Speakeysie News Desk

Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen — Two Complete Cycles

Tomer Zvulun Productions  ·  Conducted by Iván López Reynoso

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta  ·  June 2029

ATLANTA, GA…May 30, 2026 — The Atlanta Opera today announced its milestone Ring Festival 2029, presenting two complete cycles of Richard Wagner’s epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in June 2029. This festival marks a triumphant new chapter in a journey that started in 2023 when The Atlanta Opera began presenting each of the four Ring operas over four seasons to Atlanta audiences for the first time, earning critical acclaim and regional renown. 

The festival will feature the acclaimed productions directed by Tomer Zvulun and conducted by Principal Conductor Iván López Reynoso. Two full cycles will be offered, providing audiences the rare opportunity to experience Wagner’s complete mythic saga — from the theft of the Rhine gold to the twilight of the gods — in a single week. 
LINK to Ring 2029.

Conceived not only as a landmark artistic event but as an international cultural destination, Ring Festival 2029 will welcome audiences from across the United States and abroad to Atlanta. Festival programming beyond the mainstage performances will place a special spotlight on The Atlanta Opera’s future home, the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts, currently under development along the Atlanta Beltline corridor and scheduled to open in Fall 2027.

The new facility will serve as a vibrant hub for festival events, including recitals, lectures, public conversations, community gatherings, and immersive artistic experiences designed to deepen engagement with Wagner’s epic work while introducing visitors to the company’s expanding artistic footprint. Situated on the thriving neighborhood connector, the Atlanta Beltline, the Molly Blank Center reflects The Atlanta Opera’s long-term vision of linking world-class artistic creation with the cultural and civic life of the city.

“Ring Festival 2029 is a transformative moment for us and for Atlanta. The first completely new Ringcycle in America in the 2020s. The first Ring ever presented in the American Southeast. And it’s happening in a city that has proven, time and time again, that it belongs on the world stage. This festival will bring international artists, music lovers, and cultural travelers to Atlanta from across the country and around the globe as we create a full civic celebration. From the Cobb Center to our new home on Atlanta’s Beltline, the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts, we will create a cultural gathering place, where performances, surrounding events, and the warmth of our city come together around one of music’s greatest masterworks.

The art, the conversation, the community. This is what The Atlanta Opera was built for.”
— Tomer Zvulun

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

CYCLE ONE

Saturday, June 9, 2029   Das Rheingold

Sunday, June 10, 2029   Die Walküre

Tuesday, June 12, 2029   Siegfried

Thursday, June 14, 2029   Götterdämmerung  (Twilight of the Gods)

CYCLE TWO

Saturday, June 16, 2029   Das Rheingold

Sunday, June 17, 2029   Die Walküre

Tuesday, June 19, 2029   Siegfried

Thursday, June 21, 2029   Götterdämmerung  (Twilight of the Gods)

All performances at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta, Georgia.

ARTISTIC TEAM

Production & Stage Direction:  Tomer Zvulun

Conductor:  Iván López Reynoso

Scenic & Projection Design:  Erhard Rom

Costume Design:  Mattie Ulrich

Lighting Design:  Robert Wierzel

Wig & Makeup Design:  Anne Nesmith
Live Action Director: Ran Arthur Braun

Presented by:  The Atlanta Opera

Venue:  Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

The Ring Festival 2029 represents the culmination of one of the most ambitious undertakings in The Atlanta Opera’s history. Beginning in 2023, the company embarked on a multi-season journey to bring Wagner’s complete Ring cycle to the American Southeast — a region that had never before witnessed the complete tetralogy performed by a resident opera company. Over four consecutive seasons, director Tomer Zvulun guided the creation of a unified, visually striking production that weaves together the mythological worlds of gods, heroes, and humans across some seventeen hours of music.

The festival presents a singular opportunity for audiences to experience this epic in its entirety — across two complete cycles — in the intimate yet grand setting of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Additional programming, including recitals, lectures, films, and exhibits, will be presented at The Atlanta Opera’s new home, the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts – now under construction.

Rather than treating the Ring as a museum piece or relying primarily on spectacle, the company has built its productions around emotional clarity, cinematic storytelling, and psychological immediacy. Under the leadership of Tomer Zvulun, the productions aim to make Wagner’s epic feel urgent and human for contemporary audiences — whether they are longtime Wagnerians or first-time opera attendees.

FESTIVAL PASSES & INFORMATION

On Sale Dates
January 2027  Valhalla Society members (see below).

October 2027  Atlanta Opera Donors

January 2028  Atlanta Opera subscribers

May 2028        Open public purchase

Atlanta Opera Ring Festival Passes will include the four operas of a complete cycle. 
Enhanced and VIP level Festival passes will be available to offer exclusive access to additional events and hospitality.
Additional programming will be hosted at the new Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts.

Available Now  
Valhalla Society membership is available at levels starting at $2,500. For priority seating, behind-the-scenes engagements, and exclusive performances & learning opportunities, joining the Atlanta Opera’s Valhalla Society offers access to a full and immersive experience of Atlanta’s Ring. Membership includes the “Ring Leaders” newsletter with exclusive announcements of casting, hospitality offers, additional festival programming, and other benefits.  LINK to more.
 

ABOUT THE ATLANTA OPERA

Hailed by The New York Times for “Bringing Opera Back from the Brink,” The Atlanta Opera’s mission is to break the boundaries of opera to create exceptional experiences for audiences everywhere. Founded in 1979, the company has grown to achieve “Tier One” status (Opera America) in 2024 and works with world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and designers who seek to enhance the art form. Under the leadership of internationally recognized stage director and Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun, The Atlanta Opera expanded from three to four mainstage productions at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and launched the acclaimed “Discoveries” event series, as well as the innovative 96-Hour Opera Project. In recent years, the company has been named among the “Best of” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was nominated in 2016 and 2023 for International Opera Awards. It also received ArtsATL’s 2019 Luminary Award for Community Engagement in recognition of its successful Veterans Program in partnership with the Home Depot Foundation, while the 2023 Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities recognized the excellence of the 96-Hour Opera Project. In 2025, Zvulun was recognized for his leadership in the Georgia arts industry with a Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities. In addition, The Atlanta Opera was featured in a 2018 Harvard Business School case study about successful organizational growth, and Zvulun presented a TEDx Talk at Emory University titled “The Ambidextrous Opera Company, or Opera in the Age of iPhones.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Atlanta Opera was one of the only companies in the world to create a full, alternative season, consisting of no fewer than 40 live performances in two different outdoor venues, including a revolutionary custom-designed circus tent. The critically acclaimed productions and concerts were streamed in HD on the newly created “Atlanta Opera Film Studio” streaming platform, which continues to allow The Atlanta Opera to reach a global audience. National media coverage of the “pandemic season” included features in the Wall Street Journal and on PBS NewsHour. In 2026, the company broke ground on the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts which is scheduled to open in Fall 2027. Reflecting on the company’s achievements over the past decade, Musical America declared, “The Atlanta Opera has arrived.” For more information, visit atlantaopera.org.