CHICAGO

TO NEW YORK ORCHESTRAS AND OPERAS

OCTOBER 9-21, 2018

TOUR LEADER: ROBERT GAY

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Overview

Academy Travel is proud to once again offer its music tour to three of the United States’ most musical cities – Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. Each city has a longstanding musical tradition of the highest quality.

This year there is an attractive line-up of four orchestral concerts and four operas. The concerts include three of the USA’s leading orchestras – the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic – as well as Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique at Carnegie Hall. Operas come from core Italian and French repertoire, and feature leading singers such as Jonas Kaufmann, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Elīna Garanča and Roberto Alagna.

Performances take place in renowned venues such as the Symphony Center and Lyric Opera House in Chicago, and Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The tour also provides the opportunity to enjoy some of the great cultural attractions of the United States, such as the Art Institute of Chicago and a private, out-of-hours viewing of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Music educator Robert Gay will provide thoughtful and entertaining pre-performance talks and post-performance reviews. Accommodation is in well-located four-star hotels, based on Academy Travel’s extensive experience.

Your tour leader

For over 25 years, Robert Gay has presented music history courses for the Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Sydney. Over the same period he has designed and escorted more than 80 musical and cultural tours to Europe and America.

On tour, Robert will provide a thorough introduction to the performances you see, with detailed pre-performance talks and post-performance reviews. Robert’s approach to

music is multi-faceted. First and foremost, he links the music to the biographical, historical and social context in which it was created. Secondly, he explains in plain language technical aspects of the music – how the composer communicates through sound. Finally, as a trained singer who attends dozens of performances each year, he offers great insight into the qualities of the performances you see on tour.

Robert’s enthusiasm for music is infectious, and his skills as an educator and tour leader are exceptional.

“There is no doubt that it was Robert Gay’s leadership that made the trip such a memorable experience. He was brilliant in every way. His encyclopaedic knowledge of music and generosity in sharing it added immeasurably to everything we did. His meticulous planning and careful attention to detail made the logistics very easy for us all. His warmth, superb communication skills, sense of humour, patience and sensitivity to group dynamics all made the trip a delight from beginning to end.” Feedback from Switzerland to Spain: a musical adventure, April 2015

Tour dates: October 9-21, 2018

Tour leader: Robert Gay

Tour Price: $10,350 per person, twin share

Single Supplement: $2,500 for sole use of double room

Booking deposit: $500 per person

Recommended airline: Qantas/American Airlines

Maximum places: 20

Itinerary: Chicago (4 nights), Philadelphia (2 nights), New York (6 nights)

Date published: March 6, 2018

Enquiries and

bookings

For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Jamal Fairbrother at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email jamal@academytravel.com.au

Performances

Eight performances are included. We are delighted by the range and quality of performances on offer this year. Best available seats to all performances are included in the tour price. Tour leader Robert Gay will provide informative and entertaining background talks for all performances.

➢ The Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing Mahler’s Symphony No.3 led by Columbian maestro Andrés Orozco-Estrada

➢ Puccini’s La bohème at the Lyric Opera of Chicago – a new co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

➢ The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Stéphane Denève, playing works by Chausson and Debussy

➢ Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique at Carnegie Hall in an all-Berlioz program

➢ Violinist Joshua Bell with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra playing John Corigliano’s score for the film of The Red Violin

➢ A new production of Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila at the Metropolitan Opera, with Elīna Garanča and Roberto Alagna

➢ The legendary Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi’s Aida, featuring star mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili as Amneris

➢ Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West at the Metropolitan Opera

Detailed itinerary

Included meals are shown with the letters B, L, D and C for canapes.

Tuesday October 9

Arrive Chicago

Most flights from Australia arrive into Chicago in the early evening. Transfers to the hotel are included for those booking flights with Academy Travel and can be arranged for those who have booked their own flights. Tour members meet in the early evening for welcome drinks and canapés with the tour leader. Overnight Chicago (C)

Wednesday October 10

Millennium Park &

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago is famous as the city where, after a disastrous fire in 1871, steel frames were used to make ‘skyscrapers’ – buildings so tall they needed an elevator. This initiated a tradition of ground-breaking architecture of the highest quality, which continues to this day. We begin our day at Millennium Park. The former rail and cattle yard was redeveloped into a public space featuring Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion, gardens and some spectacular sculpture, including Anish Kapoor’s Cloudgate. We continue to the highly-regarded Art Institute of Chicago, which boasts an outstanding collection of both European and American painting. The modern wing, designed by Renzo Piano, contains an impressive collection of 20th and 21st century art. This is followed by a welcome lunch at a nearby Chicago restaurant. The afternoon is free. Overnight Chicago (B, L)

