Glyndebourne Opera Festival_Jul 2016_ITIN

Glyndebourne opera festival week July 16 - 23, 2016 Tour leader: Robert gay

Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen; photo credit Bill Cooper, Glyndebourne

Glyndebourne Opera festival week Overview Operating since 1934 on a private estate on the Sussex Downs, Glyndebourne is now a prestigious international event. The London Philharmonic Orchestra plays in the pit, and top-rank international singers live on the estate while performing. A new opera theatre was opened in 1994 and boasts superb acoustics. Initially famous for its Mozart, Glyndebourne now performs a much wider repertoire, even including Wagner.

Academy Travel is again proud to offer a tour that takes you to England’s most prestigious summer opera festival – Glyndebourne. Participants will enjoy the memorable experience and privilege of attending three outstanding and diverse operas.

Below: Australian-American soprano Danielle de Niese strikes a pose outside her home at Glyndebourne. Danielle stars as Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Like the character she portrays in Rossini’s opera, this singer combines talent and panache to make an impact!

While the focus of the tour is on Glyndebourne, we have enhanced the program with visits to historic Sissinghurst Castle Garden, and a Bloomsbury artist day to tour the estates of Charleston, former home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and Monk’s House, the 17th century country retreat of Leonard and Virginia Woolf.

Accommodation for the first night of the tour is in the fine neo-Georgian Bloomsbury Hotel in London. Closer to Glyndebourne we divide our stay between Deans Place, a traditional country house in the picturesque village of Alfriston, and Pelham House a beautiful 16th century townhouse offering Georgian elegance in the heart of the old county town of Lewes.

Your tour leader Robert Gay, who now spends part of each year living in London, will provide detailed background information on the performances and accompany all the excursions. And there will also be plenty of opportunities to exchange views on the performances with Robert and your fellow participants.

Performances Academy Travel is a proud Corporate Member of Glyndebourne. This wonderful partnership enables us priority access to the best seats at the most in-demand performances. On this tour participants will attend the following operas:  Rossini’s The Barber of Seville  Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro  Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen

Your Tour Leader For over 25 years, Robert Gay has presented music history courses at the Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Sydney. Over the same period, he has designed and escorted more than 80 cultural tours to Europe and America. His enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge of music history vast.

Photo credit: Sven Arnstein

Tour Price The tour price is $5,850 per person, twin share (land content only). The supplement for a single room is $1,189 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour.

Included in the tour price        

All accommodation in selected hotels All breakfasts and dinners as listed in the itinerary Best available tickets to three Glyndebourne operas Land travel by air-conditioned coach Background talks Services of Australian tour leader throughout tour All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels

Not included    

International airfares (competitive quotes available) Travel insurance Meals and activities not stated as included in this itinerary Personal expenses

Air travel OPTIONS The tour price quoted is for land content only. Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai and Emirates offer daily flights to London. Please contact us for further quotes and bookings.

Airport transfers Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual transfers. Transfers can also be arranged for anyone booking their own flights. Please contact Hannah Kleboe for further details.

Enquiries and bookings For further information or to secure a place on this tour please contact Hannah Kleboe at Academy Travel, on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email hannah@academytravel.com.au

Images right: Susanna, caught out in Act II of The Marriage of Figaro, photo credit Glyndebourne; Glyndebourne auditorium, photo credit Charlotte Boulton; and the terrace gardens at Glyndeourne, photo credit Howard Sooley

Glyndebourne

Opera festival week Detailed Itinerary All breakfasts are included. Included dinners are indicated by the letter (D).

Saturday 16 July 2016 Arrival

Most flights arrive at London’s Heathrow airport in the morning or early afternoon. If you have booked your air travel through Academy Travel we will organise a transfer from Heathrow to our hotel. Please note that hotel rooms may not be available until early afternoon. In the early evening we walk to a local restaurant for dinner. Overnight at The Bloomsbury Hotel, London (D) Sunday 17 July 2016 – Performance I Glyndebourne – the barber of Seville

This morning we travel by coach south to the town of Alfriston in the Sussex Downs. On the way, Robert Gay will give an introduction to the Glyndebourne festival and tonight’s performance of Rossini’s witty and eternally popular comedy, The Barber of Seville. The Barber is based on a play by Beaumarchais, written on the eve of the French Revolution.

