Our History
Opera Omaha, the only professional opera company in Nebraska, began in 1958 as the Omaha Civic Opera Society, a volunteer association. With tremendous community support, it became a fully professional opera company by 1970. From the beginning, Opera Omaha was instilled with a spirit of adventure. In the Civic Opera Society’s first season (1958-1959) along with its premiere production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in the Joslyn Art Museum Concert Hall, additional performances followed: Puccini’s Tosca, held at Boys Town; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, at Ak-Sar-Ben; and Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel at Technical High School.
The original directors of the organization were Francis P. Matthews, Henry E. Pusch, Homer C. Rogers, Lloyd E. Skinner (President), and Richard Valente.
Fred Simon remains one of the defining figures in Opera Omaha’s history. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1978-1979 and for ten years as a Chairman of the Opera Omaha Foundation. His remarkable passion for opera lives on through a private database he maintained documenting the performances he attended.
Our Mission
Opera Omaha’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in our community by creating professional opera and music theatre, which uniquely combine the visual and performing arts to express humanity’s deepest emotions and highest aspirations. This mission is achieved through the presentation of main stage productions with the highest artistic standards and through customized education and outreach programs designed to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds, regardless of prior exposure to the arts. Embracing the collaborative nature of the art form, Opera Omaha forges opera’s rich storytelling power, historical significance, and cross-cultural relevance into an array of activities.
Programming
Today, Opera Omaha produces original mainstage productions, often at the historic Orpheum Theater, along with smaller productions and musical events throughout the community. Opera Omaha is internationally known for its productions of eight world premieres and four American premieres of classical masterpieces and is highly regarded regionally for an extensive education and engagement program that annually reaches thousands from elementary school through adulthood.