Shanti Ragas: Peaceful Melodies Music is a universal language. No matter where you are on the globe, music is always there to keep us grounded and feeling at ease. Raga is a melodic framework that is used in Indian classical music as a basis for improvisation, and is often used as meditative and relaxing music. “Shanti Ragas: Peaceful Melodies” at Unity Spiritual Center features intricate rhythms, melodic exploration and a massive amount of improvisational interplay. The featured musicians — Phil Scarff, Anjan Saha and Arup Chattopadhyay — show off their musical chops and ease listeners into a calming state. Because there’s no melodic system akin to raga in classical European music, it’s sure to be a sonic experience like you’ve never heard before.
La Traviata Opera is divisive — people either like it or don’t; however, there’s no denying the amount of time, dedication and absolute raw talent that goes into an opera performance. And live opera is a unique spectacle that deserves to be seen by all. Luckily, Inland Northwest Opera is dedicated to bringing incredible opera performances to the region. Its update of Verdi’s tragic love story La Traviata is set in 1920s Hollywood, where a starlet is led astray by the means of love. While the show is sung exclusively in Italian, don’t worry, supertitles are provided to ensure the audience can wrap their heads around this eternal love story. Dress up in your finest opera-going clothes, feel fancy and cheer on the absolute powerhouse singers on stage at the Fox Theater.
Schweitzer Fall Fest If you head up to Schweitzer’s annual summer sendoff, make sure to pack a jacket, because even though the Labor Day weekend forecast is looking beautiful, those mountain breezes and evening temps have a hint of fall’s chill on them. This four-day, Labor Day Weekend event boasts something for everyone, whether you go for the live music from regional bands or to sample more than 80 varieties of beer, cider, seltzer or wine (pre-purchase event souvenir glasses online; each glass comes with three drink tickets). For the kids, a soda station encourages creative flavor mixing, and the Schweitzer village is also filled with arts and crafts vendors. In between sets or tastings, hit the chairlift for hiking, mountain biking or the stunning views from the mountaintop. This will be the last weekend of summer operations at Schweitzer, so make the most of it, and then get excited for winter’s arrival, if hitting the slopes is your thing.
Sister Act The notion that two are better than one takes on a whole new meaning as Spokane Valley Summer Theatre and Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre wrap up both of their seasons with two beloved nun-themed shows, Sister Act and Nunsense. Sister Act, the feel-good musical comedy based off the 1992 movie, follows a woman who becomes a nun through unconventional means and elevates the choir to star-level status, allowing her to rediscover her voice while her sisters find theirs. In the hilariously silly and absurd musical Nunsense, a convent of nuns must stage a fundraiser to bury the last four nuns of their order who died in a cooking accident and are being temporarily stored in a freezer. Both these shows bring fun for every-nun, so be sure to check them out as summer theater in the Inland Northwest takes its final bow.
The Masked Singer Building upon the excitement of FOX’s hit reality, guessing-game series, this national tour takes it on the road with a live show for audiences of all ages, with surprise celebrity guests and amazing new performances.