Brew City Opera

We are Brew City Opera.

Our mission is to provide the communities of Wisconsin the opportunity to experience Opera in intimate and affordable productions that highlight the talent of our area's artists.

02/23/2026

🎶 Our High School Choir had the incredible opportunity to step out of their comfort zone this weekend and perform as the chorus in the opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" with Brew City Opera at the Mineral Point Opera House!

Additionally, our own Middle/High School Choir Teacher Mrs. Ashley Calderon-McHugh starred as Amore in the production!

The opera is a tale of love’s elation, devastation, and redemption.

Great job, everyone!

02/19/2026

We’re setting the stage for “Orfeo ed Euridice”, which opens this Friday!

Get your tickets, or learn more, at the link in the comments below!

02/16/2026

THIS WEEK!

The talented team behind "Orfeo ed Euridice" is one of the many reasons you won't want to miss this production.

"Orfeo ed Euridice" by Gluck is a tale of love’s elation, devastation, and redemption.
Come see the classic tale of Orpheus and his journey to save his love, Eurydice.

This production will be performed on February 20th and 21st at 7pm both days.

Get your tickets today at the link in the comments.

02/11/2026

Meet our Music Director, Ruben Piirainen!
Ruben is an in-demand Music Director in south-east Wisconsin.
He has directed numerous operas in area including BCO's "Carmen", "The Magic Flute" and the up coming production of "Orfeo ed Euridice"

"Orfeo ed Euridice" by Gluck is a tale of love’s elation, devastation, and redemption. This production will be perfomed in the historic Mineral Point Opera House on February 20th and 21st.

Get your tickets today for next week's performance at the link in the comments!

Ruben Piirainen is a pianist, music director, composer, and educator based in Milwaukee. His theatrical credits include Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (The Magic Flute), Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra (Dracula), Florentine Opera (Three Decembers, Trial By Jury, Elmer Gantry, Sister Carrie, L’incoronazione di Poppea, Venus and Adonis, Dido and Aeneas), Skylight Music Theatre (The Sound of Music, Adding Machine, HMS Pinafore, Così fan tutte), Theatre Gigante (The Beggar’s Opera), Opera for the Young (Rusalka), Brew City Opera (Carmen, The Magic Flute), Milwaukee Opera Theatre (Preludes, Rusalka, The Mikado, Song from the Uproar, Guns N Rosenkavalier), Third Avenue PlayWorks (A Gift of the Magi, Daddy Long Legs), Kenosha Opera Festival (Orfeo ed Euridice), and Marquette University (Sweeney Todd). He has also appeared in concert with National Opera Center (New York), opera stars Alyson Cambridge and Noah Stewart, Present Music, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Festival City Symphony, Milwaukee Rep, and over 100 recitals across the country. For the Hal Leonard Corporation he has recorded nearly 1000 song accompaniments from the musical theatre repertoire. He is currently on the piano faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and he has been on the faculties of Interlochen Arts Camp, Bluffton University, and Bowling Green State University. Piirainen holds degrees in piano performance from the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music and Bowling Green State University.

Make a day of it, hike around scenic southwest Wisconsin, get dinner at a local restaurant, and then see a beautiful opera in a beautiful theatre.

02/03/2026

Directing "Orfeo ed Euridice" is Brew City Opera's General Director, Edson Melendez!

"Orfeo ed Euridice" by Gluck is a tale of love’s elation, devastation, and redemption. This production will be staged in the historic Mineral Point Opera House on February 20th and 21st.

Get your tickets today at the link in the comments!

Edson Melendez is a Kenosha native and Racine resident who has performed as a Singer, Actor, Stage Director, and Arts Administrator in South-East Wisconsin and beyond. Edson earned a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Arizona State University and an M.M in Vocal Performance from DePaul University in Chicago. Edson has been heard and seen on stage with Florentine Opera, Phoenix Opera, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Elgin Opera, Candid Concert Opera, North Shore Opera Hour, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Desert Palms Theatre, and Racine Theatre Guild among others. As a Stage Director Edson has directed both opera and non-musical theatre. He was the Stage Direction Apprentice at the renowned San Miguel Institute of Bel Canto in San Miguel, Mexico, where he worked closely with international opera directors Joe McClain and Ragnar Conde. He was the Stage Direction Fellow at Chicago Summer Opera, Production Assistant in Stage Direction for Florentine Opera's production of "Luisa Fernanda", and Stage Director for Kenosha Opera Festival. Some of Edson's director projects include "Carmen" (Bizet), "Amahl and the Night Visitors" (Menotti) "La Serva Padrona" (Pergolesi) "Cosi Fan Tutte" (Mozart) "The Magic Flute" (Mozart) "Lucio Silla" (Mozart) "Stand and Deliver", "Roadhouse Cafe" and others.