Beneath the light comedy there is a trenchant criticism of the ancient regime, and we can expect the Glyndebourne production to explore this aspect of the work. Tonight’s performance is a new production directed by Annabel Arden and stars Melbourne-raised soprano Danielle de Niese.

We will arrive in Alfriston around midday. Early afternoon we head to Glyndebourne with time to explore the grounds and perhaps a preperformance drink. During the long interval enjoy a traditional picnic dinner together. Overnight at Hotel Deans Place, Alfriston (B, D)

Top: Danielle de Niese as Rosina; photo credit Glyndebourne Above: on the lawn at Glyndebourne; photo credit Sam Stephenson Below: the formal gardens of Sissinghurst Castle

Performance details Venue: Glyndebourne Program: Rossini, The Barber of Seville Performers: Danielle de Niese (Rosina), Alessandro Corbelli (Dr Bartolo).

Björn Bürger (Figaro), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Enrique Mazzola (conductor) Monday 18 July 2016 SIssinghurst Castle Garden

This morning is free to relax in Alfriston and then in the early afternoon we travel to Sissinghurst, probably the best known and most popular of all 20th-century English gardens. It was created by the poet and garden writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat and author husband Harold Nicholson in the 1930s. The garden is laid out in the Arts and Crafts style as a series of rooms, each with its own distinctive theme and colour.

Overnight at Hotel Deans Place, Alfriston (B) Tuesday 19 July 2016 – Performance iI Glyndebourne – the marriage of Figaro

After a talk on this evening’s performance, the morning is at leisure. In the early afternoon we return to the Glyndebourne estate for tonight’s performance of Figaro, a revival of the 2012 production. Jonathan Cohen leads the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. During the long interval

enjoy a dinner together in one of Glyndebourne’s superb restaurants.

Overnight at Hotel Deans Place, Alfriston (B, D) Performance details Venue: Glyndebourne Program: Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro Performers: Golda Schultz (Countess Almaviva), Davide Luciano (Figaro), Rosa Feola (Susanna) Wednesday 20 July 2016 Bloomsbury Day

Mid morning we travel to Charleston, the home of the Bloomsbury Group’s Duncan Grant (1885-1978) and Vanessa Bell (1879-1961), the sister of Virginia Woolf. Charleston was the meeting place of the Bloomsbury group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists, the best known members of which included Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strachey. We then continue on to Monk’s House a typical 17th-century Sussex weatherboard cottage, the home of the writer Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard, from 1919. It was in the small wooden lodge in the orchard of the garden that she wrote many of her most famous books: Mrs Dalloway, To The Lighthouse and Orlando. Overnight at Hotel Deans Place, Alfriston (B) Thursday 21 July 2016 DISCOVER Lewes

This morning we leave Alfriston and make the short journey to Lewes our base for the last two nights of the tour. Lewes is an old county town with a long history and lively present. The day is at leisure for you to explore the town at your own pace. Highlights on a walk around town might include the Castle and Town Museum, Anne of Cleves’ House and the Priory Ruins, and a long stroll up and down the lengthy High Street. This evening we gather for dinner together in the hotel’s excellent restaurant. Overnight at Pelham House, Lewes (B, D) Friday 22 July 2016 – Performance iIi Glyndebourne – the Cunning little Vixen

This morning Robert Gay will give a talk on Melly Still’s colourful and joyous production. In the late afternoon we return to the Glyndebourne estate for tonight’s performance of The Cunning Little Vixen. During the long interval enjoy a farewell dinner together in one of Glyndebourne’s excellent restaurants. Overnight at Pelham House, Lewes (B) Performance details Venue: Glyndebourne Program: Janacek, The Cunning Little Vixen Performers: Elena Tsallagova (Vixen Sharp Ears), Alzbeta Polackova (Fox), Christopher Purves (Forester) Saturday 23 July 2016 Departure

