RING FESTIVAL LA OPENS APRIL 15
THREE MONTH CITYWIDE FESTIVAL
BRINGS 106 ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS TOGETHER
CELEBRATING THE ARTS, LA STYLE

The City of Angels will be reveling in all things Ring when the celebration of Ring Festival LA begins on April 15, 2010. The ten-week Festival, inspired by LA Opera's first presentation of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, brings together more than 100 cultural and educational institutions in Los Angeles. Southern Californians and cultural tourists from around the world will be able to enjoy a wide variety of exhibitions, performances and special events all centered on LA Opera's presentation of Wagner's epic. "Ring Festival LA will be a defining moment in the cultural history of Los Angeles," said Plácido Domingo, LA Opera's Eli and Edythe Broad General Director. "The presence of so many of LA's cultural, educational, and civic leaders clearly demonstrates that the city's creative forces can be brought together through a cultural festival. Ring Festival LA will have far-reaching impact throughout our community."

To begin the first month of the Festival, LA Opera premieres the final opera in Richard Wagner's Ring cycle, Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) on April 3 at 1:00 pm at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center of Los Angeles County. James Conlon, LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, conducts the five performances which run through April 25. The much anticipated new production is staged by director/designer Achim Freyer. This is the final production of the four individual operas in Wagner's epic. All four of the operas will then be presented together sequentially in LA Opera's full Ring cycles, the centerpiece and inspiration for Ring Festival LA. The first full cycle begins on May 29, with the second cycle opening on June 8 and the third cycle opening on June 18; each cycle runs over the course of nine days.

"Ring Festival LA will engage Los Angeles in opera, but also embrace a larger discussion through our world-class arts and cultural institutions," said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. "It will educate the public about the life and times of Richard Wagner and examine the man and his work in all of its challenging and controversial aspects. We can all be proud that so many diverse organizations are joining together in this incredible effort."

"Ring Festival LA will be the most significant arts festival since the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival," said Barry Sanders, the Festival's Leader. "It will again feature events all over the city and throughout the county, but this time, a quarter-century later, none of the artists and performers will be imported. Ring Festival LA will reflect the richness, diversity and cultural excellence that have been flourishing in Los Angeles in the last two decades. It will be open to all, and give opera back to the people."

APRIL EVENTS

CINEMA

Hammer Museum
Event Date: April 17, 2010, 7 pm
Event: Sundance Film Festival Presents: Sing Faster: The Stagehands' Ring
This 1999 documentary film captures Richard Wagner's Ring cycle from the union stagehands' point-of-view as these behind-the-scenes stars perform astonishing feats of stagecraft, trade offstage banter and offer an insider's perspective on a strange and complex 19th-century operatic tradition. Followed by Q&A with the film's director, Jon Else.
Free: Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Hammer Members receive priority seating. Reservations not accepted, RSVPs not required.
Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd at Westwood, Los Angeles, CA 90024, (310) 443-7000, www.hammer.ucla.edu

CONVERSATIONS & SYMPOSIA

The Bohemians
Event Date: April 17, 2010
Event: Wagner and the Ring
A lecture in Korean on the Ring is part of the Bohemians April meeting.

Event Date: April 24, 2010
Event: Michael Hackett leads a study of the Ring
University of Southern California Theatre Department Chair Michael Hackett leads a study group on the Ring.
Korean Cultural Center, 5505 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 936-7141, www.kccla.org.

Goethe Institut
Event Date: April 12, 2010, 7 pm
Event: Talk: Achim Freyer and Matthew Gurewitsch on Götterdämmerung
Achim Freyer, director and designer of LA Opera's Ring, and journalist Matthew Gurewitsch discuss the fourth opera in Wagner's epic, exploring the intricate web of thought and imagery behind LA Opera's historic production.
Goethe Institut, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 525-3388, www.info@losangeles.goethe.org.

