25/26 Holland Highlights

Reflections on the work and daily wonders of the Holland Community Opera Fellowship

September 2025
In our first workshop with the Sarpy Juvenile Justice Center this season, we highlighted creative problem solving as a necessary tool in performing arts. We started with an active opinion game, highlighting ways you can have an opinion about something and justify it. Then, we challenged the youth to solve a production problem that could easily happen in a real opera! The youth came up with smart solutions and unique ideas all while maintaining the integrity of the show. After solving one of the problems, one youth commented that they "should be an engineer or something," while another youth identified how much they loved art and drawing and could someday be a professional artist. We shared that those are real jobs in the opera industry! It was fun to inspire these youth and show them that art and opera could give them a sense of belonging and ideas for the future!
-Tobias Garcia, Holland Community Opera Fellow