Best of 2009

We’re honored that some of our recent productions have made it onto several “Best of 2009” lists. Dave Stabler from The Oregonian liked our double bill of Bluebeard’s Castle with Erwartung and Seattle Magazine thought our “Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer” project was among the Best Arts Outreach Ideas of the year. The Ring made it onto the “Best of” lists of Joshua Kosman at the San Francisco Chronicle, Zach Carstensen of The Gathering Note (who also picked Bluebeard/Erwartung), and Gina Young at The Stranger’s music blog “Line Out.” Thanks everyone!

Here’s to a year of great opera in 2010!

Analyzing “Confessions”

Our “Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer” project has made its way across the pond. Hannah Rudman at UK website AmbITion showed the video to the college students in her digital media class, and is skeptical it would make those who were previously uninterested in opera want to try it out. You all were around throughout the project, what did you think about it? Join the discussion over at AmbITion.

Final and Full Documentary: "Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer"

Hopefully you've been following the "Confessions" project all summer long, but in case you haven't, the quick summary is that we sought out to determine if an opera newbie could not just appreciate – but actually enjoy – opera. And not just ANY opera, but Wagner's massive Ring cycle.

Starting with auditions in May, then a week of online voting in June with over 6,500 votes cast, we found our opera neophyte and documentary host in Cassidy Quinn Brettler. In the weeks that followed we immersed Cassidy in the creation of the Ring, from "flying" like the Rheinmaidens, to meeting General Director Speight Jenkins, to tumbling around with Richard Paul Fink, to playing with fire. How does a young opera novice respond to Wagner’s monumental, epic cycle? And can a young person - or any opera newcomer - like the art form enough to want to come back?

All these questions are finally answered in the full reality-style video of "Confessions of a First-time Operagoer." The video made its world premiere last weekend, but today it makes its online debut (now it really is for the whole world!). ENJOY!!

"Confessions" Final Video World Premiere & Release Party!

The project we've been working on all summer long is ready to make its stage debut at an exclusive release party! As you've seen here on the blog, over the past three months we've been chronicling the experiences of opera newbie 20-year-old Cassidy Quinn Brettler as she was immersed in the creation of the Ring cycle. What is opera like to a newcomer? Can an opera neophyte really enjoy the monumental Ring? Learn the answers to these questions, come with your own questions for an open Q&A session with Cassidy and the video's director, see some of the opera costumes featured in the video, and hear a brief live opera performance from one of Seattle Opera's Young Artists - all at the final cut world premiere of "Confessions of a First-time Operagoer!"



If you've been following the project, please join us at the release party. Or if you know an opera neophyte yourself, we'd love to have you send the invitation along so that they can catch a glimpse of what Seattle Opera is all about!

Saturday, September 26
TWO SCREENING TIMES: 7:00 AND 8:30 pm
Central Cinema
Located at 21st Avenue and Union Street
Light refreshments provided.

TWO WAYS TO RSVP:
1. Call the Ticket Office at 206.389.7676
2. Online (if you have an account with us already)

Space is limited - RSVP TODAY!

HOW TO RSVP ONLINE:
1. Login to your account (again, you must already have an account with us for the event to appear when you login)
2. On your Account Overview page, scroll down to My Invitations
3. Select which screening time to attend (please choose only one time to allow more space for others)

Want to catch up with Cassidy's summer adventures?
Read Cassidy's blog posts
Watch "Confessions" episodes online

The Last "Confession"

Well, it's official: I have seen the entire Ring cycle! I am no longer a Ring rookie!

On Wednesday, I saw Siegfried. I loved it! I was really excited to see Fafner, the dragon! I had seen him in a rehearsal a month ago, but couldn't wait to see him on stage, with all the lighting and the singers! And I wasn't disappointed - I loved the parts with Fafner, especially when Siegfried fights him!

My favorite part, though, was right after Siegfried kills Fafner, when Mime comes to talk to Siegfried. I loved how Siegfried can see right through Mime - he hears what Mime really means, not the words that are actually coming out of his mouth. I wish I could hear what people are really saying to me! It's a very funny scene - it was very interesting and different to watch a funny part in an opera! Most audience members seemed to be used to the sophisticated and serious opera style, so I didn't hear many loud chuckles coming from the seats (only small snickers...).

