CSU Stanislaus Archives - Opera Modesto

Opera Modesto Celebrates 35 years with Gala Concert

October 23, 2018 by jwhitaker

TOP Young Artists Summer Opera Institute singers will be performing at the Gala

Opera Modesto celebrates 35 years of locally produced opera with a Gala Concert featuring regional & international stars and local favorites.

The 35^th Anniversary Gala Concert (October 28, 2:00 PM, Foster Theater of the Gallo Center for the Arts) features stars Nikola Printz, Christopher Bengochea, Liisa Davila and Donn Bradley from the upcoming production of Bizet’s Carmen, as well as Modesto-based international opera singers Annalisa Winberg & Roy Stevens, and CSUS Professor of Voice, Dr. Joseph Wiggett.

Supporting the soloists will be the Opera Modesto Orchestra, under the baton of Opera Modesto Music Director, Ryan Murray, and the largest chorus in more than 3 decades, led by Chorus Master Liisa Davila. Rounding out the program are twenty-one of the amazing teen participants from Opera Modesto’s First Annual Summer Opera Institute and a Pas de Deux dance by Brian Harris & Morgan Turner of The Dance Factory, with choreography by Debbie Holtzclaw.

The concert features many of the most famous and beloved tunes from all of opera (“Nessun dorma” from Turandot, “La donna e’ mobile” from Rigoletto, The Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffman and the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, among many others) by popular composers such as Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Johann Strauss, Offenbach, Mascagni and Leoncavallo. Erika Townsend, widow of the opera company’s founder, Erik Buck Townsend, whose memory and accomplishments will be honored with a special video tribute, will formally introduce Opera Modesto’s new name.

San Francisco mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz to perform

Roy Stevens, Opera Modesto’s new General & Artistic Director is particularly pleased about the featured participation of fast-rising San Francisco based mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz, who will lead the company’s May 2019 production of the most popular opera in the world, Bizet’s Carmen, as the sensuous, mysterious title role. Stevens says, “Nikola is a remarkable and fearless performer. We planned to bring a performer for the title role of Carmen from New York, but when we experienced Nikola’s exciting voice and performing skills, we changed our minds on the spot. Not only is she a fantastic actress, cabaret singer and opera singer, but she is also an aerial trapeze artist!”

Never before has Modesto or the Central Valley experienced a performance of the kind that Nikola will provide in our 35^th Anniversary Gala Concert, suspended from the ceiling of the Foster Theater on the aerial trapeze, singing a famous Viennese Operetta aria with the Opera Modesto Orchestra and Music Director, Ryan Murray! In the concert, Nikola will also join the Gala Chorus for a preview of the famous “Habanera” scene from Carmen, as well as performing the famous Flower Duet from Lakme with soprano Liisa Davila.

Gala Celebration Party after the Performance

After the performance audience members and performers are invited to join the entire company in the Gallo Center for the Arts Lobby for a complimentary reception. For Tickets visit Gallo Center for the Arts at: https://galloarts.org/Tickets/

Featured Artists:
Nikola Printz – Mezzo Soprano
Christopher Bengochea – Tenor
Annalisa Winberg – Soprano
Roy Stevens – Baritone & Opera Modesto General & Artistic Director
Liisa Davila – Soprano & Opera Modesto Chorus Master
Dr. Joseph Wiggett – Baritone
Donn Bradley – Tenor
Brian Harris & Morgan Turner – Dancers from The Dance Factory (choreography by Debbie Holtzclaw)
Opera Modesto Chorus
Opera Modesto Summer Opera Institute Teen Artists (13-18 years old)
Music Director Ryan Murray
Opera Modesto Orchestra

Tickets at https://galloarts.org/Tickets/

Townsend Opera Announces Singers for Opera Remix: Music & Verse

September 28, 2015 by Townsend Opera

TOWNSEND OPERA ANNOUNCES SINGERS
FOR OPERA REMIX: MUSIC AND VERSE

Townsend Opera is pleased to announce the singers that will perform at the Opera Remix: Music and Verse event on Saturday, October 17, 2015 at the State Theater in Modesto; with a 6:00 pm pre-party event, 7:30 pm performance, and post party open mic at 9:30 pm.

Modesto, California – September 28, 2015

E. Scott Levin
Scott returns to the company after an incredible performance as Sacristan in Tosca. Most recently he performed the role of Dr. Spinelloccio in the LA Opera production Gianni Schicchi, with Placido Domingo, after premiering earlier this year as Babayan in the world premiere staging of Figaro! (90210). Scott has also performed with Opera Santa Barbara, Long Beach Opera, Center Stage Opera, Celestial Opera, Lyric Opera of LA, and Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis.

