When Ring Festival LA was announced there were 50 partner institutions invested in the idea. When we launched the festival in mid-April there were more than 115 organizations participating. Since then, the Los Angeles Pierce Symphonic Winds has joined into partnership, as has the LA Film Festival, which has added Ring-inspired programming to its June 29 schedule. We want to welcome them to this great collaborative venture.

Several groups have been so motivated by Ring Festival LA that they've added programming to their agendas. Jacaranda: music at the edge added an educational component to its programming; a free one-hour concert for youth, parents and educators to introduce Richard Wagner's Ring cycle through a performance conversation centered on the Siegfried Idyll. The Norton Simon Museum added a discussion "Wagner: Seen and Heard," with Michael Hackett, Professor and Chair, Department of Theater, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. REDCAT presented Considerng Wagner a a Ring- inspired evening of film, music and discussion. The Italian Cultural Institute has extended the run of its exhibition MARIA CALLAS: A Woman, A Voice, A Myth, through June 30, 2010.

"The KCRW-Santa Monica 89.9 FM presents "The Ring and I: The Passion, The Myth, The Mania" asks what many of the uninitiated must wonder: "What's the big deal about the Ring?" This hour-long radio journey, intended for both devoted fans and newcomers alike, visits with a diverse cast of characters who weigh in with their answers to this complex question. Listen in on Sunday, June 13 at 11:00AM  or online at www.kcrw.com. The program was produced by and originally aired on WNYC, New York in March, 2004.

The latest update on festival partners comes from the Lyric Opera of Los Angeles. Their four presentations of Wagner's first opera Die Feen on June 11, 12, 17 and 19, will now take place at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101.