Erik Buck Townsend has been chosen as the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus for Modesto Junior College and will be honored at the Commencement Ceremony on Friday, April 25, at 6 p.m. in the MJC Stadium. The MJC Foundation will also recognize Townsend with a Distinguished Alumni endowed scholarship fund that will accept donations in his name and will pay tribute to him at the Summer Sonata dinner on July 18, 2008.
Townsend is the Founder and Artistic Director of Townsend Opera Players and a native Modestan. He is a graduate of Modesto High School, Modesto Junior College (1954-1957), and the University of Pacific, and he attended the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has performed internationally and in almost every major city in the United States in concert and opera as leading tenor. He has performed with the New York City Opera to Santa Fe Opera; from San Francisco Opera to Münster State Theater in Germany; and from Carnegie Hall to Radio City Music Hall. After twenty years in and out of New York City as a professional singer, actor, director, and teacher, he returned to the Central Valley in 1982
Townsend's performing repertoire has consisted of more than forty leading roles and a large collection of concert songs, oratorios, and orchestral works in seven languages. He is the recipient of two prestigious area awards: The Lifetime Achievement in Arts from the Stanislaus Arts Commission and The Lifetime Achievement in Music from the Modesto Area Music Association. As founder and now Artistic Director of TOP, he has produced 74 full operas and often conducts and directs these productions.
As for his singing career, Townsend says, "It's more satisfying to produce an opera where TOP creates positive activity for about a hundred people than it is to solo in opera, and it takes just about as much time." In what he calls "fun" roles, local audiences have enjoyed his portrayal of Canio in I Pagliacci, Sweeney in Sweeney Todd, Tony in The Most Happy Fella, Fred Graham (Petruchio) in Kiss Me Kate, Hajj in Kismet, Panisse in Fanny and his signature role, Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha.
The college extends a sincere thank you to Townsend for his contributions to the arts and the community and is pleased to honor him as the Distinguished Alumnus for 2008. For more information on the Distinguished Alumni Awards, the MJC Alumni Association or to make a contribution to the MJC Foundation in honor of Townsend call (209) 575-6068.
