MEDIA RELEASE – RING CYCLE 2016 – EXTRA EVENTS Melbourne Ring Cycle Concerts, talks, tours & more

To celebrate Opera ’s Melbourne Ring Cycle 2016, don’t miss this wide range of free and ticketed events, talks and concerts. ______RECITALS & CONCERTS WAGNER, HIS CONTEMPORARIES AND FOLLOWERS 18 November at 6pm: The Salon, Pianist Alex Raineri and Wagner scholar Peter Bassett present a program that explores the world of Wagner through his letters and music, tracing connections with his contemporaries and followers, including Mendelssohn, Liszt, Berg and Scriabin. http://www.melbournerecital.com.au

MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – PARSIFAL EXCERPTS Thursday 1 December & Saturday 3 December at 8pm: Hamer Hall, An exceptional night with Simone Young conducting Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, mezzo-soprano Michelle de Young and tenor Stuart Skelton in excerpts from Wagner’s Parsifal and Bruckner Symphony No.9. http://www.mso.com.au

MAZDA OPERA IN THE BOWL Saturday 3 December 7.30pm: Sidney Music Bowl FREE EVENT One of Melbourne’s favourite free events, Mazda Opera in the Bowl is opera’s most loved arias performed by some of Opera Australia’s stellar singers, alongside Orchestra and the Opera Australia Chorus – a perfect night under the stars. https://opera.org.au ______TALKS EXPLORING THE RING WITH HEATH LEES Pre-performance from 21 November – 16 December at Melbourne Recital Centre Back by popular demand! The Richard Wagner Society Inc. presents Professor Heath Lees with an informative and entertaining background to each of the Ring Operas. http://www.melbournerecital.com.au

TALKS continued… ALL DAY SYMPOSIUM: A DAY WITH THE RING Thurs 24 November, Sat 3 December & Tues 13 December at 9.30am–4.30pm: State Library of Victoria Immerse yourself in the Ring Cycle with a day of talks by Peter Bassett, Christopher Lawrence, Anthony Hunt and Christopher Menz. http://renaissancetours.com.au

WHEELER CENTRE TALKS: RING TRUE: MUSIC, IDENTITY AND OBSESSION Saturday 17 December at 2.30pm–3.30pm: The Wheeler Centre FREE ENTRY – BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL It took 25 years for Richard Wagner to write Der Ring des Nibelungen; presumably he was hoping people would like it. But did he anticipate that his masterpiece would be an enduring source of obsession for people in the 21st Century? For this conversation, the Wheeler Centre is bringing celebrated American radio producer (WNYC’s Radiolab) and Ring Cycle devotee Jad Abumrad together with one of the world’s foremost authorities on Wagner, Heath Lees. Hosted by Casey Bennetto. http://www.wheelercentre.com/events/ring-true-music-identity-and-obsession

IN CONVERSATION Sundays 27 November, 4 December & 11 December at 10am: State Theatre, Melbourne Arts Centre BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL Join Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini in conversation with a selection of Ring Cycle Principal Artists, as they reflect on their personal experiences of preparing for and performing in this momentous productions. Each session will go for an hour, followed by morning tea in the State Theatre foyer.

Sunday 27 November: James Johnson (Wotan) & Amber Wagner (Siglinde) Sunday 4 December: Lise Lindstrom (Brünnhilde) & Luke Gabbedy Gunther) Sunday 11 December: Warwick Fyfe (Alberich) & Stefan Vinke (Siegfried) https://opera.org.au ______EVENTS FOR CHILDREN BRUNHILDE SAVES THE WORLD 3, 4 & 5 December at 2:30pm & 4:30pm: The Opera Centre, Melbourne Brünnhilde Saves the World is a show for children, adapted from Richard Wagner’s mythological Ring Cycle of music-dramas. The story is told through animation and live performance, from the dwarf’s theft of the gold, to Brünnhilde saving the world – in just 50 minutes.This award-winning show is an ideal entry point for children to experience great music, live singing, a centuries-old art-form presented in an accessible, contemporary form. Rated PG (contains mythological images such as slaying a monster). https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/brunnhilde-saves-the-world-tickets-27649559577?aff=MTOoperaaustralia

EL KID 22-27 November at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne He's just an unpopular kid – El Kid – but when the other goats find themselves in a tough spot, it's little Diego who charges in to save the day. This 50-minute opera explores the courage you find when you believe in yourself, using the popular tunes of Bizet's Carmen, colourful costumes and clever sets to introduce the wonder, passion and drama of opera to primary-school aged students. https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au ______TOURS TARRAWARRA AND DAME NELLIE MELBA IN THE YARRA VALLEY Tuesday 22 November, Thursday 1 December and Thursday 15 December at 8.30am–5.30pm A perfect day outing in the Yarra Valley: visit Tarrawarra Museum of Art, displaying Australian art from the second half of the 20th century to the present day; enjoy lunch at Coombe – The Melba Estate, once the home of Dame Nellie Melba; and delight in a tour of seven acres of stunning gardens and gallery, to get a glimpse of the lifestyle of the world’s first diva. http://renaissancetours.com.au

TOURS continued… GARDENS, ART AND WINE ON THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA Saturday 26 November, Sunday 4 December and Saturday 10 December at 8.30am–5.30pm Devote a day to the Mornington Peninsula. Visit and tour Cruden Farm, Dame Elizabeth Murdoch’s famed garden legacy. Enjoy lunch at Crittenden Estate, a modern vineyard restaurant nestled at the foot of Red Hill. Continue to McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, set on sixteen hectares of bush and landscaped gardens, displaying over 100 permanent sculptures. http://renaissancetours.com.au

HISTORY, BLOOMS AND WINE ON THE BELLARINE PENINSULA Sunday 27 November, Tuesday 6 December and Sunday 11 December at 8.30am–5.30pm Discover the delights of the Bellarine Peninsula. Visit Werribee Mansion, a living postcard of 19th century Australia. Delight in the mass of spring colour and perfume at the Victoria State Rose Garden, home to over 5000 roses. Continue to Bellarine and the Jack Rabbit vineyard for lunch and tastings. http://renaissancetours.com.au

ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE BACKSTAGE TOURS Every Sunday at 11am: Arts Centre Melbourne See the secrets of the theatre revealed in this guided tour through backstage rooms, hidden passageways and technical contraptions that are unknown to most visitors. Trace the footsteps of famous performers, directors and choreographers and hear stories from behind-the scenes of major stage productions. https://artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2016/tour/backstage-tour ______Media enquiries Sarah Wilson, Publicist, Melbourne Ring Cycle 0405 364 643 [email protected]

Image: Melbourne Ring Cycle. Photo Jeff Busby (Melbourne, 2013)