Voices AMPLIFIED! is a multidisciplinary arts and social justice initiative to amplify artists in diverse cultures.
Under the direction of Jillian Davis, Vice President of Human Capital and Inclusion and Andy Cassano, Vice President of Programming and Education, Voices AMPLIFIED! will elevate artists and their work in social justice through live music, dance, and spoken
word. The new series will include panel discussions and workshops by local and national artists and community partners on food, health, #BlackVoicesMatter and more.
This year's Voices AMPLIFIED! committee includes community members comprised
of educators, artists and O-pa employees: Alexis Arai, Andy Cassano, Raydell Cordell III, Jillian Davis, Aaron Gregory, Bill Grennan, Dara Hogan, Matt Mason, Marcos Mora, Victoria Ortega, Jade Rogers, Gennean Scott, Kathy Tyree and Hugo Zamorano.
“Inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility are core values at Omaha Performing Arts and are woven throughout our efforts. Voices AMPLIFIED! is an extension of that work and a long-term initiative to expand our artistic, community
engagement and education programs,” said Gennean Scott, Former Vice President of Human Capital and Inclusion.
During the 2020/2021 season, Voices AMPLIFIED! partnered with performing artists who reflected on Black history and
racial equity. Watch the recap video.
Join us for the Voices AMPLIFIED! 2021/2022 season. We'll continue to amplify Black and Latinx voices including Sankofa Danzafro, an Afro-Colombian dance group and a finale musical theater event featuring Omaha native Ray Mercer.
Learn more about Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility at O-pa here.
Sponsors
Explore Upcoming Events
Celebrating Mexican Independence Day
September 16, 2021 | 5:00 - 10:00 PM
Holland Center Outdoors
Join us at Holland Center Outdoors as we kick off the 21/22 Voices AMPLIFIED Season with a celebration of Mexican Independence Day. This FREE, public event will feature live music and dance, salsa lessons, food by O-pa Food Services, local restaurants and more!
Featuring:
- Alexis Arai y su Grupo Latino
- Jarabe Mexicano
- Mariachi Omaha
- Porifiro Folkloric Dance
More artists to be announced!
This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
African American/Black culture feature
October | time and location TBD
More details to come.
Latinx feature
November | time and location TBD
More details to come.
The Food of Navidad and Kwanzaa
December - time and location TBD
More details to come.
Dr. Rae Wynn Grant - National Geographic Live
February | time and location TBD
Rae Wynn-Grant has dedicated her life to ecological research and conservation. As a scientist with National Geographic Society’s Last Wild Places Initiative, she works to protect and restore iconic wildlife populations, including North American black and grizzly bears.
She will visit the Holland Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, February 22 at 7:30 PM for a presentation. Purchase tickets here.
In addition to the presentation, Dr. Grant will host a panel discussion about advancing opportunities for Black women in the sciences. More details to come. More details to come.
Sankofa Danzafro
March 2-4 | time and location TBD
Sankofa Danzafro has sought to build a bridge between Afro-Colombian peoples and the African continent. The company uses Afro-Colombian’s ancestral roots in the creation of dance works. “Sankofa”, meaning, “to return to the root”, is an African philosophy that proposes that the past is a keyhole through which to view the present, and to be able to consider the future.
Sankofa Danzafro will perform at the Orpheum Theater on March 4 at 7:30 PM. Purchase tickets here.
In conjunction with Voices AMPLIFIED!, Sankofa Danzafro will host a series of dance workshops focused on Afro-Columbian dances from the North and South Pacific region in Columbia. They will also hold music workshops that will explore specific Afro-Colombian rhythms. More details to come.
Las Cafeteras
March 29-31 | time and location TBD
Born and raised east of the Los Angeles river, Las Cafeteras is remixing roots music and telling modern day stories. Las Cafeteras create a vibrant musical fusion with Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes deliver inspiring lyrics that document stories of a community seeking love and justice in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles.
Las Cafeteras will also perform at the Holland Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, March 30 at 7:30 PM. Purchase tickets here.
They will join Voices AMPLIFIED! in a series of music workshops. More details to come.
Lisa Fischer
May 26 | time and location TBD
After four decades of featured background singing with icons like Luther Vandross, The Rolling Stones and Tina Turner, Lisa Fischer set out to take center stage with her own humble, heartfelt song. The 2013 Best Documentary Oscar winning film “Twenty Feet from Stardom” altered the course of Lisa's musical journey, telling her story, with clips of her legendary duets with Sting or with Mick Jagger on “Gimme Shelter”, left audiences eager to see and hear more.
We will feature a film showing of Twenty Feet from Stardom and panel discussion. More details to come.
Lisa Fischer will also perform at the Holland Center on Thursday, May 26 at 7:30 PM. Purchase tickets here.
Finale Event – Omaha’s Forgotten Century
Saturday, June 25 | Orpheum Theater | time TBD
A 60-minute dramatic musical theater performance created by choreographer and Omaha native Ray Mercer. It will feature New York and Omaha-based musicians, dancers and visual artists as well as community members. The commissioned work will be framed around oral and written history of Black and Latinx Omaha. More details to come.