The tour ends today. There is a transfer to Heathrow airport for evening flights to Australia. (B) Right: Davide Luciano as Figaro and Rosa Feola as Susanna in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, photo credit Glyndebourne; the country town of Lewes; and the colourful production of Glyndebourne’s The Cunning Little Vixen, photo credit Bill Cooper

Glyndebourne

Opera festival week Hotels LONDON, The Bloomsbury Hotel (1 night)

This elegant four-star hotel is housed in a heritage building designed by the famous English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It has tastefully appointed public areas and comfortable well-sized rooms. But its best feature is the location, on a quiet part of Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury, in the heart of the theatre district, within walking distance of most London shows.

Covent Garden, Soho and the shops of Oxford Street are all within a 10minute walk. www.thedoylecollection.com Alfriston, Deans Place Hotel (4 nights)

This 14th century country house hotel is set in the heart of the pretty village of Alfriston. Glyndebourne is a short 15 minutes drive away. The hotel is home to the locally renowned, Rosette-awarded, Harcourts Restaurant. There is also an outdoor heated seasonal swimming pool (available from May to September). Guests can enjoy playing croquet and boules in the grounds. www.deansplacehotel.co.uk Lewes, Pelham House (2 nights)

Dating back to the 16th century, this beautiful townhouse offers awardwinning accommodation in the historic town of Lewes. Decorated in a comfortable contemporary style, the hotel preserves many of the original historic features of the house. Some room have stunning far-reaching views over the hotel gardens and across the South Downs National Park. www.pelhamhouse.com Above: a room at The Bloomsbury Hotel, London, and Dean’s Place Hotel, set in the heart of the pretty village of Alfriston Below: a double room at the hotel at Dean’s Place Hotel; and Pelham House Hotel in Lewes, a beautiful 16th century town house

Weather on Tour July is a great time to visit England. The days are long, rainfall is low and temperatures are mild to warm. Nevertheless, you should bring a light jacket and jumpers for the evenings. As we all know, English summers can sometimes be a bit damp, so bring an umbrella!

Extend your travel!

London, Stratford & the Edinburgh International Festival After the tour, consider combining your Glyndebourne week with our London to Edinburgh tour in conjunction with Sydney Festival and Australian Chamber Orchestra. Travel to the UK’s best summer arts festivals, culminating in six nights at the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival where we will be joined by Sydney Festival Director, Wesley Enoch. You’ll be taken behind the scenes, meeting performers and directors, attending rehearsals and private receptions. There’s also the chance to enjoy the English countryside at its finest.

July 28 – August 10, 2016 From $9,960 pp, twin share (land content only)

Physical Requirements of THIS tour Physical rating 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 to consider carefully your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.

Participation criteria for this tour This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of physical activity per day on most days, including longer walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and a more demanding tour schedule with one night stops or several internal flights.

You should be able to:  keep up with the group at all times  walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only short breaks  stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and museums  tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold, humidity and heat  walk up and down slopes  negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites, which are often uneven and unstable  get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or boat unassisted, possibly with luggage  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 highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You will have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until after you have contacted 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.

Wandering through the garden at Charleston, the home of the Bloomsbury Group’s Duncan Grant (1885-1978) and Vanessa Bell (1879-1961), the sister of Virginia Woolf; credit Phil Bartle, Flickr Below: Monk's House, the sanctuary that inspired Virginia Woolf; credit Howard Stanbury, Flickr - image cropped

About Academy Travel Each year Academy Travel organises around 50 journeys to Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia and the Americas, each focusing on a distinctive historical, artistic or cultural theme. The aim of every Academy Travel journey is to combine the pleasures of independent travel with the benefits and shared enjoyment of a group. Academy Travel is an Australian-owned travel company, founded in 2004. The company’s staff includes both academic experts and travel professionals with over two decades’ industry experience. We also have our own office in Rome which organises our tours in Western Europe. This means we have direct control over the selection of hotels, restaurants, coaches and local guides, guaranteeing superior quality.

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Many of our tours feature top-flight events not usually offered on group tours.

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