Then on Friday I saw Gotterdammerung, the finale in the Ring cycle. I was a little bit nervous going into it, because it's the longest out of the four operas and I had to be at McCaw Hall a couple hours early to do some last-minute shooting (it was a combined 8-hour opera day!). But once I got in my seat, I was ready for the show!

I loved how Gotterdammerung uses more people on stage than any of the other three operas. There are probably about 20-30 people on stage at the same time at one point, during the double-wedding! There was such a different feeling in the room then - having so many more people on stage really gives the show a completely different energy!

Gotterdammerung was the opera that struck up the most emotion in me. I got pretty angry and frustrated when Gunther - or Siegfried, disguised as Gunther - takes Brunnhilde from her ledge and tries to force her to marry him. And then when Brunnhilde hears that Siegfried is there - and marrying Gertrune! - I immediately felt for Brunnhilde. I felt terrible for her! I can't ever imagine that happening to me! Luckily I wasn't sitting in the front row, or I would've climbed up onto the stage and fought with Siegfried and Gunther!

I also loved the scene when Siegfried dies. I know it sounds terrible that I liked the part where the hero gets killed, but it's just a beautiful scene! The lighting on the stage, combined with the staging of the chorus men, made it such an aesthetically pleasing and emotionally moving scene.

But the best part of all was the ending! So many people had told me at the intermissions that the end is amazing and I should look forward to it. And it was! All the projections of fire and water onto a huge scrim on the stage looked so cool! It reminded me of the tornado scene in the Wizard of Oz, when all of the different characters are flying around, and you don't exactly know what's going on, it's kind of like a dream! Everything on stage kept changing - all the sudden the stage would look completely different - different characters, different projections, different sets. It was so mesmerizing!

When I wasn’t sitting at the edge of my seat watching the show, I was out in the first tier lobby talking to all of you! Thanks so much to everyone who came to talk to me! I learned a lot about other productions of the Ring cycle that you’ve seen – it was unanimous that the Seattle Opera production is an amazing one! Although I haven’t seen any other production of the Ring (yet), I feel privileged to have seen one of the best! You all gave me great advice – what other operas I should see, what parts of the Ring I should cry at, what books I should read about the Ring – you covered everything! I also talked to some of you who have seen the Ring cycle more times than I can count on my fingers and toes combined! I talked to one of you who’s seen the Ring cycle over 50 times! It’s amazing what a large and dedicated following the Ring cycle has. It was almost like I was talking to Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movie fans, who show up to the premieres hours early to get a spot in line. Although I was surprised not to see anyone dressed up as any of the Ring characters…!

I will definitely miss having all of you come and talk to me, and especially having the cameras follow me around! It felt like Disneyland having everyone wait in line to talk to me at intermission – it was so much fun!

And I actually will miss going to the opera every other night – it’s such a great excuse to get dressed up and feel sophisticated! Not to mention, I actually enjoyed the performances! I’ll have to admit, I was tired when it was over, ready to throw on some sweatpants and lay on the couch – but the next day I woke up ready to do it all again!

I feel accomplished, having completed my first Ring cycle. I feel more cultured, worldly – not many people my age can say they’ve sat through 16 hours of opera in one week! I think if I can do that, I can do almost anything! I’ve learned through this whole process that there’s actually a lot of things out there that I don’t normally think about – as a college student, I sometimes think I’ve got the world figured out – I know what’s out there, what there is to do on weekends. But this opera experience has opened my eyes to the fact that there really are a bunch of things out there that I don’t know much about that I might really enjoy! So I am going to continue exploring and discovering new things!

This “Confessions” project was a definite success. Not only did I enjoy the operas, but my friends have actually become intrigued by this type of performance media as well. Many of my friends came up to me the week of the performances and said, “I wish I could come with you to the opera!” So maybe now they’ll be motivated to go see an opera, even if I’m not there to drag them along! Maybe they won’t dive in head first and start out with the Ring cycle – but, hey, as long as even at least one more person my age goes to one opera, I think we can count this as a success!

I am definitely going to see more operas in my future. I don’t know where, when, or which operas, but I know I’ll see some! And I’m always open to suggestions!

