Inland Northwest Opera's 'Love Denied' coming to the JACC

Chloe Sundet, North Idaho College adjunct professor of music and award-winning coloratura soprano, will perform with Grammy-winner and Metropolitan Opera tenor Robert McPherson at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center in Post Falls.

The program, titled “Love Denied,” will feature challenging arias and ensembles from Donizetti’s "Lucia Di Lammermoor" and Gounod’s "Roméo et Juliette," which dramatize the tragic result when custom and hatred stand in the way of true love. Also on the card will be other local and regional singers and a preview of the opera "Die Fledermaus," coming to Coeur d'Alene next year. Space at the JACC is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to visit inlandnwopera.org to sign up for complimentary reservations.

The same program will be presented at First Lutheran Church in Sandpoint at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 14. 

McPherson, of Seattle, frequently performs with the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera and Israeli Opera. He is known for high notes, dramatic intensity and comedic brilliance. His performance as Andres in Alban Berg’s "Wozzeck" helped the Houston Symphony win a 2018 Grammy for Best Opera Recording.

Sundet has won critical acclaim for her vocal agility in opera and theater throughout the West. A native of east Wenatchee, she earned her Master of Music in Vocal Arts from the University of Southern California and performed as Snow White at Disneyland before singing with symphonies in several states and performing in roles such as Mabel in Pacific Opera Project’s production of "The Pirates of Penzance." She now teaches voice at NIC and at Holy Names Music Center in Spokane.

Other singers for this event will include Lars Mellander, who sang the role of Bonzo in Inland Northwest Opera’s "Madame Butterfly," and his wife, Ann Mellander. Noah Lauer and Katelyn Wallinger both teach voice in Coeur d’Alene, and Jennifer Danniels and Logan Shevalier are accomplished opera singers from Spokane. Daniel Hughes of Sandpoint, who has won top honors in international piano competitions, will accompany the performances.

"Lucia di Lammermoor," by Gaetano Donizetti, tells the story of a young woman caught in a violent feud between her families and forced to marry someone who is not the lover to whom she is secretly engaged. Her descent into madness is one of opera’s most dramatic scenes. Gounod’s "Roméo et Juliette" portrays the classic story of two lovers torn apart by the feuding of Montagues and Capulets.

The nonprofit Inland Northwest Opera began in Coeur d’Alene over 20 years ago and built a national reputation first in North Idaho College’s Schuler Performing Arts Center, then the Fox Theater in Spokane. It formally suspended operations early last year, but now a new board is starting to rebuild it from the roots.

On Oct. 12 at First Presbyterian Church of Coeur d’Alene, INO will present “The Human Spirit Cries Out to Be Heard,” a performance of the one-act opera "The Telephone," along with excerpts from "The Consul" and other music by American composer Gian-Carlo Menotti.

Info: inlandnwopera.org

    McPherson