Handel’s Messiah – SOLD OUT
November 20, 2025 - November 22, 2025
Thursday Tickets: SOLD OUT
Friday Tickets: SOLD OUT
Saturday Tickets: SOLD OUT
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
127 E. 12th Ave., Spokane
James Lowe, conductor
Dr. Meg Stohlmann, chorale director
Spokane Symphony Chorale and Chamber Singers
SOLOISTS
- Chloe Sundet –soprano
- Nicole Sonbert – alto
- Charles Robert Stephens – bass
- Le’asi Mana– tenor
The glorious holiday tradition of Handel’s Messiah returns to St. John’s Cathedral. Honor Handel’s most outstanding work with joyous refrains and exultant arias, including the iconic “Hallelujah” chorus, in this powerful presentation of the greatest story ever told.
These performances of Messiah are not suitable for children under the age of 5.
THURSDAY DOORS 6:30PM | SHOW 7:30PM
FRIDAY DOORS 6:30PM | SHOW 7:30PM
SATURDAY DOORS 2PM | SHOW 3PM
Praised for her vocal brilliance, stylistic versatility, and captivating stage presence, Chloe Sundet is a coloratura soprano based in Washington state. Equally at home in opera, operetta, musical theatre, and concert repertoire, she is a dynamic and sought-after performer known for her expressive artistry and technical finesse.
Ms. Sundet has appeared with a wide range of companies, including Pacific Opera Project, Opera Neo, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, American Contemporary Ballet, Opera Buffs of Los Angeles, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, Leavenworth Summer Theatre, and the music departments of both the University of Southern California and Whitworth University.
Her acclaimed performance as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with Pacific Opera Project earned praise from critics throughout Los Angeles. Stage and Cinema hailed her “terrific in coloratura singing, dramatic range, and comedic effect,” while Local Pasadena News described her as “a young lyric soprano with serious star power.” The production went on to win “Best Opera Performance” from San Francisco Classical Voice, surpassing even LA Opera’s world premiere of Omar. She was later invited back to sing Adele in Die Fledermaus with the same company in February 2024.
As a passionate advocate for contemporary music, Sundet has performed in groundbreaking works such as the role of Daughter in Philip Glass and Robert Moran’s The Juniper Tree, and Soprano in the quartet of Kaija Saariaho’s La Passion de Simone at USC’s Thornton School of Music. In 2025, she was invited by Gonzaga University to premiere a new opera, The Garment of Praise, a work centered on the birth of John the Baptist.
Notable roles from her operatic and musical theatre work include Nina (Chérubin), Amalia (She Loves Me), Morgana (Alcina), Daphné (Actéon), Silver Dollar (The Ballad of Baby Doe), Liesl (The Sound of Music), Jo (Little Women), Rapunzel (Into the Woods), and Wednesday (The Addams Family).
During the 2024–2025 season, Sundet returned to the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra as soprano soloist for Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Ballet Suite. She appeared throughout the Northwest in performances of Handel’s Messiah, Fauré’s Requiem, and Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël with organizations including the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra, Whitworth University, and various churches, cathedrals, and music ministries. Earlier seasons included appearances with Columbia Chorale in Mozart’s Great Mass in C and multiple featured performances with Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, After winning the “Professional Voice” category in the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, she performed Norina’s famous aria, “Quel guardo il cavaliere” from Don Pasquale.
In spring 2024, Sundet was invited by the internationally acclaimed Frieze Art Fair based in London to perform a solo recital as part of their Los Angeles exhibition. She curated a program of songs by Schubert, Purcell, Barber, and Rachmaninoff centered on renewal and nature.
Also a classically trained pianist, Sundet has received numerous honors for her piano performance and regularly collaborates as an accompanist for choirs and vocal students. She has also appeared as Snow White with Disneyland Resort Entertainment in Anaheim.
Ms. Sundet holds a Master of Music in Vocal Arts and Opera from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where she studied under world-class faculty and honed her skills in both traditional and contemporary vocal repertoire.
Mezzo-soprano Nicole Sonbert has earned recognition for her rich timbre, emotional depth, and thoughtful storytelling across opera, oratorio, and recital stages. She is known for her resonant tone, compelling dramatic presence, and an interpretive approach that places equal value on musical precision and emotional authenticity. Whether portraying complex operatic characters or shaping intimate recital narratives, Nicole brings a deep commitment to honest storytelling and human connection through song.
