Nancy Townsend -
Nancy Townsend’s career as a Pianist, Conductor and Stage Director has enabled her to see the entire United States, from Columbia Artist Community Concert tours of the vast American West, to opera productions throughout the country. She has played and conducted all of the standard operatic repertoire (as well as some “not so standard.”) As a director, she has staged productions for Erie Opera Theatre, including Lucia di Lammermoor, which was sung in her own translation. As Assistant Conductor to Christopher Keene at Artpark, she prepared many operas, including the acclaimed production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Other companies she has worked with include Opera Festival of New Jersey, Greater Buffalo Opera and El Paso Opera, where she has been the musical assistant for the last ten years. As pianist with the Metropolitan Opera National Council for 25 years, she has worked with some of the world’s finest singers, including Licia Albanese, Renee Fleming, Sherrill Milnes, Italo Tajo, John Alexander, Maureen Forrester and Rosalind Elias. She has been a member of the opera faculty at SUNY Buffalo, and in November 2005 assisted the Department of Theatre & Dance with its production of Adam Guettel’s Myths and Hymns. She presented a series of highly acclaimed lecture-recitals entitled Words and Music at the request of the Foreign Language and Performing Arts Departments at Buffalo State College. Equally at home in the musical theatre world, she has collaborated with such Tony Award winning talents as Karen Ziemba, Gary Beach, Hinton Battle, Jody Benson, Mark Jacoby and Beth Fowler. Ms. Townsend has been the Musical Director of Artpark’s production of Big River, Oklahoma and A Chorus Line. She is frequently requested as a recital/master class/competition pianist. In addition to her performing career, she maintains an active coaching/teaching studio with both singers and instrumentalists.