National Geographic LIVE! In Seattle

Now in its 16th year in Seattle, the series presents five of National Geographic’s most dynamic explorers, scientists, archaeologists and photographers, each sharing stories from the front lines of exploration. Award-winning video and digital images animate the presentations, which conclude with a question-and-answer session with audience members.

Each speaker will give two evening presentations on Monday and Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium. Individual tickets to the evening presentations are now available and start at $14 for students/$19 for adults. Each speaker will also give one matinee presentation on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. in the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall; tickets to these matinee presentations are sold out. Subscriptions to the five-part series, which offers savings over the price of single tickets, are still available.

The 2013 season will kick off on January 13, 14 and 15 with marine ecologist Enric Sala, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence who will share stories and images from our planet’s last undisturbed underwater habitats, which he is committed to preserving. On February 24, 25 and 26, polar explorer and audience favorite Børge Ousland will bring larger-than-life stories, videos and images from his recent adventures in both the Arctic and Antarctic to Benaroya Hall. Mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner — National Geographic 2012 Explorer of the Year — will take the stage on March 17, 18 and 19 to tell the story of her historic summit of K2, an achievement that made her the first woman in history to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. On April 28, 29 and 30, photographer Tim Laman and ornithologist Ed Scholes will recount their adventures in the New Guinea rain forest as they documented the dazzling birds of paradise. Concluding the series on May 19, 20 and 21, archaeologist William Saturno will share the fascinating stories behind his latest finds in jungles of Guatemala and how they alter our view of the ancient Maya.

2013 National Geographic Live! SEATTLE Speaker Series

Pristine Seas: Exploring Underwater Edens

Marine Ecologist Enric Sala

Sunday, January 13, at 2 p.m.

Monday, January 14, at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, January 15, at 7:30 p.m.

Marine ecologist Dr. Enric Sala, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, left his academic career to take an active role in reversing the decline he witnessed in the oceans. Since 2005, Sala has fulfilled his passion to make a difference by leading National Geographic’s Pristine Seas expeditions. His mission: to find, survey, and protect the last healthy, undisturbed places in the ocean. His destination: underwater edens found outside the reach of shipping lanes, fisheries and other human interference. Sala believes that when we understand how healthy marine ecosystems work, we can help damaged ecosystems recover. To highlight — and save — some of our planet’s most remarkable underwater worlds, he and his team have conducted scientific expeditions to the Cocos Islands off Costa Rica, the Salas y Gómez Islands near Easter Island, and the central Pacific’s Line Islands. Most recently, he visited the Pitcairn Archipelago, legendary home of the HMS Bounty mutineers. Making 450 dives, Sala’s team discovered a paradise below the waves, where 90 percent of the sea bottom is covered with healthy coral. Join Sala as he recounts his adventures as a global marine conservationist. Enjoy a stunning visual kaleidoscope of dazzlingly colored fish and lightning-quick reef sharks. Hear the stories behind his successful efforts to restore the oceans to health and beauty

Adventures in Polar Exploration

Polar Explorer Børge Ousland

Sunday, February 24, at 2 p.m.

Monday, February 25, at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m.

When it comes to polar exploration, Børge Ousland is a natural. An avid outdoorsman and former member of Norway’s Marinejeger — equivalent to the U.S. Navy Seals — he has the physical and mental toughness to survive extreme conditions, as demonstrated by his history-making crossing of the Antarctic during the long polar night. But Ousland brings more than toughness and endurance to his adventures at high latitudes. He is profoundly aware of those who have gone before him. Heir to a great Norwegian tradition of polar voyages, he has crafted expeditions to replicate the feats of pioneers such as Nansen and Amundsen — in some cases accomplishing what they were unable to do. In 2007, while retracing Fritjof Nansen’s historic trek across Franz Josef Land, he and his team were isolated for three weeks during which they were forced to live off the land. In 2010, Ousland completed the Northern Passage — a circumnavigation by ocean of the entire Arctic in a single season — a long-sought goal of Arctic exploration that became possible only with changing climatic conditions. An audience favorite for his charismatic and compelling presentations, Børge Ousland will report on his latest expeditions with photos and hair-raising video direct from the field.

K2: Danger and Desire on the Savage Mountain

Mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

Sunday, March 17, at 2 p.m.

Monday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner didn’t climb K2 — one of the world’s most dangerous mountains — to become the first woman to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. But that’s exactly what happened. She grew up skiing in the mountains of her native Austria, then worked as a nurse, climbing the local alps on weekends. Her unstoppable appetite for adventure finally drove her to break a trail into the male domain of high-altitude mountaineering. Kaltenbrunner’s primary goal for her K2 climb, featured in National Geographic’s April 2012 issue, was to be part of a team effort co-led with her husband Ralf Dujmovitz. They hoped to climb K2 from the remote Chinese side, along the most dangerous route. Known as the mountaineer’s mountain, K2 has taken the life of roughly one climber for every four who’ve succeeded in making the summit. On this expedition, heavy snowfall just before the team’s summit attempt increased the danger of avalanches on the mountain’s steep slope. The team faced many critical decisions. Two members, including Ralf, decided to abandon the climb halfway through. Kaltenbrunner pushed on with three other climbers and, despite the dangers, reached the summit first — making mountaineering history as she did. Her achievement earned her recognition as National Geographic’s Explorer of the Year for 2012. Meet this astonishing mountaineer and share the dramatic story of how she prepared for and triumphed on K2, told with breathtaking photos and video from the roof of the world.

