Osher Marin JCC Cultural Arts Trip Exploring Opera: The Met’s Exotic Destinations

November 7-12, 2017

Take off for a 6-day/5-night operatic journey to enjoy autumn in “the city that never sleeps.”

In NYC, Labor Day through New Year’s is “High Season” as the performing arts launch the new season into full swing. Usually, the weather is beautiful, if a bit chilly. Even so, most of our activities are within just a few blocks of our hotel so, no matter the weather, a great time can be enjoyed by all!

Our short-week focuses on several aspects of opera –

the performance, the preparation, and the personal. Experience some of opera’s most dramatic, passionate and romantic masterpieces, each filled with gorgeous melodies from start to finish. At The Metropolitan Opera, three masterpieces await to whisk you away to

an exotic destinations! Begin with an evening in China via Puccini’s soaring Turandot in the grand and glorious Franco Zeffirelli production. Next, travel to Japan by way of one of the most visually arresting, even breathtaking productions in the Met repertoire – Anthony Minghella’s inspired vision of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Finally, to Egypt to be seduced by John Cox’s colorful production of Massenet’s rarely-staged romantic jewel – Thais – not seen at the Met in almost a decade!

Prepare for each of the performances with James Sokol’s Exploring Opera

Lectures. Get a peek “behind the curtain” on a Metropolitan Opera Backstage Tour. Gain insights into the operatic voice, singing and vocal technique in a Private Vocal Forum. Finally, “break bread” with opera professionals to learn about their day-to-day lives and to ask your “burning questions” at our “Farewell” Opera Dinner.

Our time includes Sumptuous Meals, Optional Activities and more, which combine to create an interesting and unforgettable operatic experience! Join the fun!

Space is limited and is offered on a first-come, first served basis. Reserve yours today! Contact James Sokol at 415-444-8017 or jsokol@marinjcc.org

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Trip Draft Itinerary

Tuesday, November 7

Arrive in New York City per your arrangements and head to the Empire Hotel – a lovely boutique hotel providing guests a chance to stay in iconic elegance. Conveniently located right at Lincoln Center,

the Empire is just steps from the Metropolitan Opera. The interior boasts decor that reflects the earth tones of Central Park and the modernism of Lincoln Center. The Manhattan hotel offers sophisticated comfort and edgy decor among many of their upscale amenities and top-notch guest services. As a result, The Empire has become one of the hottest hotels in New York City.

Check in, settle in and then meet fellow trip members for a brief Orientation & Kick-Off Toast.

Wednesday, November 8 (B, D)

Wake this morning in time for a late Breakfast and Exploring Opera: “Puccini’s Icy Princess” – James Sokol’s Lecture with audio clips, which will provide insights into this evening’s performance. Next, take Free Time for the afternoon or join in our first optional activity.

Optional Activity: Broadway Musical Matinee

The fall is an exciting time on “the Great White Way!” The new season brings the opening of long-anticipated shows as well as easier accessibility to tickets for the prior spring’s hottest tickets. Theater lovers flock to Times Square to be a part of the excitement. Take your Orchestra Seat to enjoy one of the hot Musicals that is lighting up Broadway. Specific show to be announced.

Tonight, enjoy a lovely Pre-Opera Dinner before our first evening at The Metropolitan Opera where we will be transported to legendary China.

Take your Orchestra Seat for Puccini’s final opera, an epic fairy tale, which features an unusual score with an astounding and innovative use of chorus and orchestra, yet is still recognizably Puccini, bursting with instantly appealing melody. Tonight, the much-beloved Franco Zeffirelli production – a grand spectacle of ancient China – stars soprano Oksana Dyka as the icy Chinese princess, who has all suitors

unable to solve her riddles beheaded. Tenor Marcelo Álvarez is Calàf, the unknown prince who must thaw her heart or die. Soprano Maria Agresta sings Liù, the slave girl who also loves Calàf, and bass James Morris is the prince’s father, Timur.

After the excitement of the show, wind down over a Nightcap.

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Thursday, November 9 (B)

Again, start with Breakfast and a Lecture with audio clips. In Exploring Opera: Puccini’s Gentle Geisha, James Sokol provides background & musical excerpts of tonight’s masterpiece.

Next explore a unique 16+ acre complex of buildings – Lincoln Center! This “neighborhood of the arts” is comprised of several important buildings including the Metropolitan Opera House, Avery Fisher Hall, the New York State Theater, Alice Tully Hall, the Vivian Beaumont Theater, and many more! These theaters host many nationally and internationally renowned performing arts organizations, such as the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center Theater, Chamber Music Society, New York City Ballet and more. On our Guided Lincoln Center Tour, visit three of the buildings where a spectacular range of international musical luminaries have performed, including Luciano Pavarotti, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Leonard Bernstein, and Renée Fleming.

