Stages across the world remain dark, but we are turning the lights on here at Countryside for you! While in-person performing arts may not be back for a few more months, we hope that we can fill a valuable gap for Countrysiders as well as the broader community with these offerings. It is a chance for us to support local musicians. These concerts will cover a wide range of genres – from jazz and classical to Broadway, folk music, and ethnic music.
In August, we will again be bringing the Broadway stage to your doorstep, and will explore a wide variety of music: from the Andes to Africa, with a side of soul!
Friday August 21, 7 PM: Spirituals, Psalms, and Songs for Social Change featuring Justin Payne – join Omaha vocalist and pianist Justin Payne for an uplifting evening featuring soul, spirituals, a new setting of Psalms that he composed.
For Justin Payne, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, music has always been a part of his life. His musical influences come from both sides of his family. His instrumental gifts in particular, come from his father’s side of the family where he learned how to play the piano from his grandmother and aunt. He continued to expand his instrumental base by learning clarinet, drums, tuba, and organ.
Justin has sung on stages in Munich, Germany, Vienna Austria, Todi Italy, Beijing China, and Arezzo Italy for various collegiate music programs and summer opera programs. Justin currently teaches music in the Omaha community and is the minister of Music at Pleasant Green Baptist Church. One day he continues to perform opera and other music genres professionally and ultimately open a charter school for music.
Just has sung locally on the Holland Performing Arts stage as a Tenor soloist with the Voices of Omaha for their Handel’s Messiah Presentation. Justin studied voice formally at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Michigan State University. His teachers are Paul Koenig and Richard Fracker.
Friday August 28, 7 PM: Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor and the UNO Piano Studio -This concert will feature Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor along with students from her piano studio at UNO. COVID-19 has taken away many performance opportunities for college students, so we are going to provide a performance space for them and hear masterworks played by up and coming talent.