As a closing event for the “Confessions” project, my friends and I returned to Varlamos (where the first “Confessions” shoot of the whole summer took place!) to eat calzones and reminisce about my adventures with the Ring cycle this summer. The Reel Grrls, once again, tagged along, and made us all feel like reality TV stars! It was a bittersweet moment – having the last “Confessions” shoot! I was actually pretty sad!

Thanks so much to everyone who’s followed me along this whole project – anyone who’s read one of my blog posts, watched one of the “Confessions” episodes, or talked to me at intermission – I’ve had so much fun! I’m definitely going to miss it. School's going to seem so boring compared to this! I don't think I'll be flying in a harness or doing stunts in knee pads in my classes this year...! I’m even considering setting up a confession booth in my room, so that I can keep vlogging about my life – it’s nice to be able to sit and ramble on about my life to the camera!

And to everyone out there who’s my age, or anywhere close to it – definitely go try out the opera! I think you’d be pleasantly surprised! And I found out the other day that Seattle Opera has $20 day-of-show student rush tickets! So you don’t even have to go broke (which college students always appreciate)!

Thanks again for listening! I’ll miss you all! Tweet me or Facebook me if you have any more advice for me, or any suggestions for operas I should go see!

"Confessions" - The Ring is HERE!

So, I am officially an operagoer! I’ve made it through half of the Ring cycle already – two whole operas!

Sunday, I saw Das Rheingold. I didn’t know what to expect, except that I knew I should stay caffeinated and prepare to sit still for two and a half hours. But after a long day of preparation, I was finally ready.

My day began at 3 o’ clock on Sunday afternoon, when I started trying to figure out what I should wear! Anna, from Reel Grrls, brought a humongous pile of beautiful skirts, shirts, dresses, shoes, jewelry – everything I would need to transform into a sophisticated operagoer! I tried on outfit after outfit, before finally deciding on one. Then the rest of the Reel Grrls arrived, and I changed back into my average Joe clothes so that they could show everyone watching what I looked like before I got ready to go to the opera. After we shot the “before” footage, I started to really focus and get into gear. I started doing my hair and makeup, and, let me tell you – my bathroom has never been full of so many people! Anna was doing my hair, while I did my makeup, and then about 6 other Reel Grrls were in there with lights, the camera, the microphone – it was complete and utter chaos! But controlled chaos, nonetheless.

Here's me once I was completely ready!



Finally, I had my tickets in my purse and I was ready to go. I headed to McCaw Hall to meet up with the Reel Grrls again, where we shot some footage before the show began. It was crazy running around McCaw Hall – there were so many people there, even an hour before the show was scheduled to start!



Then, just before 7 o’ clock, it was time to head to my seat. And that’s when it finally hit me – the moment I had been waiting for all summer was actually here! So I grabbed a program, and sat down.

And I actually loved the show! I was a little skeptical beforehand. But, fortunately, I really liked it! I got a little fidgety after sitting down for 2 hours, but the story was very compelling and kept me on the edge of my seat!

I think my favorite part was when Alberich turned into a snake and then a toad. It was such a great representation of how magical the entire opera was – gods, rainbows, gold – it was like watching a fairytale! I also loved all of the fire! I had already played with some of the fire, and seen all of the fire that came out of the sets. But I didn’t know that Loge, the fire god, could actually shoot fire out of his hands! I’m kind of jealous… I wish I could do that! And make a helmet out of gold like Mime did for Alberich… And walk on a rainbow bridge up to Valhalla like the gods! If only I could live in the world of Das Rheingold… Except then I might have to give up love or something, and that wouldn’t be any fun.

Then Monday night I saw Die Walküre, and I loved it! I think I liked it even more than Das Rheingold. The first act was such a beautiful love story, with Siegmund and Sieglinde. But the third act was my favorite – I finally got to actually hear the "Ride of the Valkyries!" The orchestra music was so beautiful! And it’s such a heart-wrenching story – Brünhilde disobeying her father, but only because she knew it was what he truly wanted, and then becoming an outcast of the family! I can’t imagine that ever happening to me! But I think that so far, if I got to choose a character to play, I would be one of the Valkyries – it seems like a fun part to play! Now only if I could sing like them…!

One thing I thought was interesting in comparing the two operas I’ve seen so far is how they are separated into acts. Das Rheingold is only one act, but there are many set changes throughout. But in Die Walküre, there are 3 acts, but only one set in each act. I thought that was very interesting. It’s crazy that the show can stay in the same set for over an hour for an entire act! I look forward to seeing how this all works in the next two operas!

