The founder of PingTone Communications, the first VoIP company in the United States, Shelby Bryan previously served as the CEO of ICG Communications and collaborated with Jan Stenbeck in forming Millicom. Alongside his career in the telecommunications field, Shelby Bryan enjoys attending the opera, including events such as the Bayreuth Festival in Germany.
An annual event that goes from July through August, the Bayreuth Festival remains dedicated to producing the works of its founder, Richard Wagner. Still managed by Wagner's descendants, the festival takes place in the theater Wagner himself designed and built. The Bayreuth Festival draws substantial attention worldwide and in the past people have sometimes waited decades for a ticket.
Since 2012, obtaining a ticket to the Bayreuth Festival has become easier. Now, rather than being required to write a letter months in advance, you can purchase tickets online by credit card. Still, many more people hope to attend the festival than the number of tickets offered.
In order to help your chances of becoming one of the lucky ones, you can join the Society of Friends of Bayreuth (or Gesellschaft der Freunde von Bayreuth). And lastly, more adventurous souls may choose to arrive at the festival and attempt to purchase tickets that may be available at the door due to cancellations.
