Find an escape at the Symphony

- Omaha Symphony attendee

The Holland Performing Arts Center was meticulously designed to provide sound quality with clarity and intimacy, allowing for a full and rich reverberation of the Omaha Symphony’s sound. For the past 20 years, the Holland Center has united Omaha citizens, continually drawing in our community to revel in the arts together.

Each year, our artistic team works tirelessly to fill that space with the most magical and profound music ever written. From The Lark Ascending to Beethoven’s pastoral Sixth Symphony, our orchestra’s mission is to enrich Omaha by creating these impactful sonic landscapes unlike anything else in the area.

Today’s world is dominated by hustle and bustle, pervasive technology, and polarizing forces that can keep us all down if we don’t endeavor to release ourselves from these consistent daily stressors. At the Holland Center, the Omaha Symphony wants to provide just that: a bit of personal bliss.

Another Omaha Symphony patron wisely said, “Hearing beautiful music performed skillfully is both richly enjoyable and simply a good thing to do for one's health.”

They’re not wrong. The ethereal sounds of an orchestra are scientifically proven to reduce stress and improve mood.

A study of 99 Chinese heart bypass surgery patients, for example, found that those who received half an hour of music therapy after the operation—generally light, relaxing music of their own choice—had significantly lower self-reports of depression and anxiety than those who rested or received conventional medical check-ins in the same time frame (Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2020). Meanwhile, in conjunction with the Global Council on Brain Health’s strong endorsement of more research on music and brain health, an AARP survey of 3,185 adults found that music has a statistically significant impact on people’s self-reported mental well-being, depression and anxiety.

“Coming together in this communal form of music sharing magnifies experiences,” says Kristen Stewart, LCAT, MT-BC, a board-certified music therapist and assistant director at The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy at Mount Sinai in New York City. She explains that experiencing live music “cultivates connection and feeling a part of a larger and potentially meaningful whole.”

So, enjoy some self-care, and escape to the symphony! Wear jeans. Wear a suit. Wear sweatpants – we perform for you, however and whomever you are. A symphony performance should be comfortable. Allow the concert to impact you. That is what we intend for our music to do!

Anyone can discover the tranquility of an Omaha Symphony concert for as low as $20. Students and teachers – we know how stressful classes can get, and that’s why we offer $10 Student Rush tickets you can get by showing your student or teacher ID at Will Call 90 minutes before a performance.

We hope to see you soon, in between the meticulously designed walls of the Holland to enjoy a shared moment of peace; to breathe in these magical sounds and leave the hall feeling a little better than you did before you arrived.

Find all our upcoming live experiences by clicking below!