Willa Cather Foundation Events

We look forward to welcoming Kansas artist Laura Mead and her dream-like botanical prints to the Red Cloud Opera House Gallery this autumn. The works on display, whether printed on paper, polymer clay, or silk, are more than just a representation of the prairie; instead, they are created by and with native prairie plants that are grown and hand-selected for use by the artist, on her own acreage.

Usher in the 2026 season with indie folk and pop musician Cornelia Murr! You won’t want to miss this distinct and special performance as we kick off a year-long celebration of American music.

Delve into the life and work of an important Willa Cather scholar with the return of our virtual author series! Brad Bigelow will share passages from his new book, Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts, a biography that chronicles Virginia Faulkner’s career as a promising writer once compared to Dorothy Parker, who eventually returns to her hometown of Lincoln and becomes an editor who is free to nurture what author Timothy Schaffert calls “mad devotion to Willa Cather.” 

Join us for a night of Nebraska-grown country music! Whether you like Brooks and Dunn’s powerful anthems, Dwight Yoakam’s playful twang, or Johnny Cash’s unforgettable storytelling, the Colten Wyatt Band offers a performance steeped in country music tradition.

Deepen your understanding of one of Willa Cather’s most celebrated novels! In The Bright Edges of the World, Garrett Peck explores how Cather’s travels to the Southwest inspired her writing. She visited the Southwest six times between 1912 and 1926, and from these journeys came three novels, the last of which was Death Comes for the Archbishop.

Explore 150 years of music through Kirby's live piano performances of some of America's greats - including Stephen Foster, John Philip Sousa, and the ragtime of Scott Joplin! The music and narratives are accompanied by a video featuring nostalgic archival images from America's past, as well as a special artistic features about Red Cloud!

Mark your calendars for the 71st Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference! Cather's work in dialogue with America 250 present opportunities to consider how we remember people—and nations.

Join us for a production of The Little Mermaid featuring local youth! Deep in the salty water of the Sassafras Sea, there lived a Little Mermaid. In a new version of the age-old tale, lots of music, plot surprises, and humor await the audience.

Join us for a production of The Little Mermaid featuring local youth! Deep in the salty water of the Sassafras Sea, there lived a Little Mermaid. In a new version of the age-old tale, lots of music, plot surprises, and humor await the audience.

You voted, and we listened! 2026 Audience Choice winners Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal are performing their very first opera house show in what promises to be a foot-stomping Saturday night! Hoyer and his band leave it all on the stage, performing authentic funk, soul, and blues music across the country and the world.