March 11 – 18, 2024
The Vancouver Opera Guild welcomes you to its popular spring tour to New York featuring four productions at the Metropolitan Opera plus the Laffont Grand Finals Concert with excellent seating in the Grand Tier Balance section. Accommodation is at the 4-star Park Central Hotel on Seventh Avenue at 56th Street in midtown Manhattan and within easy walking distance of Lincoln Center. The hotel features Central Market, a grab-and-go shop offering an assortment of light fare plus a bar and lounge. Wi-Fi and access to the 24-hour fitness centre are complimentary. Several family-run restaurants are in the immediate vicinity.
Operas you will see on the Tour
La Forza del Destino by Giuseppe Verdi
Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Verdi’s grand tale of ill-fated love, deadly vendetta and family strife, with stellar soprano Lise Davidsen with her role debut as the noble Leonora. Director Mariusz Treliński delivers the company’s first new Forza in nearly 30 years. The distinquished cast also features tenor Brian Jagde as Leonora’s forbidden beloved Don Alvaro, baritone Igor Golovatenko as her vengeful brother Don Carlo, mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi as the fortune teller Preziosilla, bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi as Fra Melitone and bass Soloman Howard as both Leonora’s father and Padre Guardiano.
Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini
Soprano Eleonora Buratto tackles the demanding role of loyal geisha, Cio-Cio-San while tenor Matthew Polenzani is the callous American naval officer Pinkerton. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong is the steadfast maid Suzuki and baritone Davide Luciano the American consul Sharpless. Acclaimed maestro Xian Zhang makes her Met debut conducting Minghella’s vivid production.
Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod
Two singers at the height of their powers – radiant soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor sensation Benjamin Bernheim – come together as the starcrossed lovers in Gounod’s sumptuous Shakespeare adaptation, with Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium. Bartlett Sher’s towering staging also features baritone Will Liverman and tenor Frederick Ballentine as the archrivals Mercutio and Tybalt, mezzosoprano Samantha Hankey as the mischievous pageboy Stéphano and bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Frère Laurent.
Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling vision of mythic China retakes the stage with soprano Elena Pankratova making her Met debut as the legendary title princess, opposite tenor SeokJong Baek as the valiant prince who puts his life on the line to win her love. Soprano Aleksandra Kurzak is Liù with bass Vitalij Kowaljow as Timur. Maestro Oksana Lyniv makes her Met debut leading Puccini’s rousing score.
Laffont Grand Finals Concert
The Met’s Laffont Competition is a nationwide program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in their artistic and professional development. Each season, more than 1,000 applicants participate in a series of auditions leading up to the Grand Finals Concert. Since the program’s inauguration nearly 70 years ago, the competition has discovered generations of star singers.
Tour Costs
- Guild Members: Cdn. $3,940 per person based on sharing twin accommodation.
- Non-Guild Members: Cdn. $3,990 per person based on sharing twin accommodation.
- Single supplement: Cdn. $1,240
Tour Includes
➢ Return airfare Vancouver to New York
➢ Airport transfers in New York
➢ 7 nights accommodation at the Park Central Hotel, baggage handling and hotel tax
➢ Welcome reception
➢ Four opera tickets and one Laffont Grand Finals Concert (Grand Tier Balance)
➢ Vancouver Opera Guild Tour Director
➢ $150 donation to the Vancouver Opera Guild ($200 for non-members)
Tour Does Not Include
➢ Airport taxes and GST of approx. $170
Tour Schedule
March 11, 2024: Vancouver – New York
Morning departure via Air Canada non-stop to New York’s Newark Airport. On arrival, transfer to the 4-star Park Central Hotel.
March 12, 2024: New York
7:00 p.m. performance of La Forza del Destino.
March 13, 2024: New York
Free day.
5:00 p.m. Welcome reception at the Redeye
Grill across the street from the hotel.
March 14, 2024: New York
7:30 p.m. performance of Madama Butterfly.
March 15, 2024: New York
8:00 p.m. performance of Roméo et Juliette.
March 16, 2024: New York
12:00 noon performance of Turandot.
March 17, 2024: New York
3:00 p.m. Laffont Grand Finals Concert.
March 18, 2024: New York – Vancouver
Afternoon transfer to Newark Airport for a nonstop
flight with Air Canada to Vancouver.
CONTACT
Elisabeth Dawson 604-922-8008
Genny MacLean 604-738-5535
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RESERVATIONS
A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required at time of booking with balance due by January 4. For bookings made after January 4, full payment is required at time of booking.
CANCELLATIONS
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TRAVEL INSURANCE
We strongly recommend that tour members purchase trip cancellation/interruption insurance to protect themselves against money loss in the event of cancellation due to personal or family illness. We also offer comprehensive insurance which includes trip cancellation/interruption plus excess hospital/medical benefits, baggage and travel accident. Some exclusions for pre-existing conditions do apply. Insurance premiums are age banded. Please ask for an insurance quote at time of booking.
MET OPERA TICKETS
Seating at the Met is confirmed in the Grand Tier Balance section for the four operas and one concert. Great Expeditions is not responsible for last minute changes in the opera program nor to the performers.
DOCUMENTATION
A valid passport is required.