesare Fantastic Mr. Fox*

2019-20

2025-26

Opera Outdoors* Madama Butterfly The Abduction from the Seraglio

2020-21

Opera Outdoors Broadcast dwb++ Miranda++ MODULATION++ Concert with the Omaha Symphony: Bizet, Mahler and Chausson Opera Under the Stars* La boheme++

2021-22

Opera Outdoors* The Capulets and the Montagues* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street* Eugene Onegin*

Opera Outdoors* The Barber of Seville Susannah Hercules Bluebeard's Castle* UnShakeable*

2026-27

Opera Outdoors* La bohème The Pigeon Keeper† Ariadne auf Naxos Alessandro

* New production + American Premiere *** World Premiere † Commissioned Work ++ Film/Digital Premiere

2022-23

Opera Outdoors* X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X* Suor Angelica The Marriage of Figaro

DON PASQUALE | OCTOBER 2023

OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS

BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS Omaha Performing Arts is the local non-profit arts organization that manages the Orpheum Theater and owns and operates the Holland Performing Arts Center, and Steelhouse Omaha.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAFF

Jack Koraleski, Chair

Joan H. Squires, President

D. David Slosburg, Vice Chair

Arnold Reeves, Senior Vice President and COO

Michael S. Cassling, Vice Chair

Gennean Scott Gray, Senior Vice President and CSO

Avner M. Applbaum H. Dele Davies, M.D. Meg Lauritzen Dodge Scott C. Heider Todd L. Johnson Christopher Leitner Rodrigo López Sharlon Rodgers Rachel Werner John K. Boyer, Secretary

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

Sabrina Weiss, Senior Vice President of Development Andy Cassano, Vice President of Programming and Education Erika Hansen, Vice President of Commercial Entertainment Courtney Pitts Mattern, Vice President of Marketing and Revenue Ashley Voorhees, Vice President of Patron Services Ryan Murray, Associate Vice President of Operations Alyssa Stieren, Associate Vice President of Finance & Information Services

OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS

GENERAL INFORMATION FOOD SERVICES The Orpheum Theater, Holland Center, and Steelhouse Omaha are served exclusively by O-pa Food and Beverage Services, who deliver a range of offerings, including pre-performance and intermission service. Beverages with lids purchased in the lobbies may be brought into halls at both venues. Menus are available for private parties, special events and meetings that are tailored to individual needs and event budgets. For more information or to book an event in either venue, contact (402) 345-0202 or events@o-pa.org. To have a consistent policy for all of our venues, the Orpheum Theater is now cashless. What that means for you: • Card will be the only accepted payment for food and drinks at the Orpheum. • You can convert your cash to a Visa ReadyCARD for free at the house manager’s desk at the Orpheum. • Your Visa ReadyCARD has no expiration and can be used anywhere that accepts prepaid debit cards. • Cash can still be used to purchase tickets.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY Doctors, parents or patrons expecting phone calls are advised to leave their seat location (shown on the ticket) with the appropriate parties and with the house manager or head usher. The emergency telephone number during performances is (402) 661-8555. The attendant will forward calls to the appropriate venue.

PARKING Orpheum Theater – nearby and conveniently located garage parking is available at OPPD with entrances on Howard Street between 16th and 17th streets and on 17th Street. OPPD garage closes one hour after final curtain. Surface lot and street parking are also available. Holland Performing Arts Center – easyaccess garage parking is available in Omaha Park 8 directly north of the Holland Center with entrances on Dodge or Capitol streets. Park 8 closes one hour after final curtain. Street parking is also available.

Steelhouse Omaha - easy-access garage parking is available at the National Indemnity garage at 322 N. 12th street, other options include Omaha Park 8 and street parking.

FIRE OR TORNADO NOTICES In the event of fire, tornado or other emergency, patrons will be given instructions regarding evacuation of the facility or relocation to areas of refuge. Please do not run; walk to the designated areas as directed.

LOST AND FOUND Lost articles may be retrieved by speaking with an usher. If you have already left the venue, please call Omaha Performing Arts Security: (402) 661-8555.

ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES Omaha Performing Arts is committed to ensuring every patron’s performance experience is accessible, safe, and extraordinary. Both the Orpheum and Holland offer a wide range of accessibility features. Unique requests may be accommodated by contacting Ticket Omaha in advance. • Accessible seating throughout the hall. • Accessible parking adjacent to the theater. • Accessible restrooms. • Accessible backstage accommodations for performers and technicians, including accessible entries, dressing rooms and restrooms. • American Sign Language interpretation is scheduled on select Saturday Broadway matinee performances at the Orpheum but may be arranged in advance of other performances by calling Ticket Omaha. • Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) - The Orpheum Theater uses an inductive loop (T-coil) system that wirelessly transmits sound through magnetic waves to hearing aids with a T-coil setting. A T-coil can be used directly into your hearing aid or you may check out a device at the House Manager’s desk at the Orpheum Theater. There is no charge to use our devices, but

a valid ID is required. Please ask an Ambassador for assistance. • Audio description for patrons with vision loss is provided free of charge in collaboration with Radio Talking Book Services. • GalaPro for closed captioning for select Broadway performances and other performances can be requested in advance via the box office. • A select number of Omaha Performing Arts performances are designated as sensory inclusive for those with sensitivities to light, loud noises, or surprise elements of a show. These productions are presented in a relaxed, welcoming environment. • Guide and service dogs are welcome. If you have any special requests or concerns, please contact Ticket Omaha, toll free at 866.434.8587 or locally at 402.345.0606. Or email ticketomaha@opa.org. We are pleased to assist you with your needs.

TICKET OMAHA Tickets for all performances at the Orpheum Theater and Holland Performing Arts Center are purchased through Ticket Omaha online at TicketOmaha.com; by mail at 1200 Douglas Street, Omaha, NE 68102; by phone toll free at (866) 434TKTS (8587) or (402) 345-0606, Monday through Friday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; or in person at the Ticket Omaha box office, 13th and Douglas streets, Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for shows at Steelhouse Omaha are sold through Ticketmaster unless otherwise noted.

ENTRY INSPECTION All guests attending events at our venues are subject to visual and bag inspections conducted by Omaha Performing Arts security. Visit TicketOmaha.com/faqs for a list of items not permitted in the Holland Center and Orpheum Theater and Steelhouseomaha.com/visit for Steelhouse Omaha policies.

LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

OPERA OMAHA

GET INVOLVED Without the dedication and perseverance of outstanding volunteers and support groups, our productions would not be as beautiful, our bottom line would not be as sound, and our sense of community would not be as strong. For these, and many other reasons, we extend a heartfelt thank you to the following groups. For more information visit operaomaha.org/get-involved or email opera@operaomaha.org.

OPERA OMAHA GUILD

SUPERNUMERARIES

The Opera Omaha Guild is a dedicated group of individuals who actively support Opera Omaha’s fundraising and community engagement and education activities. Members plan and promote events such as Cotillion (etiquette classes for area sixth graders), social luncheons, educational activities, opera study groups and pre-performance parties. If you are interested in joining the Opera Omaha Guild, please call us at (402) 346-7372 or visit our website for additional information.

Supernumeraries appear on stage in non-speaking, non-singing roles, much like being an extra in a movie. Being a “super” takes some time and patience, but is a lot of fun and a great learning experience. Super roles are varied but might include servants, soldiers, peasants, priests and priestesses, dancers, bartenders, waiters, ragamuffins, pickpockets, and sometimes even animals! All ages, including children, are needed.

CRAFTSMAN’S GUILD 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. Focused on meeting the backstage needs of guest artists and the production, members enjoy the camaraderie and reward of helping to create top-notch performances for the Omaha community.

VOLUNTEERS Volunteers help Opera Omaha complete essential tasks like assisting with community events, ushering at concerts, or providing additional office support. Without their help, Opera Omaha would not be able to bring world class opera to Omaha stages or the community. Students can also fulfill required community service hours for groups like National Honor Society by volunteering with Opera Omaha. For more information, please fill out the inquiry form at shareomaha.org/nonprofit/ opera-omaha.

OPERA OMAHA CHORUS The Opera Omaha Chorus is comprised of trained singers from Omaha, Lincoln and surrounding communities. Please contact the company for the next audition date. Prospective candidates will be assigned a time slot and asked to present two selections; one in a foreign language, one in English. Arias, art songs, or church solos are all acceptable as audition pieces. Please provide printed music for the pianist, who will be available at no cost.

OPERA OMAHA YOUTH CHORUS The Opera Omaha Youth Chorus features young singers from Omaha and surrounding communities who share a passion for music and performance. The company will post about upcoming auditions through schools, voice teachers, social media, and other local arts organizations. Interested youth and families should sign up for an audition online. Auditioners will be asked to present 1 vocal selection that demonstrates their musical and dramatic ability. Classical art songs, folk songs, musical theatre selections, or similar repertoire are acceptable. A pianist will be available at no cost.

ADVERTISING For Opera Omaha program book advertising, please contact: Kyle Thomas Director of Marketing & Communication

402.346.7372 X300 kthomas@operaomaha.org LA BOHÈME | NOVEMBER 2026

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