LA Opera brought the final cycle of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen to a close on Saturday night, June 26, with a thundering standing ovation from the full house at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. As the cast, conductor James Conlon (LA Opera’s Richard Seaver Music Director), and director/designer Achim Freyer took the stage for their bows, the crowd roared its delight in marking the completion of LA Opera’s first-ever presentations of the Ring cycle.

Ring Festival LA officially closed on Wednesday night, June 30, at a festive celebration for civic leaders, LA Opera and Getty board members, and festival partners in the atrium of the J. Paul Getty Museum. The party opened with guests circulating in the atrium to the sounds of Daedalus’ unique blend of electronica. Alfred Darlington, aka Daedalus, performed a sold-out concert at the Broad Stage at the start of the festival, and returned to the closing event with his remix of the Ring and other music.

Deborah Marrow, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the J. Paul Getty Trust, welcomed the crowd of 200 to the Getty Center, spoke of the staff and board’s sorrow at the loss of James Wood, the late president and CEO of the Getty Trust, and introduced Barry A. Sanders, Leader of Ring Festival LA.

Mr. Sanders noted, “Our 122 partners produced nearly 1,000 events, which were attended by more than 465,500 people. The festival engaged the entire city and met our expectations by tearing down the walls that have separated the abundance of cultural and educational institutions in Los Angeles. It invited everyone in the city to participate in experiencing the fascination of the Ring." He lauded the quality and intensity of the participation by all the partners, "The partnering institutions, from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to The Verdi Chorus, put their hearts into creating new and impressive work that would not have happened without the festival." He also thanked the team at LA Opera who labored to create and implement the festival.

Mr. Sanders welcomed Los Angeles County Third District Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to the microphone, where Supervisor Yaroslavsky said, "Ring Festival LA was an unprecedented event in Los Angeles. Thanks to the programming and discussions that took place for 10 weeks throughout the county, the eyes of the world were focused on the very best of our arts, educational and cultural institutions." He added, "If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, our festival partners should be flattered indeed that San Francisco will be mounting its own festival around the Ring in 2011. So congratulations to everyone on a job well done!"

Stephen D. Rountree, Chief Operating Officer of LA Opera, officially closed Ring Festival LA when he handed a conductor’s baton, signed by Maestro Conlon, LA Opera’s Richard Seaver Music Director, to the Getty’s Deborah Marrow in honor Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980.

Mr. Rountree began his remarks by thanking the Getty for generously hosting the event and asked that the crowd take a moment to remember the late James Wood, saying, “Mr. Wood was one of the most respected museum leaders in the country and brought a new level of respect to the Getty.” He also noted that Mr. Wood was in attendance at the inception of the Ring festival.

Mr. Rountree continued, “Ring Festival LA was an unparalleled bringing together of arts, educational and cultural organizations, and this baton signifies our wish that all of the organizations involved in Pacific Standard Time will enjoy the extraordinary success that Ring Festival LA experienced. The legacy of Ring Festival LA is the partnerships that were created and that will continue to provide collaborative arts and educational programming across Los Angeles. We hope Pacific Standard Time will create another such legacy.”

Dr. Marrow accepted the baton saying, “We congratulate LA Opera and all of the partners in Ring Festival LA. The Getty is pleased to have been a participant. You have beautifully demonstrated the artistic and intellectual vibrancy of the educational and cultural organizations in the Los Angeles region. We accept this baton with pleasure and look forward with excitement to the opening of the Pacific Standard Time exhibitions and programs in Fall 2011, continuing through Spring 2012.”