About Us

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.

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!  

SECRETARY | Zachary A. Peterson enjoys a varied career as a collaborative pianist, educator, and higher education professional. He has performed at various higher education institutions, competitions, festivals, and venues throughout the United States including Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall (New York), The Riverside Church (New York), the NATS National Music Theater Competition (New York and Chicago), the Lied Center for the Performing Arts (Lincoln, Nebraska), and numerous performances at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, New York). He has participated in numerous master classes led by distinguished artists and pedagogues, among them Renée Fleming, David Aronson, Matthew Haimovitz, Jake Heggie, and Gene Scheer. He is regularly engaged as a staff pianist for performances and projects associated with the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music’s Lotte Lenya Competition.

Zachary serves as the Associate Director of Graduate Advising and Services as the Eastman School of Music and holds a part-time faculty appointment in the Arthur Satz Department of Music of the University of Rochester. As a higher education practitioner-scholar, his research interests include the socialization and identity development of collegiate music students, equitable admissions practices, and the impact of trauma on faculty, staff, and students in higher education. He is pursuing a doctoral degree in higher education at the University of Rochester’s Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development. He completed the MM in piano accompanying and chamber music at the Eastman School of Music under the guidance of Jean Barr. A Nebraska native, he holds a BM in collaborative piano and vocal performance from Hastings College where he studied with Ruth Moore (piano) and Hillary Watter (voice).

MARKETING CHAIR | Brandon Bell is a baritone and multifaceted artist whose work spans performance, collaboration, and curation. As a performer, he is celebrated for vivid vocal storytelling across opera, art song, musical theater, and contemporary performance. In the 2025-2026 season, he joined Opera Philadelphia as an Emerging Artist and has appeared with Santa Fe Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ravinia Festival, Brooklyn Art Song Society, Cincinnati Song Initiative, and our very own Salt Creek Song Festival.

Brandon is also a trusted collaborator in the development of new opera, having helped shape works from the workshop table to the world premiere stage with companies including Opera Philadelphia, Houston Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera. He also served as Artistic Advisor for Philadelphia-based Liberty City Arts, curating an evening of song titled Bright Eyed Joy. Alongside his performance and curatorial work, Brandon serves as Marketing and Social Media Coordinator for Stagetime, a platform connecting a growing network of 19,000+ performing arts professionals with the tools and opportunities to build their careers.

He believes deeply in the Festival's artful mission and is thrilled to join in its phenomenal work as Marketing Chair.