Ring Festival LA Media Contact:
Catherine Babcock
Public Relations Consultant
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P: (213) 972-7691

WHAT:
The final presentations of LA Opera's first performances of Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung take place this week. The
production staged and directed by theatre artist Achim Freyer, and conducted by James Conlon, LA Opera's Richard
Seaver Music Director, is on stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in anticipation of LA Opera's first presentations
of the first complete Ring cycles ever seen in Los Angeles, beginning on May 29 and continuing through June 26.

Ring Festival LA,  the ten-week celebration of arts and culture brings together more than 115 arts, educational and
cultural institutions to celebrate the arts and examine the epic Der Ring des Nibelungen, which  forever changed
music, opera and theatre and served as a conception point for the festival. The events taking place in the second week
of the festival are examples of the diverse events and presentations that will continue through June. There will be
art exhibitions, films, symposia, lectures, musical presentations, classes, theatrical events, performance art and
special events all of which celebrate the arts, LA style.


WHEN:
April 21- April 25, 2010

WHO/WHERE:
LA Opera: April 21 at 5:30 pm & April 25 1 pm
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center/Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County
Götterdämmerung
Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) is the final chapter of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. LA Opera presents the
final performances of Götterdämmerung, the last opera of Wagner's epic Ring cycle, before presenting the first full
Ring cycles in May and June. The last two performances take place on April 21 at 5:30 pm and April 25 at 1 pm.
Tickets: $20-$260, www.laopera.com, (213) 972-8001 or Box Office, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los
Angeles CA 90012

Der Ring des Nibelungen
Performance dates:
Cycle 1: Das Rheingold (5/29); Die Walküre (5/30); Siegfried (6/3); Götterdämmerung (6/6)
Cycle 2: Das Rheingold (6/8); Die Walküre (6/10); Siegfried (6/13); Götterdämmerung (6/16)
Cycle 3: Das Rheingold (6/18); Die Walküre (6/20); Siegfried (6/23);Götterdämmerung (6/26)
(For Performance times and ticket information visit www.laopera.com)
Contact: Gary Murphy, Director of Communications, LA Opera, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (213) 972-7554

German Opera Tales, Continuing-30, 2010 (Times vary)
A partnership between LA Opera and the County of Los Angeles
Public Library, Opera Tales celebrates the power of story and the joy of music. LA Opera's fun, high energy show tours
to various libraries for free family performances. The "opera pals," five professional opera singers, perform musical
moments from such German opera stories as Wagner's Das Rheingold, Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel, and Mozart's The
Abduction from the Seraglio. The stories are read by a special surprise guest at each library.
Performances this week take place on April 20 at 4pm, Los Nietos Library,;  April 23 at 6:30 pm La Crescenta Library ;
April 24 at 2:30 pm, Hacienda Heights Library; and April 25 at 2pm, Iacodoni Library. Information: visit
www.colapublib.org
Contact: Gary Murphy, Director of Communications, LA Opera (213) 972-7554 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Los Angeles Conservancy
German Influence on Los Angeles' mid 20th Century Landscape Tours (ongoing)
In the 1930s and '40s, the city became home to some of the greatest German artists, architects, and writers, who
sought refuge here during the rise of National Socialism in Europe. The Los Angeles Conservancy will highlight the
physical landscape of the city's 20th-century German influence with a self-guided tour of historic sites related to
notable figures including Thomas Mann, Alfred Döblin, and Bertolt Brecht. Visit these sites online with an easy-to-use
Google map or print the map and explore the sites firsthand. Annotated map available at: www.laconservancy.org
Contact: Cindy Olnik, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (213) 430-4214

Autry National Center
Opera in the Libraries (online exhibition) Continuing-July 2010
The online exhibition will draw on the collections of the Braun Research Library and Autry Library. Featured will be a
rare 1912 recording of French tenor Augustarello Affre recorded in Los Angeles by Charles F. Lummis and the libretto
from La Fanciulla del West with music composed by Giacomo Puccini. To view the exhibition, visit www.theautry.org
Contact: Joan Cumming, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Exhibition: Myths, Legends and Cultural Renewal: Wagner's Sources: Exhibition continues through August 16, Mon., Tue.
& Thu., Noon-8 pm; Fri., Noon -9 pm;  Sat. & Sun. 11 am-8 pm
This exhibition drawn from LACMA's collection explores Germanic myths and legends in various embodiments in the modern
era. 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.
Contact: Barbara Pflaumer, Associate Vice President and Director of Press Relations, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or (323) 932-5881

Geffen Playhouse:  Continuing-May 23, Tue.-Thu. 8pm, Sat. 3 & 8pm, & Sun. 2 & 7 pm
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. Directed by Gilbert Cates; music, book
and lyrics by Jonathan Brielle. Tickets: $35-$74
Contact:  Allison Rawlings, Director of Communications, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or (310) 966-2412

Norton Simon Museum:   Continuing-June 30, 2010, Wed.-Mon., 12-6 pm
Walking tour: Form and Emotion in Rodin and Wagner
The museum presents a self-guided tour of the eight sculptures by Auguste Rodin in the Museum's gardens. The tour
draws interesting parallels between the two great 19th-century artists: Richard Wagner, the preeminent composer of
Romantic music, and Rodin, the first sculptor of the modern age.  Contact: Leslie Denk, Director of Marketing and
Communications, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or (626) 844-6941

