Holland Center Marks 20 Years as World-Class Omaha Cultural Hub

September 29th, 2025

The Holland Performing Arts Center will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Friday with a community-focused concert featuring 400 regional artists, highlighting the venue’s evolution from architectural achievement to cultural cornerstone.

Rather than importing a major national act, Omaha Performing Arts chose to spotlight local talent for the milestone celebration, according to Andy Cassano, vice president of programming and education.

“We really wanted to focus the anniversary on the community that we’re here to serve, which is the Omaha community and the surrounding area,” Cassano said. “So I reached out and casually invited 400 of my closest artist friends throughout the entire area to come and join us in a collective celebration.”

The concert will feature the Omaha Symphony, River City Mixed Chorus, Nebraska Writers Collective and Salem Baptist Choir performing about a dozen pieces throughout the evening. A commissioned poem honoring the anniversary will be performed to music, and innovative video mapping technology will project images onto the concert hall’s architecture.

Cassano, who grew up on the East Coast surrounded by renowned cultural institutions, said the Holland Center ranks among the world’s finest venues.

“I’ve been to Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. I’ve been to Milan and some of the major opera halls. I’ve been to some of the cutting-edge performing arts centers that are being built in places like Oslo and even in places in China and Japan,” he said. “When we say this is one of the best concert halls in the country and one of them in North America, we’re not understating it.”

That assessment echoes observations from performers and industry professionals who have worked at the facility since its 2005 opening. The concert hall’s acoustic design and architectural features have earned consistent praise from artists who perform on stages worldwide.

Marky Montague, minister of music and fine arts at Salem Baptist Church, said his organization has maintained a partnership with Omaha Performing Arts for 12 years. A Chicago native who attended the School of the Arts before moving to Omaha 17 years ago, Montague said the Holland Center holds special significance.

“The Holland has so many special memories, and to be able to be a part of the 20th year is extremely significant for me,” he said. “I travel across the length and breadth of this country and the world, and the Holland Center is one of the top venues that we have, not only in the Midwest, but in the world.”

For both Cassano and Montague, the anniversary represents more than architectural achievement. They emphasized the venue’s role in bringing diverse communities together during challenging times for arts organizations nationwide.

“I believe that the arts serve as an opportunity to bring people together from various backgrounds,” Montague said. “Whether it’s a 90-minute show or a 120-minute show, for that moment people get an opportunity to forget about what they’re facing. The arts brings inspiration. It heals.”

Friday’s program will showcase that diversity through varied musical styles. Audiences will hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony alongside Salem Baptist Choir’s rendition of “Blessed Be the Ties That Bind” and rising local artist Anjali performing Aretha Franklin’s version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Cassano said the eclectic programming reflects the Holland Center’s broader mission.

“The Holland Center is about bringing people together, no matter who you are or where you are, for the purpose of being together as a community, to enjoy things that are the beauty of human exploration, of what it means to be human,” he said.

The venue has expanded its reach beyond ticketed performances through education and engagement programs in area schools. Cassano oversees programming across multiple Omaha Performing Arts facilities, including the Holland Center, Orpheum Theater and the upcoming Kiewit Luminarium.

Montague produces Friday’s anniversary program, coordinating the various artistic groups and technical elements. The video mapping component represents a technological advancement that transforms the venue’s physical space into part of the performance.

“We really wanted to celebrate the architecture of the building,” Cassano said. “We wanted to make the building come alive through music but also through the visual arts.”

The anniversary comes as arts organizations nationwide face financial pressures and uncertain futures. Both Cassano and Montague expressed gratitude that the Holland Center continues thriving two decades after opening.

“Throughout the entire history of human civilization, the arts have always been with us in the darkest of times and in the lightest of times,” Cassano said. “To be a part of that is just a point in history, and we still need to celebrate that because the arts is still an important part of our community and a fabric of hope for the future.”

The celebration begins at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, with lobby activities starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at opa.org or ticketomaha.com.

For more information about Omaha Performing Arts programs and upcoming performances, visit the organization’s website.