Take Free Time to grab a light bite for lunch (note: we have an early optional dinner – see below), to return to the hotel to relax and refresh before tonight’s festivities, to shop at the popular Time-Warner Building, to stroll along Columbus Avenue, or to wonder in Central Park. In the early evening, have dinner on your own or join in an optional activity in an elegant setting.

Optional Activity: No-Host Grand Dinner

Dine within one of the most spectacular cultural destinations in the world – Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House – at The Grand Tier Restaurant, which is a tribute to elegance and artistry. Enjoy contemporary American cuisine by Executive Chef Richard Diamonte in an atmosphere highlighted by spectacular Swarovski crystal chandeliers and original masterpieces by Marc Chagall.

Tonight, return to The Metropolitan Opera for one of the Company’s most breathtaking productions. Director Anthony

Minghella’s vision of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly combines contemporary stagecraft with traditional setting and sensitive direction to create a timeless rendition of Puccini’s heart-breaking masterpiece – an instant Met classic since its 2006 premiere! A sensation of the Met HD 2008/9 Season, this Butterfly is best experienced in the theater, especially from your Orchestra Seat! Tonight, soprano Hui He stars in her signature role as the doomed Cio-Cio-San, while tenor Roberto Aronica sings her callous, faithless lover Pinkerton.

Conclude our evening with another chance to chat and toast with a Nightcap.

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Friday, November 10 (L)

This morning, change direction completely with a visit to The Museum of Arts & Design (MAD), which has the mission to collect, display, and interpret objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. Since its founding in 1956, the Museum has celebrated all facets of craft-making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, MAD champions contemporary makers across creative fields, presenting artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill to their work. Take a Private Guided Highlights Tour to see and get insights into various works of art and design currently on display.

Relax over the beautiful Lunch by Central Park at a wonderful nearby restaurant. Then stroll over to Lincoln Center for a fascinating look behind-the-scenes on a Metropolitan Opera Backstage Tour. On this 1-hour (sometimes longer, depending on how chatty the docent is) walking tour, explore the realm of craftsmen & conductors, seamstresses & singers. See rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, costume storage and

more. Keep your eyes open as you may cross paths with some of the opera world’s greatest opera stars! Return to the hotel to relax, then join in a very special evening, created especially for our group!

Afterwards, take Free Time for the rest of the day and the evening or, tonight, join in either or both optional activities.

Optional Activity: Modigliani Quartet

“One of today’s best quartets in the world...Balance, transparency, symphonic comprehension, confident style, their performance reached a very high and inspiring level ”

– Harald Eggbrecht in Süddeutsche Zeitung

Formed by four close friends in 2003, the Paris-based Modigliani Quartet is a regular guest of the world’s top venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Amsterdam’s Het Concertgebouw, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Cologne’s Philharmonie, Salzburg’s Mozarteum and more! Tonight. They come to Carnegie Hall’s intimate Weill Recital Hall for a program featuring two composers

not primarily known for chamber music plus a beautiful, restless work by Brahms.

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Emotionally intense, Puccini’s Crisantemi was composed as an elegy for a nobleman and used it later in his opera Manon Lescaut. The challenging first violin part of Saint-Saëns’s String Quartet in E Minor was written for virtuoso violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, but it is also memorable for its eloquent slow movement and scherzo with lively variations on a Breton folk song. The edgy quality of Brahms’s String Quartet No. 1 is balanced by sublime lyricism and dramatic fire in its finale.

Optional Activity: No-Host Post-Quartet Supper

After the concert, join others for a No-Host Supper at haunt nearby Carnegie Hall.

Saturday, November 11 (B, D)

Start the morning with Breakfast and Exploring Opera: Massenet’s Converting Courtesan, another Lecture with musical excerpts given by James Sokol to prepare you for today’s matinee.

Return to an Orchestra Seat at The Metropolitan Opera for the season premiere of Jules Massenet’s opera about the power of feminine allure and the desperation of male obsession, which has served as a showcase for a variety of great artists in the lead roles. Thaïs is an Egyptian courtesan and priestess of Venus whom the Christian monk Athanaël seeks to reform. While she ultimately achieves salvation, he falls prey to his growing lust for the woman. Although Massenet composed Thaïs for the Paris Opéra, where spectacle was often the order of the day, he wisely concentrated on the inner lives of the two lead roles. The result is an opera as seductive as its heroine, a fascinating story of two people locked in an opposing yet parallel metamorphosis. Tonight, soprano Ailyn Pérez plays the glamorous courtesan, while baritone Gerald Finley is the tortured

man of God. This production by John Cox brilliantly sets the stage for a confrontation as old as civilization itself. Rarely performed, Thaïs is a delight to the ear just as much as to the eye.

Return to the hotel to freshen before a unique and memorable evening, created exclusively for guests of this exciting trip!

