Keeping fine art affordable for everyone is group's goal

In a large metropolitan area, Mike Bullard says, the opera is a money-making machine.

Staff, singers and orchestra are comfortably salaried, and dizzying ticket prices keep the productions well afloat.

Opera Coeur d'Alene looks a little different.

The organization is more about conjuring major performances almost completely from donations, raised throughout the year by a volunteer board. It involves bringing in international singers who can agree to a break from Carnegie Hall, as well as less-than-glamorous sleeping arrangements.

The purpose, said Bullard, Opera Coeur d'Alene board member, is to provide the highest level opera performance at prices the common Coeur d'Alene laborer can afford.

"You will never be able to go to the opera at $35 and get this," Bullard said. "You would pay $200 or $300 to get the same level of production in any of the big cities."

Providing that kind of a deal isn't easy, though.

Especially in this economic climate.

The nonprofit is still short of the $80,000 needed to put on the September production of "Faust," Bullard said, and asking for the community's help to make up the difference.

"In today's climate, raising $80,000 is not easy for a performance," he said. "We are in shooting distance. This is going to happen, we have enough to know that."

There's a lot involved to put on an opera, Bullard reminded - costumes, sets, orchestra, singers of no small renown.

Not to mention advertising, he added. Now that the Spokane Opera has been gone for two years, Opera Coeur d'Alene wants to boost advertising in the Washington area and net in folks hungry for some well-scripted drama.

The bigger the audiences, the more tourism dollars are brought in to local restaurants and hotels, he pointed out.

"If we can get the word out, we'd like to bring people in the same way Ironman brings people in," Bullard said. "That's our vision, that this can be an economic stimulus for the area."

The organization is asking for corporate sponsorships, he said, and businesses to purchase program ads.

Folks can also buy $5 raffle tickets at operacda.com, with prizes offered like Hawaiian getaways and a helicopter ride. They can also sponsor professional singers' trips, or pay for their airfare.

There's no question that these performances lure visitors willing to spend, said Steve Wilson, interim president and CEO of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce.

"If you're able to attract them for a short period day stay, they do spend money in eating and dining establishments, as well as transportation and potentially shopping," he said.

But providing opera is also just a crucial piece of nurturing appreciation for the arts, he said.

"Obviously quality of life is an important factor," Wilson said. "The more you're able to have a solid arts and cultural community, with both live performances and static exhibits, it certainly improves the quality of life."

"Faust," Opera Coeur d'Alene's ninth independent production, is an epic piece to bring here, Bullard said.

The story of a man tempted by Satan is a classic portrayal of the conflict between good and evil, he said.

"You look at what's going on the world, who's giving into temptation, who's getting caught and what the consequences are, and you see this is absolutely a daily situation," he said.

Singers in the show have accumulated critical acclaim, including Vale Rideout, who has sung at Cargenie Hall and with the New York Philharmonic, and Broadway performer Shana Blake Hill.

When the singers visit for the performances, Bullard added, they stay in people's homes.

"That's how much they love singing in Coeur d'Alene," said Bullard, who himself will be singing in the chorus for the performance.

Anyone interested in helping can call 964-4469 for information about program ads, sponsoring a singer, purchasing raffle tickets or volunteering.

The experience of going to the opera shouldn't be reserved for the high rollers of a community, Bullard said.

And if all goes well with fundraising in Coeur d'Alene, it won't be.

"It does take a lot to make it happen. You've got to be creative," he said. "It's a hard labor of love."