RING FESTIVAL LA
Celebrating the Arts, LA Style

(Los Angeles, CA) December 3, 2009 - 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 the 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 demonstrate 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."

"Ring Festival LA will be the most significant arts festival since the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival. 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," said Barry Sanders, the Festival's Leader. "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."

Seminars and conferences at the University of Southern California, UCLA and American Jewish University are scheduled. Musical presentations will include the works of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms along with Wagner. In addition, there will be a concert that will explore the relationship between Wagner and his Jewish-born rival Mendelssohn; and another looks at those who considered themselves indebted to Wagner's pioneering work and those who rebelled against it. There will be a U.S. premiere of a documentary film by director Tony Palmer on the Wagner family. The Los Angeles Conservancy will offer a tour of historic sites where some of the greatest German artists, architects and writers who sought refuge from Nazi persecution in the 1930s resided. James Conlon, LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, said "LA Opera's commitment to bring the Ring to Los Angeles will mean a great deal to this city, because of its diversity and the discussions that will take place between April and June."

Mr. Conlon will be central to those discussions. Throughout the Festival, he will speak on various aspects of the Ring cycle. He will be part of USC's Visions and Voices program and the Library Foundation of Los Angeles' ALOUD program. In June, he will be a panelist at seminars at three of the region's leading arts institutions: LACMA, the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

"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." He continued, "We can all be proud that so many diverse organizations are joining together in this incredible effort."

"Ring Festival LA will bring worldwide attention to our city and attract and visitors from around the world," said Eli Broad, the Los Angeles business leader and philanthropist whose extraordinary leadership gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation made LA Opera's new production of the Ring cycle possible.

"LA Opera has had its eye on the Ring for a very long time," said Marc I. Stern, LA Opera's Chairman and CEO, "and this production, directed and designed by Achim Freyer, has been a labor of love and dedication, particularly in the current economic environment, for all of those involved. We are reaching a long hoped for goal. More importantly, all of Los Angeles stands to benefit-there will be something here for everyone-because of Ring Festival LA."

A listing of all festival partners and events is available at www.RingFestivalLA.com.

Tickets for LA Opera's Ring cycle may be purchase online at www.LAOperaRing.com or by calling (213) 972-8001. For disability access, call (213) 972-0777 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Special LA Opera Ring packages and hotel/travel arrangements are available through New World Travel. For more information, contact New World Travel at (310) 568-9393 or www.NewWorldTravel.com.

LA Opera's production of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle is made possible by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation with additional generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and LA Opera's Friends of the Ring Leadership Council. Rolex is the Official Timepiece of LA Opera.