news
Interview with the Director: Kaley Karis Smith
What was your first experience with opera? I learned to love opera from my Grandmother. She was a big opera fan, and we would watch old Met productions on PBS or rent VHS recordings from the library and watch them together. These are some of my favorite memories with her. I didn't work on an opera until I came to UNL, and the first show I was a part of was Rigoletto. I was a "super" in the opening party scene, and asked Dr. Shomos if I could be his "assistant" for the production so that I...
Friends of Opera Gala
Friends of Opera Annual Gala Sunday, September 27th, 2026 | 5:30pm - 8:30pm | Country Club of Lincoln Ballroom An inspired evening of exceptional music-making enjoyed with a 3-course menu and...
Give to Lincoln 2026 is LIVE!
As another school year comes quickly to a close, Give to Lincoln Day is once more around the corner! Now is as great a time as ever to support the UNL Opera program by making a donation to Friends...
UNL Opera and Opera Omaha Partnerships
By Jamie Reimer Seaman UNL Opera was happy to partner with Opera Omaha for two special events this season. In September, African American baritone Kenneth Overton presented a two-hour master class...
Reflections: 32 Years with UNL Opera
By Bill Shomos When asked to put together some reflections on my 32-year tenure as Director of UNL Opera for this newsletter, I found myself at a bit of a loss. Mary Beth and I have countless...
Amahl: A Legacy of Joy
From my time as a student at UNL, one of my favorite experiences was the annual production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Not only is the music catchy and the show uplifting (and the...
Alumni Spotlight: Kayla Wilkens and Brian Jeffers
Kayla in the role of Marie Shabata in the 2012 UNL Opera production of O Pioneers! (with Joshua Zink as Emil Bergson)KAYLA WILKENS This May, Kayla Wilkens (MM 2014) enjoyed a concert run in Las...
Give to Lincoln 2025 is LIVE!
As another school year comes quickly to a close, Give to Lincoln Day is once more around the corner! Now is as great a time as ever to support the UNL Opera program by making a donation to Friends...
Meet our Friends of Opera Student Representatives Ella Young and Tanner Engeseth
By Sharla Cerra I recently spoke with Tanner Engeseth and Ella Young, students at the UNL Glenn Korff School of Music. Tanner, who is in his first year of a Master’s program studying Voice...
“Re-Creating” Whitman poetry: Reflections on Song of Myself
by William Shomos, Director of UNL Opera In May of 2024 UNL alum Jared Hiscock, guest artists Brandon Bell and Philip Daniel, and I premiered a concert-piece, Song of Myself, at the Salt Creek Song...
Music and Theatre meet again in Urinetown
It’s understandable to hear the title Urinetown and have a few questions. Will the Spring Musical this year be reduced to two hours of potty humor? What kinds of educational experiences will the...
BECOME A MEMBER
Please join Friends of Opera today! Your membership dues will:
- Enhance the quality of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Opera productions
- Encourage talented vocal students to attend University of Nebraska-Lincoln through scholarships and increased performance opportunities
- Support outreach programs
- Reward outstanding performers at the annual Metropolitan Opera Nebraska District Auditions
