During the 2006-2007 season, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Stewart Robertson, brought his musical insights to the stage for two Evenings with Stewart Robertson. Audiences enjoyed performances at both Saint Cecilia’s Cathedral and the Witherspoon Auditorium at the Joslyn Art Museum.

Between January 16 and March 6, 2007, Opera Omaha presented the Wakonda’s Dream Festival, a series of events complementing the world premiere. These events featured the music of Anthony Davis, poetry of Yusef Komunyakaa, the history behind the opera, and American Indian arts and culture.

Opera Insights partners included:

• Bemis Center for the Contemporary Arts
• Creighton University
• Joslyn Art Museum
• Lauritzen Gardens
• Lincoln City Libraries
• Love’s Jazz and Arts Center
• Metro Community College
• Nebraska State Capitol
• Omaha Healing Arts Center
• Omaha Press Club
• Omaha Public Library
• Orpheum Theater
• Saint Cecilia’s Cathedral
• Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
• Umonhon (Omaha) Nation Public School
• University of Nebraska at Lincoln
• University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Westroads Mall
  

The following pages describe the collaboration with each venue in the above order.

For more information on our Opera Insights, please contact Tara Cowherd, Community Programs Coordinator at tcowherd@operaomaha.org.

BEMIS CENTER FOR THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS
The spirit and programs of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts are based on the conviction that exceptional talent deserves to be supported. Artists come from around the world to work within a supportive community of like-minded people. The atmosphere and environment offer an ideal situation for creative growth and experimentation and encourage artists to confront new challenges.

Wakonda’s Dream Production Panel
This panel discussion explored the evolution of Wakonda’s Dream and how the staging was conceived, with composer Anthony Davis; librettist Yusef Komunyakaa; dramaturge and stage director Rhoda Levine, scenic designer Peter Harrison; soundscape designer Earl Howard; artistic director and principal conductor Stewart Robertson; assistant director of the American Indian Dance Theater Dallin Maybee; and Charles Trimble, Native American advisor to the project.

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
Creighton University has a rich tradition of achievement by faculty and students in the arts. The University’s programs in theatre, sculpture, ceramics, dance, music, photography, painting and printing receive widespread recognition and accolades. The Lied Education Center for the Arts consolidates all the divisions of the Fine and Performing Arts Department under one roof, allowing for creative opportunities and cooperation among the disciplines. The building is designed to be a place to celebrate all the arts for the Creighton Campus and for the Omaha community.

Ceremony and Ritual in Theater
Dallin Maybee, assistant director of the American Indian Dance Theatre, lectured on ceremony and ritual in theater and Native American dance. Dancers from the Theatre who performed also appeared in the world premiere of Wakonda’s Dream.

JOSLYN ART MUSEUM
As Nebraska’s largest and most distinguished art museum, Joslyn Art Museum features an encyclopedic collection of work from antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century European and American art. Joslyn is renowned for its collection of art of the American West, and known worldwide for its collection of Swiss artist Karl Bodmer’s watercolors and prints. In addition to the art galleries, Joslyn features a 1,000 seat concert hall, fountain court, education technology gallery, lecture hall, library, café, and gift shop. Several special exhibitions are presented each year, complementing the permanent collection and offering a broad range of art to everyone. Year-round musical performances, educational lectures by national and international scholars, and art classes for all ages further enhance the Joslyn experience.

The Smithsonian at the Joslyn: American Indian Art
Dr. Richard West, Jr., Director of Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, presented a slide lecture on American Indian Art. Included in the evening was a tour of the Joslyn Art Museum’s Bodmer Collection of 19th-century drawings and watercolors of American Indian life and the Museum’s collection of contemporary American Indian Art.

Evenings with Stewart Robertson: Rossini’s Sins of My Old Age
Evenings with Stewart Robertson are opportunities for Opera Omaha’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor to showcase some of his favorite music. These popular free concerts paired the selections with his commentary. The events provided an engaging forum to better acquaint oneself with this dynamic cultural leader. In April, the Maestro and soloists performed selections of charming songs from Rossini’s Sins of My Old Age and Rossini’s Mass, a great prelude to April performances of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.