Liisa Davila
Soprano Liisa Davila returns to the company; previously performing Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Micëla in Carmen. Other roles include Liù in Turandot, Pamina in Die Zauberflote, Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea and the title role in Massenet’s Cendrillon. Other roles in her repertoire include Mimi in La bohème, Juliette in Romeo et Juliette, and Hanna Glavari in The Merry Widow. Concert works include such highlights as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Mozart C Minor Mass, Verdi Requiem, Brahms Requiem, and Mozart Requiem. Liisa is a supporter of new works, premiering a piece in Assyrian, Ninos and Shamiram, by French composer Michel Bosc.

Danielle Bond
Danielle returns to the company stage after her performance in Opera Remix: Musical Worlds Collide. Her other roles include the title role in the US premiere of Marilyn Forever, the title role of Carmen, Dido in Dido & Aeneas, Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Siebel in Faust, Olga in Eugene Onegin, Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, and Flora in La Traviata, Maddalena in Rigoletto. She has also performed with LA Opera and Opera Santa Barbara.

Hadleigh Adams
Hadleigh Adams returns to the company completing his second year of the San Francisco Opera Adler Program. Originally from New Zealand, Hadleigh was a participant in the SF Opera’s Merola Opera Program in the summer of 2012 and recently finished his post-graduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. Most recently, Hadleigh performed the title role of Vivaldi’s Bazajet and Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. Other performances include Schlemil in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Schaunard in La Boheme, title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Malatesta in Don Pasquale , Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas , Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera, and Simon in the world-premiere of Mark Adamo’s The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

Molly Mahoney
Mezzo-soprano Molly Mahoney holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Roles performed at the conservatory included Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare, Third Lady in The Magic Flute and Eustazio in Rinaldo. During the 2013-2014 season, Molly made her debut with West Bay Opera as Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore and Zweite Dame in Die Zauberfloete and Philip Glass’s Hydrogen Jukebox. In February, Molly will reprise the role of Carmen in La tragédie de Carmen , Melissa in Princess Ida, Pitti-sing in The Mikado, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. A diverse performer, Molly has been singing with Big Bands since she was ten years old; opening for Peter Marshall, The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, Marilyn King, Don Cherry and The Modernaires. Her musical theater credits include lead roles as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Anne Collier in 1940s Radio Hour, Maisie in The Boyfriend and Honey Wonderly in The Black Bird Sings.

Jonathan Smucker
Tenor Jonathan Smucker has sung more than 35 roles, ranging from baroque and classical to musical theater, operetta, and contemporary works. A member of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Chorale, he has appeared as a soloist with Festival Opera, Marin Oratorio, Lamplighters Music Theatre, Pocket Opera, Opera San Luis Obispo, and San Francisco Opera’s a la Carte program, among others.

Stuart Sims
Dr. Stuart Sims is the Coordinator of Instrumental Studies at California State University, Stanislaus, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, teaches courses including conducting and music literature, and manages the instrumental area of the Department of Music. Widely recognized for his work in the standard repertoire, Dr. Sims is also active in the commission and performance of new music, and performances of his ensembles have won praise throughout the country from composers whose work he has premiered or championed; including Mason Bates, Bernard Rands, Carter Pann, Joel Puckett, and Jonathan Newman. Dr. Sims is active in other realms, having founded The Loose Filter Project, an arts think tank whose home on the web, www.loosefilter.com, features podcasts, recordings, and commentary.

Opera and poetry combine for the Central Valley premier of Philip Glass and Alan Ginsberg’s Hydrogen Jukebox alongside performances of original works by poets at Opera Remix: Music and Verse. For more information on Opera Remix, visit https://townsendopera.com/season/opera-remix-music-verse/

To purchase tickets for Opera Remix, visit https://www.choicesecure03.net/mainapp/eventschedule.aspx?Clientid=StateModesto&prod=TOWNOP

Townsend Opera Announces Playlist for Opera Remix: Music & Verse!

September 25, 2015 by Townsend Opera

A unique live performance combining opera and slam poetry featuring the Central Valley premiere of the Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg chamber opera Hydrogen Jukebox alongside performances of original poetry by Fresno-based poets.