Hammer Museum
Event Date: April 13, 2010, 7 pm
An Evening with Maestro James Conlon
James Conlon is the LA Opera's music director and a Grammy Award-winning conductor. He has appeared as guest conductor with virtually every major North American and European orchestra and has been a frequent guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera for over thirty years.
FREE, seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Hammer Members receive priority seating. Reservations not accepted, RSVPs not required.
Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd at Westwood, Los Angeles, CA 90024, (310) 443-7000, www.hammer.ucla.edu

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO)
Event Date: April 29, 2010, 7 pm
Event: Westside Connections 3
Curated by concertmaster Margaret Batjer, LACO's chamber music and discussion series explores how music inspires creativity from different perspectives. Renowned opera, theater and festival director Peter Sellars is the special guest for LACO's third chamber music and discussion concert exploring "music as muse." Program features works by two Germanic composers who did not embrace Wagner's style, Brahms' Piano Quartet in G minor and Schoenberg's String Trio for Violin, Viola and Cello.
Tickets: $40 available online at: www.laco.org or call (213) 622-7001, ext. 215.
The Broad Stage at Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica (213 ) 622-7001, ext. 215, www.laco.org.

LA Opera Library Project: Free Speakers Bureau Talks
The Speakers Bureau, a joint program of the Opera League of Los Angeles and LA Opera, is introducing groups throughout the area to the world of opera. The Speakers Bureau is bringing the magic of the Ring cycle to Los Angeles with talks at public libraries across the region.
Porter Ranch Branch Library, Los Angeles Public Library
Event Date: April 13, 2010, 6:30pm
Event: Free Talk: "A Look at the Ring Cycle, LA Opera Style"
Porter Ranch Branch Library, 11371 Tampa Avenue, Porter Ranch, CA 91326, (818) 360-5706, www.lapl.org/branches/Branch.php?bID=67

La Verne Library, County of Los Angeles Public Library
Event Date: April 20, 2010, 6:30pm
Event: Free Talk: "Wagner vs. Tolkien: Who is the Real Lord of the Rings?"
La Verne Library, 3640 D Street, La Verne, CA 91750, (909) 596-1934, www.colapublib.org/libs/lavern

Brand Library, Glendale Public Library
Event Date: April 24, 2010, 2 pm
Event: Free Talk: "A Look at the Ring Cycle, LA Opera Style"
Brand Library, 1601 West Mountain St., Glendale, CA 91201, (818) 548-2051, www.brandlibrary.org.

Library Foundation of Los Angeles
Event Date: April 19, 2010, 7 pm
Event: ALOUD Presents: James Conlon on "Richard Wagner's Ring: Eros, Mythos, Ethos"
As a part of the ALOUD at Central Library series, James Conlon, music director of LA Opera and one of the world's preeminent conductors, will discuss Wagner's monumental work, challenging preconceptions while guiding the audience through the music and dramatic themes in a way that both opera novice and aficionado can enjoy. A question and answer session concludes the evening.
FREE, reservations are recommended.
Mark Taper Auditorium, Downtown Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles, CA 90071, (213) 228-7025472, www.aloudla.org.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Event Date: April 15, 2010, 7:30 - 9 pm
Event: USC Ring Cycle Panel Discussion: "From Nietzsche to 'Star Wars': The Wagnerian Power of the Ring
Through his Ring cycle, Wagner has profoundly influenced the way we think, feel, and imagine the 21st-century world. How have Ring themes and symbols permeated literature, philosophy, psychology, and even movies and cartoons? A panel of experts take on the idea of the hero, violence and the cult of masculinity, "the mythic," the development of fascist theories (and governments), the power of the unconscious, the allure of death and the mob. No singing required; mind-opening insights guaranteed.
Moderator: James R. Kincaid, USC Aerol Arnold Professor of English; Panelists: Leo B. Braudy, University Professor and Leo S. Bing Chair in English and American Literature and Professor of English; Roberto Ignacio Diáz, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Comparative Literature; John P. Nuckols, Vice President, Advancement, LA Opera; John Carlos Rowe, USC Associates Chair in Humanities and Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity
Free and open to the public
MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 626-2222, www.moca.com

Museum of Tolerance
Event Date: April 15, 2010
Description of Event Talk: James Conlon at the Museum of Tolerance
9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035, information: (310) 553-8403; tickets: (310) 772-2505, www.museumoftolerance.com.