One last thing before I go rest up for tonight's Siegfried – during all of the intermissions for each opera, I will be in the first tier lobby standing next to a sign that says “Come Meet Cassidy at Intermissions!” – please come say hi to me! Give me some advice about opera, or tell me what your favorite opera is in the Ring cycle! I would love to talk to you!

See you tonight!

Confessions: Episode 4

In the fourth episode of "Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer," Cassidy meets the dragon, a horse, and flips around (literally!) with Richard Paul Fink.

Cassidy's pre-show education is now complete as she is currently attending this week's Ring performances. Want to impart some Ring wisdom to our opera newbie? Then stop by the First Tier Lobby during intermissions this week to meet and greet Cassidy, and even share some Ring confessions of your own!

Confessions: Shoot #5!

So, there are only a couple more weeks until the Ring opens, and I think I’m almost ready!

Today, I met Star, who plays the horse in Götterdämmerung, the last opera in the Ring cycle. Turns out, there was another horse who had previously performed in multiple Ring cycles for Seattle Opera, but this is Star’s first one! She’s never performed in an opera before. Today was her first time onstage at McCaw Hall, and she seemed to be handling it pretty well! Apparently, Corliss, the horse's owner has been playing music from the Ring in the barn, so Star has gotten used to it by now! I watched once first, as Corliss walked Star up the backstage ramp and onto the set of Brünhilde's ledge. Then, the second time, I got to walk ahead of Corliss and Star on the set! Star got a little uneasy around the Reel Grrls’ boom microphone (she thought it was a snake!), but, for the most part, she seemed to be getting used to the spotlight! But I could tell she was a tad nervous, because she left some horse poop on the stage!

I took a few pictures from offstage with my phone:


Then I met with Jonathan Dean, Education Artistic Administrator (who I know you all know from his frequent posts on the blog!), who told me all I needed to know about the Ring! He told me all about the main characters, and how everything I’ve seen and learned about so far in the “Confessions” project all fits together to create four epic operas! I also learned that it took Wagner 25 years to write the Ring cycle – I haven’t even been alive that long! Hopefully I remember everything he told me by the time I see the show…!

Then I headed back to McCaw Hall, where the Ring orchestra was rehearsing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many musicians or musical instruments in one room before! The orchestra was rehearsing in a huge rehearsal space, and there were over a hundred musicians in there! I felt totally out of my element! Everyone in there seemed so focused, whether their job was to play a ton of notes, to follow along with the sheet music, or to take notes of what needed to be fixed. This was the first time I’d actually gotten to hear live orchestra music from the Ring, so it was really exciting for me! The music has so much depth to it – it’s almost overwhelming! I can’t believe Wagner actually wrote sixteen hours of intense music!

The next Ring activity I see from the Seattle Opera will be the final product – I’m so nervous and excited I can’t stand it! Wish me luck – I mean, hope I break a leg!

Confessions: Shoot #4

Today was another exciting day shooting “Confessions!”

First, I got to sit in on a rehearsal of the dragon, Fafner, at McCaw Hall. It was amazing to see Fafner in action – the dragon is huge! One of the crew members stood in for Siegfried and practiced fighting Fafner and stabbing his tail. At one point, Fafner’s head was being lowered down onto the set, and it kept moving for a little too long, and all the sudden, I heard a “creeeeak” – the tusk almost broke! Whoops…the crew fixed it promptly though!

Above, the film crew shoots Fafner from the house.

Then they shot my reactions to seeing the dragon for the first time:

Later, I met with Chuck Whitmore, who works with the supertitles and the images projected on stage. He even put my name into the computer and made my name come up as a supertitle! That was really exciting; I felt so honored! He also showed me some of the projections for the end of the Ring cycle, with fire and water. I only got to see it on a computer screen, so I’m really excited to get to see the large projections during the full performance!