Birds of Paradise: Extreme, Bizarre, Extraordinary

Photographer Tim Laman / Ornithologist Ed Scholes

Sunday, April 28, at 2 p.m.

Monday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m.

Tim Laman has earned a reputation for capturing images of nearly impossible subjects — from animals that glide through rain forest canopies to some of the most rare and endangered birds in the world. His pioneering research in Borneo led to a Ph.D. from Harvard, and his photography has been featured in 18 National Geographic stories. In collaboration with Cornell University ornithologist Ed Scholes, who has been conducting field research on the birds of paradise for over 10 years, Laman’s latest work focuses on these unique and majestic species, found deep in the New Guinea wilderness. Evolved to attract mates with their extraordinarily colorful feathers, which they display in dances executed with ballerina-like grace, the birds of paradise are a living laboratory of natural selection. In this stunning presentation tied to their new book, Birds of Paradise (to be released this fall), these intrepid scientists share remarkable photographs and video to reveal — for the first time — all 39 species, including their colorful plumage, secret lives, bizarre displays and dazzling courtship antics. Join Laman and Scholes as they recount their wild and hairy adventures in the New Guinea rain forest in search of some of nature’s most extraordinary wonders, and explore the fascinating scientific questions around how such extreme creatures and behaviors could have evolved.

In Search of the Ancient Maya

Archaeologist William Saturno

Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m.

Monday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m.

Get ready for an evening illustrated with colorful imagery and irresistible tales of royal intrigue, backstabbing and war. In the mid-1840s, explorers Stephens and Catherwood first revealed to the outside world the wealth of Mayan ruins found in the Central American jungles. Since then, experts and amateurs have wrestled with the questions: Who built these cities? Who ruled over them? How did they fall into ruin? Recently, these questions have taken on added urgency with the public due to the “Maya prophecy” that the world will end in 2012. For more than a decade, William Saturno has searched for clues to the mysteries of the Classic Maya. Guided by luck and know-how, he and his team have carried out successful excavations in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Saturno has made some of the world’s most important Maya discoveries, including the spectacular murals of San Bartolo. Most recently, in the sprawling complex of Xultun, Saturno unearthed a house whose walls are covered with glyphs representing calculations of the Maya calendar cycles. These calculations show that, contrary to popular belief, the Maya believed the world would continue well past 2012. A report on this revealing new discovery appeared in the June 2012 issue of National Geographic. Join this entertaining presenter for vivid stories and images that shed fascinating new light on the lives of the enigmatic Mesoamerican people.

Tickets

Individual tickets to the Monday and Tuesday evening presentations, as well as series subscriptions, are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office at (206) 215-4747 or toll-free at (866) 833-4747, faxing the Symphony at (206) 215-4748, ordering online at www.benaroyahall.org , or visiting the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office in Benaroya Hall at Third Avenue & Union Street, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m. For group sales information, call (206) 215-4784. Discounts are available for students and special membership rates are available. Membership rates apply for members of the National Geographic Society and Seattle Symphony subscribers.

Explorers Circle ticket purchases include premium seating for each of the five Tuesday evening National Geographic Live presentations; an invitation to a private cocktail reception with Tim Laman and Ed Scholes prior to their April 30 presentation; a signed copy of their book Birds of Paradise; acknowledgement as an Explorers Circle–level donor on-screen prior to all evening programs; additional supporter-level benefits; and a receipt for the $250 tax-deductible portion of the ticket. Explorers Circle contributions support expeditions and scientific fieldwork, encourage geography education, promote conservation of nature and cultural heritage, and support events such as National Geographic Live. There are a limited number of Explorers Circle tickets and they are only offered with a purchase of series tickets for Tuesday evenings.

About National Geographic Live! and the National Geographic Society

National Geographic Live! is a branded series of events including live concerts, films and dynamic presentations by today's leading explorers, scientists, filmmakers and photographers covering a wide range of topics including exploration and adventure, wildlife and habitat, natural phenomena, and relevant issues such as climate change and energy conservation. Proceeds from speaker series ticket sales help fund future National Geographic initiatives in field research, exploration and education.

Currently celebrating its 125th anniversary, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. National Geographic reflects the world through its magazines, television programs, films, music and radio, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic magazine, the Society’s official journal, published in English and 32 local-language editions, is read by more than 38 million people each month. The National Geographic Channel reaches 330 million households in 34 languages in 166 countries. National Geographic Digital Media receives more than 15 million visitors a month. National Geographic has funded more than 9,400 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geography literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.