Tickets on Sale for Seattle Opera's 'Ring des Nibelungen' 11/12

Tickets for Seattle Opera's 2009 Ring cycles will go on sale to the general public in an online pre-sale beginning at 10:00 a.m. PST on November 12, and by phone and in person beginning Saturday, November 15 at 10:00 a.m. PST. Cycle tickets range from $302 to $1,508 for the four-opera package, and are already on sale to Seattle Opera subscribers and donors of $100 or more to the Ring fund. Tickets for this highly anticipated event are likely to sell quickly—for the 2005 cycle, tickets were sold out several months in advance, drawing operagoers from 49 states and 19 countries. Seattle Opera will present three full cycles of Wagner's four-opera saga from August 9, 2009, through August 30, 2009.

Seattle Opera has long been heralded as "America's Bayreuth" for its productions of the major works in the Wagner canon, especially the Ring cycle's four operas: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. In August the company will remount its stunning 2005 production, with the award-winning team of director Stephen Wadsworth, set designer Thomas Lynch, costumes by Martin Pakledinaz, and lighting design from Peter Kaczorowski. Maestro Robert Spano, the distinguished music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra who conducted the 2005 Ring¸ also returns in 2009.

New to the 2009 Ring are American soprano Janice Baird as Brünnhilde, who recently made her Seattle Opera debut as Richard Strauss's Elektra, Danish tenor Stig Andersen as Siegfried, and Australian tenor Stuart Skelton as Siegmund. Returning artists include Greer Grimsley as Wotan/The Wanderer, a role he first sang in Seattle's 2005 Ring, and for which he won a Seattle Opera Artist of the Year award. Also returning are baritone Richard Paul Fink as Alberich, and soprano Margaret Jane Wray as Sieglinde and the Third Norn. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, who has sung Fricka and the Second Norn in all Seattle Ring performances since 2000, continues to sing Fricka this year, but will add Waltraute (Götterdämmerung), and switch to the First Norn.

In addition to performances of the Ring, Seattle Opera is hosting numerous activities in and around McCaw Hall in August. Offerings include symposia with Wagner scholars, pre- and post-performance lectures and conversations, and Tech Talks with the company's technical director. For unique theatrical perspectives on the Ring, there will be performances of hour-long Ring adaptations presented by professional young singers alongside children participating in the Children's Ring program, as well as a revival of the musical spoof Das Barbecü presented by ACT – A Contemporary Theater. For more information, visit seattleopera.org.

All performances take place at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington. Cycle prices start at $302 through $1,508 (includes all four operas). To order call the Seattle Opera Ticket Office: 206.389.7676, 800.426.1619 or visit: www.seattleopera.org.

Seattle Opera's Board of Trustees dedicates the 2008/09 season to Speight Jenkins in celebration of his 25th anniversary as general director.

Founded in 1963, Seattle Opera is one of the leading opera companies in the United States.  The company is recognized internationally for its theatrically compelling and musically accomplished performances, especially the Opera's interpretations of the works of Richard Wagner.  Since 1975, Seattle Opera has presented 35 cycles of the Ring (three different productions), in addition to acclaimed productions of all the other major operas in the Wagner canon. Seattle Opera has achieved the highest per capita attendance of any major opera company in the United States, and draws operagoers from four continents and fifty states.

Photo of Martin Pakledinaz by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

To post a comment, you must register and login.