The Omaha Symphony has announced it will close its 2024/2025 season with a monumental Masterworks concert: Negrón, Grieg & Shostakovich 5. The two-night season finale will feature Maestro Ankush Kumar Bahl conducting for the last time as music director, as well as guest pianist Joyce Yang performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Maestro Bahl has served as the orchestra’s artistic leader since the 2021/2022 Season. He is stepping down to be more present with family but will remain with the Omaha Symphony as artistic partner in the 2025/2026 Season. Negrón, Grieg & Shostakovich 5 will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31.
Great Plains Theatre Commons is hosting its 2025 New Play Festival from May 25-31 at Metropolitan Community College and Yates Illuminates. Each year, the GPTC New Play Festival helps to develop a group of new plays that are selected from a pool of around 700 submissions. During the festival, local and national playwrights, actors, directors, dramaturgs, designers and Omaha community members, share a week of stories, workshops, readings, meals, performances and celebrations. All public festival events are free to attend. Click HERE for the festival program and schedule.
North Omaha Music and Arts held a ribbon cutting ceremony last week to showcase new renovations and additions to their music program at 2510 North 24th Street. The leading-edge space is meant to accommodate the needs of quality music and arts education for the youth of the community. NOMA’s growth and building renovation are an integral part of an overall plan to reinvigorate the North 24th Street corridor.
The Joslyn Castle will feature Mary Kay Leatherman at its Local Author Celebration Series on May 22. Leatherman’s works span several genres. She is a writer of fiction, literary non-fiction and non-fiction books, traditionally published and independently published works. Her three novels explore human relationships with reflection, humor and hope and often refer to or take place in Omaha. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. and is free to attend.