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Istituto Italiano di Cultura Opens Exhibition and Welcomes James Conlon
With the opening of Ring Festival LA a month away the Istituto Italiano di Cultura is already getting into the spirit
of the celebration with an in-depth look at the life of one of the most beloved performers of opera, Maria Callas. It
was her 1947 performance in Tristan und Isolde that launched her international renown.
On March 15 the Institute hosted an opening reception for Maria Callas: A Woman, a Voice, a Myth, their
exhibit showcasing the legacy of the legendary opera singer. James Conlon, LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director,
has a special connection to this iconic soprano: "Maria Callas was already one of the heroines of my youth when I had
the great fortune to meet her in the final year of my studies at The Juilliard School. Having watched me rehearse a
production of La Bohème, she recommended to the president that I replace the conductor who had withdrawn. Her
intervention, at a critical moment, brought about the break which, in essence, initiated my professional life. Her
impact on my life, both artistic and personal, has been immense." During the opening event, Conlon received the Maria
Callas Award, as well as the IIC Lifetime Achievement Award, for his distinguished career.
The opening night celebration began with a lecture by Maestro Conlon. His unique discussion brought together the
roles of composer, singer and conductor in a lecture titled "Maria Callas and Richard Wagner: A Surprising Couple."
Conlon focused on the relationship between Callas's performances and the works of Richard Wagner, and explored the
relationship between the famous Greek soprano and the composer whose music is said to have enhanced her extraordinary
skills more than that of any other composer.
The exhibit features memorabilia, stage costumes, rare documents, jewels, books, letters and archival photographs
collected over years of research by Bruno Tosi, President of the Maria Callas International Association. The
exhibition continues through April 23.
Light of the Valkyries in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium at Griffith Observatory
Shortly after LA Opera began planning for Ring Festival LA, Barry Sanders contacted Dr. E.C. Krupp, Director
of Griffith Observatory, and asked him how Griffith Observatory might join the festival as a partner. "As unlikely as
it might seem, Ring Festival LA gave the Observatory an opportunity to undertake a project I already had in
mind, but the partnership with LA Opera made the program much more artful and meaningful," said Dr. Krupp. "In the
1970s, when I was a planetarium lecturer at Griffith Observatory, we concluded the planetarium show for school
children with a Wagnerian finale that featured a display of arctic northern lights. The festival now has forged a new
link between astronomy and Wagner and inspired the creation of a new planetarium show, Light of the
Valkyries, which explores the myth and the science of the northern lights and combines both with the heroic
grandeur of the sky and the emotional power of Wagner's music."
Camille Lombardo, Executive Director of the Observatory's support group, Friends Of The Observatory (FOTO), and Dr.
Krupp soon realized the new planetarium show would be perfect for Cosmic Conjunction 2010, FOTO's annual event
spotlighting the relationship between astronomy and the arts. With production of the planetarium show underway, the
partnership between FOTO and LA Opera deepened. In 2009, the Observatory and FOTO were already planning to celebrate
the International Year of Astronomy with Cosmic Conjunction 2009-a concert that opened with a piece from the time
Galileo first pointed a telescope toward the sky, in 1609, and continued with celestially themed music from every
century since. The program, presented on the Observatory's front lawn, ended with a dramatic, original orchestral work
performed by Symphony in the Glen, composed and conducted by Maestro Arthur Rubinstein and accompanied by a narration
written by Dr. Krupp and read by actor Leonard Nimoy. The Observatory and FOTO needed help to bring the program to
school children, and Barry Sanders suggested that LA Opera's Education and Community Programs team might help with
audience development. The result: More than 3,000 school children attended a second full performance of Cosmic
Conjunction 2009 at the Greek Theatre.
In 2010, the Observatory is also celebrating its 75th anniversary on May 15, with Cosmic Conjunction 2010: Diamond
Nights*Northern Lights, part of Ring Festival LA. This special evening for Friends Of The Observatory,
celebrities and other guests will feature the premiere of Light of the Valkyries. The entire musical
accompaniment for the live performance is music from the Ring, with Ride of the Valkyries providing
the soundtrack for the finale's stunning auroral display. The new Samuel Oschin Planetarium show opens to the public
on May 18 and continues through the festival.
"Light of the Valkyries could not be as powerful and effective a show without our partnership with LA Opera,"
Krupp confirmed. "When the Observatory staff began to develop the new planetarium program, we struggled with how to
make sensible connections between the myths, the science and the dramatic and immersive planetarium imagery with music
from Wagner's Ring cycle. Mitchell Morris, Associate Professor of Musicology at UCLA, Jason Vasquez,
Assistant Librarian for LA Opera, and Jill Burnham, Education Manager for LA Opera, worked extensively with the
Observatory team led by Observatory Curator Dr. Laura Danly to find Wagnerian musical connections to thread the
science of the northern lights with the Ring."
According to Dr. Krupp, "One million people visit Griffith Observatory every year. That pilgrimage, up the hill, is
rewarded with the vista of earth, sky and Griffith Observatory, the place where they meet. The experience is
transforming, and it is that transformation of perspective on the universe and ourselves that guides us as we develop
new and completely original programs like Light of the Valkyries. As we celebrate our 75th anniversary and
Ring Festival LA, we hope many more people will have this transforming experience as they experience the
northern lights illuminated by the music of the Ring." He continued, "We are just delighted to expand our
audience with opera fans. This partnership will continue beyond Ring Festival LA, and that is one of the best
things about it. This fall, thousands of students will have the chance to see Light of the Valkyries, thanks
to funding provided by the Friends Of The Observatory."
Los Angeles Education Partnership
Founded in 1984 as the Los Angeles Education Partnership, the Urban Education Partnership became one of the first
education improvement organizations in Los Angeles, and has stayed at the forefront of the movement nationwide.
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County of Los Angeles Public Library
The County of Los Angeles Public Library was established in 1912 under authority of the County Free Library Act. The
Library is a special fund department operating under the authority of the County Board of Supervisors.
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Ring Festival LA is upon us! The excitement for the ten-week countywide celebration continues to build. This
month Angelenos will get a taste of what is yet to come.
Road to the Ring Events
