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<\/p>\nOpera has always loved rocks and hard places.<\/p>\n
From saints and spies to mothers and martyrs, the art form\u2019s truly memorable moments belong to characters facing impossible choices \u2014 and singing their way through them.<\/p>\n
This tradition takes on fresh urgency when soprano Tiffany Townsend opens Long Beach Opera\u2019s new season with \u201cCrash Out Queens\u201d a multidisciplinary recital that reframes opera\u2019s iconic women through a contemporary lens.<\/p>\n
Townsend\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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Long Beach Opera\u2019s \u201cCrash Out Queens\u201d 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).\n<\/p>\n
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Tiffany Townsend will perform \u201cCrash Out Queens\u201d on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. (Photo courtesy Long Beach Opera\/Mia McNeal of Mia K Visuals).\n<\/p>\n
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Long Beach Opera\u2019s \u201cCrash Out Queens\u201d 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).\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n Developed in close collaboration with LBO, \u201cCrash Out Queens\u201d traces a psychological journey through great moments of reckoning, examining the inner lives of women pushed to emotional and moral extremes.<\/p>\n Rather than presenting arias as museum pieces, Townsend brings them boldly into the present, allowing familiar characters to speak with renewed complexity.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Through Townsend\u2019s interpretive lens, opera characters become studies in resilience and self-realization \u2014 fully lived (and sung) experiences.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Plus, opening night will conclude with a festive season-launch party welcoming artists, audiences, and supporters into LBO\u2019s 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n \u201cCrash Out Queens\u201d marks a continuation of Townsend\u2019s evolving relationship with LBO, following her acclaimed performance as Idleness in the 2023 world premiere of Kate Soper\u2019s The Romance of the Rose and her return for the company\u2019s On Display event last spring.<\/p>\n This upcoming recital gives Townsend space not just to perform, but to curate \u2014 to shape a program that reflects her artistic yearnings, her creative imagination, and her mastery of the operatic craft.<\/p>\n For more information about this first show of LBO\u2019s newest season, head to longbeachopera.org\/crashoutqueens<\/a>.<\/p>\n MOLAA<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Corner Garden.<\/p>\n Known for her thoughtful, process-driven approach to art, Guadalupe guides participants through the expressive possibilities of micron pens \u2014 fine-tip archival ink pens prized for their precision, permanence, and range of line weights.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Her return to MOLAA continues a practice of engaging artists directly with their environment while demystifying the tools and techniques that professionals use.<\/p>\n All materials are provided by MOLAA. Admission is $5 and space is limited.<\/p>\n