University of La Verne
Event Date: April 8, 2010, 4 pm
Event: Lecture: "Beyond the Mystic Chasm: Wagner Conjures for the Theater"
Sean Dillon, assistant professor of theater arts, presents a lecture that delineates Wagner's innovations in the design of the theatrical performance space and the way these innovations have shaped the relationship of the audience to the performance.

Event Date: April 21, 2010, 7 pm
Event: Lecture: "Drama in Wagner's Ring: Music Propels the Action"
For the final presentation in the University's Ring-centered Humanities Festival, Dr. Kathleen Lamkin discusses "Drama in the Ring: Music Propels the Action."
University of La Verne 1950 Third Street, La Verne, California 91750, (909) 593-3511, www.ulv.edu.

University of Southern California: Visions and Voices
Event Date: April 20, 2010, 7 pm
Event: Visions and Voices: "Pride, Prejudice, Bigotry and Genius: Richard Wagner's World:" A Lecture by James Conlon
James Conlon, LA Opera's music director and one of today's pre-eminent conductors, will explore Wagner's controversial personality in relation to bigotry, racism and prejudice in Wagner's time and in ours. Presented by Visions & Voices: The USC Arts & Humanities Initiative.
Free; Reservations suggested.
Tickets: For USC students, staff and faculty, visit usc.edu/visionsandvoices beginning March 30, at 9 am; General Public, tickets will be available beginning Monday, March 22 at 10 a.m. For tickets or information: (213) 740-4672, www.uscticketoffice.com.
Bing Theatre, University Park Campus, 3500 Watt Way, (213) 740-8686, www.bingtheatre@usc.edu.

Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum,
California State University, San Bernardino
Event Date: April 8, 2010, 5-6:15 pm
Event: Exhibition Lecture: "Timeless Enchantment: One Ring to Rule Them All" by Eva Kirsch and Dr. David Marshall
Part of a larger series investigating the various ways the story and music of Wagner's Ring has continued to be used in music, visual arts, theater, literature, movies, comic books, etc., this joint lecture is about the Ring story and the its presence in popular culture.
Free; parking $5.
Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum, CSUSB, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, (909) 537-7373, www.museum.csusb.edu.

ECLECTICA

City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Event Date: April 24, 2010, 11 am - 1:30 pm
Event: Ring Around San Pedro Festival
The Warner Grand Theatre will present a one-day festival of films and videos for opera lovers of all ages. The morning festival is for children and families. Free

Event Date: April 24, 2010, 7:30 - 11 pm
Event: Opera Films and Videos
The Ring Around San Pedro Festival continues at the Warner Grand Theatre with films for adult opera lovers.
Tickets: $10, Box Office: (310) 548-7672.
Warner Grand Theatre, 478 West 6th St., San Pedro, Ca 90731, (310) 548-7672, www.culturela.org.

Villa Aurora
Event Date: April 17 - 20, 2010
Event: Invisible Siegfrieds Marching Sunset Boulevard
A Passage Opera for tarnhelmed wanderers on Sunset Boulevard and sound-contributors from Los Angeles and all over by George Nussbaumer.
Villa Aurora, 520 Paseo Miramar, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272-3019, (310) 454-4231, www.villaaurora.com/calarts.edu.

EDUCATIONAL

Los Angeles Educational Partnership & Goethe Institut
Event Date: April 16, 2010, 6 - 9 pm
Event: Student Arts Festival: Integrating Wagner's Ring Cycle
The Los Angeles Urban Education Partnership's Humanitas Initiative will bring 250 students from eight high schools together for this arts festival. The students have engaged in interdisciplinary, arts-integrated lessons on Wagner's Ring cycle. In direct collaboration with artists, the students explore and express contemporary responses to Wagner's music in mediums ranging from filmmaking to fashion to art. Partners in the arts festival initiative include 826LA, Art Center College of Design, youTHink and Table Top Media. The Goethe Institut has contributed to help support the initiative.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center of Los Angeles County, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 622-5237, www.urbanedpartnership.org.

