By Jon W. Sparks - The Commercial Appeal -

Less than a year ago, Opus One made its debut as a bold concept -- one so innovative that nobody was quite sure how it would play out.

Tradition, after all, was going to be upended: no conductor, offbeat venues, guest performers outside the classical realm. Could musicians from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra do all this with minimal help from the parent organization? And, most important, deliver some fine tunes?

But the boundary-smashing endeavor became a quick hit. An informal atmosphere, a creative mix of set lists and arrangements by top talents like Sam Shoup and Jonathan Kirkscey propelled Opus One to its fourth engagement Thursday night at the Bridges Center.

With the evening's theme of "Opera Swings" and bolstered by a glorious performance from jazz singer Joyce Cobb, Opus One added another lively operatic blend to the cityscape, along with the ongoing performances of "Midsummer Night's Dream" at Playhouse on the Square, a partnership of Opera Memphis and the a cappella groups DeltaCappella and RIVA.

And with Thursday's performance, Opus One has now become a Memphis standard -- but predictable only in its inventiveness.

The cavernous space in Bridges -- with the 35-foot climbing wall as backdrop -- was amenable to the concert, from orchestral boom to Cobb's sassy scat singing.

The evening started out with Opus One playing familiar opera music, including overtures to Rossini's "Barber of Seville" and Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro," Puccini minuets, Mascagni's Intermezzo from "Cavelleria Rusticana" and selections from Bizet's "Carmen."

The performances were fresh and intimate -- it was possible to sit close in to the players and feel the lively sound. The wind section did lovely work on the Mozart and everyone brought passion and vividness to the "Carmen" pieces.

Opus One has established the winning idea of having musicians introduce the pieces.

We're not talking dry dissertations, but personal and engaging routines that tell us as much about the player as the piece. There is some gifted stand-up talent in the ranks. Jessica Munson got more good one-liners than you'd expect from the Mascagni-"Godfather: Part III" connection. And horn player Ion Balu cracked up the house with his dizzying patter that ranged from tales of a blind trombonist to the protagonist from "Carmen" ending up at 201 Poplar.

With all that energy built up, there was still more gorgeous music to dispense.

Joyce Cobb was in top form doing her own jazzy take on opera with Bizet's "Habenera," Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy," a Swingle Singers styling of Bach's "Sleepers Awake" and a sizzling medley of jazz pieces. All her tunes were accompanied by Shoup on bass, Tom Lonardo on drums and Chip Henderson on guitar, with Opus One providing a great jazz backing that never fell in the trap of an orchestra laboring to sound cool.

Thank Shoup for that, and for knowing how to stir the cool of the jazz players with the heat of the orchestra and come up with a triumphant night of perfectly blended music.