Inland Northwest Opera returns

When the last notes of the Inland Northwest Opera faded in 2024, the company’s fans were bereft.

It felt like the end of an aria.

No more Rigoletto, Don Giovanni or Tosca?

It turns out, the finale was more of an extended intermission. Thanks to a handful of devoted volunteers, the curtain will once again rise for Inland Northwest Opera.

“So much love and hard work has gone into INO over the years,” said Mike Bullard, president of Inland Northwest Opera. “So many staff, board members, volunteers, and artists have put their hearts and souls into it, that it was just impossible to walk away from that legacy.”

Bullard sang with the company for 20 years and joined the board in 2021.

Financial difficulties resulted in the suspension of operations in 2024. Bullard and fellow board member, Owen Smith, wanted to find a way to restart INO.

“We had a mailing list and a 501(c)(3), and we recruited three young new members, but we don’t have much funding left,” he said. “We need to rebuild the audience, the community and trust.”

He hopes to do that with several upcoming performances, reminding opera lovers of what they’ve been missing.

Grammy award winner Robert McPherson and talented coloratura Chloe Sundet will head three performances of “Love Denied,” featuring music from Donizetti’s “Lucia Di Lammermoor” and Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette.”

The program dramatizes the tragic cost when love is held hostage by custom and hatred. On a lighter note, two pieces will be previewed from INO’s upcoming hilarious “Die Fledermaus,” slated for next fall.

McPherson, a native of Seattle, is known for high notes, dramatic intensity, and comedic brilliance. He’s no stranger to the area.

“I performed with Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre for three summers,” he said.

The actor and singer also performs stand-up comedy as “The Drunken Tenor.”

“I’m an ambassador of opera,” McPherson said. “A program like this is a great introduction to it. There’s something about the unamplified human voice. That unfiltered, unvarnished sound is unlike anything else and so rare these days.”

Chloe Sundet agreed.

She teaches voice at North Idaho College, has sung roles such as Mabel in “Pirates of Penzance” and Morgana in “Alcina.”

“I grew up as a classical pianist,” she said. “But I also love theater. Opera is a beautiful blend of storytelling and classical music.”

The cast also includes Lars and Ann Mellander, Noah Lauer, Jennifer Daniels, Katelyn Wallinger and Logan Shevalier, who directs several choirs in the Spokane area. They will be accompanied by pianist Daniel Hughes, who has won top honors in multiple global competitions and performed in major venues across America.

With no staff and a core of five volunteers, Bullard is hoping these performances will breathe new life into INO.

“I’d like to build a community of people and put opera back on local stages, featuring local singers and give them this opportunity,” he said.

That seems likely given the response he’s received.

“So often I’ve heard people saying thank you for working at restarting Inland Northwest Opera,” Bullard said. “I believe opera conveys human emotion in a way other things can’t.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com