Thursday October 11

La Bohème - Performance I

This morning there is a talk in our hotel. In the early afternoon we head to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for a performance of Puccini’s La bohème. The Lyric Opera is well supported by the Chicago community and its roster features the best singers and conductors on the international scene. This afternoon’s performance is a co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The UK’s Independent newspaper gave the ‘startlingly new’ production five stars. Overnight Chicago (B)

Performance details Venue: Lyric Opera, Chicago Program: Puccini, La bohème Performers: To be announced

Tour start and finish time

The tour starts on Tuesday October 9 at 6.00pm at the bar of the Kimpton Gray Hotel, Chicago.

The tour ends on Sunday October 21 at 3.00pm with a group transfer to John F Kennedy airport.

Above: Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate reflects the city’s skyline in Millennium Park Below: Grant Wood’s American Gothic at the Institute of Art and La bohème at the Lyric Opera

Images right: conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada in action; The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center; Rodin at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Friday October 12

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

– Performance II

This morning Robert Gay gives a talk outlining Mahler’s vast conception for his Third Symphony. We then head to Daniel Burnham’s 1904 Symphony Centre to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play the work. The orchestra is led by a rising star or the orchestral world, Columbian Andrés Orozco-Estrada. After the performance there is the option of an architectural cruise of the Chicago River, showcasing a century of architectural achievement. Overnight Chicago (B)

Performance details Venue: Symphony Center, Chicago Program: Mahler, Symphony No.3 Performers: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Kelley O'Connor (mezzo-soprano), Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus

Saturday October 13

To Philadelphia – Performance III

This morning we check out from our hotel and head for Chicago’s O’Hare airport for a flight to Philadelphia. This evening we have an early dinner together before walking to the Kimmel Center for a concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra. The program includes orchestrations by Leopold Stokowski who for decades was a renowned chief conductor of the orchestra. Overnight Philadelphia (B, D)

Performance details Venue: Verizon Hall, The Kimmel Center, Philadelphia Program: Palestrina / orch. Stokowski: ‘Adoramus te Christe’; Chausson Poème; Debussy / orch. Stokowski ‘The Sunken Cathedral’; Debussy La Mer Performers: Philadelphia Orchestra, Stéphane Denève (conductor), David Kim (violin)

Sunday October 14

Explore Philadelphia

Philadelphia is one of the most historic cities in the United States. It is where William Penn stepped ashore to found a commonwealth free from religious persecution, and it was the scene of many great events in the American Revolution from 1776 to 1783. The city also houses a superb art museum. This morning a local guide takes us on a walking tour encompassing Independence Hall, where the first Continental Congresses took place, the National Constitution Center, and William Penn’s landing place. We then take a coach to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Highlights of the collection include an entire building devoted to the sculpture of August Rodin, galleries of French impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces, as well as American decorative arts and painting. Overnight Philadelphia (B)

Monday October 15

To New York – Performance IV

This morning we drive to New York, arriving in time to settle in to our hotel and relax before this evening’s performance at Carnegie Hall. Tonight’s performance promises to be a highlight. Sir John Eliot Gardiner, created the orchestra to specialise in music of the early 19th-century, personally selecting the musicians. Overnight New York (B)

Performance details Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York Program: Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique and Lélio Performers: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Tuesday October 16

Midtown Art Deco – Performance V

After a pre-performance talk this morning, we explore some of the Art Deco buildings of New York’s midtown district, perhaps the city’s most distinctive contribution to world architecture. Highlights include icons such as the Chrysler Building, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and the Rockefeller Center. After lunch in a local restaurant, the afternoon is free before we head to the Metropolitan Opera to see a new production of Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila. Overnight New York (B, L)

Performance details Venue: The Metropolitan Opera, New York Program: Saint-Saëns, Samson et Dalila Performers: Elīna Garanča (Dalila), Roberto Alagna (Samson), Sir Mark Elder (conductor)

Wednesday October 17

The Frick and central Park

– Performance VI

This morning we visit The Frick Collection, a superb collection of European old masters housed in the Fifth Avenue mansion of Henry Clay Frick. Afterwards there is free time to stroll in Central Park. Tonight’s performance features star violinist Joshua Bell and the New York Philharmonic playing John Corigliano’s score for the film The Red Violin, while the film is projected above. Overnight New York (B)

Performance details Venue: David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York Program: Corigliano, The Red Violin Performers: Joshua Bell (violin), New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Stern (conductor)

