Free opera performance Sunday at First Presbyterian Church
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Inland Northwest Opera will present a free performance of “The Human Spirit Demands to Be Heard,” an all-English operatic program of pieces by Gian Carlo Menotti, at 3 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, 521 E. Lakeside Ave., Coeur d'Alene.
“Opera doesn’t have to be in a foreign language and about a time long ago," Inland Northwest Opera President Mike Bullard said in an Oct. 1 news release. "Menotti’s works confront the fragility, resilience and defiance of the human soul. His characters cry out against injustice, isolation and the absurdity of modern life in a way that won him two Pulitzer Prizes and saw his operas produced on Broadway and on television."
The program will begin with the one-act comic opera "The Telephone," which explores the interaction between technology and romantic love. It appeared in 1947, but without changing a word becomes even more relevant in the day of smartphones. Also on the program, pieces from "The Medium," "Amelia Goes to the Ball" and "The Old Maid and the Thief" show people struggling to be understood in spite of spiritual delusion, social conformity or emotional manipulation. The program concludes with selections from Menotti’s "The Consul," his indictment of bureaucratic indifference and political oppression, including the “Papers! Papers!” aria.
Soloists will include Nicole Sonbert, who has sung professionally in many operatic roles. She is a nationally recognized voice teacher, director of voice at Eastern Washington University and directs MusicFest Northwest. Melinda Wagstaff was a first-prize winner of Coeur d'Alene Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artist Award. Esther Kelley is a developing newer singer from Spokane. "The Telephone" will be sung by Erik Contzius and Anne LaBelle. Baritones Kent Kimball and Tyler Wallinger with tenor Brendan McEachran round out the cast of all local and regional singers.
“In 'The Human Spirit Demands to Be Heard,' audiences will encounter voices that refuse to be silenced,“ Bullard said. "They are voices that echo our own struggles for dignity, connection and truth."
Seating is limited. Attendees are encouraged to visit inland-nw-opera.com and click on “events" to secure free reservations.
Kelley
Wagstaff