Michael Sokol, singers; Ricky Ian Gordon, composer and pianist; and Keith Warner as director." 1992: The company presented the world premiere of the 1959 Hugo Weisgall work The Gardens of Adonis, based on the eponymous poem by William Shakespeare. It was staged by Opera Omaha's associate artistic director at the time, Keith Warner. Soprano Melanie Helton originated the "fiendishly difficult role of Venus." 1994: The company staged the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem Variations under the baton of Lionel Friend, who for 13 years was chief conductor of the English National Opera. Lloyd Webber attended the final performance; the production ran for 10 performances at the Creighton Orpheum Theater and drew a total of 21,546 people, according to an August 1994 Omaha World-Herald article. "It certainly seems that I'd like to come to Omaha and have another show again if they like me," Weber told The World-Herald. 2004: The company staged the world premiere of the locally written "Bloodlines," a work whose music and libretto were composed by Deborah Fischer Teason. Teason collaborated with students from majority-Latino Omaha South High School on the work. 2004: The company staged the world premiere of the "Dream of the Pacific," with music by Stephen Mager and a libretto by Elkhanah Pulitzer. Collaboration with Jun Kaneko Noted Japanese ceramic artist Jun Kaneko has collaborated with Opera Omaha on two productions, a 2006 production of Madama Butterfly and a 2013 co-production with the San Francisco Opera and the Washington National Opera of The Magic Flute. Kaneko, born in 1942 in Nagoya, Japan, came to the United States in 1963 and has lived in Omaha, Nebraska since 1990, where he established his studio. In 2008, Kaneko designed a production of Fidelio for the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Kaneko was a founder of Omaha's Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, a residency program that has been called the "largest urban artists' colony in the world." Music, Artistic and General Directors and Advisers 1958–60: Richard Valente, Director 1960–69: Joseph Levine, Music and Artistic Director 1969–74: Leo Kopp, Music Director 1970–76: James de Blasis, Resident Director 1974–77: Jonathan Dudley, General Director 1977–78: Peter Mark, Artistic Adviser 1978–80 Richard Gaddes, Artistic Adviser 1980–81: Paulette Haupt-Nolen, Artistic Adviser 1981–1995: Mary Robert, General Director 1982–83: George Manahan, Music Director 1983–92: John DeMain, Music Director 1992–93: Keith Warner, Artistic Director 1995–2003: Jane Hill, Executive Director 1995–2005: Hal France, Artistic Director 2003–2007: Joan