March 10-17, 2025
The Vancouver Opera Guild welcomes you to its popular spring tour to New York City 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 Empire Hotel, centrally located in the heart of midtown Manhattan and across the street from Lincoln Center. The Empire Rooftop bar is open for dinner daily and for weekend brunch. The hotel is also steps away from many restaurants.
Operas which you will see on the Tour:
Aida by Giuseppe Verdi
Alexander Soddy takes the podum for Michael Mayer’s spectacular new staging. Soprano Christina Nilsson is the Ethiopian princess torn between love and country, one of opera’s defining roles. Mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi, following her 2024 debut in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, is Aida’s Egyptian rival Amneris. Tenor Brian Jagde is the soldier Radamès. The cast also features bass-baritone Eric Owens as Amonasro and bass Alexander Vinogradov as Ramfis.
Moby-Dick by Jake Heggie
Following the haunting Met Premiere of his first opera Dead Man Walking, composer Jake Heggie returns with his 2010 adaptation of Herman Melville’s sun-drenched, heaven-storming epic. A cast of standouts comes together on the decks of the Pequod, with tenor Brandon Jovanovich starring as the mono-maniacal Captain Ahab; tenor Stephen Costello as Greenhorn, the opera’s version of Ishmael; baritone Peter Mattei as the even-keeled first mate Starbuck; and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as the Polynesian harpooner Queequeg. The cast also features soprano Janai Brugger as Pip, tenor William Burden as Flask and baritone Malcolm MacKenzie as Stubb. Maestro Karen Kamenask takes the podium.
Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven
Following a string of awe-inspiring Met performances, soprano Lise Davidsen stars as Leonore, who risks everything to save her husband from the clutches of tyranny. Tenor David Butt Philip is the political prisoner Florestan, sharing the stage with bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczey as the villainous Don Pizarro, veteran bass René Pape as the jailer Rocco, and soprano Ying Fang and tenor Magnus Dietrich as the young Marzelline and Jaquino. Bass Stephen Milling sings the principled Don Fernando and Susan Mälkki conducts.
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 1,300 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.
La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini
Soprano Kristina Mhkitaryan is the delicate seamstress Mimi in Franco Zeffirelli’s picturesque production and tenor Joseph Calleja is the enamoured poet Rodolfo. Maestro Alexander Soddy takes the podium.
Tour Costs
- Guild Members: Cdn. $3,965 per person based on sharing twin accommodation.
- Non-Guild Members: Cdn. $4,015 per person based on sharing twin accommodation.
- Single supplement: Cdn. $1,150 each.
Tour Includes
- Return airfare Vancouver to New York City
- Airport transfers in New York City
- 7 nights accommodation at the Empire Hotel, baggage handling and hotel tax
- Welcome reception
- Four opera tickets and one ticket to the Laffont Grand Finals Concert (Grand Tier Balance section)
- Vancouver Opera Guild Tour Director
- Cdn. $200 donation to the Vancouver Opera Guild (Cdn. $250 for non-members)
Tour Does Not Include
- Airport taxes and GST of approximately Cdn. $170
Tour Schedule
March 10, 2025: Vancouver – New York City
Morning departure via Air Canada non-stop to New York’s Newark Airport. On arrival, transfer to the 4-star Empire Hotel.
March 11, 2025: New York City
Free day with 7:00 pm performance of Moby-Dick.
March 12, 2025: New York City
Free day with 5:00 pm Welcome Reception at the hotel.
March 13, 2025: New York City
Free day with 7:30 pm performance of La Bohème.
March 14, 2025: New York City
Free day with 8:00 pm performance of Aida.
March 15, 2025: New York City
Free morning with 1:00 pm performance of Fidelio. Free evening.
March 16, 2025: New York City
Free morning with 3:00 pm Laffont Grand Finals Concert. Free evening.
March 17, 2025: New York City – Vancouver
Free morning with afternoon transfer to Newark Airport for an Air Canada non-stop flight to Vancouver.
CONTACT
Elisabeth Dawson 604-922-8008
Genny MacLean 604-738-5535 / fgmaclean@shaw.ca
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RESERVATIONS
A non-refundable deposit of Cdn. $500 per person is required at time of booking with balance due by January 3, 2025. For bookings made after January 3, 2025, full payment is required at time of booking.
CANCELLATIONS
The deposit of Cdn. $500 is non-refundable from date paid. For cancellations received after January 3, 2025, any refund is subject to the amount actually recovered from the suppliers.
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.