Praised for performances that balance vocal power with nuanced dramatic insight, she has appeared in signature roles such as Madame Flora in Menotti’s The Medium, the Mother in Menotti’s The Consul, Aunt Lou in William Grant Still’s Highway One, USA, and Buttercup in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. Nicole gravitates toward roles that require theatrical intensity and psychological nuance, and she has been praised for her ability to balance strength, vulnerability, and dramatic clarity on stage. As a concert soloist, she has appeared in major choral-orchestral masterworks, including Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor with several symphonies across the country.
Beyond the stage, Nicole is committed to collaboration, mentorship, and community-centered artistry. She has partnered with symphonies, festivals, and arts organizations to produce performances, masterclasses, and engagement initiatives that broaden access to vocal music and support the next generation of artists. She currently serves as Director of Voice at Eastern Washington University, where she leads the applied voice area and mentors developing singers through artistic, academic, and professional growth. She also serves as Assistant Editor for Youth Vocal Repertoire with the African Diaspora Music Project database. This database provides thousands of entries on vocal and orchestral works by African-diaspora composers, giving performers, teachers, and students an accessible way to discover meaningful repertoire for recitals, concerts, and study.
Grounded, generous, and personable both onstage and off, Nicole approaches her work with a spirit of curiosity and care. She is dedicated to cultivating spaces where music is not only performed, but deeply felt, where audiences are welcomed, students are encouraged to take creative risks, and collaboration serves as a powerful force for connection.
Charles has enjoyed a long career spanning a wide variety of roles and styles in opera and concert music. In his 20 years in New York City, he sang leading roles with the New York City Opera and was reported by the New York Times to be “a baritone of smooth distinction.” He also appeared frequently in Carnegie Hall with the Opera Orchestra of New York in a variety of roles and was active in regional opera throughout the US. On the international stage, he sang opera roles in Montevideo Uruguay, Taiwan, Santo Domingo, and Mexico City.
Now based in Seattle, Charles has sung with the Seattle Symphony, Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma and Spokane Symphony, Spokane Opera, Portland Chamber Orchestra and many other orchestras and opera companies in the Pacific Northwest.
Career highlights include the role of Tiresias in the Boston Early Music Festival’s lavish production of Steffani’s Niobe, Queen of Thebes. With the New York City National Company, he sang the role of Germont in La Traviata in forty-three performances across the US. Among his ten appearances with the Seattle Symphony include Beethoven’s 9th, Messiah and “Opera Festival.” He premiered and recorded the role of Rudyard Kipling in John Muehleisen’s world premiere cantata entitled But Who Shall Return to Us Our Children? A Kipling Passion.
Recent performances include the Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony and Messiah (Spokane Symphony), Judge Turpin in Sweeny Todd (Helena Symphony), Bach B Minor Mass(St. Paul Music Guild, Salem , OR) , Mozart Requiem , Bellingham Symphony, Mozart C minor Mass, Seattle Pro Musica, Haydn The Seasons( Harmonia Seattle ), Verdi Requiem ( Symphony Tacoma and Missoula Symphony) and a Paris debut in Bach’s St. John Passion( Les Fetes Galantes).
Charles maintains an active voice studio in Seattle.
Le’asi Mana is a conductor, singer, educator and founder who is native of Tutuila ma Manu’a who found their love for music early on from singing in church. With the guidance of their grandfather, mother, aunts, uncles and older cousins, who are well known conductors, pianists, vocal pedagogues, and composers within the Samoan community- Leasi’s musical training started at the age of thirteen. Prior to moving to Missoula, Le’asi served as the associate conductor of the Ola Toe Fuata’ina United Methodist Church, and was a part of the Alaska Chamber Singers, Anchorage Concert Chorus, Junior Youth Symphony, and Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. As a singer Le’asi won the Montana Concerto aria competition, placed first in Montana NATS, and is an active voice coach who has performed as a soloist with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra. They have been a member with the Missoula Community Chorus, Dolce Canto, and has also performed many leading, and supporting roles with the University of Montana Opera Theatre program. From 2021 to 2024 they served as the learning assistant and student conductor of the university choir. In 2023 they found out that they were the first Polynesian conductor to be accepted to the International Lift Every Voice and Sing Conducting Symposium where they would conduct the University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana Chamber Singers at the opening concert of the Illinois ACDA (2023). They also made history of being the first student at the University of Montana to hold a choral conducting recital. Through their recital they became the founding artistic director of the ‘Aiga singers (2024).
Bag Policy
All bags (with the exception of clutches 6 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches) are subject to visual inspection by venue security.
Large bags are not allowed in The Fox, and must be checked in our Coat Check (located in the North Gallery) for the duration of the event.
Programs are subject to change
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final and nonrefundable.
