April 6 | 1:00 PM

Omaha Conservatory of Music
FREE Admission

Poets' completed works will be premiered on April 6, 2024 at a live concert held at the Omaha Conservatory of Music. 13 original pieces with words from poems selected from Nebraska & Iowa students and set to music by professional composers Sidney Marquez Boquiren and Amber Vistein will be performed by Opera Omaha artists.

All submitted poems will be printed in the Poetry & Music Project book which will be distributed to all poets, teachers, concert audience, and available online. The Poetry & Music Project book is also part of Omaha Public Library’s Zine collection.

Opera Omaha is thrilled to announce the selection of 13 poems for the 2023-24 Poetry & Music Project. These original poems, written by Nebraska and Iowa students grades K through 12, were selected from a pool of 102 submissions from poets across 12 Nebraska and Iowa counties.

The selected poems include:
“A Rainy Day… Time Flies…” by Marty Minor, Lewis and Clark Middle School (Omaha), 7th Grade

“Friends” by Sylvia Kastl, Norfolk Catholic (Norfolk), 5th Grade

“From Darkness to Light” by Stephany Orellana-Gomez, Benson High School (Omaha), 10th Grade

“I Am A Weird Kid” by Thaddeus Horner, Hayward Elementary (Nebraska City,) 3rd Grade

“It Is What It Is” by Jackson Rios, Norfolk Catholic Elementary (Norfolk), 3rd Grade

“3-1=2” by Keelynn Reese, Titan Hill Intermediate School (Council Bluffs, IA), 5th Grade

“Laika” by Ava Larson Gallegos, Brownell Talbot (Omaha), 11th Grade

“My Home” by Annabelle Wilson, St. Patrick School (McCook), 6th Grade

“Finding My Story” by Emelia Howell, Homeschool (Bennington), 5th Grade

“A Tale of Introversion” by Norah Purcell, Central High School (Omaha), 12th Grade

“Don’t Grow Up” by Zehla Sobansky, Kiewit Middle School (Omaha), 7th Grade

“The Sun” by Evie Nelson, Gretna High School (Gretna), 9th Grade

“US” by River Sirek, Sacred Heart Elementary (Norfolk), 3rd Grade

Chosen poems were selected and will be set to music by professional composers Amber Vistein and Sidney Marquez Boquiren, both recent alumni of The American Opera Project Composers & the Voice program. This spring, poets will further develop their pieces in music workshops with the composers by collaborating in the behind-the-scenes artistic process.

DISCOVERY

Subthemes
Finding Yourself | Exploring Relationships | Pinpointing Place | Uncovering Art | Examining Growth

September 2023 - Submissions Open
October & November 2023 - Writing Workshops
November 30, 2023 - Submission Deadline
December 2023- Composers Select Poems
January 2024 - Poets of Selected Pieces Notified, Composers Writing Time
February- Music Workshop with Composers and Poets of the Selected Pieces
April 2024- Poetry & Music Project Concert

Producing Partner

Additional partners include

Supported by

For More Information
Contact: Lauren Medici | Opera Omaha Director of Engagement Programs
Lmedici@operaomaha.org | 402-346-7372