Opera Afloat

Opera Coeur d’Alene announced it will take to the water on the evening of Sunday, July 16. For this Opera on the Lake event, three of The Coeur d’Alene Resort cruise boats will be lashed together, with a stage in the center of the middle vessel, said a news release. For two hours the audience will be treated to opera as the sun sets over the lake.

Ticket holders will be seated at round tables with views of the performance and the lake. Light refreshments, beer and wine will be available.

"H. M. S. Pinafore" will be sung in English. The plot takes place aboard the ship HMS Pinafore. Captain Corcoran’s daughter, Josephine, has fallen in love with — oh the horror — a low-class sailor, Ralph Rackstraw. Her father has other plans for her. He intends her to marry Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Josephine initially intends to abide by her father’s wishes until Sir Joseph starts espousing the equality of all humankind, a most unusual pronouncement from a First Lord of the Admiralty. This seems to encourage the romance between Ralph and Josephine, who plan to elope. Captain Corcoran discovers their plan, leading to a surprising finale.

Pinafore will be sung by nationally recognized talent led by Daniel Sumegi, who has performed at the Met, San Francisco Opera, Paris Opera, Los Angeles Opera and Covent Garden. He will be heading to Seattle to begin rehearsals for "Madame Butterfly" with the Seattle Opera House.

Josephine will be played by Ksenia Popova, who has sung this role with the Tacoma Opera. Her performance was, to quote the reviews, “(a) golden upper register with impressive power.”

Aaron Nicholson, Opera Coeur d’Alene’s artistic director, will be cast as Sir Joseph Porter. Ralph Rackstraw will be portrayed by Jadd Davis, who distinguished himself as Monastatos in the 2015 Opera Coeur d’Alene performance of “The Magic Flute.”

Organizers said tickets are selling quickly. Tickets cost $50 to $65 and can be purchased by visiting operacda.com.

Boarding begins at Independence Point at 6:30 p.m., with the boats departing at 7. They will return to their regular docks at The Resort approximately two hours later.

Future Opera Coeur d’Alene events include the Opera Gala on Aug. 5 on the shore of the Spokane River. The gala features a buffet dinner and performances by the artists who will sing the opera "Tosca" on Aug. 18 and 20 at the Schuler Performing Arts Center on the North Idaho College campus.

Madison Leonard, the daughter of Paul and Denise Leonard of Hayden Lake who sang the lead in last year’s production of the “Barber of Seville,” described the role of opera in the area.

“Opera is one jewel in a crown that is Coeur d’Alene,” Leonard said.