Then I went back to the Seattle Opera offices and rehearsal spaces, and met up with Luretta Bybee and Emma Grimsley, two artists in the Ring cycle. And they’re mother and daughter! Luretta plays the First Norn and a Valkyrie, and Emma plays the Woman in Black. But that’s not all of their opera family! The father of the family, Greer Grimsley, plays Wotan! I asked them what it’s like being an opera family, and if it’s common to have a whole family of opera singers. They said they’re pretty much the only one! I also talked to Emma about what it’s like being a younger person involved in opera – she’s still in high school! She said she tries to get her friends interested in opera, and to get them to come see her shows. In this picture, the Reel Grrls crew captures the interview; Luretta is sitting on the steps to the left, Emma is sitting to the right, and I'm interviewing from the left side.

As always, I learned a lot today! I’m seeing more and more pieces of the Ring cycle, and I can’t wait to see how they all fit together – only a few more weeks until the show!

Photos by Ilona Rossman Ho.

Confessions: Shoot #3!

My body is sore right now. And I can’t figure out if it’s sore because of wakeboarding this morning or the third “Confessions” shoot yesterday.

The shoot started out simple – I showed up at McCaw Hall and got a tour of onstage, backstage, the audience – everything! I interviewed Pete Olds, the Properties Master, right in front of the stage! He told me all about the recently renovated McCaw Hall and the sets that were on the stage. Pete also showed me a bunch of the props from the Ring cycle! I got to hold some swords, and I even got to touch the ring!

Then I met up with Julianne Gearhart, who plays one of the Rhinemaidens in the Ring cycle. She told me all about what it’s like to fly in the air while singing! I’m sure glad I don’t have to do that! She basically has to pretend she’s swimming around every time she’s on stage!

Then I interviewed Richard Paul Fink, who plays Alberich in the Ring cycle. He has to do a ton of stunts in the show, like flips and jumps and climbing! After I interviewed him, we went on the stage and he showed me some of the moves he has to do! The stage was set for the first scene, on the river bottom, so he showed me how to pretend I’m walking on a slimy surface (even though it’s really just made of Styrofoam!). He also taught me how to climb up the set (from the audience you’d never know how he does it!), and jump from one part of the set to another! I think that all might be the reason my body is sore right now! But luckily, I had my athletic clothes and kneepads on, so I came out without needing any band-aids.

After all of that excitement, I got to play with fire! Tom Cowdery, the pyrotechnician for the Ring, showed me how to light parts of the stage on fire! And it was so easy! All I had to do was move a tiny little switch, and, voila! Flames! I was very entertained. If they left me alone there I would’ve played with the fire for hours.

After I got my pyromania out of my system, other members of the crew gave me another backstage tour, so I got to see even more of the sets! I even got to see the dragon, which, right now, is in pieces, but I’m excited to eventually see it all put together! They also showed me how some of the sets rotate around, so they can be used for multiple scenes! I’m looking forward to seeing those in action!

The last part of my day was spent watching a rehearsal of the first scene from the whole Ring cycle. I got to watch the Rhinemaidens get into their costumes (it took a while to put those complicated harnesses on!), and then sing and fly (or swim!) around on stage! I saw Richard Paul in action with a few of his stunts. So I got to watch a few of the aspects of the Ring that I had already learned about fit together!

Slowly but surely, I’m learning a lot about the Ring! So many new and exciting things happened today – I don’t know if next week can top it!

Photos taken by Bill Mohn.

Confessions: Shoot #2

We had our second “Confessions” shoot this week, and it introduced me to a lot that I have never experienced before!

I showed up at the Seattle Opera offices on Monday morning, and we shot some footage of me entering the building. A few minor technical difficulties ensued, but the wonderful Reel Grrls crew fixed them promptly.

Then I went on a tour of the costume shop led by Susan Davis, Seattle Opera's Costume Shop Manager; I have never seen so many pieces of clothing in my life! I saw so many things in the costume shop that I can hardly remember them all! I saw people working on costumes for the Ring (apparently there’re 214 costumes!), I saw never-ending racks of costumes from past Seattle Opera shows (I swear the fabric went on forever!), I saw the dying room where they dye fabric that needs to be just the right color, and I even saw bloody bandages (fake blood – or so I hope).

But the best part of my tour was when I got to try on a Ring costume! It was a costume of one of the Valkyries – it had a long skirt, a vest of armor, a jacket, and a hat. The hat normally sits on a large opera wig, but I don’t have a wig, so I had to hold the hat on my head. The hat had huge wings that stuck straight out the back – I had definitely never worn a hat like that before!



