26/27 Youth Chorus Auditions
Announcing Youth Auditions for the 26/27 Opera Omaha Season!
Opera Omaha will hold auditions for the following PAID roles:
-Opera Omaha Children’s Chorus Roster for the 26/27 Season, to participate in Puccini's La bohème (in Italian) and Hanlon and Fleishmann's The Pigeon Keeper.
-The role of Kosmo in David Hanlon and Stephanie Fleishmann’s The Pigeon Keeper (A cover, otherwise known as an understudy, for the role of Kosmo will also be cast).
Details for the children’s chorus and named roles:
-Age Range: 10–18 years old (younger children with the ability to read music and a strong vocal range will also be considered)
-Vocal Range: Treble
-No gender preference for these roles
These are paid roles
When:
Monday, February 23, 2026 | 6:00PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 28, 2026 | 2:00PM – 5:00PM
Callbacks will be on Thursday, April 16 from 6-8PM and Saturday, April 18 from 2-5PM.
Where:
Opera Omaha Leavenworth Studio
2215 Leavenworth Street, Omaha, NE
Audition Requirements:
Prepare one piece in a language of your choice (no longer than 5 minutes) showcasing your vocal range and ability.
A pianist will be provided by Opera Omaha. Please bring a printed or hard copy of your music for the pianist. No iPads, please.
You may provide a headshot and resume if you would like.
YOU MUST REGISTER FOR AN AUDITION
Deadline to register is February 9, 2026
Complete the Opera Omaha Audition Form to Register
Audition times and information will be sent out by Feb 11, 2026.
Opera Omaha Children’s Chorus Roster
The Opera Omaha Children’s Chorus is an ensemble of local, youth singer-actors living across Nebraska and Iowa who will participate in the Opera Omaha 26/27 season productions which include a children's chorus. The Children’s Chorus is under the direction of Head of Music, Josh Quinn. Children’s Chorus members are paid a stipend ranging from $300-$400 per production, which is inclusive of rehearsals, costume fittings, and performances. Rehearsals typically take place on weekends and weekday nights during the month-long production period. The roster will consist of youth who will perform in at least one production during the season.
LA BOHÈME
Roles available:
Children’s Chorus
Opera Omaha is seeking talented young performers for the Children's Chorus. These are all paid roles.
SYNOPSIS
Puccini’s La bohème follows four young artists struggling to survive in Paris, sustained by friendship and love. The poet Rodolfo falls for the fragile Mimì, beginning a tender romance overshadowed by poverty and illness. The opera’s most vibrant scene unfolds on Christmas Eve at the Café Momus, where crowds, vendors, and children fill the streets and Musetta dazzles with her waltz and reunion with Marcello. As winter deepens, jealousy and hardship pull the couples apart, ending with Mimì’s quiet death and the shattering loss of youth and love.
A tentative rehearsal schedule is as follows (please see below for full details).
Music preparation rehearsals with Head of Music, Josh Quinn, in the 1-2 months before full chorus rehearsals with the adult chorus begin on Oct 15. Music preparation dates are TBD.
Parents will be contacted to confirm the staging rehearsal dates one month before chorus rehearsals begin on Oct 15. We anticipate 4-6 staging rehearsals (3-hour calls each) prior to the Final Room Run. These will be scheduled in the evenings and weekends to accommodate families.
We strongly discourage any absence, and any request for release is subject to approval on a case-by-case basis.
Releases will not be approved for the period from Final Room Run through the final performance of each production.
THE PIGEON KEEPER
Roles available:
Kosmo
Kosmo cover (understudy)
Chorus
Opera Omaha is seeking talented young performers for the roles of Kosmo, Kosmo’s cover (understudy), and the Children's Chorus. These are all paid roles. In the opera, Kosmo is a boy, but he may be played by any gender.
SYNOPSIS
The Pigeon Keeper, a new opera composed by David Hanlon with a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, explores a magical realist world where themes of otherness and belonging take center stage. Young Orsia and her fisherman father find a refugee boy, Kosmo, adrift at sea. On a quest to find him a home, Orsia encounters the mysterious Pigeon Keeper, a village outcast, and learns that compassion can come from the most unlikely places. Through ethereal storytelling and a rich, emotional score, this opera mines the transformative power of the kindness of strangers, and our shared connection to humanity. This new production will be performed at The Rose Theater.
A tentative rehearsal schedule is as follows (please see below for full details).
Music preparation rehearsals with Head of Music, Josh Quinn, in the 2-3 months before chorus rehearsals begin on January 2. These dates are TBD.
Parents will be contacted to confirm the staging rehearsal dates one month before chorus rehearsals begin on January 2. We anticipate 6-8 staging rehearsals (3-hour calls each) prior to the Final Room Run. These will be scheduled in the evenings and weekends to accommodate families.
Please note, our Final Dress Rehearsal will be from 2:00pm-4:30pm on Wednesday, January 27, 2027.
We strongly discourage any absence, and any request for release is subject to approval on a case-by-case basis.
Releases will not be approved for the period from Final Room Run through the final performance of each production.
Please reach out to Artistic Operations Coordinator, Trisha Berquist at tberquist@operaomaha.org if you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing you at the auditions!