The Wait Is Over. Season Subscriptions Now On Sale!

A limited number of subscriptions for the 2011-2012 season of The Richmond Forum go on sale Monday, May 9th at 9:00 AM through The Richmond Forum's website. Available seats in the Orchestra, Grand Tier and Front Balcony are expected to sell out very quickly. Because we move many of our subscribers forward in the theater each season, the greatest availability of open seats for new subscribers is always in the Rear Balcony. Subscribers in this section still have a clear view of the stage and our large video screen means you won't miss a single facial expression from any of next season's fascinating speakers.

The new season will kick off on November 12, 2011 with music industry living legend, Quincy Jones. Considered one of the most significant figures in American popular music, Jones will discuss his life and career. Jones has been awarded 27 Grammys and an Oscar and has worked with legends such as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Ray Charles, and Michael Jackson. In March, Jones was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama.

For the time being, the January 14, 2012 program is being kept under wraps. "We are very excited about this speaker, but we are not yet able to officially make the announcement," said Bill Chapman, Executive Director of The Richmond Forum. Chapman expects to be able to reveal the program this summer.

On February 4, 2012, ocean explorer Robert Ballard will take the Richmond Forum stage. Best known for his discovery of the wreckage of the Titanic, Ballard will address The Richmond Forum on the centennial of the famous sinking. He will provide an update on his current explorations and discoveries, as well as a demonstration of the cutting-edge technologies being used in his expeditions today. Ballard addressed The Richmond Forum in 1999 and is one of a very small number of speakers who have ever been invited for a return engagement due to popular demand by subscribers.

On March 24, 2012, two of the speakers most requested by Richmond Forum subscribers will be paired for the first time ever as they debate the American Social Contract. Conservative, Pulitzer-prize winning columnist, Charles Krauthammer and former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, Robert Reich will take on the question of whether too many individual freedoms are being lost at the expense of initiatives designed to benefit American society as a whole. This promises to be a very spirited and timely program with two highly respected intellects, liberal and conservative.

Next season will wrap up on April 21, 2012 with a program focused on "Revolutionizing Education in America." According to Chapman, "Nearly every Richmond Forum speaker addresses the importance of an improved education system in America, but we've never devoted a full program to the topic."

Speaking on the subject will be two respected experts, Sir Ken Robinson and Rafe Esquith. Robinson, a creativity expert and renowned speaker, champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. Robinson's presentation at the TED Conference is the most-viewed and shared online video at Ted.com. Esquith is an acclaimed fifth-grade teacher in Los Angeles; he and his class are the subjects of the PBS documentary, The Hobart Shakespeareans. He has received the National Teacher of the Year Award and was honored by Queen Elizabeth II and the Dalai Lama for his innovative classroom approaches. This will be the first time that Robinson and Esquith appear together for a discussion of education reform.

This year, The Richmond Forum received over 375 speaker suggestions from its subscribers, as well as hundreds of requested program topics. "The suggestions included very well-known big names, as well as a large number of lesser-known names with very big stories to tell," said Chapman. "Every season seems to have its own personality, and we are very excited about the speaker mix and challenging topics that have come together for next season...with one more program still to announce."

For 25 seasons, The Richmond Forum has been fulfilling its mission to "bring the leaders from the world stage to our stage in Richmond--to expand horizons, stimulate conversation and inspire our community."

Past speakers have included former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair; former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto; Robert Redford; Archbishop Desmund Tutu, Tim Russert, Anderson Cooper; B.B. King; former Mexican President, Vicente Fox, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; former Secretaries of State Albright, Baker, Powell and Rice, and many others.

The Richmond Forum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization. All programs are held at The Landmark Theater in Richmond, Virginia.