About Us

As Salt Creek Song Festival heads into its fifth season I have been reflecting with gratitude on the past five years of producing this festival with Gretchen. The passionate, warm, and inclusive spaces that we’ve curated together to share art song with the Ashland community has been deeply memorable and at times, even cathartic. When I try to pinpoint the festival moments I’ve valued most I find myself drawn to something Hubert Creekmore wrote about poet Langston Hughes Fields of Wonder–that their value was rooted in “a sudden, sensitive gasp of feeling,” direct and honest. Moments like composer Philip Daniel’s transcendent coda to Song of Myself, the stunning emotional clarity of Alyssa Nance’s voice in Corigliano’s “Postlude: Forever Young,” trudging slowly across the library as I sang Argento’s “Anna’s Birthday” with my dear friend Aric Vyhmeister at the piano, the insatiable urge I felt to cheer waiting for Gretchen and cellist Elizabeth Grunin to bring Charlie Leftridge’s In the Dark Times to a close, and so so many more.

At a time when much about life feels topsy turvy I think we have a duty to sink deep into these moments of feeling, direct and honest. Our fifth season, Fields of Wonder, is designed to embrace the expansiveness of wonder as we grapple with both the joys and sorrows of life together; to embrace and invest in an ever expanding future full of diverse voices coming together in song, direct and honest.  


  • Mission

    The Salt Creek Song Festival is dedicated to being a cultural resource in Saunders County and the surrounding Great Plains region. The first song festival of its kind in Nebraska, SCSF finds its inspiration in world class performances and gatherings featuring Midwest oriented artists, composers, and performers of song. SCSF seeks to be in community and to build relationships with those of all walks of life in Nebraska and beyond and to enrich the region by presenting a diverse program of the full range of art song. SCFS looks to foster an environment that amplifies the voices of artists of a broad range of disciplines who find meaning and connection in the Midwest.

Board of Directors

  • Jared Hiscock

    PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER | Since moving to Nebraska in 2011 Jared has been in demand as a performer and educator throughout the region. Currently, he serves as a lecturer in voice for the Glenn Korff School of Music and as the Artistic Director of Salt Creek Song Festival. Prior to joining the faculty at the GKSOM he worked as the Director of Performance for the music department at Hastings College where he taught in the music department and worked in tandem with the Office of Admissions to support student growth and success.

    As a 2019-2022 Holland Community Opera Fellow, he worked to co-create programming to support Opera Omaha’s community partners and to fulfill unmet needs for arts experiences and education. Jared spent two seasons doing educational outreach in the upper Midwest with the professional opera touring company, Opera for he Young and holds an M.M. and D.M.A. in vocal performance from the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska. He lives in Ashland with his wife, Damie, and their three boys, Clifton, Walden, and Desmond where he continues to work passionately to build community as a co-owner of Fariner Bakery and co-director of the Ashland Community Choir.

  • Gretchen Crane

    SECRETARY & CO-FOUNDER | Gretchen Crane is a Nebraska-born soprano and the co-founder of Salt Creek Song Festival. In this role, she helps shape the festival’s vision, bringing together nationally acclaimed and Midwest-based musicians to create meaningful musical experiences rooted in community. In addition to her work with SCSF, Gretchen performs frequently across the Omaha metro, including as a soloist with the Omaha Symphony. She has appeared with opera companies nationwide and held artist residencies with Des Moines Metro Opera and Opera Naples. She holds music degrees from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Kansas, and also works to advance music education through her position at the Omaha Conservatory of Music.

  • Grace Manley

    TREASURER | Grace Manley is proud to be joining the Salt Creek Song Festival Board of Directors. With a background in the arts, nonprofit leadership, and education, she is passionate about fostering community connection and promoting well-being. Grace currently serves as a Director of Development at the University of Nebraska Foundation and previously was the Nebraska Area Director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In these roles, she has focused on building relationships, leading community initiatives, and strengthening organizations through fundraising and strategic planning.

    Grace’s work is rooted in her practice as a classically trained soprano and music educator, where collaboration, communication, and creativity are central. She holds degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. With a passion for art song and contemporary classical music, she has been a featured soloist with the Salt Creek Song Festival, Omaha Under the Radar, Opera Omaha, the Omaha Symphony, and SongFest Los Angeles.

    A Central Nebraska native, Grace has deep ties to rural communities. She is inspired by the state’s beauty and its people and is committed to strengthening opportunities for rural areas.

    She is honored to support the Festival's mission!  

Sponsorship

Thank you for your support!

Grant Awards

Concert Partners

Premier Lodging Partner

  • The Roost Bed and Breakfast

    The Roost Bed & Breakfast - Enjoy 10% off your stay of 3 nights or longer and give 5% back to support Salt Creek Song Festival artists while enjoying a charcuterie board for 2 on your choice of night and a bonus Glacial Till growler to bring to a pop-up concert with the Song Festival Package!