OPERA IN NEW YORK APRIL 18-27, 2018 TOUR LEADER: CHRISTOPHER MENZ

Anna Netrebko

Joyce DiDonato James Levine

Pretty Yende Placido Domingo

Sonya Yoncheva

Overview April 2018 sees a star-studded line up of performers at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, unrivalled by any other opera company anywhere in the world in the 2017-18 season. Academy Travel is delighted to offer lovers of vocal music a 10-day program that includes six outstanding performances at the Met. We’ve secured seats for all performances in the Grand Tier, in our view the best seats in the theatre for acoustics and sight-lines. The performance program is complemented by visits to a select range of small galleries and museums, background talks and plenty of time to relax and enjoy New York. Tour leader Christopher Menz will provide both background talks on the performances and expert information on some of the galleries and museums we visit. Accommodation is in spacious Premier Plus rooms at the Warwick Hotel in midtown New York. The Warwick is close to restaurants, cafes and a number of museums and historical sites. Academy Travel has conducted long-stay tours to New York since 2007. We have a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of most of the cultural attractions of the city.

Your tour leader Music lover Christopher Menz has led music and literature tours to Europe and the US for Academy travel and Australian Book Review for which he is a regular arts reviewer. Christopher is a former director of the Art Gallery of South Australia and before that held curatorial positions at the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, and National Gallery of Victoria, specialising in decorative arts.

Not surprisingly, Christopher identifies the

operas and the performers as the chief attraction of this tour. ‘For me the program on offer at the Met in April 2018 is a not to be missed opportunity to experience an amazing series of operas performed by the greatest singers in one of the world’s best opera houses.’

As a former gallery director who has taken groups to New York in the past, Christopher is also very familiar with the city’s non-musical attractions. ‘New York offers visitors so much. Apart from fantastic opera, music and theatre it has superlative museums and galleries, fabulous buildings, and amazing energy.’

Some traveller feedback on our April 2017 Alps to the Rhine music tour… “Christopher Menz’s knowledge of art, music and culture was exemplary.” “I appreciated not only Christopher’s wide knowledge of opera and music but also his specific research into the productions we were to see.” “Tour leader Christopher Menz was excellent.”

OPERA IN NEW YORK

Tour dates: April 18-27, 2018

Tour leader: Christopher Menz

Tour Price: $9,250 per person, twin share

Single Supplement: $2,300 for sole use of double room

Booking deposit: $500 per person

Recommended airline: Qantas

Maximum places: 20

Itinerary: New York, 9 nights, with 6 performances at the Metropolitan Opera

Date published: July 20, 2017

Enquiries and bookings

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

Performances

COSI FAN TUTTE Phelim McDermott’s new production of Mozart’s tale of young love and fidelity was jointly developed by the Met and the English National Opera. It has its first run in New York in April 2018. Lyric soprano Amanda Majeski and Italian mezzo Serena Malfi play the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella with English baritone Christopher Maltman as Don Alfonso. The Sydney Symphony’s David Robertson conducts.

LUISA MILLER Conductor James Levine returns to the pit to conduct Verdi’s fine middle period opera, with the newly-established dramatic soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role. She is admirably supported by Polish tenor Piotr Beczala as Rodolfo and the much-loved Placido Domingo in the baritone role of Luisa’s father. The production is directed by Elijah Moshinsky, known to Australian audiences for his work with Opera Australia.

ROMÉO ET JULIETTE Bartlett Sher’s hit production of Gounod’s stirring opera stars brilliant young American soprano Ailyn Pérez and Bryan Hymel.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Coloratura soprano Pretty Yende has astounded audiences around the world with her performance in the title role of Donizetti’s dramatic bel canto opera.

CENDRILLON Jules Massenet’s rendering of the Cinderella story is something of a rarity outside of France. The sumptuous 1899 score was written for the Opéra-Comique in Paris. It is sure to come alive in Laurent Pelly’s production. Celebrated mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato brings technical brilliance, a rich mezzo voice and fine acting skills to the title role.

