San Francisco Opera’s online Ring Festival continues throughout March with free streaming of Richard Wagner’s four-part The Ring of the Nibelung and live ticketed events online.
The Ring Festival schedule featuring an array of interviews, panel discussions and lectures with artists and scholars has been updated, including the addition of two new free events.
Ring Festival Newly Added Events
- March 22 at 5:30 pm PT — The Ring from the Pit, San Francisco Opera Tad and Dianne Taube General Director Matthew Shilvock hosts this conversation with members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra about the skill, concentration and stamina required to rehearse and perform Wagner’s 15-hour masterwork.
- March 26 at 5:30 pm PT — What’s Opera, Doc?,a panel discussion exploring the intersection of opera and animation featuring Craig Kausen, Chairman of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and grandson of Jones who directed the Wagner-infused, 1957 Bugs Bunny classic; Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and moderated by San Francisco Opera Guild Program Manager John C. Morris, who performed the voice of Andy in the Toy Story films.
Ring Festival Updates
- March 19 at 1 pm PT — Becoming Brünnhildewill feature a conversation with three acclaimed sopranos who have performed the pivotal role of the Valkyrie on the War Memorial Opera House stage: Jane Eaglen (1995 and 1999), Nina Stemme (2010 and 2011) and Iréne Theorin (2018).
- March 25 at 5:30 pm PT – Green Wagner: Environmental Themes and Challenges in Wagner’s Ring will include director Francesca Zambello, set designer Michael Yeargan and Wagner scholar Kirsten Paige.
- March 30 at 6:30 pm PT – Guests for the Festival Closing Toast will include mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton and Ronnita Miller, director Francesca Zambello, scholar Naomi Andréwith general director Matthew Shilvock.
Complete schedule of upcoming events and Ring Festival ticket information are below. For further information, visit sfopera.com/ring.
Encompassing four operas—Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung—Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) is an unparalleled masterpiece of mythic drama and musical storytelling. San Francisco Opera’s sold-out performances, filmed in HD at the War Memorial Opera House in summer 2018, are being streamed for free this month.
American director Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed staging of the tetralogy, a co-production with Washington National Opera, features an international cast, including Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde), Greer Grimsley (Wotan), Daniel Brenna (Siegfried), Karita Mattila (Sieglinde), Brandon Jovanovich (Siegmund and Froh), Falk Struckmann (Alberich), Jamie Barton (Fricka, Waltraute and the Second Norn), Ronnita Miller (Erda and the First Norn) and many others, under the baton of conductor Donald Runnicles. Zambello’s production, which utilizes imagery associated with American history, features the work of set designer Michael Yeargan, costume designer Catherine Zuber, lighting designer Mark McCullough and projection designers S. Katy Tucker and Jan Hartley.
Unveiled in 1876 at the composer’s theater in Bayreuth, Germany, the Ring cycle remains one of the most ambitious works of art ever created. Its scope and synthesis of music, theater and stagecraft continue to offer inspiration and provocation to artists, critics and audiences. A “bucket list” cultural event, the Ring typically requires great expense for travel, tickets and accommodations while taking in the four operas in succession. Experiencing the Ring fosters a unique sense of community and, for some, an ongoing relationship with the work. Through free streams of San Francisco Opera’s 2018 production and the calendar of ancillary events, the Ring experience is now available to all.
The Ring Festival is dedicated to the memory of beloved Company Sponsor Ann Getty, for whom the Ring was the pinnacle of human creativity.
STREAMING SCHEDULE
March 6–7 DAS RHEINGOLD: In the cycle’s prelude, greed and vengeance trigger a chain of events fraught with corruption and struggle (2 hours, 32 minutes)
March 13–14 DIE WALKÜRE: A father’s blinding ambition and a daughter’s defiance drive the story forward. (3 hours, 46 minutes)
March 20–21 SIEGFRIED: A fearless, young hero battles otherworldly challenges on a journey to discover his destiny. (3 hours, 56 minutes)
March 27–28 GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG: The cycle reaches its transcendent climax with a suspenseful tale of bravery, sacrifice, destruction and renewal. (4 hours, 24 minutes)
Each free opera stream is viewable on demand with registration at sfopera.com, beginning at 10 am (Pacific) on the first streaming date through 11:59 pm the following day. Current San Francisco Opera subscribers and members (donors of $75 and up) retain access to opera titles after their window of public access.
RING FESTIVAL TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Individual tickets to live ancillary events: $15 (Admission to the March 30 Closing Night Toast is available to Festival Pass and All-Access Festival Pass holders only).
Festival Pass (all Festival events): $99 ($69 for San Francisco Opera subscriber/donor)
All-Access Festival Pass (Includes the Ring Festival Pass and a $75 tax-deductible donation that grants access to San Francisco Opera online streaming portal, including the 2018 Ring cycle productions after initial stream period): $144
On-demand recordings of Festival events will be available to ticket holders 24 hours after each event.
Registration for free events: To register for The Ring from the Pit, visit this link. For What’s Opera, Doc?, please register here.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sfopera.com/ringfestival or call the San Francisco Opera Box Office at (415) 864-3330.
Free Festival Passes will be offered to high school and college students and teachers (requests can be sent to patronservices@sfopera.com from the school e-mail address).