Voices AMPLIFIED! through the years

Omaha Performing Arts launched Voices AMPLIFIED! in 2020 with a simple but powerful intention: to connect Omaha with diverse arts experiences and hand the microphone to underheard communities. What that’s looked like through the years has been as varied as the experiences the series has sought to spotlight. There have been livestreams with national artists. Cook-alongs. Community workshops. A full-on original stage play created by community members. And all of it available to everyone at no cost.

As the latest season wrapped on June 26 with a celebration of where Voices AMPLIFIED! has been and where it’s headed, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on how the series continues to build connection and celebrate culture through the arts.

What is Voices AMPLIFIED!

The cultural engagement series is the brainchild of Andy Cassano (O-pa Vice President of Programming & Education) and Gennean Scott Gray (O-pa Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer). In partnership with the community and Voices AMPLIFIED! committee members, it elevates local artists and artistry and gives the community unique access to world-renowned performers.

“Together, we’ve commissioned work by local artists in collaboration with national touring artists; leveraged O-pa’s voice to highlight incredible work being created by other arts, cultural, and social service organizations; and brought communities together across race, gender, age, geography, and ability through music, dance, spoken word, film, fashion, graphic and visual arts, theater, and food almost every month for five years,” says Andy.

Year 1: Black Voices

During its inaugural year, Voices AMPLIFIED! set the tone for what the series would become: a space where artistry and advocacy meet. Omaha Performing Arts partnered with performers whose work speaks directly to Black history, identity, and racial equity, inviting the community to engage with these stories through moving virtual livestreams. The season featured acclaimed artists bringing their own lens to conversations about culture and justice such as vocalist Alicia Olatuja, the legendary PHILADANCO dance company, Grammy®‑winning ensemble Ranky Tanky, and storyteller Rudy Smith.

The year built toward a powerful finale, Let America Be America Again, a live, multidisciplinary event that united local writers, musicians, dancers, and visual artists. Rooted in social justice, the performance became both a celebration of community talent and a call to reflection, marking the first season as a bold, heartfelt beginning for Voices AMPLIFIED!.

Year 2: Black & Latino Voices

The second year of Voices AMPLIFIED! expanded its reach by celebrating Afro‑Latino culture and the rich artistic traditions that flow from the intersection. The season invited the community to experience these stories not just as spectators, but as active participants at venues around Omaha. Sankofa Danzafro led high‑energy dance workshops at the Venue at Highlander and Bancroft Street Market that introduced audiences to movement rooted in Afro‑Colombian history. Local visual artist Hugo Zamorano brought people together for a community portrait project, blending graffiti aesthetics with collective storytelling to create a piece that reflected Omaha’s diverse voices.

The centerpiece of the season was Omaha’s Forgotten Century, an original musical theater work crafted by Broadway actor and choreographer Ray Mercer (originally from Omaha) and a creative team of local artists and historians including director Kathy Tyree and writer Peggy Jones. The production unearthed overlooked chapters of Omaha’s past, transforming them into a vibrant, collaborative performance that honored resilience and cultural memory.

Year 3: Sabores de la Cultura Latina | Celebrating the Many Flavors of Latino/Hispanic Culture

The next season explored Latino and Hispanic culture more deeply, inviting audiences to experience the vibrancy, complexity, and creativity of these communities through movement, music, fashion, and storytelling. The year opened with Salsa and Jazz: A Mixing of Musical Flavors, a dynamic collaboration between iconic percussionist Sammy Figueroa and talented local vocalist Alexis Arai. The Power of Fashion was a collaboration with the Fashion Arts Collective and local designers to show how clothing can become an archive of identity, heritage, and imagination.

New York-based company Ballet Hispánico brought the season to a powerful crescendo during O-pa’s first artist residency. While in Omaha to perform Doña Perón, a performance that reexamined the iconic figure of Eva Perón through a contemporary Latino lens, they also participated in a discussion at UNO and taught a free dance master class for community members.

Year 4: Elevating Asian American Voices

The season invited the community to experience the breadth of Asian American culture through food, movement, fashion, and music. A cook‑along with No More Empty Pots introduced participants to Asian culinary traditions and turned the kitchen into a space for cultural connection. O-pa returned to the Fashion Arts Collective for Asian American Voices in Fashion. The acclaimed Nai‑Ni Chen Dance Company led a free dance workshop at the Nebraska Chinese Association before performing a Year of the Dragon celebration at the Orpheum Theater. Audiences also got an inside look at TAIKOPROJECT’s Benzaiten, learning how taiko drumming combines tradition, athleticism, and storytelling.

Year 5: Voices With Disabilities

The season was dedicated to amplifying the disability community and disabled artists. Cosmic Optics, a gallery exhibition and performance at Hot Shops, showcased work by disabled artists whose perspectives reframed how we see the world. Pianist Matthew Whitaker shared his journey as a blind musician, offering insight into how artistry and accessibility intertwine. The multi‑abled Omnium Circus brought a full‑spectrum circus workshop and a sensory‑inclusive performance to Omaha, demonstrating how circus arts can be reimagined so everyone — onstage and off — can participate fully.

The season culminated in Interwoven, a fashion show featuring adaptive designs created by and for people with disabilities. The event highlighted clothing as both expression and empowerment, and ended with a silent disco debuting the SoundShirt, a wearable technology that allows users to feel music through vibration. Together, these experiences celebrated disability culture not as an afterthought, but as a vital, innovative force shaping the arts.

The latest season: Echoes Across Generations

The 2025/2026 season centered on meaningful conversations between generations, inviting artists and community members to explore how wisdom, creativity, and cultural memory are passed forward. The Malcolm X Foundation hosted a Q&A with Terence Blanchard who performed his Malcolm X Jazz Suite in honor of the civil rights icon’s centennial. Hip hop pioneers Ephrat Asherie, Archie Burnett, and Flo Master participated in a special artist residency focused on street dance as a cultural ecosystem born from communities expressing identity, resistance, joy, and connection in public spaces. Dr. Sharon Ishii-Jordan led a hands-on workshop on the traditions of Origami. Cirque Kalabanté — founded by Guinean Yamoussa Bangoura to share West African culture through movement and music — filled the Venue at Highlander with community members of all ages for a drumming workshop.

What’s next?

A new lineup of events has been announced. Rather than focusing on a season or theme, the series is evolving to be more fluid. Events will include echoes from past seasons and create opportunities for cross conversations while continuing to pair international and national touring artists with local artists and organizations. The lineup also includes highlights of other events presented by local partners to amplify all the amazing opportunities happening in the metro.

Andy said the goal is to slowly and intentionally increase to year-round programming, adding additional voices and communities “and work to amplify — not as a one-and-done or check-the-box initiative, but by deepening relationships and finding people who want to continually repeat, build, and sustain unique and lasting partnerships.”

“We have more work to do together: more voices to amplify. More artists to work with, and more events and communities to collaborate with.”

Voices AMPLIFIED! has also become a cornerstone for the process by which Omaha Performing Arts selects many of the artists they present on stage.

“Our cultural programs and performances are not selected for financial outcomes, but for investment in our community,” explained Andy. “If an artist isn’t willing, able, or committed to being in and with our community off the stage, we don’t put them on our stages. This is a big change for how performing arts centers typically work, but we believe in starting with our community first.”

The performing arts are so much more than a ticket to a show. They transmit stories, share culture and worldviews, and set the stage for belonging, discovery, and connection.