Welcome to Opera Edwardsville
2023 Season
Opera for Kids:
The Billy Goats Gruff
July 15, 2023
Edwardsville Public Library
Opera Edwardsville
at Edwardsville City Park
September 8, 2023
Edwardsville City Park
Opera Edwardsville
at Dunham Hall
December 2, 2023
SIUE Dunham Hall
The 12 Days
of Opera Edwarsdville
December 2023
Online
2023 Season Poster
2023 Season poster features original art by painter Sarah Lorentz
© Opera Edwardsville 2023
Artist’s Biography
Sarah Lorentz creates energetic, striking compositions full of bold brushwork and electric color while also tapping into a specific sense of nostalgia ringing from a childhood in the 1990’s small, Midwestern town. While the subject matter of her work ranges from evocative figurative commentaries to pastoral plein air landscapes, the physicality of material and deliberate remnants of the process belay the same confident hand behind the brush. She has an active presence in the art scene in St Louis where she currently lives and works, teaching courses, attending art fairs, and exhibiting work regularly regionally and nationally.
A Note From the Founder
Welcome to Opera Edwardsville, where the history and charm of Edwardsville meet the power and beauty of Opera.
Our mission is to develop an arts organization for the benefit of Edwardsville, Illinois and the St. Louis Metro-East community with the goals of providing musical excellence, educational outreach, community development, an artistic platform, and cultural enrichment.
Music is an important part of Edwardsville’s history, with a 175-year-old Municipal Band, the iconic Mississippi River Festival, and now Opera Edwardsville. We use a European model to make OE a unique musical experience. Seeing the impact of these model opera festivals both large and small on the communities in which they are rooted inspired the creation of our organization. Through concerts, lectures, recitals, operas, masterclasses, and educational outreach programs, OE exposes audiences to bold artistic ideas, powerful dramas, fascinating history, global perspectives, and beautiful music through the shared experience of live opera.
Sharing the music I love with my hometown is an absolute joy. I am grateful for the support, enthusiasm and momentum behind Opera Edwardsville and consider it a great privilege to be contributing to the arts community in Edwardsville. I am so grateful for the many individuals, organizations, and businesses who support OE.
Thank you,
Chase Hopkins