TOSCA Russian diva Anna Netrebko is sure to provide a searing interpretation in the title role of this most dramatic of Puccini’s verismo operas. German baritone Michael Volle plays the police chief Scarpia, with Met regular Marcelo Alvarez as the hero Cavaradossi. Sir David McVicar’s new production for the Met is a traditional interpretation, with stunning sets and costumes by John McFarlane.

Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Wednesday 18 April Arrive New York

Meet your tour leader and fellow tour participants over welcome drinks and finger food in our hotel.

Thursday 19 April Così fan tutte Downtown

Local guide Matt Postal takes us through the Times Square, Madison Park, Chelsea and SoHo districts to the Financial District, where we explore the history and architecture of Manhattan’s downtown. After a welcome lunch at the historic Fraunces Tavern, Christopher Menz guides us through tonight’s opera, Mozart’s comedy Così fan tutte. Sopranos Amanda Majeski and Serena Malfi lead the excellent cast, with English baritone Christopher Maltman as the cynical Don Alfonso and the Sydney Symphony’s David Robertson conducting. Phelim McDermott’s production, created jointly for the English National Opera and the Met, uses a circus-like setting to deal with the fleeting and somewhat impossible story line. (B, L)

Performance details Venue: Metropolitan Opera Program: Mozart, Così fan tutte Performers: Amanda Majeski (Fiordiligi), Serena Malfi (Dorabella), Kelli O’Hara (Despina), Christopher Maltman (Don Alfonso), David Robertson (conductor)

Friday 20 April Frick Collection – Rockefeller Center

This morning we visit the former Fifth Avenue home of ‘robber baron’ Henry Clay Frick. Set on an entire block, this elegant home has been a museum since shortly after Frick’s death in 1913. It contains a superb collection of Renaissance to 18th-century European art, accompanied by exquisite furniture and decorative arts. This afternoon we visit the Rockefeller Center, completed in the Great Depression and a supreme example of New York skyscraper architecture. Christopher Menz gives a background talk on Verdi’s Luisa Miller in one of the Center’s meeting rooms. This evening is free, but there are plenty of performance options available, including the New York Philharmonic and an orchestral concert at Carnegie Hall. (B)

Above: Our walking tour of the Financial District encompasses the early history of New York, historic sites such as the Fraunces Tavern and the Trinity Church (above), Art Deco Skyscrapers and Wall St Below: Ingres’s 1845 portrait of the Comtesse d’Haussonville is one of the many masterpieces to adorn the walls of the Frick Collection

Begin the tour relaxed

In order to get the most from performances we strongly recommend that you plan to arrive in the United States one or two days before the tour begins. Academy Travel can arrange additional accommodation in New York or another city.

Above: In recent years Placido Domingo has taken on major baritone roles, such as Simon Boccanegra (above, ROH) and Macbeth Below: Gustav Klimt’s celebrated portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, “The Woman in Gold” and centrepiece of the Neue Galerie

Saturday 21 April Luisa Miller Museum of Art and Design

We depart the hotel on foot, calling in first at the Museum of Art and Design, overlooking Central Park on Columbus Circle. The Museum hosts constantly-changing exhibitions of decorative arts and design from around the world. We continue the short distance to the Lincoln Center, and our matinee performance of Verdi’s Luisa Miller. Written in the period immediately before Il Trovatore, La Traviata and Rigoletto, the dramatic tale of Luisa and her father is brimming with typically Verdian motifs – father-daughter relationships, public and private morality, not to mention a love triangle. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva sings the title role. Yoncheva thrilled New York audiences in January 2016 with her performances in La Traviata (seen by an Academy Travel group). She was invited back to open the Met’s 2016-17 season and since then she has performed in many of the great opera houses of the world. Polish tenor Piotr Beczala returns to the Met after a 10-year absence and veteran Placido Domingo sings the baritone role of Miller in this Elijah Moshinsky production. Former Met music director James Levine makes a welcome return to the pit. (B)

Performance details Venue: Metropolitan Opera Program: Verdi, Luisa Miller Performers: Sonya Yoncheva (Luisa), Piotr Beczala (Rodolfo), Placido Domingo (Miller), James Levine (conductor)

