Who we are
Rod Mortensen
Rod is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music where he studied voice, opera stage direction, and opera technical production. Early in his career he taught at Modesto Junior College where he served as musical director and conductor for the Theater Department, as well as serving as technical director for productions that he was not involved with musically. Later in his career, he owned and operated Production Services Unlimited, a business that built stage scenery and trade show displays, and rented stage lighting equipment. Selling that business a decade ago, he is now a technical consultant for several regional opera companies in Northern California in addition to managing Opera Scene Shop.
Paula Langhoff-Barton
Paula is a Fine Arts Graduate of the California State University system and the University of the Pacific and has extensive design and scenic art experience. Her initial exposure to opera design was for a production of La Boheme, leaving her with an abiding love of design for the Italian repertoire. Talented in multiple disciplines of watercolors, sculpture, and drawing, as well as interior design, Ms. Barton is a mezzo-soprano and has toured Europe, as well as performed in Northern California with various choral societies. In the past two years she has designed in style of Historic Realism the 1299 set for Gianni Schicchi, the 1950 set for The Telephone, the 1905 set for Madama Butterfly and the 1820 set for Carmen.