Art & Opera in New York
|
|
|
|
8-15 November 2008 with Declan Hamilton |
Our exciting Art and Opera tour to New York has been planned to appeal equally to those who may not have visited New York before and for regular visitors alike. So much seems to happen in Manhattan every year that even New Yorkers find it hard to keep abreast of everything that goes on there in the world of music and art.
Since Peter Gelb took over as General Director a couple of seasons ago there have been many changes at the Met. The emphasis is still firmly on singing par excellence but there is a livelier atmosphere here too with many more talks and other events planned to bring a new audience to the opera. A private backstage tour of the cavernous Metropolitan opera house will be included.
During our stay in Manhattan, we will attend two performances at the fabled Metropolitan Opera. These will be Madam Butterfly, with the American soprano Patricia Racette in the title role, and Verdi's La Traviata, where Anja Harteros sings the role of Violetta Valery and Massimo Giordano is Alfredo.
New York has an array of top class museums and art galleries equalled by very few cities and surpassed by none. We will visit the three foremost art collections in New York: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where we will include a visit to the Miro Exhibition, and the Frick Collection.
|
|
| Tickets in the Orchestra Stalls for two performances at the Metropolitan Opera and three dinners in restaurants will be included; one of the dinners will be at the stylish restaurant in the Metropolitan Opera House, The Grand Tier. This is one of the best restaurants in New York and only ticket-holders for that evening's performance can dine here. We will also be pleased to book tickets for Broadway shows or further performances at the Lincoln Center, including the New York City Opera or Avery Fisher Hall, on request. Details will be sent to you in the spring. All this and visits to a number of other important buildings and museums, as well as ample free time for independent exploration and for enjoying that other essential Manhattan pastime - shopping - await you on this exciting New York art and opera tour. Our tour lecturer is a regular visitor to Manhattan and will be able to recommend other visits to ensure you get the most out of your time in New York. |
|
|
 Declan Hamilton studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has led countless opera holidays around the world and has visited New York on many occasions.
|
|
Itinerary
| Day 1 |
(Saturday): We begin with Titan's VIP Home Departure Service™ to the airport. Fly from the UK to New York and transfer to the Holiday Inn Midtown, where we will stay for the duration of the tour. The hotel is located on West 57th Street. |
|
| Day 2 |
On this, our first morning in New York, we enjoy a marvellous tour with a local guide who will take us from the hotel making our first stop at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, the world's largest cathedral, incorporating Gothic and Romanesque styles. Our journey will then take us though Harlem and right through Manhattan back to Battery Park and the Financial District. We make a stop at the Rockefeller Centre for the most extensive views in Manhattan. |
|
| Day 3 |
Our itinerary will include visits to The Metropolitan Museum of Art where we will enjoy some of the recently opened new galleries. These include the HJ Heinz II Galleries where the Met.'s important collection of French paintings now proudly hangs. Astonishingly, the Met. also has a further five new galleries for its collections of Oceanic Art and Greek & Roman collections, amongst others. Today we will also enjoy a backstage tour of the New York Metropolitan Opera. |
|
| Day 4 |
At The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the unrivalled collection is displayed in a stunning building and during our visit we will be able to see not only its permanent art collection but two important exhibitions - Joan Miro: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927-1937 and Van Gogh at Night, a dozen or so canvases of the artist's depictions of the world at night. Free afternoon.
|
|
| Day 5 |
Our visit today is to The Frick Collection which was amassed by the eponymous industrialist during the period known as The Gilded Age. Frick's Collection is displayed in the Beaux Arts-style mansion on 5th Avenue, where he lived, and is generally considered to be one of the most perfect and complete art collections to be found anywhere. Free afternoon.
|
|
| Day 6 |
The New York Historical Society has its own wonderful museum, where the whole nation's history seems to come alive. We will spend some time there today viewing the exhibition Grant and Lee, which traces the controversial aspirations of the two men as they expanded the country westwards and towards Mexico. We will then go towards Washington Heights in the north of
Manhattan; here, at The Cloisters, we find a wonderful outpost of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, overlooking the Hudson River and devoted to the art and architecture of mediaeval Europe.
|
|
| Day 7 |
Today we will enjoy a free day until our mid-evening departure for our flight back to the United Kingdom. On arrival in London, Titan staff will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the Titan transport for your return journey home to your front door.
|
|
