Opera Omaha Job Announcement
Artist Fellow (Holland Community Opera Fellowship), 2024-2025 Season
Location: Omaha, Nebraska Status: Full Time, Salaried
Reports to: Community Opera Fellowship Manager
Salary: *$42,000 annually + benefits
WHO WE ARE + WHAT WE DO
Opera Omaha, a non-profit performing arts organization, is a growth-minded, high energy, and innovative company with a demanding mission: producing opera performances in multiple formats and styles and co-creating artist-led programs for a variety of community service organizations. We believe the power of opera is transformational, and as a result supports the creation of an inventive, creative, empathetic, and inclusive community that inspires joy, self-discovery, kinder discourse, and opportunity for all.
HOW YOU’D FIT IN + STAND OUT
Opera Omaha is seeking teaching artists to join the Holland Community Opera Fellowship Team. Artists of any discipline who have an interest in impacting community and an understanding of how their art may engage with opera are encouraged to apply. This program is not only for singers as programming is focused on creativity and inspiration with the art form of opera as a toolbox, not teaching opera.
The Fellow will join Opera Omaha in building on a revolutionary program that redefines how an opera company serves its community. Launched in 2017, the Holland Community Opera Fellowship (HCOF) leads the opera field in civic practice – building deep relationships outside of the performance venues. A team of Holland Community Opera Fellows engage in the Omaha community each season, bringing artistry and civic practice skills to a variety of long-term and short-term co-created community-based programs.
YOU ARE AN IDEAL CANDIDATE IF YOU ARE:
• An experienced teaching artist.
• Excited to create an impact in and with community and strongly interested in serving the community through the arts.
• An engaging creative looking to deepen your artistry by developing and teaching arts programming for a variety of individuals. This may include individuals with disabilities, seniors, immigrants and refugee populations, youth who are incarcerated, adults experiencing homelessness, and young children.
• A highly motivated team player with skill in collaboration and partnering with other artists, Opera Omaha staff, and community partners.
• An adaptable leader skilled in emotional intelligence, relationship management, and facilitation.
• Organized with a strong ability to prioritize workload and manage unexpected change.
• Curious, willing to engage in reflective practice, responsive to the needs of others, compassionate, open to vulnerability, empathetic, and have a sense of fun and playfulness.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS
• Conceive and realize projects rooted in your art while contributing to and managing creative programming that supports partnering organizations’ objectives and goals.
• Serve as a teaching artist by creating and facilitating curriculum for collaborative programming in community-based spaces and partnerships.
• Develop and maintain relationships with community members, Opera Omaha staff, artists, partners, and leaders.
• Research, coordinate, and execute artistic needs related to civic and community engagement.
• Illustrate and promote the value of creativity in both arts and non-arts sectors.
• Collaborate with team members to support the creation of an inventive, empathetic, and inclusive community that inspires joy, self-discovery, kinder discourse, and opportunity for all.
• Engage as a full-time professional of an opera company, participating in staff activities and events.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
• Experience developing and teaching arts programming for community audiences including adults, youth and/or families.
• Experience working with and/or teaching diverse populations; preference for this experience to have occurred in a community-based setting.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing independent projects and highly self- motivated.
• Excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Professional experience will be considered in lieu of an academic degree.
As Full Time Staff members, Holland Community Opera Fellows qualify for benefits including:
• Medical, dental, and life insurance as part of our commitment to investing in the health and wellbeing of our employees. Upgraded or alternative benefits are an additional cost to the employee.
• Retirement savings plans: 403b savings plan with Company Retirement Contribution (company-paid) and no employee match requirement.
• Flexible time off and holiday pay. Staff also enjoy a paid winter break in late December each year.
• Professional Development Stipend to be used for professional and artistic growth.
*This full-time position will be for the 2024/2025 season. Fellowship contracts are twelve months long starting in July and ending in June, however, programming and certain duties associated with this position will not commence until mid-August 2024 and will end mid-May 2025. Fellows are only expected to be in Omaha during that time. The position may be renewed for an additional season. The typical length of a Fellowship is two years.
Opera Omaha values staff diversity that represents Omaha’s diverse communities and seeks candidates who reflect this value. We value and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
Opera Omaha is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status or any other category protected by law.
Join Our Team!
Apply online at operaomaha.org/fellowship-application
Application Deadline: January 1, 2024
Necessary Documents for a Complete Application Include: Resume, Short Answer Questions, and Artist Work Samples. More details about what these documents should include, and Fellowship FAQs are available on operaomaha.org/fellowship-application.
Please note, certain program partners may require a background check.