Holland Community Opera Fellowship

The Holland Community Opera Fellowship (HCOF) brings community focused artists to live and work in Omaha.

Launched in 2017, the Holland Community Opera Fellowship leads the opera field in civic practice by deepening relationships outside of performance venues. Our team engages in the Omaha metro community each season, bringing artistry and connection to a variety of long-term and short-term co-created community-based programs. Programming is focused on creativity and inspiration, utilizing the elements of opera (drama, word, art, movement and music) in community-based settings.

AS A FELLOWSHIP WE

BUILD relationships and engage in collaboration with community partners
EMPOWER individuals to explore their own creativity through the many facets of opera including music, visual art, design, and storytelling
COLLABORATE to identify priority issues and programming that amplify and support the mission of community partners
CREATE opportunities for safe expression, including a full range of emotions
INSPIRE and cultivate a diverse, empathetic, and creative community in Omaha

BELIEFS

We find different ways to engage both the artists and the community to expand the experience of opera

Collaboration is the core of our work

Opera should be accessible to anyone and welcoming to everyone

HCOF partners are experts in their communities, and we rely on them to identify the needs of the people they serve

VALUES

Download HCOF Flyer

Interested in Joining the Team?

The Holland Community Opera Fellowship is looking for great teaching artists to join the team. If you feel passionate about our mission, have a connection to opera, and are interested in taking an active role in being a change agent in the community, you might be a good fit.

Learn more about applying for the fellowship

Community Partners & Programming

Each year the Holland Community Opera Fellowship (HCOF) collaborates with more than a dozen local community partners across the Omaha metropolitan area. HCOF’s priority is to help community partners reach their goals, as they work to provide a better quality of life for their communities and serve those who may have limited access to arts experience and programming. Programming is focused on creativity and inspiration with the art form of opera as a toolbox, not teaching opera.

Some examples of recent co-created programming with community partners include:

Music and acting workshops with participants from Quality Living Inc. (QLI) and Ollie Webb Center, Inc. QLI is a residential rehabilitation facility for individuals with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and Ollie Webb Center Inc.’s Art of Imagination Program serves adults with disabilities.
Creativity and writing workshops with adult residents at MICAH House. MICAH House is an emergency housing shelter that serves families and women.
Visual art and music workshops to support connection and memory building with members of the Intercultural Senior Center. Intercultural Senior Center serves seniors across Omaha, including those from immigrant and refugee communities. You can view the ISC Songbook project created with HCOF Fellows in Fall 2020 on our blog.
Creative storytime and art workshops focused on celebrating culture and bilingual abilities with preschool children and families at the Learning Community Center of South Omaha.

"I am a firm believer in the Fellowship. Being at MICAH House in the beginning when this came to our agency, I asked, ‘How does Opera fit in our programming?’ I didn’t see the correlation. But it only took me a couple of weeks of seeing it and I’ve been a firm believer since. It has been a wonderful partnership."

—Angie Williams, MICAH House Program Director

"Opera is just like everything we do at Gotta Be Me – you experience it, feel it, be there in all the moments to get it – to let it touch you and become part of who you are. And then to make it your own. Throughout our time together the technical skills we have learned were evident and important. However, the most meaningful things to come from our partnership have been the changes in our crew as people, humans who are becoming who they want to be."

—Tiffiny Clifton, Gotta Be Me

Since 2018, HCOF has collaborated with Gotta Be Me on a variety of classes, workshops, and productions.

"Through music and art, I learned to channel my emotions. I felt very comfortable and safe and the workshops were very beneficial to me. I gained new ideas of how I can be creative. I am a little more artistic than I thought!"

— HCOF workshop participant

24/25 Programming Partners

View Community Partners

Our 2024- 2025 Fellows

Rosemary Joyce

Rosemary Joyce, described as a passionate and provocative performer, is a soprano, opera director, lover of literature, crossword solver, and Chicago native. In recent seasons, Rosemary has been seen portraying the titular roles in both Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Menotti’s Maria Golovin. As a director, she has mounted productions of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Mikeila McQueston’s Lucy Boyd, as well as assistant directing Britten’s The Turn of the Screw alongside Greg Eldridge. Rosemary is also an active recitalist whose repertoire selections reflect her desire to bring new voices and perspectives into the classical canon. A recent graduate, Rosemary earned her master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Louisiana State University, and she also holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota.

Aiden James Poling

Aiden James Poling is a multi-hyphenate professional story-teller and arts educator from Shreveport, Louisiana and is a recent transplant to the Omaha area. He graduated from Centenary College (‘17) with BFAs in both Theatre and Studio Art, and both areas of study have allowed him opportunities to succeed not only on stage but as a director and designer, as well. Over the last two years, Aiden served as an Artistic Director and Actor-Educator for RESPECT, a touring educational theatre organization that teaches folks of all ages about social-emotional skills and building healthy relationships. He is also currently an actor for the Omaha Community Playhouse's VROOM! Mobile Sensory Theatre, a one-of-a-kind traveling immersive experience designed for audiences with autism, developmental delays, or other sensory sensitivities. A few of his notable stage credits include: Jack Kelly in Newsies, Moritz Stiefel in Spring Awakening, Little Bat in Susannah, and Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show. Aiden is passionate about utilizing his talents to assist in creating inclusive, accessible spaces where the arts can be appreciated and enjoyed by all, and is thrilled for the opportunity to continue to do so through the HCOF program

Alejandra Sandoval-Montañez

Alejandra Sandoval-Montañez is a dynamic Mexican-American mezzo-soprano, teaching artist, and content creator. As a Holland Community Fellow at Opera Omaha, she is at the forefront of innovative opera projects that blend artistry with community engagement. With a Master's in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois under the guidance of bass-baritone Ricardo Herrera, Alejandra's stage credits include Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, Mrs.Segstrom/Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, Edith in Pirates of Penzance, and Lady Angela in Patience. Beyond the stage, she is the driving force behind @AspiringOperaSingers, a thriving online community of 20K+ aspiring artists, offering mentorship, inspiration, and essential resources for the next generation of classical singers. Alejandra is committed to fostering artistic excellence and creating a more inclusive and equitable music world.

Community Panel

The Community Panel represents a diverse group of local community members who are committed to the success and future of the Holland Community Opera Fellowship. The panel considers high level strategic decisions and priorities, helping guide the Fellowship as it grows. The panel is also a critical part of the Fellow selection process as they participate in informal meetings and interviews with final Fellow candidates. They convene as a group to review feedback from all candidates and provide their recommendation to Opera Omaha staff.

2024-2025 Community Panel

Ang R. Bennett, Inclusive Communities & Artist
Tiffiny Clifton, Gotta Be Me
Geri Knight, RISE
Rachel Morgan, Nebraska Arts Council
Carrie Nath, Arts Access & Outreach Consultant
Rita Paskowitz, Storyteller
Alysia Radicia, RDG Planning and Design
Wildey Rodriguez, Intercultural Senior Center
Lee Emma Running, Artist
Justin Spooner, Colliers Nebraska
Paula Wallace, Artist
Angie Williams, MICAH House
Gwyn Williams, Independent Leadership Coach