Since the foundation of the Winter Harbor Music Festival, Executive Director Deiran Manning has hoped to incorporate opera into the program. Several years ago, the festival began incorporating various scenes staged during the Side by Side concert. Several years ago, for the first time we staged a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury alongside J.S. Bach's Coffee Cantata as part of our Summer Sing. The response was overwhelmingly positive, though some community members missed having the opportunity to sing a choral mass. This season, our Sing will return separate from the newly founded Community Opera program, Our Community Opera program follows the same format as the Sing. Participants are welcome to attend the optional rehearsals but they are not required. All singing skill levels are welcome and no singing experience is needed to participate on stage. We hope this will bring opera lovers and opera novices together in downeast Maine to experience this Rossini masterwork.