Cd'A Symphony presents free Labor Day concert

The Coeur d'Alene Symphony will celebrate Labor Day with a free concert at the Rotary Bandshell in City Park on Sept. 7 at noon.

The concert is open to the public and will last about 90 minutes to two hours.

"Every year the Coeur d'Alene Symphony holds a Labor Day concert open to the public," said symphony volunteer and retired board member Cora Powers. "Everyone can bring their chairs, blankets, whatever they want."

The program opens with "The Star-Spangled Banner" and features music from James Bond, Superman, Oklahoma! and Star Trek. Soloist Jacob Haroldsen will perform a selection of classic arias by Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi.

The annual Labor Day concert will conclude, as it does every year, with the Armed Forces Salute, honoring active-duty and retired members of each branch of the military.

"It will be easy on the ears," Powers said. "We hope we get lots of people there."

Each year, the symphony draws hundreds of audience members to the park, even in less-than-favorable weather. Powers recalled one year when the musicians performed in pouring rain, yet hundreds of people still attended in raincoats to enjoy the free concert.

"It's really a tribute to working America," Powers said. "I really respect the symphony's dedication to the community."

The Coeur d'Alene Symphony will perform the same program Sept. 6 at 4:30 p.m. at Hayden Lake Country Club for members and their guests. That performance will raise funds for the Symphony Youth Program.

For more information about upcoming events and ways to support the symphony, visit cdasymphony.org.