LAURITZEN GARDENS
Lauritzen Gardens is a living museum of unique four-season plant displays, maintained to the highest standards consistent with environmental stewardship. It provides memorable educational and aesthetic experiences for all.

Meet the Artists and Hear Them Sing Lunchtime Preview
Opera Omaha previewed Wakonda’s Dream in an hour-long lunchtime performance of music from the world premiere. Participants included artistic director and principal conductor Stewart Robertson, and two featured performers from the production.

LINCOLN CITY LIBRARIES
Lincoln City Libraries strives to provide equitable access to the accumulated knowledge of the world, encouraging individuals to pursue personal enrichment and to take informed action.

Wakonda’s Dream Poetry Workshop
Matt Mason, Editor, PoetryMenu.com and local poet, lead free public poetry writing workshops in conjunction with the Wakonda’s Dream Poetry Contest. The public was invited to write and speak on poetry on the theme of dreams— creative and inspirational.

LOVE'S JAZZ AND ARTS CENTER
Love’s Jazz and Arts Center is dedicated to showcasing, collection, documentation, preservation, study and the dissemination of the history and culture of African Americans in the arts. As an educational institution, the Love’s Jazz & Arts Center features state of the art digital media equipment enabling them to teach the latest media and engage in innovative new initiatives. Through exhibits, workshops, performances, educational programs, and special activities, the Love’s Jazz & Arts Center explores the African American experience and celebrates accomplishments of the past and present to further advance the education of the future.

Evening of Jazz with Anthony Davis
Wakonda’s Dream composer Anthony Davis presented an evening of jazz, in performance with his five-member jazz ensemble, including Wakonda’s Dream soundscape designer, Earl Howard, who also collaborated with Davis on X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. Davis and his ensemble performed some of his additional works, including selections from X, in recognition of Malcolm X’s north Omaha birth site.

METRO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The Fort Omaha Campus of Metro Community College houses the authentically restored home of General George Crook. It was constructed in 1879 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. General Crook was a Civil War and National Indian Wars hero and was considered the “greatest Indian fighter in the history of the United States”. At the landmark 1879 trial of the Ponca Chief Standing Bear, General Crook testified in defense of Standing Bear.

Wakonda’s Dream Kickoff
A Wakonda’s Dream kickoff dinner was held with members of the American Indian Dance Theatre and with members of the Ponca Tribe, including composer Anthony Davis, Native American consultants Judi gaiashkibos and Charles Trimble, and Ponca Tribe Chair Larry Wright, Jr.

NEBRASKA STATE CAPITOL
The Commission on Indian Affairs was established in 1971 and consists of 14 Indian commissioners appointed by the Governor. The Commission's statutory mission is "to do all things which it may determine to enhance the cause of Indian rights and to develop solutions to problems common to all Nebraska Indians." It is the state liaison between the four headquarter tribes of the Omaha, Ponca, Santee Sioux and Winnebago Tribes of Nebraska. It helps ensure the sovereignty of both tribal and state governments are recognized and acted upon in a true government-to-government relationship. The Commission serves off-reservation Indian communities by helping assure they are afforded the right to equitable opportunities in the areas of housing, employment, education, health care, economic development and human/civil rights within Nebraska. All goals of the Commission are accomplished through advocacy, education and promotion of legislation.

From the Trial of Standing Bear to Indian Country Today
John Carter, Senior Research Associate at the Nebraska State Historical Society; Chuck Trimble, Native American advisor to Wakonda’s Dream, and Larry Wright, Jr., Ponca Tribe Chair, addressed the history behind the opera, habeas corpus, the trial of Standing Bear and issues facing American Indians today. Judi gaiashkibos, Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, welcomed and introduced the speakers in the Warner Chambers, home to beautiful Native American murals.

