Dr. Amanda Deboer Bartlett wins inaugural Holland Community Opera Fellowship at Opera Omaha

From the Omaha GO article published by Betsie Freeman, World-Herald staff writer:

"Opera Omaha has hired the first two resident fellows for its new Holland Community Opera Fellowship.

They are Omaha native Amanda DeBoer Bartlett and Alabama native Jessica Johnson Brock. Each will stay in Omaha for two years.

The goal of the fellowship is to expand the impact of Opera Omaha beyond traditional outlets and populations to touch as many people as possible, General Director Roger Weitz said when the program was announced in March.

DeBoer and Brock will perform in mainstage productions, offer recitals and serve on community advisory boards. They also will work directly with social service agencies, schools and neighborhood groups to educate people about opera and the arts.

By fall 2018, the fellowship will employ four artists with staggered starting dates. A Community Opera Panel will choose future fellows and work with them to further develop the program.

DeBoer is a classically trained soprano and the director of the Omaha Under the Radar Festival. She specializes in the music of living composers and is a member of the Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. She earned a bachelor?s degree in music from DePaul University in Chicago, a master?s degree from the University of Buffalo and a doctorate from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Brock studied at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In the last three seasons, she has been a sought-after artist in the New England area, performing with Opera Providence and Boston Lyric Opera, among other companies."