Financial woes, lawsuits and leadership changes split Modesto, Fresno opera partners

Modesto’s Townsend Opera has ended its more than two-year partnership with Fresno Grand Opera after a tumultuous series of events fit for the arias the groups usually produce.

The artistic and managerial partnership between the two companies was forged in late 2014, and they staged their first joint production January 2015 with “A Streetcar Named Desire.” But financial difficulties, managerial changes and a pending lawsuit forced a break between the two organizations this week. On Tuesday, Fresno Grand Opera filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and called it quits. But Townsend Opera directors said the Modesto company will continue solo.

The split means the final show of the Townsend season, “Of Mice and Men,” will be canceled. It had been slated for presentation at the Gallo Center for the Arts on April 28 and 30.

“We are going to get through this transitional period,” said Townsend Managing Director Charla Lawson. “There will be some bumps in the road, which will be difficult at first. But we will come out of this as a stronger, better company than we were before with a drive and engagement in community we haven’t had in recent years.”

In late February, Townsend Opera and Fresno Grand Opera general director Matthew Buckman stepped down from his positions. Buckman said commuting to and from his home in Sacramento, where he had moved over the summer to be with his fiancée, to his duties in Modesto and Fresno had become too difficult. He has been with Townsend Opera since 2008 and Fresno Grand since the partnership started in 2014.

Longtime Townsend Opera music director Ryan Murray, who also serves as the Modesto Symphony Orchestra associate conductor and Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra music director, was chosen to succeed him as artistic director for the Modesto and Fresno companies. At the same time Lawson, who has been with Townsend since 2014, took over as the Modesto company’s managing director to handle day-to-day operations.

The two companies shared managerial budgets and production costs. The groups also offered the same two full-length operas with the same casts each season, yet maintained separate boards of directors. While the Modesto-based managerial team is no longer working with Fresno, it will remain in place with Townsend Opera.

On Monday it was reported that Fresno Grand Opera had not paid its musicians from its last production, “Our Town.” The group owed an estimated $17,000 to its orchestra members, including Murray, who has not been paid for his work as music director. Fresno Grand and Townsend operas use different area-based orchestras for their productions. Lawson said Townsend Opera also has a lag in payment from the last show, including some production assistants, though she declined to give the exact number. She said the company is confident it will be “paying them soon.”

On Tuesday, Fresno Grand Opera’s former director Ronald D. Eichman and former associate director Thi Nguyen filed a lawsuit in Fresno Superior Court against the company and Buckman for defamation and emotional distress. Both had held their positions at the Fresno company until Buckman took over when the partnership began.

In June, Buckman and the Fresno Grand board of directors self-reported the company to the California Attorney General for “significant financial and accounting irregularities and governance and conflict of interest deficiencies” stemming from 2010-2014, when Eichman and Nguyen were at its helm. To correct the errors, the company said it intended to amend and refile its Form 990 tax filings from that time period. The report also stated that Fresno Grand Opera has been in debt from $200,000 to $350,000 since 2009.

The lawsuit stems from subsequent reporting on Buckman’s findings, which Eichman and Nguyen claim were false and deliberate attempts to hurt them professionally.

Lawson said she does not expect the lawsuit to have an impact on Townsend Opera or its operations. Instead the company is moving ahead and has started planning its coming 2017-18 season.

Two already scheduled events this month will go on as planned to complete this season. The first will be a free Townsend Opera League presentation featuring a talk by Murray at the Mistlin Gallery on March 20. The second will be a Cabaret Series show featuring soprano Carrie Hennessey at Urbano Bistro on March 24. A Recital Series show to advance “Of Mice and Men” on April 13 will be replaced with another same-day event yet to be determined.

Murray, who has been with Townsend since 2008, said he is looking forward to molding the company’s artistic vision moving forward. He will act as artistic director, working with the singers and developing the programs, and continue his work conducting and directing the musicians.

Buckman blazed an ambitious artistic trail for the two companies with his programming. Instead of producing a more traditional operatic slate, he favored contemporary works including “Dead Man Walking” and “Sweeney Todd.” He took over management of Townsend Opera in 2008 from its namesake and founder, the late Buck Townsend. The company has been a part of the Modesto arts community since 1983.

Murray said he plans to shift the company back to more traditional, familiar operatic fare. He also will rearrange the production schedule to have a full opera start and end of the season each fall and spring. In between, the company will continue its Cabaret and Recital series. He plans to have the new season schedule released at the end of March.

Murray said he also wants to include more local singers in the shows. In recent years Townsend largely has hired professional singers from across the country. He said his years of working in the arts community locally will help him bring in strong regional talent.

“I’m looking for a return to the operas people in Modesto have known and love. I think although this is a very tumultuous period, I am excited for the future,” Murray said. “I think we can do both things, engage the local community and have a high artistic level. That’s something we can all look forward to.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Financial woes, lawsuits and leadership changes split Modesto, Fresno opera partners."