Sunday 22 April Neue Galerie, Central Park

The Neue Galerie, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, was established by the art dealer Serge Sabarsky and the art-loving entrepreneur Ronald S Lauder. The collection focuses on early 20th-century painting and decorative arts from Vienna, and its centrepiece is Gustav Klimt’s portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer, subject of the recent film, The Woman in Gold. Our before-hours tour will also include a visiting exhibition of early 20th-century art (the Neue regularly holds exhibitions of the highest calibre). This afternoon we stroll through Central Park, once dubbed ‘the largest work of art in New York’, for the remarkable landscaping by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. On our stroll we learn a little of the Park’s history and design. Alternatively, you might like to catch a Sunday matinee performance at Carnegie Hall or a Broadway theatre. (B)

Monday 23 April opening night The Met Museum

This morning has been set aside to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose 54 departments contain paintings, decorative arts and artefacts from all corners of the globe, covering more than 3,000 years of human history. Rather than trying to cover the whole collection, our visit will focus on one or two departments and a selection of the special exhibitions that are showing. We may also call in at the Met’s new campus on Madison Avenue, the Met Breuer. After lunch at the Museum, Christopher Menz will give a background talk on this evening’s

performance. Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette features fine dramatic scenes and some brilliant vocal writing. Young American soprano Ailyn Pérez is perfectly cast as Juliette. Her voice combines bright tone, technical agility and dramatic depth. Opposite her is tenor Bryan Hymel as Roméo. Hymel recently debuted as Don Carlo at London’s Covent Garden, immediately after portraying Don Josė in Carmen at the Paris Opera. Placido Domingo conducts the opening night performance. (B,L)

Performance Details Venue: Metropolitan Opera Program: Gounod, Roméo et Juliette Performers: Ailyn Pérez (Juliette), Bryan Hymel (Romeo), Joshua Hopkins (Mercutio), Placido Domingo (conductor)

Tuesday 24 April Cendrillon Guggenheim

Your day begins with a background talk on Jules Massenet’s sparkling Cendrillon, a re-telling of the Cinderella story. We then head to the Guggenheim Museum on the Upper East Side. Housed in Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic spiral-shaped building on Fifth Avenue, the Guggenheim has both an excellent permanent collection and large-scale visiting exhibitions of modern art. This evening’s performance promises to be a highlight of the tour. The great American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato stars in the title role. This new production is directed by Laurent Pelly, well known for his imaginative interpretations of the comic repertoire. Fellow cast members Alice Coote and Kathleen Kim are of a suitably high standard for Ms DiDonato.

Performance details Venue: Metropolitan Opera Program: Massenet, Cendrillon Performers: Joyce DiDonato (Cendrillon), Alice Coote (Le Prince Charmant), Kathleen Kim (La Fée), Bertrand de Billy (conductor)

Wednesday 25 April Lucia di Lammermoor JP Morgan Library

This morning we visit the magnificent collection of the JP Morgan Library. In 1903 banker JP Morgan commissioned Gilded Age architect Stanford White to design a Renaissance-style pavilion to hold his precious literary collection. Spending the equivalent of $900 million in today’s terms, Morgan acquired an unrivalled collection, ranging from ancient Mesopotamian tablets to illustrated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, some of the first and rarest printed books, music manuscripts and important documents of American history. The collection has expanded beyond the original pavilion and now incorporates a Renzo Piano-designed atrium and nearby buildings. After lunch in the Morgan restaurant, Christopher discusses Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Tonight’s diva, Johannesburg-born Pretty Yende, burst on to the operatic scene at the Met in 2013 as an understudy, singing opposite Juan Diego Flórez. Since then she has taken lead roles in opera houses in Berlin, Milan, London, Los Angeles, Barcelona, Hamburg and Paris. Her interpretation

Top: Glamoros American soprano Ailyn Perez Middle: The revolutionary spiral of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum Below: The original pavilion of the JP Morgan library, housing its most precious works

of Lucia is particularly renowned. The fine Italian tenor Michael Fabiano sings the role of Edgardo, while Roberto Abbado (son of legendary maestro Claudio) conducts. (B,L)

