MISSION

From the Edwardsville Municipal Band to the legendary Mississippi River Festival, music is an integral part of Edwardsville’s legacy. Opera Edwardsville is building upon this rich history to bring world-class opera to the Southern Illinois region and Edwardsville community.

Founded by Edwardsville-native & classical tenor Chase Hopkins, Opera Edwardsville uses a European opera festival-model to create a unique musical experience in the St. Louis area.

Through concerts, lectures, recitals, operas, masterclasses, and educational outreach programs, Opera Edwardsville exposes audiences to bold artistic ideas, powerful drama, fascinating history, global perspectives, and beautiful music - all through the shared experience of live and digital 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.

Artistic Leadership

Chase Hopkins, Artistic Director

Chase Hopkins is the general director of Chicago's acclaimed Haymarket Opera Company and the artistic director of Opera Edwardsville. Hopkins was appointed as Haymarket’s first general director in 2020. Recently, Hopkins made his directorial debut at Haymarket Opera Company with Hasse's Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra starring Kangmin Justin Kim and Lauren Decker, which received praise from Heidi Waleson in the Wall Street Journal, saying "Chase Hopkins, the director, wisely had the performers interact naturalistically, and the portrait of their relationship deepened through the evening." Chicago Classical Review praised Hopkins' staging as "skillful and alert to the intimate nature of the piece." Previously, Hopkins served as a creative producer for three innovative cinematic productions of Handel operas that received praise as “an inspiring and relevant modern production” (Operawire) and “a superb document of a Handel opera” (Chicago Tribune). Hopkins served as creative producer for the 2022 production of L’Amant Anonyme by Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, which was praised by the Chicago Tribune for “making history.” The world-premiere recording of this forgotten work was released in collaboration with Chicago’s Grammy Award-winning label, Cedille Records, earning a 5-star review from the BBC Music Magazine and praise for “luxury casting” by Gramophone. Hopkins also served as creative producer for Haymarket’s 2022 production of L’incoronazione di Poppea, which was included in the Chicago Tribune’s “Top Performances of 2022.” Hopkins is currently pursuing executive training at the Harvard Business School.

Christine Brewer, Artistic Advisor

Grammy Award-winning American soprano Christine Brewer’s appearances in opera, concert, and recital are marked by her own unique timbre, at once warm and brilliant, combined with a vibrant personality and emotional honesty reminiscent of the great sopranos of the past. Named one of the top 20 sopranos of all time (BBC Music), her range, golden tone, boundless power, and control make her a favorite of the stage and a highly sought-after recording artist, one who is “in her prime and sounding glorious” (Anthony Tommasini, New York Times).

Board of Directors

Brian Pezza, President

Margaret Solon, Secretary

Robert LaRose, Treasurer

Craig Becker

Kathryn Biarkis

Clayton Hopkins

SJ Morrison

Suzanne Nevins

Marian Smithson

Margaret Vaught

A Land Acknowledgement

Opera Edwardsville recognizes the importance of perspective and acknowledges that Edwardsville exists on and serves a region that includes the traditional homelands of The Illinois Confederacy, including the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Peoria, and Tamaroa; and the Kiikaapoi (Treaty of Edwardsville, 1819), Myaamia, Aakiiwaki (Sauk), Meskwaki (Fox), Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Kaw, Missouria, Quapaw, Ponca, Omaha, Osage, Onödowáʼga (Seneca), and others. Through this acknowledgment, their contemporary and ancestral ties to the land and their contributions to our community are renewed and reaffirmed.

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