Get Tickets online at https://www.choicesecure03.net/mainapp/eventschedule.aspx?Clientid=StateModesto&prod=TOWNOP

Poets
Sam Piersdorff
Danee Black
Elizabeth Sousa
Jordan Ranft

Singers
TBA next week

Playlist from Hydrogen Jukebox
The following songs will be performed:
Song #1 from Iron Horse
Song #5 from Crossing Nation; Over Denver Again; Going to Chicago and To Poe: Over the Planet, Air Albany-Baltimore
Song #6 from Wichita Vortex Sutra
Song #8 from Cabin in the Rockies
Song #11 from The Green Automobile
Song #12 from N. S. A. Dope Calypso
Song #14 Ayers Rock/Uluru Song and “Throw out the Yellow Journalists…
Song #15 Father Death Blues (from Don’t Grow Old)

All Access Pass

Purchase the All Access Pass to receive an invitation to an exclusive reception with the cast prior to each Opera Remix event. Enjoy hearty appetizers and drinks while getting to know the cast in the Tower Lounge at the Tower Theatre. Reserved Seating is included with the All Access Pass.

About Opera Remix
Opera Remix is an artistic initiative designed to engage new audiences for opera by embracing cultural norms of the 21st century, holding events in non-traditional locations and combining opera with other art forms which have a wider following in 21st century American culture. Enjoy new experiences with opera you never imagined!

Townsend Opera and CSU Stanislaus announce new partnership

September 18, 2015 by Townsend Opera

TOWNSEND OPERA AND STANISLAUS STATE
ANNOUNCE EXCITING NEW PARTNERSHIP

Partnership features innovative new program to engage young poets and composers
in the creative process of writing new vocal music to be performed by the opera

Download PDF of the Press Release

Modesto, California – September 17, 2015

Townsend Opera and California State University, Stanislaus are pleased to announce an exciting new partnership between Townsend Opera, the Stanislaus State Department of Music and the poetry community in Modesto that will pair local poets with University composers to get them engaged in the creative experience of writing vocal music for Townsend Opera.

This groundbreaking new partnership kicks off with a concert event titled Opera Remix: Music & Verse at the State Theatre on Saturday, October 17. Led by Sam Pierstorff, the former Poet Laureate of Modesto, the thriving poetry community of Modesto will give performances of original works of poetry alongside a performance of a chamber opera titled Hydrogen Jukebox. The chamber opera was the only collaboration between renowned American beat poet Allen Ginsberg and the prominent American composer Philip Glass.

Participating poets and composers will take part in several workshops by prominent opera composers and librettists from around the country currently working with Townsend Opera. The composition process will be overseen by Deborah Kavasch at Stanislaus State, who will guide the young composers as they write new vocal music set to texts written by local poets. Professional singers from Townsend Opera will workshop these new pieces of music as they are being composed, giving the composers and poets immediate feedback on their work.

The new works created by these local poets and composers will be performed at a Townsend Opera concert event in October 2016 at the State Theatre.

Matthew Buckman, General Director of Townsend Opera, said: “Our goal over the next few seasons is to reconnect opera with our contemporary culture and begin to build a long-term place for opera in our community. I can think of no better way to accomplish this goal than to engage the young musicians and poets in our community in the creative process, and to build interest in the art form by creating opportunities for young people in our community to get hands-on experiences with the art form.”

Deborah Kavasch, Chair of the Department of Music and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition at Stanislaus State, said: “We continuously seek opportunities for our students to collaborate with professional musicians. This partnership represents a unique chance for young artists to create new music in collaboration with our community of local poets, and to have feedback throughout the process from professional composers. And the opportunity to have student compositions performed by a professional company is one not often found at the undergraduate or even graduate level. Additionally, the majority of our current composition students are also singers who will benefit as both composers and performers.”

Sam Piersdorff, former Poet Laureate of Modesto, said: “It’s exciting to bring slam poetry to a new audience and to bring something with a tradition as rich as opera to an audience of poets. I believe very strongly in the cross-pollination of the arts. The audience always gets a glorious new experience and minds can change quickly as those who might have dismissed poetry before suddenly see it as a vibrant, visceral genre, and for others, opera suddenly becomes a whole lot cooler than they ever thought it could be.”

This innovative new program is funded in part by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

CSU Stanislaus Music Students Meet the Adler Fellows of San Francisco Opera

September 26, 2014 by Townsend Opera

The Adler Fellows of San Francisco Opera opened the 2014/15 season at Townsend Opera with an amazing recital at the Gallo Center for the Arts featuring art songs by Rachmaninoff, Gustav Mahler, Gabriel Kahane and William Bolcom and opera arias by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, and Nicolai.

The recital was preceded by a dinner where opera supporters celebrated the opening of an exciting season at the opera. 65 guests gathered for appetizers, drinks and a lovely dinner by Ann Endsley and Greens on Tenth and were given a preview of some exciting developments in the coming season.

The evening ended with a private reception with the Adler Fellows in the Carnation Room at the Gallo Center for the Arts where music students from CSU Stanislaus were able to meet the singers, talk to them about their careers, and pose for pictures.

The 2014/15 season at the opera started with a bang!