Opera Omaha has announced the sixth year of the Poetry & Music Project.

The project connects student poets and their words with composers to create original music and explore the connections between poetry and music.

This fall, students in grades K-12 from Nebraska and Iowa will be invited to submit their original works to the Poetry & Music project and selected poems will be set to music and premiered during the Poetry & Music Project Concert.

Professional composers will be selected to work on the poems and the selected poets will have the opportunity to participate with the composer in a music workshop to further develop the piece with the composer and musicians.

In May 2023, the completed works will be performed in concert by local Omaha artists, Opera Omaha Holland Community Opera Fellow Jaime Marie Webb, and UNO School of Music Students.

In a statement Lauren Medici, Director of Engagement Programs for Opera Omaha said,  “It is so exciting to see all the poems submitted by our talented local poets across the state. To be able to support them and make the connection between these young poets and working composers as they gain insight and firsthand experience in the process of bringing their art to the stage is a highlight of our year.”