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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Arts & Issues series will present Opera Edwardsville at Dunham Hall at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18 in the Dunham Hall Theater on the Edwardsville campus. Opera Edwardsville is the first local organization invited onto the series, which has welcomed illustrious speakers and artists including Maya Angelou, Ken Burns, George Winston and more.

“We are thrilled to be invited to perform as part of the SIUE Arts & Issues series,” said Chase Hopkins, artistic director and founder of Opera Edwardsville. “As an Edwardsville native, I've enjoyed their performances since I was young - notably ‘The Other Mozart’ and George Winston. Arts & Issues has hosted many incredible artists and speakers, and so it is a great honor to be invited. We’re pulling out all the stops with eight incredible artists from around the nation performing operatic highlights and holiday favorites. A big thanks to Grant Andree and our friends at SIUE for having us this December!”

As a part of the organization’s signature annual holiday concert, Opera Edwardsville will welcome sopranos Mathilda Edge and Liv Redpath, contralto Lauren Decker, tenor Jonathan Johnson, baritones Evan Bravos and student spotlight Miles Wadlington, harpist Caroline Robinson, and pianist Joseph Welch, and will feature French and German operatic highlights by Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Bizet, Strauss, festive favorites and more. 

“We’re excited to start presenting live events again after having to go virtual last year,” said Grant Andree, director of Arts & Issues. “This is a special performance because this is the first local group to ever be a part of the Arts & Issues series and also the first Arts & Issues performance that will be live streamed on WSIE.”

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at siue.edu/arts-and-issues/purchase-tickets. Masks are required and seating is limited. The concert will also be broadcast online live from Dunham Hall through 88.7 WSIE FM The Sound. Tune in here on Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

This event is sponsored by Commerce Bank. The program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. The Alestle, 88.7 WSIE FM The Sound, and the Edwardsville Intelligencer’s THE EDGE OF THE WEEKEND are Arts & Issues media sponsors.  

Arts & Issues is tied to the academic mission of the University. For 37 years, the series has presented some of the world’s finest performing artists and showcased speakers from across the spectrum in areas such as science, history, literature and politics. The program also offers unique opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community to engage with these performers and speakers through master classes and special sessions. 

Photo: Opera Edwardsville at Dunham Hall event banner, pictured (L-R): sopranos Mathilda Edge and Liv Redpath, contralto Lauren Decker, tenor Jonathan Johnson, baritone Evan Bravos, student spotlight Miles Wadlington, pianist Joseph Welch and harpist Caroline Robinson.