OMAHA, Neb. - Directed by Wendy Kaiser, the program collaborates annually with more than a dozen community partners, including preschools, senior centers, and juvenile justice centers.

She said the purpose from the very beginning has been clear.

“Accessibility and availability, making sure that people of all different kinds of all different places across the community have access to opera, and for some of them, that means we're out in their spaces in the community, and that's how they'll have the best access and the best opportunity to it. " said Kaiser.  "After that, it's really about just creativity and having fun and enjoying being creative and artistic and helping people see that they have those skills themselves.”

Now in it’s eight season the workshops are tailored to the needs of each partner, fostering creativity, self-esteem, and skill development. Among the featured partners is the Sarpy County Juvenile Justice Center, where monthly creative sessions are offered.

“Our goal is to bring opera to these these participants, in a way that, like, as some of our fellows say, it kind of hides the broccoli a little bit and just gives them an opportunity to access things like storytelling and communication and connection in ways that they don't realize they're doing it," said Holland Community Opera Fellow Aiden James Polling. "So, we get to use our skills that we use in performance, in theater or in art, and give them a space to be creative, give them a give them a space to share and to practice being in front of other people and telling stories.”

The program prioritizes inclusion by offering bilingual workshops, often accommodating language barriers and individual needs.

Donations and community support are crucial to cover art supplies and operating expenses. If you'd like to donate, please visit operaomaha.org/hcof