Opera Omaha Poetry & Music Project — Free Annual Public Concert

About This Opportunity

The Poetry & Music Project is an annual collaboration between Opera Omaha and the Nebraska Writers Collective. Each year, students in grades K-12 from Nebraska and Iowa submit poems on a theme — 2026's theme is Memory. Professional composers select poems and set them to original music. The work is premiered in a free public concert in May 2026, open to anyone. The poets, their families, and the broader community attend. Over eight years, more than 1,000 poems have been submitted. It's a rare chance to hear original compositions built from the words of Nebraska's young writers — music that wouldn't exist without them.

Who Can Apply

Free and open to the public for the May 2026 concert. K-12 students in Nebraska and Iowa may submit poems for the 2026 cycle — see operaomaha.org for submission details and deadline.