Begin the evening by gaining rich insights into the vocal/musical preparation of opera singers. Similar to a Masterclass, but in a much more intimate setting, our Private Vocal Forum gives the opportunity to watch,

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listen and learn as singers present an aria on which they are working, get feedback, then work through vocal and/or interpretation challenges with a teacher. Held in a working rehearsal room, this unique chance to learn about and hear singing from a singer in an up-close and personal setting is certain to be a trip highlight. Don’t miss this melodious and fascinating technical and artistic journey. (Photo on page 5: Private Vocal Forum ‘09 with soprano Alison Buchanan, teacher Virginia Grasso & tenor

Andrew Drost) After this fascinating Forum, join some of the singers (and possibly other special guests) for an elegant “Farewell” Opera Dinner and toast to the end our operatic journey together! This unique dinner provides the exclusive opportunity of “breaking bread” with special guests. Whether their role is singer, director, voice teacher, vocal coach, agent or opera administrator, our guests chat about life as working opera professionals. What a personal glimpse into the opera world! (Photo at left: Opera Lunch ‘09

with Metropolitan Opera soprano Olga Makarina)

Sunday, November 12

Take Free Time before departing for home. A late-afternoon or early evening flight is recommended to allow time for breakfast, transfer to the airport, and so that you can enjoy more free-time in Manhattan, if desired.

Or, extend your stay in with an extra room night at The Empire Hotel.

Trip Summary, Prices & Notes

The Osher Marin JCC’s Exploring Opera: The Met’s Exotic Destinations includes:

Hotel: Accommodations for Five (5) Nights at The Empire Hotel. Performances: Orchestra Seats* for Three (3) Operas at The Metropolitan Opera. Lectures: 3 Exploring Opera Lectures. Special Events: Private Vocal Forum & “Farewell” Opera Dinner. Guided Tours: Metropolitan Opera Backstage, Lincoln Center, Museum of Arts & Design. Meals: Three (3) Breakfasts, One (1) Lunch, Two (2) Dinners (inc. Opera Dinner). Extras: Kick-Off Toast, Three (3) Nightcaps, Lecture Handouts & Trip Leader.

*Ticket upgrades may be available. See Trip Application for details and pricing.

Optional Activities are not included in the trip package and are added at the guest’s request. Advance registration required. Those with limited enrollment are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Broadway Musical Matinee – TBA

No-Host Grand Dinner at The Grand Tier Restaurant – NH**

Modigliani Quartet - $75 check / $80 credit

No-Host Post-Concert Supper at a restaurant TBA – NH**

**NH – No-Host indicated that each guest covers his/her own costs for the meal.

Itinerary: Above is a draft itinerary; the final itinerary is to be confirmed, and is subject to change.

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Trip Prices: Listed below are per person, based on double occupancy.

Room Trip Package Single Supplement Extra Room Night(s)* (by Check) (by Credit) (by Check) (by Credit) (by Check) (by Credit)

Standard Queen $3,285 $3,420 $925 $965 $335 $350 Superior 2-Doubles $3,345 $3,480 $985 $1,025 $370 $385

* Extra room nights (to tack on before or after the trip package) are quoted on a “per night” (not per person) basis and include taxes (currently 14.75%). Extra nights at the special rate are available only in conjunction with the trip package and are pending availability.

Payments: To make payment more manageable we are happy to spread them out as follows:

Payment by Check by Credit Date Non-Refundable Deposit $1,000 $1,040 upon reservation Payment #2 $1,500 $1,060 by June 1, 2017 Final Payment** $tba $tba by August 1, 2017

**Final Payment = Trip Package + Single Supplement + Ticket Upgrades + Optional Activities + Extra Room Night(s) if requested – Non-Refundable Deposit – Payment #2.

Room Share: Please let us know, at the time of reservation, if you are a solo traveler and would like to be matched up with a roommate to share a room. We will do our best to find a match for you.

Reservations: Trip participation is limited. Interested travelers are encouraged to reserve as soon as possible to ensure space on this exciting journey!

Air Travel: Please note that airfare to/from NYC is not included in the trip package. Please purchase your airline tickets only after your trip participation has been confirmed in writing.

Trip Insurance: Trip Insurance is highly recommended. Please research options & choose your preferred vendor. Insurance is available through our travel partner: Gale Staley at Dimensions in Travel at 415-883-3245 or gale@dimensionsintravel.com

Questions/Reservations: Contact James Sokol at 415-444-8017 or jsokol@marinjcc.org

Due to availability of performances tickets & hotel rooms, trip participation is limited

and will be guaranteed by receipt of deposit.

Interested travelers are encouraged to reserve spots asap to ensure space on this exciting operatic journey!

Cultural Arts Trips are offered by the Kurland Center for Lifelong Learning & Adult Activities at the Osher Marin JCC.

All are welcome! JCC members and non-members, people of all backgrounds and faiths are invited and encouraged to join in these enriching cultural trips.