PERFORMING ARTS

The Colburn School
Event Date: April 12, 2010, 8 PM
Event: Colburn Chamber Music Society, Conductor and Speaker, James Conlon
James Conlon, LA Opera's music director, conducts the Colburn Orchestra. Free
The Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 1200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 621-2200, www.colburnschool.edu.

LA Opera
Event Date: April 3, 11, 17 & 25 at 1 pm and April 21 at 5:30 pm
Event: Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung
Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) is the final chapter of Richard Wagner's monumental four-part epic Der Ring des Nibelungen. The opera opens with the rapturous love shared by Brünnhilde and Siegfried, followed by plotting for the ring and murder. When the cursed ring is returned to the Rhine maidens the Rhine overflows its banks and Valhalla goes up in flames in a spectacular finale unparalleled in opera. The all star cast leads are: soprano Linda Watson as Br?nnhilde, with British tenor John Treleaven as Siegfried, bass Eric Halfvarson as Hagen, baritone Richard Paul Fink as Alberich, bass-baritone Alan Held as Gunther, and soprano Jennifer Wilson as Gutrune. LA Opera Music Director James Conlon conducts the production by director/designer Achim Freyer.
Tickets: $20 to $260 visit LA Opera Box Office, www.laopera.com or telephone (213) 972-8001. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center of Los Angeles County, 135 North Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012, www.laopera.com.

Los Angeles Public Library
Event Date: April 24, 2010, 2 pm
Event: We Tell Stories Present a Play: Rhine's Gold
The award-winning children's storytelling troupe We Tell Stories will produce an original children's play Rhine's Gold based on Richard Wagner's opera, Das Rheingold. The show will tour throughout various libraries in Los Angeles.
For tour dates and times, visit www.RingFestivalLA.com.
Los Angeles Public-Locations vary, visit www.lapl.org.

University of Southern California
Max Kade Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies, The Goethe-Institut, Los Angeles and The German-American Cultural Society
Event Date: April 22, 2010; 7:30 pm
Event: Concert: From the Dorf to the Hood
Composer William Roper and his band with featured guest artist, soprano Christina Linhardt, present a program of solo chamber works inspired by the composer's stay in Bavaria and the music of Richard Wagner. The evening will feature several unusual instruments associated with the era and motifs of Wagner's Ring, including the Wagner tuba, helicon, cimbasso, harp and saxhorn. The event is produced by Cornelius Schnauber. A reception follows.
Tickets: $10, telephone (323) 525-3388.
Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, 5750 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036, www.goethe.de/losangeles.

University of Southern California
Thornton School of Music
Event Date: April 21, 23, 25, 2010, 7:30 pm; Pre-performance talk at 6:30 p.m.
Event: USC Thornton Opera: Das Liebesverbot by Richard Wagner
(Opera by Richard Wagner, based on the play Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare.)
A fun, sexy and colorful evening of opera with Das Liebesverbot (The Ban on Love), Wagner's second opera. Prior to the opera, USC's Aerol Arnold Chair in English and Wagner expert James Kincaid joins USC's resident stage director Kenneth Cazan for a conversation about Wagner and the opera. Presented by Visions & Voices: The USC Arts & Humanities Initiative.
Tickets: Free for USC students, staff and faculty; $12 seniors, alumni and non-USC students;
General Admission $18, ordering information: USC students, staff and faculty, RSVP at usc.edu/visionsandvoices beginning March 30, at 9 am; General admission tickets will be available beginning March 22 at 10 am, for tickets or information (213) 740-4672.
Bing Theatre: University Park Campus, 3500 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA (213) 740-4672, www.uscticketoffice.com or www.usc.edu/music.

Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum,
California State University, San Bernardino
Event Dates: April 23, 2010, 5 - 8 pm and April 24, 11 am - 5 pm
Event: Hip Hop Theatre Workshop:
Timeless Enchantment: From the "Ring" to the Cipher, a Hip Hop Connection to Wagner's "Ring"
Part of a larger series investigating the various ways the story and music of Wagner's Ring has continued to be used in music, visual arts, theater, literature, movies and comic books, this unique, interactive workshop in three parts and a preliminary evening targets theatre-interested teens and young adults (ages 16-23).
Free (suggested donation).
Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum, CSUSB, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, (909) 537-7373, www.museum.csusb.edu.

THEATER

Geffen Playhouse
Event Date: April 13 to May 23, 2010
Event: Play: Nightmare Alley
Step into "Nightmare Alley" and enter the titillating world of carnies, cons and clairvoyants. With a score as wild as a funhouse and as evocative as a beautiful tightrope walker, this world premiere musical tells the tale of a young carnie couple who tempt the fickle hand of fate. Based on the darkly evocative 1946 William Lindsay Gresham novel of the same time, Nightmare Alley is a night at the theater full of special effects, wondrous feats and enough spirit to make believers of us all. But remember, here, things are never as they seem. "Nightmare Alley" is directed by Gilbert Cates with music, book and lyrics by Jonathan Brielle. Post-show discussions will follow performances on April 27, May 4, 11 and 18.
Tickets: $35 to $74 Telephone: calling 310-208-5454 or visit www.geffenplayhouse.com.
Performances: Tuesday - Friday 8 pm; Saturday 3 & 8pm; Sunday 2 & 7 pm.
10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024, (310) 966-2412, www.geffenplayhouse.com.

University of Southern California - Max Kade Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies & The MET Theatre
Event Date: March 26 - April 25, 2010
Event: Performance of Cornelius Schnauber's Play: Richard and Felix: Twilight in Venice
Richard Wagner is at the window along the Canale Grande, in the final hours of his life. He hears the music of Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn, dead since 1847, appears from the other side. A dramatic dialogue ensues. Cosima Wagner enters the conversation. In an erotically bold scene Wagner's last lover appears. Once more, Wagner meditates on his life and that terrible knowledge Mendelssohn seems to have about the future: Hitler, the Nazis? Wagner begins another revision of Tannhäuser...and dies.
Tickets: General admission $15; Students & Seniors: $10, reservations: (323) 957-1152
Performance Times: Fridays & Saturdays, 8 pm; Sundays, 3 pm.
The MET Theatre Hollywood, Great Scott Theatre,1089 N Oxford Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029, (323) 957-1152, www.themettheatre.com.

VISUAL ARTS

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Event Date: April 15 - August 16, 2010
Event: Exhibition: Myth, Legends, Fables, and Cultural Renewal
This exhibition explores Germanic myths and legends in various embodiments in the modern era, and is drawn from LACMA's collection. Myths, legends, and fables form an essential component of cultural renewal. Reinvented and passed on by each generation, they have continued to fascinate artists into the modern era. Integrated into the awakening of German nationalism in the 19th century, these traditions continued to fascinate various authors and artists into the high modernism of the early 20th century.
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Noon - 8 pm; Friday, Noon - 9 pm;
Saturday & Sunday, 11 am - 8 pm
Admission: Adults: $12; Seniors (62+ with ID): $8; Students (18+ with school ID): $8; Children (17 and under): Free.
LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026, (323) 932-5881, www.lacma.org.

Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum,
California State University, San Bernardino
Event Date: April 8 (opening reception: 5 - 8 pm) through July 31, 2010
Event: Exhibition: Timeless Enchantment: Richard Wagner's" Ring of the Niebelung in Visual Arts and Performance
Part of a larger series investigating the various ways the story and music of Wagner's Ring has continued to be used in music, visual arts, theater, literature, movies, comic books, etc., this exhibition has two components: the Ring story in Arthur Rackham's illustrations and photographs from various Ring performances.
Free (suggested donation).
Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum, CSUSB, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, (909) 537-7373, www.museum.csusb.edu.

For information on these and many other upcoming events, please visit www.RingFestivalLA.com