Baron Breland Unites Omaha Choral Community for Masterwork Concert

October 6th, 2025

Baron Breland came to Omaha expecting to stay just a few years. Instead, the choral conductor has built a career bridging the city’s musical communities through ambitious collaborations.

This Thursday, Oct. 9, Breland conducts the Resonance Festival Chorus at Countryside Community Church, bringing together nearly 200 singers from at least seven different ensembles alongside musicians from the Omaha Symphony and Omaha Conservatory of Music.

“My first job was Creighton University here in Omaha, Nebraska, where I expected to just be here a couple of years, get my feet wet, and then move on to whatever was next,” said Breland, principal guest conductor of Resonance. “And I have built a life and a career here that has just been incredibly fulfilling and wonderful.”

The Atlanta native earned his doctorate at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music before joining Creighton, where he now works in administration while maintaining an active conducting schedule. He serves as principal conductor of Resonance, artistic director of the nearly 200-voice River City Mixed Chorus, and frequently prepares ensembles for the Omaha Symphony and Omaha Performing Arts.

The Resonance Festival Chorus represents the organization’s third annual large-scale community collaboration. While Resonance typically operates as a smaller select ensemble of 12 to 36 paid singers, the festival chorus expands that model to include vocalists from across the region.

“What they have enjoyed doing these last three years is bringing together singers from all across the community from multiple ensembles to put on an orchestral masterwork,” Breland said.

Thursday’s program features the Fauré Requiem, Copland’s “Promise of Living,” Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” and the soprano-alto version of Vivaldi’s Gloria. The concert includes musicians from the Omaha Symphony and Omaha Conservatory of Music, with both instructors and students participating.

The collaboration addresses a programming gap that emerged during the pandemic when choral performances posed health risks.

“Ever since COVID, the Omaha Symphony, rightfully so, we all took a step back from vocal choral singing as super spreader events,” Breland said. “The symphony hasn’t had a choral masterwork on its season in a while. So Resonance has sort of filled that gap a little bit in the community programming.”

The concert takes place at Countryside Community Church on the Tri-Faith campus, which Breland described as an ideal venue for large-scale choral works. The congregation seating is arranged in the round, placing some audience members directly next to orchestra players and offering unique sightlines to watch the conductor from multiple angles.

“You kind of get to feel like you’re immersed in the setting,” he said.

Breland noted that Resonance builds youth artist pipelines by including conservatory students alongside professional musicians, creating mentorship opportunities for emerging performers.

Following Thursday’s concert, Breland continues his collaborative work with the Omaha Symphony on upcoming projects, including a scary movie music concert featuring voices and the live soundtrack to Disney’s “Frozen.” He’s also preparing River City Mixed Chorus for its holiday concert Dec. 6 at the Holland Performing Arts Center.

The Resonance Festival Chorus model reflects Omaha’s broader tradition of musical collaboration across organizations. Singers from auditioned ensembles throughout the community can participate without additional auditions, lowering barriers to involvement in large-scale productions.

“It’s an incredible coming together event,” Breland said. “It’s just how we like to do it here in Nebraska.”

The concert begins at 7 or 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Countryside Community Church, 8787 Pacific St. More information is available on Resonance’s website.