Opera has always loved rocks and hard places.
From saints and spies to mothers and martyrs, the art form’s truly memorable moments belong to characters facing impossible choices — and singing their way through them.
This tradition takes on fresh urgency when soprano Tiffany Townsend opens Long Beach Opera’s new season with “Crash Out Queens” a multidisciplinary recital that reframes opera’s iconic women through a contemporary lens.
Townsend’s program, on show Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. at Altar Society Brewing and Coffee Co., is conceived as both recital and dramatic exploration.
Long Beach Opera’s “Crash Out Queens” traces a psychological journey through great moments of reckoning, examining the inner lives of women pushed to emotional and moral extremes. (Photo courtesy Long Beach Opera).
Tiffany Townsend will perform “Crash Out Queens” on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. (Photo courtesy Long Beach Opera/Mia McNeal of Mia K Visuals).
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Long Beach Opera’s “Crash Out Queens” traces a psychological journey through great moments of reckoning, examining the inner lives of women pushed to emotional and moral extremes. (Photo courtesy Long Beach Opera).
Developed in close collaboration with LBO, “Crash Out Queens” traces a psychological journey through great moments of reckoning, examining the inner lives of women pushed to emotional and moral extremes.
Rather than presenting arias as museum pieces, Townsend brings them boldly into the present, allowing familiar characters to speak with renewed complexity.
As always with the recital format from LBO, the repertoire spans a wide emotional and musical range, from the aching devotion of Puccini to the searing intensity of Menotti.
Through Townsend’s interpretive lens, opera characters become studies in resilience and self-realization — fully lived (and sung) experiences.
Expanding beyond the traditional recital format, though, the performances will feature pianist Lucy Yates, dancer Jasmine Albuquerque, and scenic design by Prairie T. Trivuth, with additional dance and instrumental collaborators to be announced.
Plus, opening night will conclude with a festive season-launch party welcoming artists, audiences, and supporters into LBO’s 2025-26 season.
“Crash Out Queens” marks a continuation of Townsend’s evolving relationship with LBO, following her acclaimed performance as Idleness in the 2023 world premiere of Kate Soper’s The Romance of the Rose and her return for the company’s On Display event last spring.
This upcoming recital gives Townsend space not just to perform, but to curate — to shape a program that reflects her artistic yearnings, her creative imagination, and her mastery of the operatic craft.
For more information about this first show of LBO’s newest season, head to longbeachopera.org/crashoutqueens.
MOLAA
The Museum of Latin American Art invites artists of all levels to slow down and sharpen their observational skills during a morning drawing workshop led by teaching artist Maria Guadalupe, set in MOLAA’s Corner Garden.
Known for her thoughtful, process-driven approach to art, Guadalupe guides participants through the expressive possibilities of micron pens — fine-tip archival ink pens prized for their precision, permanence, and range of line weights.
Often associated with illustration and architectural sketching, micron pens offer a deceptively simple tool for artistic exploration. Their consistent ink flow encourages intentional line work, making them ideal for capturing organic forms found outdoors.
In this plein air (outdoor) workshop, participants will explore how controlled lines, cross-hatching, and negative space can transform their environment into dynamic compositions on paper.
Guadalupe is no stranger to MOLAA audiences. She has previously led drawing and mixed-media workshops at the museum, as well as community-centered art programs that emphasize experimentation and cultural storytelling.
Her return to MOLAA continues a practice of engaging artists directly with their environment while demystifying the tools and techniques that professionals use.
All materials are provided by MOLAA. Admission is $5 and space is limited.
Head to molaa.org to sign up.
Dr. Evelyn Carter
The First Congregational Church of Long Beach continues its commitment to social justice and the arts with a special Sunday morning program featuring social psychologist, author, and singer Dr. Evelyn R. Carter.
During the church’s 10 a.m. worship service this Sunday, Jan. 18, Dr. Carter will present a spoken and musical performance, followed by a book release party celebrating her new work “Was That Racist?”
“Was That Racist?” serves as a reeducation and call to action for all of us, offering research-backed strategies for detecting and dismantling racism in everyday life.
The book explores how to cultivate a growth mindset around bias, move beyond colorblindness toward color consciousness, talk with children about race and racism, and bring others along in the process.
Blending research, storytelling, and music, Carter’s appearance this Sunday at First Congregational Church of Long Beach reflects the church’s role as a hub at the intersection of arts and justice in downtown Long Beach.
Dr. Carter, widely recognized for her cutting-edge research on how people discuss racial bias, has applied evidence-based practices across industries including higher education, financial services, technology, retail, and professional sports.
She’s even worked with organizations like American Express, Nike, the NFL, Uber, and UCLA.
Now we get to hear her sing in a sacred space.
The event is presented by First Church’s Board of Cultural Arts, and all are welcome to attend the 10 a.m. service and post-service book release celebration.
For more information, visit firstchurchlb.org.