San Francisco Opera Announces 2011 Ring Festival

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Bay Area Celebration Features Symposia, Exhibits, Films, Performances and Special Events in Conjuction with San Francisco Opera's Summer 2011 Presentation of Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen

San Francisco Opera today announced details of the 2011 Ring Festival, a Bay Area-wide celebration in conjunction with the Company’s Summer 2011 presentation of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, the epic four-opera cycle widely considered one of the greatest works ever conceived for the operatic stage. A diverse array of cultural and educational institutions have partnered with San Francisco Opera to present lectures and symposia, exhibits, musical performances, film screenings and other events throughout the Bay Area for audiences who desire to connect with the work in new and compelling ways. The festival also provides opportunities for patrons to interact with fellow Ring cycle subscribers, both those new to the work and those who have experienced it before.

“The magnitude of the Ring and the extraordinary legacy of Richard Wagner continues to inspire greater study and understanding for our enrichment and appreciation,” said San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley. “I’m very proud that so many educational, community and cultural organizations have agreed to present Ring related programs that are innovative, bold, sensitive, complex and timely. I believe San Francisco Opera’s Ring ancillary partners will contribute greatly to our comprehension and enjoyment of this timeless masterpiece.”

Ring Festival partners include the Asian Art Museum; California Academy of Sciences; Commonwealth Club; Classical 102.1 KDFC; Contemporary Jewish Museum; Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at the University of San Francisco; Goethe-Institut; Humanities West; Jewish Community Center of San Francisco; Los Medanos College; Mills College; Museum of Performance & Design; Opera Frontier; OPERA America; Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley; San Francisco Conservatory of Music; St. Mary’s Cathedral; University of San Francisco: The Center for the Pacific Rim; San Francisco Opera Center; Stanford University and Stanford Lively Arts; and the Wagner Society of Northern California. Each organization will provide its own unique point of view on the Ring, providing opportunities to learn more about Wagner’s masterpiece and explore a fascinating spectrum of related issues. In addition, San Francisco Opera will present three Ring symposia as well as pre-opera talks prior to each performance and San Francisco Opera Guild will present preview lectures and discussions throughout the Bay Area. Festival events will run prior to and concurrently throughout each cycle. A 2011 Ring Festival schedule is attached; please visit sfopera.com/ringfestival for on-going festival updates and additional information.

About San Francisco Opera’s 2011 Der Ring Des Nibelungen
CYCLE 1: June 14 (8 p.m.); June 15 (7 p.m.); June 17 (6:30 p.m.); June 19 (1 p.m.)
CYCLE 2: June 21 (8 p.m.); June 22 (7 p.m.); June 24 (6:30 p.m.); June 26 (1 p.m.)
CYCLE 3: June 28 (8 p.m.); June 29 (7 p.m.); July 1 (6:30 p.m.); July 3 (1 p.m.)

San Francisco Opera presents Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in three complete cycles, each in their entirety over the course of one week as the composer originally intended, from June 14–July 3, 2011 at the historic War Memorial Opera House. The four operas in this production by director Francesca Zambello—Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung—will be presented in San Francisco for the first time as a complete cycle. Wagner’s epic cycle explores the lust for power, the lure of gold, the sacred beauty of nature, and the power of redemption and renewal despite the destructive impulses of mankind, through the gradual unfolding of a timeless mythical tale.

Former San Francisco Opera music director and noted Wagnerian Donald Runnicles leads a celebrated international cast including Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde), Mark Delavan (Wotan), Stefan Margita (Loge), Ian Storey (Siegfried), Gordon Hawkins (Alberich), Larissa Diadkova (Fricka), David Cangelosi (Mime), Anja Kampe (Sieglinde) and Brandon Jovanovich (Siegmund and Froh). Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and Siegfried are co-productions with Washington National Opera and Götterdämmerung is a new San Francisco Opera production premiere.

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