Give To Lincoln Day

 

We’re in this together!

May 29th is Give to Lincoln Day! All donations made to Abendmusik from May 1 through May 29 earn a share of a $650,000 match, making your gift now even more important.

We can’t thank you enough for your record-breaking support last year. You partnered with us to offer all of our concerts and livestreams free, so everyone could enjoy them. And don’t forget that you helped us direct over $19,000 toward worthy nonprofits – we couldn’t have done it without you!

As we launch into our 54th year, we welcome your support more than ever. Together, we can continue making great music – music that inspires!


How You Can Give

Online – the easiest way! Simply give from our Lincoln Community Foundation donation page. The minimum online donation of $10 can only be made with your credit card. A 2.9% + $.30 transaction fee applies, so please consider rounding up your gift to cover the fee.

Checks: Checks must be made payable to “Lincoln Community Foundation” and must specify “Abendmusik” in the memo line. The minimum donation by check is $10. The 2.9% plus $.30 transaction fee also applies to checks, so again, please consider rounding up your gift to cover the fee. Mail your check, postmarked by May 22, to:

Lincoln Community Foundation

215 Centennial Mall S., Ste 100

Lincoln, NE 68508

You can also drop off your check in person on May 29 between 8am and 5pm at the Foundation office address shown above OR you can drop off your check between 9am and noon at the Abendmusik/Music Office inside First-Plymouth Church at 2000 D Street (20th & D Streets) in Lincoln.

Lincoln Community Foundation Donor Advised Fund: If you have a donor advised fund administered by Lincoln Community Foundation, you may recommend a minimum $100 grant to Abendmusik. Grant recommendations can be submitted now through May 29 and are encouraged to be made before May 22. To recommend your grant, clink on this link to the Foundation’s Portal Login: www.lcf.org.

Individual Retirement Account – Qualified Charitable Distribution Gifts: Donors who are 70½ or older can make a minimum $100 qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Distributions must be received at the Foundation by May 29, so please allow your IRA plan administrator several weeks to process your Qualified Charitable Distribution.

Members of the Foundation are available to answer your questions, help with paperwork and collaborate with your financial advisor, estate planner or local nonprofit to develop a plan that is right for you and your family. Just call (402) 474-2345 and ask for the Charitable IRA Development Team.


Frequently Asked Questions about Qualified Charitable Distribution (“QCD”)

Who can make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (“QCD”)? Individuals 70½ and older may transfer up to $100,000 annually from an IRA to public charities like the Lincoln Community Foundation without incurring Federal tax.

How will my gift get to Abendmusik? The Foundation will present Abendmusik a check at the end of the campaign that includes your Give to Lincoln Day donation. We will also get a list of contributors showing your individual gift.

Do QCDs add to my income? QCD charitable rollover payments apply toward required minimum distributions and do not add to income.

Can my QCD be used to create a permanent endowment? Your QCD enables you to experience the joy of giving during your lifetimes and allows your gift to be permanently endowed, providing a lasting legacy.

Are there tax benefits to donating through a QCD? Yes!

Tax Savers: IRA rollover amounts are not included in your gross income calculations so you may save on Federal income and Social Security income taxes, avoid the Medicare tax, and enjoy other tax savings.

Nonitemizers: If you do not itemize deductions and therefore would not otherwise receive a tax deduction for your charitable gift, an IRA rollover gift allows you to enjoy an equivalent tax benefit without requiring you to itemize.

Generous Donors: IRA rollover payments are not subject to the annual ceiling on charitable deductions or the phaseouts of deductions for high earners.

Can I create a new fund or add to an existing one? The Foundation can help with adding to an existing fund or creating a new permanent legacy fund bearing your name. Your fund can be tailored to support your favorite organizations, like us

You are encouraged to consult with your personal tax advisor to see how you might benefit by making a charitable gift directly from your IRA.

2025 - 2026 Abendmusik Concert Season


 Polyphony

Friday, October 24, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

England’s most remarkable chamber choir, Polyphony, comes to the Midwest for the first time to bring the best of the British choral tradition to the Abendmusik stage. Conducted by Stephen Layton, Polyphony will sing an extraordinary program of works by Stanford, Tallis, Byrd, Duruflé, Mendelssohn, Rheinberger, and Pärt.