Villa Aurora: April 19  & April 20, 2010 (Sites and times listed below)
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.
Performance Sites & Times:  April 19, 3:15- 7:30 pm; and Sunset/San Diego Freeway to Sunset/Pacific Coast Hwy., April 20, 3-7:30 pm

LA Opera Speakers Bureau Library Project
La Verne Public Library--Free Talk: "Wagner vs. Tolkien," April 20, 7 pm
Brand Library, Glendale Public Library-Free Talk: A Look at the Ring LA Opera Style, April 21, 2010, 2 pm
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. Information: www.ringfestivalla.com
Contact: Gary Murphy, Director of Communications, LA Opera, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or (213) 972-7554

Library Foundation of Los Angeles: ALOUD
ALOUD Presents: LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon on "Richard Wagner's Ring: Eros, Mythos, Ethos,"
April 19, 2010, 7 pm
As a part of the ALOUD at Central Library series, James Conlon, Richard Seaver 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 novices and aficionados can enjoy.
Info: www.aloudla.org  or (213) 228-7025
Mark Taper Auditorium, Downtown Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles, CA 90071 Contact: Peter V. Persic,
Public Relations & Marketing Director, Los Angeles Public Library,     213-228-7556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Southern California:  Visions and Voices
"Pride, Prejudice, Bigotry and Genius: Richard Wagner's World:"
A Lecture by LA Opera Music Director James Conlon, April 20, 2010, 7 pm
James Conlon, Richard Seaver Music Director at LA Opera, will explore Wagner's controversial personality in relation
to bigotry, racism and prejudice in Wagner's time and in ours. One of today's preeminent conductors, James Conlon has
cultivated a vast symphonic operatic and choral repertoire and developed enduring relationships with the world's most
prestigious symphony orchestras and opera houses. He has also been devoted to raising awareness of works by composers
whose lives and compositions were suppressed by the Nazi regime.
Info: www.usc.edu/visionsandvoices/ or (213) 740-8686
Bing Theatre, USC University Park Campus, 3500 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Contact: Evan Calbi, Interim Director of Marketing & Communications, USC | Thornton School of Music (213) 740-3229 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

USC Thornton Production of the Wagner's Das Liebesverbot, April 21, & 23, 2010, 8 pm, April 25, 2pm
A presentation of Richard Wagner's seldom performed opera, written when the composer was only 21 years-old, the age of
many Thornton students. His second opera, Das Liebesverbot was actually his first to be performed. A comic opera, the
libretto was written by the composer after Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.
Tickets: $18, Seniors, Alumni and Non-USC students $12; USC Students, Staff and Faculty (with valid ID) free,
www.usc.edu/tickets or (213) 749-4672
Bing Theatre, USC University Park Campus, 3500 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Contact: Evan Calbi, Interim Director of Marketing & Communications, USC | Thornton School of Music (213) 740-3229 or
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We Tell Stories Presents a Play: Rhine's Gold, April 22-June 24, 2010 (Times vary)
Meet gods, dwarves, giants and mermaids in the Wagnerian romp The Rhine's Gold. Based on Wagner's opera, Das
Rheingold, this production by We Tell Stories features a puppet dwarf, charming costumes transformed from ordinary
objects, musical experts from opera, and
audience participation. For children ages 5-12, and their families. Info: www.ringfestivalla.com
or www.lapl.org
Contact: Peter V. Persic, Public Relations & Marketing Director, Los Angeles Public Library,     213-228-7556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Southern California (USC)-Max Kade  Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies& the Goethe-Institut, Los Angeles
From the Dorf to the Hood, April 22, 2010, 7:30 pm
Composer William Roper and his band with Christina Linhardt, soprano, present a program of solo chamber works inspired
by the composer's stay in Bavaria and the music of Richard Wagner. The evening produced by Cornelius Schnauber will
feature several unusual instruments associated with the era and motifs of Wagner's Ring, including the Wagner tuba,
helicon, cimbasso, harp and saxhorn. Presented in collaboration with the German-American Cultural Society.
Info: www.goethe.de/losangeles or (323) 525-3388. Tickets: $10
Goethe-Institut, Los Angeles, 5750 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Contact: Cornelius Schnauber, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (310) 397-5778

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, April 24, 2010, 10 am-6 pm & April 25, 10 am-5pm
LA Opera and Ring Festival LA will at the biggest literary event in LA. Come to the Ring Festival tent to learn more
about special Ring-related events being presented by Ring Festival LA partners. Artists from LA Opera will perform at
12pm on the Etc. Stage, In addition, the hugely popular annual celebration of books, arts and culture will feature
bestselling authors, poets and commentators.
Info: www.latimes.com/extras/festival of books
Tickets: Free, but tickets are needed for indoor panels and speaker sessions.
Tickets will be available on April 19 through Ticketmaster.com
University of California, Los Angeles 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Contact: Catherine Babcock, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (213) 972-7691

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