Friday, Dec. 19, 2008

Artistic director is hired for TOP

Professor will fill Townsend's shoes at opera company

A California State University, Stanislaus, voice professor has been hired to serve as artistic director for Townsend Opera Players.

Joseph Wiggett replaces the Modesto company's founding director, Erik Buck Townsend, who died of lung cancer in September.

Wiggett has taught at Stanislaus State for seven years and will continue to work at the university.

He recently directed TOP's production of "Pagliacci," has sung at TOP concerts and performed a duet with Townsend.

As part of his new part-time position with TOP, Wiggett will select shows, handle casting, choose directors, and oversee youth and outreach programs.

"We're going to move more and more to the way a professional company operates," he said. "It's a new day, new management, new thinking, new forward thinking, a lot of systemic changes, improvements in the costumes, sets and orchestra. That's not to say what they did in the past wasn't the right thing."

Wiggett said he was interested in the job because he wants to promote the arts in the region and provide singing opportunities for his students. TOP declined to reveal his salary.

TOP was founded 26 years ago and is a resident com- pany at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto. It features professional singers and community talent, and stages operas as well as musicals. Wiggett said he believes the company has a bright future despite the current troubling economic climate.

"This is no time to pull back," he said. "It's the time to give everybody the best value they can. It's these times when people turn to the arts to sustain themselves."

Matthew Buckman, TOP's executive director, said he was pleased that Wiggett is coming on board because of his extensive connections in the music world. TOP interviewed candidates from Fresno to Sacramento.

"We thought it would be good to have someone in town who is able to build relationships in town both artistic and nonartistic," Buckman said.

Wiggett was a member of the Juilliard Opera Center, the Lyric Opera of Chicago Center for American Artists and the Prague Mozart Academy. He has performed more than three dozen operatic roles and given recitals throughout the United States, Europe and the former Soviet Union. He has won three Birgit Nilsson prizes and two grants from the Puccini Foundation.

He has taken first place in the Metropolitan Opera New England Regional Auditions, the Chicago Union Civic and Arts Leagues Competition, and the Center for Contemporary Opera International Competition.

Wiggett said he is excited to recruit more talent for TOP.

"There's a rich base of regional talent that could be tapped into, because a lot of these people will work for less than professionals you hire from New York City, but nonetheless are very talented, qualified people," he said. "It's in their self-interest to have a viable arts organization in their back yard."

Bee arts writer Lisa Millegan can be reached at 578-2313 or lmillegan@modbee.com.