Ballet Nebraska and Opera Omaha recently cast 15 talented young vocal artists as the North Wind Chorus for the Land of Snow scene in Ballet Nebraska’s December production of The Nutcracker.

Members of the North Wind Chorus will join Ballet Nebraska’s company of professional dancers and a cast of nearly 120 youth dancers to bring The Nutcracker to Omaha and Council Bluffs audiences this Christmas season. Chorus auditions were held on Sunday, September 18 at Ballet Nebraska’s rehearsal studios at Motion 41 Dance for female singers ages 12 to 16.

The young singers will provide vocals during composer Piotr Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Snowflakes. Each singer was required to prepare one song to perform with piano accompaniment. They were also measured for costumes being designed especially for the chorus.

Ballet Nebraska’s artistic director, Erika Overturff, and Opera Omaha’s resident music director, J. Gawf, personally conducted each audition.

“Opera Omaha is excited to collaborate with Ballet Nebraska and give our Children’s Chorus another performance opportunity”, said Gawf.  “We have had a longstanding commitment to community partnerships as a key to our mission.”

“I am really happy about this project,” said Overturff, who premiered Ballet Nebraska’s The Nutcracker on tour last year. Overturff’s version of the beloved holiday family classic was performed for record-setting audiences at the Sami Bedell Center for Performing Arts in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

The Nutcracker opens December 2 at IWCC Arts Center and will be presented again on December 4 at Omaha Music Hall. Tickets are available now at (712) 388-7140 for the Dec. 2 show,  and through TicketMaster for the Dec. 4 show.