SANTA FE MUSIC GALA
- Tosca PUCCINI (Echalza, Hampson)
- The Pearl Fishers BIZET (Cutler, Cabell)
- Maometto II ROSSINI (Pisaroni, Crocetto)
- Two Chamber Music Festival Concerts
- Visit to Georgia O'Keeffe home in Abiquiu
Saturday August 11 – Dinner
Morning departure for Albuquerque, New Mexico. Those arriving with the group will transfer to our deluxe motorcoach for the scenic drive to Santa Fe. This year our hotel for our week in Santa Fe is the venerable La Fonda Hotel, located just across from the Santa Fe Plaza. Built in 1929, the hotel was recently renovated to update the rooms while maintaining the historic ambiance. In the evening, a Welcome Reception and Dinner at one of Santa Fe's many fine restaurants.
Sunday August 12
This morning a walking tour of the city to familiarize you with Santa Fe's fascinating history. The afternoon is free, perhaps for shopping or a relaxing swim in the hotel pool. Tonight a concert by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, renowned for the high quality of its presentations. Tonight's program includes the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, and the Sonatina No. 1 for Wind Instruments by Richard Strauss.
Monday August 13
This morning we visit the outstanding Fenn Gallery, with its serene and lovely sculpture garden, always a favorite with our groups, then to the Museum Plaza on Camino Lejo to explore the four excellent museums in this location – the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Art and Culture, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, and the Wheelwright Museum. The afternoon is free. Tonight our first opera, Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, the opera that launched him to fame. The cast includes Eric Cutler, Christopher Magiera and Nicole Cabell. In French with English titles.
Tuesday August 14 – Lunch
The morning is free. At noon another concert of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, including the Beethoven "Kreutzer" Sonata with Anne-Marie McDermott, piano, and Benny Kim, violin, and Bernstein's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. Lunch follows the concert at one of the city's excellent restaurants. The balance of the day is free. The evening is free, or take in an optional performance of King Roger by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. Written in 1926, the opera's excellent cast includes Mariusz Kwiecien as King Roger and William Burden as the Shepherd.
Wednesday August 15
Today we enjoy an all-day excursion to Georgia O'Keeffe's home at Abiquiu, which has become one of the area's most popular (and difficult to see) attractions. We have arranged to see both the grounds and the inside of Miss O'Keeffe's home, to learn more about this icon of American Art. Lunch is on your own. Return late afternoon to the hotel. This evening Puccini's gripping Tosca. The cast includes Amanda Echalaz, Andrew Richards and Thomas Hampson. In Italian with English titles.
Thursday August 16 – Dinner
A free day today for your own activities. Use your museum pass to visit Santa Fe's Museum of Fine Arts or the Palace of the Governors, or visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, all just few blocks from our hotel. Early evening our bus takes us to the Santa Fe Opera House for a gourmet buffet supper on the grounds and a talk on tonight's opera, a rare performance of Rossini's Maometto II. In the cast are Luca Pisaroni, Leah Crocetto and Bruce Sledge. In Italian with English titles.
Friday August 17
Group transportation to Albuquerque for flights home.
Land Cost (double occupancy) $3175.00
Single Supplement $725.00
Airfare is not included.