Thursday October 18

Chelsea and the High Line

– Performance VII

The Chelsea district is a study in urban renewal and has become a thriving centre of contemporary art and culture. After a pre-performance talk, we stroll along the ‘High Line’, a former

Above: Sir John Eliot Gardiner, one of the leading conductors of our generation Below: Garanča and Alagna, a smouldering biblical duo and Joshua Bell, America’s pre-eminent violinist

goods line that runs above the West Side. In 2008 it opened as a pedestrian walkway, complete with gardens and unique views of the city. Tonight we return to the Met Opera for its legendary production of Aida, a chance to explore an operatic performance on a scale that is simply not physically possible in Australia. The excellent cast features mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili. Overnight New York (B)

Performance details Venue: The Metropolitan Opera, New York Program: Verdi, Aida Performers: Tamara Wilson (Aida), Aleksandrs Antonenko (Radames), Anita Rachvelishvili (Amneris), Nicola Luisotti (conductor)

Friday October 19

MoMA Private Viewing

An undoubted highlight of our tour will be this morning’s private tour of MoMA – New York’s famous Museum of Modern Art. A museum lecturer guides us through the museum’s greatest works before the museum opens its doors to the public. Following the tour, you have free time to explore the museum’s collections. This afternoon and evening are both free for you to explore New York. Overnight New York (B)

Saturday October 20

Farewell New York – Performance VIII

After a morning talk, we meet for our farewell lunch at an excellent restaurant. Our final performance takes us back to the Metropolitan Opera for Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, which premiered at the old Met in 1910. Overnight New York (B, L)

Performance details Venue: The Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York Program: Puccini, La fanciulla del West Performers: Jonas Kaufmann (Dick Johnson), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Minnie), Željko Lučić (Jack Rance), Marco Armiliato (conductor)

Sunday October 21

Departure

We check out of our hotel in the late morning before our mid-afternoon transfer to John F Kennedy Airport. (B)

Hotels

➢ Chicago, Kimpton Gray Hotel (4 nights) www.kimptonhotels.com

➢ Philadelphia, Sofitel Philadelphia (2 nights) www.sofitel.com

➢ New York, Warwick Hotel (6 nights) www.warwickhotelny.com

Top: Bigger IS better! The Met’s Aida, at its theatre in the Lincoln Center (above) Below: up with the latest – Puccini’s modernism is apparent not just in his later operas, but in his love of automobiles

Carnegie Hall, New York

Tour Price

The tour price is $10,350 per person, twin share (land content only). The supplement for a single room is $2,500 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour.

With the publication of this final itinerary a second deposit of $1,500 becomes due. We will send you an invoice for this amount approximately two weeks after we receive your booking. Alternatively, you can simply pay $2,000 per person with your booking to cover both the initial and second deposit.

Tour Inclusions

➢ All accommodation in selected four-star hotels

➢ All breakfasts, plus lunches and dinners as listed in itinerary

➢ Best available tickets to eight performances ➢ Land travel by air-conditioned coach ➢ One-way economy class flights from Chicago to

Philadelphia ➢ Background talks on performances ➢ Services of Australian tour leader throughout tour ➢ All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary ➢ Qualified local guides at some sites ➢ Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels

➢ International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below) ➢ Electronic Travel Waiver (ESTA) for the United States ➢ Travel insurance ➢ Meals not mentioned in itinerary ➢ Expenses of a personal nature

Air travel OPTIONS

The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour we recommend Qantas/American Airlines which offers flights into Chicago and out of New York from most Australian cities. Please contact us for bookings and quotes. Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual transfers.

Enquiries & bookings

For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Jamal Fairbrother at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email jamal@academytravel.com.au

Fitness Requirements

of THIS tour

It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.

This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of physical activity per day on most days, including longer walking tours, climbing stairs, embarking and disembarking coaches.

You should be able to:

➢ keep up with the group at all times ➢ walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only

short breaks ➢ attend a series of evening performances, one after the

other, ending at 10.30-11.30pm ➢ stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and

museums ➢ walk up and down slopes ➢ get on and off a large coach with steep stairs,

unassisted ➢ move your luggage a short distance if required

If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You will have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition.

Weather on Tour

The weather in the northern United States in October is generally mild and pleasant. Expect daytime temperatures to range between 15 and 22 degrees. Evenings may become cooler, requiring a warmer jacket and scarf. There is a possibility of some rainfall at all three of our destinations, so a weather-proof jacket and umbrella are recommended.