Freewill offering to benefit Interfaith Housing Coalition.

No livestream available.

 


Community Sing: Handel’s Messiah

Sunday, November 30, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Raise your voice in Abendmusik’s annual rendition of George Frideric Handel’s iconic Messiah.  Led by First-Plymouth’s Schola Cantorum, hundreds of singers from the Lincoln community come together to sing their “Hallelujahs” for an uplifting conclusion to Thanksgiving weekend.

Freewill offering to benefit First-Plymouth’s Hope House.

 


...and on earth...peace

Christmas with Abendmusik

Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 4:00 and 6:30 p.m.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, experience a moment of peace in the beauty of the First-Plymouth sanctuary, serenaded by the angelic voices of the Plymouth Choir accompanied by the Plymouth Ringers and the Abendmusik Chamber Orchestra.

Freewill offering to benefit The Gathering Place.

Livestream of the 6:30 p.m. performance only.


New Year’s Eve Last Blast

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Before the sun sets for the final time in 2025, join the entertaining Plymouth Brass, the Lincoln Continentals, and inspiring guest organist Diane Meredith Belcher for a matinee performance of Lincoln’s beloved New Year’s Eve concert tradition. 

Freewill offering to benefit Fresh Start.

  


St. Olaf Choir

Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

The St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Anton Armstrong, has set the gold standard for choral singing for more than a century, performing for millions around the world. Composed of 75 mixed voices, the St. Olaf Choir is hailed as one of the nation’s premier a cappella ensembles, renowned for its artistry and beauty of sound.

Freewill offering to benefit Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska.

  


Youth Masterworks Festival

at the Lied Center for Performing Arts

Monday, February 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

More than 300 high school students fill the Lied Center stage to perform Christopher Tin’s engaging and fun choral/orchestral masterpiece, The Drop That Contained the Sea.  The massed choir, accompanied by the Lincoln Youth Symphony Orchestra will be directed by Cambodian-American conductor Darita Seth.

Freewill offering to benefit The Bay.

No livestream available.

 


J.S. Bach’s Mass in b minor

Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

For the first time in its storied history, Abendmusik will offer a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in b minor -- arguably the most transcendent music yet composed.  Tom Trenney leads sounding light, the Plymouth Choir, soloists, and the Abendmusik Orchestra in this profoundly moving work.

Freewill offering to benefit Food Fort.

 


Tonality: America Will Be

Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

Led by Founding Artistic Director, Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake, Tonality features vocalists from the Greater Los Angeles Area who represent diverse cultures, ethnicities, and experiences. Their mission is to inspire, innovate, and spark social change through the power of diversity. In America Will Be, Tonality invites us to look toward a more perfect union for ourselves and future generations.

Freewill offering to benefit Lincoln’s Indian Center.

My Funny Valentine

An Abendmusik Fundraiser

Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

Online only.  Tickets required.

Won’t you be Abendmusik’s valentine?  Join Tom Trenney for a nostalgic concert of favorites from the Great American Songbook and enjoy a gourmet meal-- all delivered to your home.  Tickets available in January 2026.

Thanks to these generous sponsors, Abendmusik’s 2024-2025 concert season is offered free, as a gift to the community, both in-person at First-Plymouth Church and online.

 

Jon & Joan Michelsen

Matthew & Ann Finkner

Lorraine Beadell Love

Rhonda Seacrest

Estate of Norma Somerheiser

Conant Family Endowment

Dr. John H. Casey

 

All Abendmusik programs, services, and activities are operated in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need a special accommodation as a result of a disability, please call Lydia Fry at (402) 476-9933 at least 30 days prior to the event to assure that we can meet your needs.


Enjoy these 2023-2024 Abendmusik season concerts courtesy of our generous season sponsors


 Youth Masterworks Festival

Thanks to these generous season sponsors, Abendmusik’s 2023-24 concert season was offered free — as a gift to the community — both in person at First-Plymouth Church and online at abendmusik.org:

Special Abendmusik presentation of the May 2022 50th Anniversary Gala Concert.

Available Wednesday, August 2 at 7 PM