RENT in Concert

Sarah Hicks's versatile and vibrant musicianship has secured her place as an in-demand conductor across an array of genres. Her career has seen collaborations with diverse artists, from Hilary Hahn and Dmitiri Hvorostovsky to Jennifer Hudson and The Dirty Projectors, and she has toured with Sting as conductor of his Symphonicities Tour.  Her passion for cross-genre partnerships led to a 2019 album with rap artist Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra, with whom she holds a titled position, and is an Emmy winner as both conductor and host for This is Minnesota Orchestra.

A specialist in film music and the film in concert genre, her live concert recordings can be seen on Disney+ and on ABC, and she acts as advisor for and is a frequent collaborator with Disney Concerts across an array of projects. Her first major feature film credit, “Renfield”, was released in 2023 and her live album with the Danish National Symphony, “The Morricone Duel” has garnered over 200 million view on YouTube.

Her notable conducting collaborations include the Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland Orchestras, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; Los Angeles Philharmonic; and Boston Pops. International engagements include the Toronto, Melbourne, Czech National Symphony Orchestras; RTÉ Concert Orchestra; St. Petersburg, Tokyo and Malaysian Philharmonics, and many others.

Broadway: Ain’t No Mo’ (Tony Award Nomination / Dorian Award Winner), 1776 (John Adams). Off-Broadway: A Sign of the Times (Audelco Award Nominee), New World Stages; A Bright Room Called Day (Antonyo Award nomination), The Public Theater; Ain't No Mo' (Lucille Lortel Award Winner), The Public Theater; Bull in a China Shop, Lincoln Center Theater; Little Children Dream of God, Roundabout Theater. Regional: Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio), Chicago Shakespeare Theater. TV: "Law and Order: SVU" (Aneeka Coleman); "And Just Like That…” (Angelica); "The Last O.G." (T'era). Film: Goodnight Mommy (Sandy Liddell), Amazon Studios; Frank and Azalee Austin (Azalee, Craft Acting Award); Never Can Say Goodbye (Shayna Nadal), Brohawk Films. Education: Tisch Graduate Acting M.F.A., New York University.

With “a voice like a beacon of hope” (Seattle Times), vocalist Jimmie Herrod brings singular power and expressivity to his globe-trotting career as a singer, songwriter, and entertainer on stage and screen. Herrod first came to worldwide prominence as a finalist on the NBC nationally broadcast television show, “America’s Got Talent,” earning the rare “Golden Buzzer” recognition from actress Sofia Vargara and returning the following year on the AGT All-Stars series. As a solo artist, Herrod has appeared to critical and audience acclaim with the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and with the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, and Oregon Symphony, including as a featured soloist for the globally televised PBS “Joni Mitchell Songbook” concert at The Kennedy Center, where he shared the stage with musical luminaries like Renee Fleming, Lalah Hathaway, Raul Midon, and Aoife O’Donovan. Traversing many musical styles and genres in many languages, including jazz, pop, funk, and his own original songs, Herrod has headlined concerts at the The Luxor Theater (Las Vegas), New Jersey’s South Orange Performing Arts Center, and Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and has since 2017 toured with world-pop band Pink Martini as a featured vocalist. With two EP’s under his belt – his debut “Falling in Love and Learning” and 2022’s “Elated” – Herrod’s singular style and unique voice is poised to make an ever larger impact in the world of music and entertainment. Herrod is thrilled to return to The Kennedy Center for these performance of Jonathan Larson’s brilliant musical “Rent,” and is an alum of the Cornish College of the Arts and Portland State University.

Elise Anderson is a Lincoln native and graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School in 2022. She is now in her third year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance. Recent credits include Princess Winnifred in “Once Upon A Mattress”, Meg March in “Little Women”, and Hermia in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. RENT in Concert will be the first community performance Elise has been involved in. 

Isa Gott (she/they) is a talented singer, actress, songwriter, and performing artist! Isa is a senior vocal performance major, playing different music around the metro, including jazz standards at Jitterbugs, writing music with her friends, being in a couple bands, and working on her own music! Recent theater credits include Mimi in RENT (Omaha Community Playhouse), assistant direction for Macbeth (BlueBarn Theater), Ensemble in Heaven Come Home (Megan Anne Productions), NHSTA Ensemble in Broadway Ball (OPA). Isa is so excited to be making her Lied Center debut and to be back in her dream role since childhood. She’d like to thank her teachers, friends, and most importantly her family for their constant support and love! IG: @isacgott

Ruchir Khazanchi is a New York-based actor and musician excited to be performing close to his first home of Omaha, Nebraska. Select theatre credits include Syracuse Stage, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Northlight Theatre, and The Paramount Aurora. His indie film debut in Zach Clark’s The Becomers is now available on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play following its nationwide theatrical release. Recently, he recorded his debut EP, "True American". His writing projects have been semifinalists for the O'Neill National Music Theatre Conference, and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre conference. He is very grateful to be returning to The Lied, where he famously last appeared in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 High School All-State Choirs. Without his upbringing in Nebraska, he would not be where he is today. Thank you to my friends, family, and teachers.  BA, Northwestern University.  IG: @ruchir.khazanchi www.ruchirkhazanchi.com 

Will Hastreiter is from Elkhorn, NE and graduated from Midland University with a Masters of Science in Learning & Talent Development. He recently appeared in Jersey Boys (Bob Gaudio) at The Omaha Community Playhouse. His other notable performances include: Tarzan: The Musical (Tarzan), Something Rotten! (William Shakespeare), Dogfight (Eddie Birdlace), Rent (Roger), Hair (Claude), and South Pacific (Cmdr. William Harbison) at Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre in Hudson, FL.

“Thank you to my family and friends for your continuous support and love. No day but today!” Instagram: @will_hastreiter21