Townsend Opera mixes it up in the Central Valley

Townsend Opera is taking its show on the road.

The Modesto company is performing its annual “Opera Remix” concert, which seeks to make classical opera more accessible to the masses, in three Central Valley communities as part of its ongoing outreach program. The “Opera Meets Classic Rock” show will stop in Merced, Turlock and Lodi on Sept. 11-13.

The concerts will feature a fusion of both classic rock and opera arias performed by sopranos Carrie Hennessey and Christine Capsuto, mezzo soprano Danielle Bond and tenors Gregory Pyatt and Christopher Bengochea. Stuart Sims, the director of instrumental studies at California State University, Stanislaus, will conduct.

Townsend Opera General Director Matthew Buckman said the program is the same as the first “Opera Remix” concert given in 2011 as part of a James Irvine Foundation grant. Since then, the company has continued its efforts to broaden its appeal and regional pull.

“We are taking (‘Opera Remix’) to communities in our surrounding region as we look to begin serving a larger geographic area,” Buckman said. “There are great communities in our immediate region with little or no access to opera, so we are exploring how we can serve those communities.”

Last year, Townsend joined forces with Fresno Grand Opera, merging its artistic season and management under Buckman’s leadership. This past season, they began sharing productions, staging shows in Modesto and Fresno.

Most of the performers this year are Townsend veterans. In January, Hennessey played Blanche DuBois in the company’s staging of “A Streetcar Named Desire” and also has been a featured soloist with the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. She also co-starred with Bengochea and Capsuto in the 2014 Townsend production of “La Bohème.”

Pyatt has performed in four “Opera Remix” shows, as well as other company shows. Townsend newcomer mezzo soprano Bond has performed with Long Beach Opera, L.A. Opera and Opera Santa Barbara.

The “Opera Remix” show will feature classic rock works by hitmakers including Queen, Journey, Pink Floyd and the Beatles, as well as popular classical works by Georges Bizet and Giacomo Puccini.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Townsend Opera mixes it up in the Central Valley."