Performance details Venue: Metropolitan Opera Program: Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor Performers: Pretty Yende (Lucia), Michael Fabiano (Edgardo), Quinn Kelsey (Enrico), Roberto Abbado (conductor)

Thursday 26 April Tosca MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art, located a few steps from our hotel, contains a collection of European and American art from the 1880s to the present day and has had an immense influence on our understandings of modern art. A museum lecturer takes us through the highlights of the permanent collection in the hour before MoMA opens its doors to the public. After our tour the remainder of the day is free to enjoy the museum. This evening we make our final journey to the Lincoln Center. After our farewell dinner at the Grand Tier restaurant, we attend Sir David McVicar’s production of Puccini’s Tosca. Russian dramatic soprano Anna Netrebko sings the title role, with Marcelo Alvarez as Cavaradossi and the fine German baritone Michael Volle as Scarpia. (B,D)

Performance details Venue: Metropolitan Opera Program: Puccini, Tosca Performers: Anna Netrebko (Tosca), Marcelo Alvarez (Cavaradossi), Michael Volle (Scarpia), Bertrand de Billy (conductor)

Friday 27 April Departure

The morning is free to relax or undertake last minute sightseeing. In the mid-afternoon there is a transfer to John F Kennedy airport for those returning to Australia.

The Warwick Hotel Our four-star hotel is very conveniently located in midtown Manhattan, on 54th Street. We have booked premier plus rooms. These are large and comfortable, each with modern amenities. The hotel is in walking distance of many of New York’s most popular attractions. The hotel has recently completed a major renovation. The Warwick has an interesting history. It was built in 1926 for newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, primarily as a residence for his Hollywood friends, among whom was his mistress Marion Davies. Over the years guests have included James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Actor Cary Grant lived in the Warwick for 12 years. www.warwickhotelny.com

Above: A private before-hours visit to the Museum of Modern Art, a feature of Academy Travel’s New York tours Below: Model for the set of John McVicar’s new production of Tosca for the Metropolitan Opera. McVicar’s productions usually offer lucid, unfussy interpretations in largely traditional settings

Metropolitan Opera House

Tour Price The tour price is $9,250 per person, twin share (land content only). The supplement for a single room is $2,300 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour.

Tour Inclusions Included in the tour price Nine nights’ accommodation in premier plus rooms at

the Warwick Hotel in midtown Manhattan All breakfasts, and selected lunches and dinners in

hotels and local restaurants Land travel by air-conditioned coach or taxi as required Grand Tier Prime seats to six performances at the

Metropolitan Opera Background notes and background talks Services of Academy Travel expert tour leader

throughout tour All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary Expert local guides at selected sites Tips for all services stated as included in the itinerary

Not included International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below) 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 or United who have regular flights to New York. Please contact us for further information on Economy, Business and First Class airfares. Taxi 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 Jemma York at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email jemma@academytravel.com.au

Weather on Tour The weather in the New York in April is generally mild and pleasant. It is the beginning of spring, and the weather can be changeable but rarely extreme. Expect daytime temperatures to range between 14 and 22 degrees. Evenings may become cooler, requiring a warmer jacket and scarf. There is a possibility of some rainfall on a few days, so a weather-proof jacket and umbrella are recommended.

Fitness Requirements of THIS tour

GRADE ONE

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 instead to consider carefully your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.

Participation criteria for this tour

This Grade One tour is appropriate for travellers in good health with good mobility. You should be able to comfortably participate in up to three hours of physical activity per day on most days, including walking at an easy pace, sometimes on uneven terrain, climbing stairs and standing in galleries. You should be able to: keep up with the group at all times walk for 2-3 kilometres at a moderate to slow pace with

only short breaks stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and

museums negotiate stairs and bridges get on and off a coach, ferry or boat with steep stairs

unassisted move your luggage a short distance if required

A note for older travellers

If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You may have to miss certain activities and may not get the full value of the tour. Before submitting your booking form, please contact 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.