Omaha Symphony Christmas Celebration: behind the scenes

December 7th, 2025

One of my family’s favorite holiday traditions is the Omaha Symphony Christmas Celebration. Singing and dancing, glitz and glamour, warmth and joy…and at the center of it all, our magnificent Omaha Symphony Orchestra.

The past few years our daughter, Ida (age 11) has had the honor to join the program as a student of Anne Nagosky, one of the orchestra’s violinists. While their time on stage is brief – usually about 5 minutes, plus the final curtain call – the young people prepare intensively for weeks.

The work (for the students) usually begins in November, or even October – hours of practice and private lessons, honing individual parts. The first group rehearsal – before Thanksgiving this year – is also a meeting, reviewing rules and expectations, answering questions, and clearing up confusion for parents.

Over the next few weeks, the students put in nearly 40 hours of work, rehearsing with Anne in a parish fellowship hall – running through parts, learning entrances and staging, transitions and exits (some students put in closer to 60 hours, adding pre-show carols to their repertoire). 

As the performances draw closer, rehearsals shift to the Holland Performing Arts Center. The first run-through onstage with the Omaha Symphony is always nerve-racking, especially for new students. But the orchestra’s musicians are patient, warm and encouraging, and the young string players leave the stage with a smile. By the final dress rehearsal the tune is polished and ready for the audience.

Opening night – the first of six performances – is on Thursday, December 11th. Excitement mingles with anxious anticipation, the way a child feels when she senses the season’s first snow. The energy alternates between a quiet calm and a hectic bustle, with chorus members passing cast on their way for a quick costume change.

A corner of backstage rooms becomes their home away from home. Racks are filled with glittering, jewel-toned dresses, augmented by black dress shirts and slacks with matching ties. Laptops and textbooks crowd designated spaces, for those with exams and papers that can’t wait. Most pass the time with games, friendly gossip, or quiet reading.

There’s a small but resourceful platoon of parents on hand to chaperone; cheerful but exhausted, they ensure hair is sleek and shiny, ties square and straight, and students well-hydrated but not over sugared. They keep on hand a box of miscellaneous spare items: tights, bobby pins, socks, ties, etc.

As the appointed time approaches, Anne checks tuning (there’s always a few issues) and runs the song at least one more time. Before they know it, the young violinists and violists are lining up and walking to the stage door. Nervous smiles and approving words are passed down from student to student, and then the cue comes. The most experienced begin, with progressively younger groups stepping out to audible “awws”. The instruments sing, the music swells…and then it’s over.

Thunderous applause fills the hall, and the young violinists and violists file off stage. They walk (don’t run) down the hall to put away instruments before returning for final bows. “O Holy Night” rings through the walls, and the students engaging in increasingly elaborate choreography (“fall on your knees”) before taking the stage to sing the finale, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” with the ensemble. The first performance is over.

The next few days are usually a blur. The weekend is a marathon set of double-headers, with a matinee and evening performance on both Saturday and Sunday. Between these, students either order in or depart for an early dinner. Sandwiches, pizza, and the new Ramen shop near the Holland are particularly popular.

Sunday night: although almost everyone backstage is visibly exhausted, this performance is something special; it has “last show energy” that is unmistakable, carrying the ensemble through to a rousing finale.

After the show, everyone gathers one final time. Seniors are celebrated, followed by final kudos, pictures, clean up, and dismissal. Each student, along with the dancers, singers, and orchestra parts ways, having created something magical: a gift to our community, and the memory of it will last for years to come.