Edson has also been a clinician at the university level and a private dramatic coach.

01/29/2026

Announcing our full cast for "Orfeo ed Euridice". Featuring an exceptional cast, powerful music, and an unforgettable story of devotion overcoming even death, this is a production opera lovers and newcomers alike won’t want to miss.

Orfeo — Erin Sura
Amore — Ashley E. Calderon-McHugh
Euridice — Jackie Labbe
Chorus — Mineral Point High School Choir

The timeless story of love's perseverance, "Orfeo ed Euridice," is coming to the beautiful Mineral Point Opera House this February 20th and 21st.

Get your tickets today! Link in comments ⬇️

01/27/2026

We are excited to be working with the Mineral Point High School Choir. They will be our Chorus for "Orfeo ed Euridice".

The timeless story of love's perseverance, "Orfeo ed Euridice," is coming to the beautiful Mineral Point Opera House this February 20th and 21st.

Get your tickets today for a production you will not want to miss!

Link to tickets in comments! ⬇️

The Mineral Point High School Choir is dedicated to musical excellence and community outreach. They have performed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and throughout Iowa County annually, sharing music with elderly care centers, hospitals, community rehabilitation programs, and city-wide events. This spring, they have been invited to perform the National Anthem at a Madison Capitols Ice Hockey Match, and a concert at the Wisconsin State Capitol to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month.

01/21/2026

Joining Brew City Opera again after being in our production of "The Magic Flute" is Jackie Labbe, who will be Euridice in "Orfeo ed Euridice".

This February 20th and 21st, Brew City Opera brings Gluck's famous opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" to the historic Mineral Point Opera House.

Link to tickets in comments! ⬇️

Soprano Jackie Labbe is from southeastern Wisconsin and is excited to return to Brew City Opera for her second production. She was previously seen as the First Lady in their production of "The Magic Flute". Jackie has a passion for both musical theatre and opera and recently competed in the Classical Singers Music Vocal Competition in both divisions.
She is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and Vocal Performance. While at UW–Parkside, she was a frequent collaborator and soloist with Voices of Parkside and University Chorale and appeared as Serpina in the production of "La serva padrona".
Jackie would like to thank her friends and family for their constant support.

01/20/2026

That's Amore! Joining Brew City Opera is Ashley E. Calderon-McHugh who will be the mischievous Amore in "Orfeo ed Euridice".

This February 20th and 21st, Brew City Opera brings Gluck's famous opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" to the historic Mineral Point Opera House.

Link to tickets in comments! ⬇️

Ashley E. Calderon-McHugh is the Choral and Musical Theatre Director for Mineral Point Unified Schools, for which she is a 2023 Kohl Teacher Fellowship Recipient. She is an Adjunct Instructor for UW-Oshkosh, Master Adjudicator for WSMA, and Director for Platteville Children’s Choir. Ashley has performed locally with Fresco Opera, Madison Symphony Chorus, Pop Factory Players, and Characters 2 Life. Ashley was an Adjunct Instructor for New York University Steinhardt while earning a Masters in Classical Voice and an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. She also earned a Masters in Vocal Performance and a Bachelors in Music Education from Eastern Illinois University.

01/17/2026

Returning to Brew City Opera after performing the role of Mother in "Hansel and Gretel", Erin Sura is Orfeo in "Orfeo ed Euridice"

This February 20th and 21st, Brew City Opera brings Gluck's famous opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" to the historic Mineral Point Opera House.

Link to tickets in comments! ⬇️

Mezzo-Soprano Erin Sura recently performed the roles of Schwertleite (Die Walkure) TUNDI Productions; Second Wood Sprite (Rusalka 2023/2025) Milwaukee Opera Theatre; Madam Garcia (Notes on VIARDOT) Music On Site; Fricka (Das Rheingold) and 2nd Norn (Gӧtterdӓmerung-cover performance) TUNDI productions; Mrs. Fairfax (Jane Eyre) Lake Country Playhouse; Tisbe (Cenerentola) Barn Opera/Vermont Opera; Ruth (Pirates of Penzance) Madison Savoyards; and solo animal/ensemble (L’Enfant et les sortilege) Florentine Opera. Other notable roles include the title role in Carmen, Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors); Mad Margaret (Ruddigore), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), 2nd Lady (Magic Flute), Jo (Little Women), and Dido (Dido and Aeneas.) Active in concert work as well Ms. Sura has performed as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony; and the Verdi Requiem. Upcoming performances include Tisbe (Cenerentola) May 2026 with Opera Vermont.

Address

139 High Street
Mineral Point, WI
53565

Website

http://www.brewcityopera.com/

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