Wednesday and Thursday nights are not typically nights to be out on the town, but Oct. 23 and 24 proved any night of the week could be fun with the two performances of the opera “Dido and Aeneas” in downtown Cleveland.

The tragic opera by Henry Purcell is based on Virgil’s “Aeneid,” and follows the love story of the warrior Aeneas and Dido, Queen of Carthage, whose relationship comes to an abrupt end thanks to the meddling of an evil sorceress.

The opera featured a Chamber instrument ensemble and some of BW’s Vocal Performance students, including Elaine Hudson as Dido and Rosie Kamara as the Sorceress.

At the helm of the production was Kathryn Frady, the executive director of Marble City Opera in Tennessee. Frady joined the BW community as a special guest director for the show, an honor for the students who got the chance to work with her.

The assistant director role was filled by two BW students. Junior Vocal Performance major Mitchell McVeigh was one of the students selected for the role.

On his experience working with Frady, McVeigh felt he received the experience of a lifetime working hand in hand with such a well-renowned opera director.

“I got to see all of the interesting parts of the production process as they unfolded,” said McVeigh. “This production made me incredibly proud to be part of the Baldwin Wallace Voice Performance program.”

McVeigh said not only were his classmates’ performances impressive, but the show had a full house both nights with a humbling demographic.

“The audience was also mostly younger people, which was a nice reminder that classical music and opera are on an upswing in the world. It shows that these works of art really are timeless,” said McVeigh.