OMAHA HEALING ARTS CENTER
The Omaha Healing Arts Center has been a place for great poetry and performance since January of 2002. With an open mic and the slam, it’s an evening of fun. What's a poetry slam? It's competition poetry; meaning humor, politics, sex, entertainment masquerading as literature, literature masquerading as entertainment. Poets will read, then judges will flash Olympic-style scoring (ranging from 1 to 10) based on the poet's poem as well as performance of the poem to determine who goes on to the next round until there's just one poet left standing as the champion, and only the champion can leave with the Golden Monkey. Emceed by Matt Mason and featuring many of the nation's finest poets, it's guaranteed better than a night at the movies.

Wakonda’s Dream Poetry Slam
As part of the Wakonda’s Dream Festival, Opera Omaha challenged the community to write poetry about the power of dreams, inspired by Pulitzer Prize winning poet and Wakonda’s Dream librettist, Yusef Komunyakaa. The contest for original poetry encouraged our community to dream, and in that process provided a platform for individuals to give voice to those dreams. In conjunction with the contest, Opera Omaha also hosted two poetry slams accenting the subject of dreams. We were delighted to have Yusef Komunyakaa participate in one of the slams.

OMAHA PRESS CLUB
Downtown Omaha has no finer dining and gathering spot than the Omaha Press Club's restaurant on top of the First National Center at 16th and Dodge Streets. The 50-year-old Omaha Press Club is unique in the central United States, offering its members a restaurant and meeting rooms with “The Best View in Town,” special events, an annual gridiron show, journalism education, plus fellowship and fun. Membership is open to everyone within one of four categories. Omaha Press Club’s desire is to promote excellence in communications and media professions through fellowship, education and advocacy of freedom of information.
 
The Role of the Press in the Trial of Standing Bear
Popular Omaha World-Herald columnist and retired CEO and publisher, Harold Andersen, discussed the historic role of the newspaper and its editor, Thomas Henry Tibbles, in influencing public opinion and achieving a “victory” in the trial of Standing Bear.

OMAHA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Omaha Public Library enriches our community by providing unlimited opportunities for information, education, inspiration and imagination. The Library is a nationally recognized public library known for its innovative programs, excellent staff and visionary community leadership.

Wakonda’s Dream Poetry Workshop
Matt Mason, Editor, PoetryMenu.com and local poet, lead free public poetry writing workshops in conjunction with the Wakonda’s Dream Poetry Contest. The public was invited to write and speak on poetry on the theme of dreams— creative and inspirational.

American Indian Visions
Award-winning photographer of American Indians, Father Don Doll, a journalism professor at Creighton University, presented a talk and slide show of his work. Joining Doll was John Carter, Senior Research Associate, Nebraska State Historical Society, who gave a slide presentation on the Trial of Standing Bear to Indian Country Today.

ORPHEUM THEATER
The ornate splendor of Omaha’s cherished Orpheum Theater provides a perfect backdrop for everything from weddings and receptions to business meetings and fund-raisers. All events at the Orpheum Theater are customized to best satisfy the specific needs of each client.

Meet the Artists and Hear Them Sing Lunchtime Previews
Opera Omaha previewed each opera of the season – Tosca, Wakonda’s Dream and The Barber of Seville – in an hour-long program that featured sneak-preview performances of the upcoming production. The program featured a choice of a bagged lunch, a musical preview of each production, and an invitation to move into the theater for a look at the set, with commentary by the director.

Pre-Performance Previews
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Stewart Robertson and guest conductors preview the day’s opera for audiences prior to each performance in the Grand Lobby of the Orpheum Theater. These free informal talks provide audiences with background and high points on the opera that they are about to see. The talks have become a tradition that greatly enriches the opera-going experience for many patrons.

SAINT CECILLIA'S CATHEDRAL
The Cathedral Arts Project at Saint Cecilia’s Cathedral was founded in 1985 to promote and celebrate the performing and visual arts through the unique setting of the Cathedral. This concept dates back to the Middle Ages when cathedrals were erected as awe-inspiring monuments to God at the heart of the city. Those cathedrals also became the heart of the community's culture. For the past two decades, the Cathedral Arts Project has been brining residents of the Midwest some of the best in the visual and musical arts all under the roof of one of most unique and spiritual structures in the Midwest.