Then I got to interview Speight Jenkins, the General Director of Seattle Opera. I Googled Speight before interviewing him, so I thought I had a good idea of what questions I should ask, and a good background of his life in relation to opera. I wasn’t too nervous for the interview. But then, as the interview appointment drew nearer, more and more Seattle Opera employees told me “not to be nervous, you’ll be okay.” And I thought, “Don’t be nervous? I wasn’t, but now I am!” Everyone kept telling me he is “God in the opera world” – something I, most certainly, am not. But once I was finally face-to-face with Speight, my nerves were, mostly, gone. He was nice and warm, and answered my questions with long, full answers. Phew! And guess what, he knew all about the "Confessions" project and he even voted!

Then I got to the most exciting part of the day – I got to fly! No, I didn’t fly a plane. I got to fly like the Rhinemaidens in the Ring (that's how they portray swimming in the Rhine River during the opera). I was suspended in the air from two cables attached to a harness at my hips. I was a bit nervous as I slowly rose towards the ceiling of the rehearsal space, but soon I was doing front and back flips! I was so proud of myself! Thanks so much to the crew who helped me not fall to my death!

And I think that basically covers the shoot! Other than what I’ve already mentioned, I squeezed in a lunch break, walked up and down a ton of stairs (the rehearsal space is in the basement of the Seattle Opera office building!), and was interviewed by the Seattle Times. It was a day full of a lot of excitement! I’m starting to see the how the Ring cycle fits together, piece-by-piece. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Photos taken by Ilona Rossman Ho

Confessions: Shoot #1

We started shooting “Confessions of A First-Time Operagoer” this week! It was a lot of fun. I felt like I was on my own reality show!

The Reel Grrls crew told me they wanted to see what I do in life, how I interact with my friends, etc. So I told them about how on a lot of Mondays, some of my friends and I go to Varlamos, an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood. Monday is “Calzone Night,” so the calzones are cheaper (for a college student with little income – like me – cheaper, is always better).

So the crew followed me to Varlamos. I had to warn my friends before we went that there’d be a camera crew there – my friends aren’t as big of fans of being on camera as I am! When my friends and I got there, we had a table already set up for us (usually we have to wait for a while – it gets crowded!) with lights and cameras and everything! The crew sat one table over and got calzones for themselves (they’re hard to resist!).

The crew filmed my friends and I eating (there’s probably some really attractive shots of me shoving food in my mouth…!), reminiscing about life, and they even interviewed some of my friends, testing their opera knowledge and seeing if they thought I could make it through this project! Hopefully my friends didn’t say anything too embarrassing about me…! And hopefully they don’t hate me too much for making them go on camera! I told them this “Confessions” project can be like “Laguna Beach” and one of them can have their own spin-off afterwards…

I’m getting really excited for next week’s shoot. I’ll be diving head first into the excitement of the Ring cycle! Wish me luck!

Winner Announced for “Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer!”

After over 6,500 votes and a race down to the very last minute of the voting period, we are excited to announce the host of our new reality-style video series chronicling an opera-newbie’s experience at the Ring this summer. Meet Cassidy Quinn Brettler, a 19 year old Seattleite and student at Emerson College. If you didn’t see Cassidy’s audition video during this past week of voting, watch Cassidy’s contest submission below:

Thank You for Voting!

The voting period for the host of "Confessions of a First-time Operagoer" is now closed. Thank you to everyone who voted (over 6,500 votes!). Check back tomorrow, June 6, when we announce the winner right here on the blog!

Vote Now for Your “Confessions” Host!

Meet our five fantastic finalists! This summer, Seattle Opera is creating a new reality-style documentary chronicling the “Confessions of a First-time Operagoer,” and we need YOUR vote to choose our host. Watch our finalists’ audition videos and vote now through 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 5. The winner will be announced on our blog this Saturday, June 6!

HERE ARE THE FINALISTS VIDEOS

Amy Tower


Jeff Powell


Colton Carothers


Howard Wu


Cassidy Brettler


Each applicant is fairly new to opera and has never before seen Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen. The selected host will experience Seattle Opera from the inside out, participating in exclusive backstage tours and events and conversations with the artists, crew, and General Director Speight Jenkins, all of which culminates in attending – for their first time - the Mt. Everest of all opera experiences: Richard Wagner's Ring cycle.