BACH and MIOpera staged Handel's 'Semele' in Urbana on Sunday

URBANA - Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana and MIOpera presented Handel's opera "Semele" at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1203 W. Green St., Urbana, according to BACH's event page. BACH says it is the first collaboration between the two groups.

MIOpera, which BACH's page calls Central Illinois' premiere professional opera company, provided costumes, staging and soloists, while BACH sang the choruses with instrumental accompaniment. The production was sung in English with surtitles and ran about 2.5 hours with one 10-minute intermission. Doors opened 30 minutes early, and a reception followed.

The Urbana cast listed Paige Calvert as Semele and Iris, Macauley Allen as Jupiter, Sidney Megeff as Ino and Juno, Bryce Zimmerman as Athamas, O. Neal Medina as Cadmus and Somnus, and Alesia Wall as Cupid.

General admission tickets were $25 for adults and $10 for children and students, online or at the door. The production was also presented Nov. 7 in Normal.

Source: Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana: Handel's Semele (Urbana); BACH 2026-27 season events (read Nov. 8, 2026).