Evenings with Stewart Robertson: Gounod’s St Cecilia Mass
Stewart Robertson conducted the Opera Omaha Chorus and soloists in this musical event during the Cathedral’s 100th anniversary as an Omaha landmark. Gounod’s 50-minute Saint Cecilia Mass, a tribute to the patron saint of music, was introduced by Benjamin Britten’s 12-minute Hymn to St. Cecilia, a musical setting of three poems by W.H. Auden. The Hymn was written on Britten’s voyage home from America to England, in 1942, where the composer had recently premiered his and Auden’s first opera, Paul Bunyan. New York Customs lost the first section of the score, and Britten had to rewrite it from memory. The piece was first performed on St. Cecilia’s Day in 1942, Britten’s 29th birthday.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Omaha. Trinity Episcopal Church was built in 1880 and stands today. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral was the church for Fort Omaha where Standing Bear was interned during the time of the historic trial.

Restless Dream: An Evening of Music by Anthony Davis
The Opera Omaha Chorus and guest soloists previewed scenes from Wakonda’s Dream followed by Restless Mourning, a choral tribute by Anthony Davis to the victims of 9/11, commissioned in 2003 by Spoleto USA.

UMONHON (OMAHA) NATION PUBLIC SCHOOL
The mission of the Umonhon Nation Public School, through positive interaction with the Omaha Tribal community, is to provide student-centered education in a safe and respectful learning environment allowing our students to strengthen Native American traditions yet flourish in other cultures. The vision of the Umonhon Nation School is to establish a child-centered approach in an environment where "all children can learn." The Umonhon Nation Public School is located on the Omaha Indian Reservation in Macy, Nebraska.

Wakonda’s Dream Roundtable
A conversation between Wakonda’s Dream creators—composer Anthony Davis, librettist Yusef Komunyakaa, stage director Rhoda Levine—and Judi gaiashkibos, Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs; Charles Trimble, project consultant; and members of local Omaha Indian Reservation explored the context of the opera with its creators.

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT LINCOLN
The Lied Center for Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, created by and for the people of Nebraska, opened in 1990. For 16 years beginning with the first event, Opera Omaha's production of Madama Butterfly, it has been their mission to present the finest performing artists on our stages. The Lied Center for Performing Arts is a state-of-the-art performing arts facility, a "stage for all Nebraskans." The facility offers major regional, national and international events designed to attract a statewide audience. It also provides opportunities for Nebraska artists to perform and a teaching/training laboratory for performing arts departments at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Reading and Conversations with Ted Kooser and Yusef Komunyakaa
Wakonda’s Dream librettist and Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Yusef Komunyakaa, and 2004-2006 U.S. Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, and local poet and editor of PoetryMenu.com, Matt Mason, offered a poetry reading and dialogue moderated by Opera Omaha Artistic Director Stewart Robertson. Opera Omaha will premiere a new work in March 2008, with a libretto by Ted Kooser.

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA
Music-making and the University of Nebraska at Omaha Strauss Performing Arts Center is represented by many community and semi-professional performing arts groups all around the region.

The winning poems of the Wakonda’s Dream Poetry Contest were selected by Matt Mason, noted poet and editor of PoetryMenu.com, and Rivka Sass, executive director of the Omaha Public Libraries, and were then set to music to composer-in-residence Gabriel Gould and performed by soprano Tara Cowherd and members of the Omaha Symphony.

Poetry Contest Submissions:

• Nebraska
• Omaha
• Lincoln
• Elkhorn
• Ashland
• Fremont
• Kearney
• Norfolk
• Litchfield
• Mason City
• Greenwood
• Iowa
• Minnesota
• and… Croatia

WESTROADS MALL
There’s a lot happening at the Von Maur Court at Westroads Mall. You can come to shop, eat and be entertained! Check out the mall’s calendar of events and see everything Westroads Mall has to offer.

Meet the Artists and Hear Them Sing Lunchtime Previews
Opera Omaha previewed each opera of the season – Tosca, Wakonda’s Dream and The Barber of Seville – in an hour-long program that featured sneak-preview performances of the upcoming production. The program at Westroads featured a musical preview of each production and an opportunity to enjoy a lunch from Panera Bread during the presentation.