THE TOUR INCLUDES: - Top category seats for all performances as listed - 7 nights accommodations at the Hotel Ódinsvé, a 4-star hotel in the city centre - Full breakfast daily, 3 lunches and 3 dinners - 3 custom (private) city tours, including the most important historical and architectural sites, galleries and museums - private Airport-Hotel transfers - Tour Direction by an Aria Tours director - a comprehensive tour handbook, containing travel info, performance synopses and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $5345 US Single Supplement: $1050 US Deposit: $2500 Balance due: March 1, 2007 Northern extension: $2085 US* Single Supplement: $300 US * Includes flights between Reykjavík and Akureyri, 3 nights hotel, daily breakfast, 2 dinners, sightseeing Prices include all taxes.

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

The Reykjavík Arts Festival is one of the oldest and most respected arts festivals in Northern Europe, and has since 1970 served to promote Icelandic and international culture in all fields of art. Along with its focus on Icelandic culture past and present, the Festival has hosted many outstanding international artists and performers, and 2007 is no exception. We will have a rare opportunity to hear two of the greatest living baritones—Bryn Terfel and Dmitri Hvorostovsky—on consecutive evenings. We will also enjoy a performance by the San Francisco Ballet, an Icelandic Opera, an evening of Icelandic chamber music and a recital by award-winning Icelandic violinist Elfa Run. For those interested in extending their stay, we offer a relaxing extension to stunning Mývatn, renowned for its natural beauty.

Reykjavik's history is as romantic and beguiling as its location. Set on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by a lunar volcanic netherworld, with the shadowy hulk of Mount Esja in the background, the world’s most northerly capital welcomes us warmly. The name “Reykjavík” itself means "Smoky Bay", referring to the steam which rises from the city's geothermal springs. Not only are they an essential revitalizing destination for all Icelanders, but the underground springs are used to heat 80% of the homes in the city—a pollution-free energy source that leaves the Reykjavík air outstandingly fresh, clean and clear. Although the city is small (pop. 180,000), all the trappings of a modern European city are present here, all of them dusted over with eccentric Icelandic spirit. Thriving cafes, high-energy pubs and clubs, and a brightly coloured old town with rows of wood-and-corrugated-tin houses cluster together in the compact city centre. And for us, visiting in May, the entire country is awash in midnight sun, glistening with glaciers, geysers, hot springs and waterfalls.

THE ITINERARY

Tuesday, May 15
Individual departures for Iceland.

Wednesday, May 16
Arrival in Reykjaviík and transfer (included) to the Hotel Ódinsvé, our 4-star private accommodation in the heart of the city, walking distance from most of the Festival venues. Afternoon at leisure. This evening, enjoy Welcome Dinner at Siggi Hall, the restaurant in our hotel regarded as one of the finest kitchens in Europe, if not the world.

Thursday, May 17
Day: Guided city tour, including the city center, the harbour, Hallgrímskirkja church, The Pearl and the National Museum of Iceland. Lunch included. Evening: Our first performance of the Festival: The Reykjaviík Chamber Orchestra 's string quartet plays all three of Jón Leifs' quartettos: number I (Mors et vita), II (Vita et mors) and III (El Greco) at The National Gallery. Leifs (1899-1968) is one of Iceland’s most important composers, and this is an exciting opportunity to hear all of the very demanding quartets performed in the same evening.

Friday, May 18
Day at leisure. Evening: André de Ridder conducts the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and eight vocalists in an opera-in-concert performance of Haflidi Hallgrimsson's Die Wält der Zwischenfälle. This will be the first time the opera--written in 2003 by Hallgrimsson, an Icelandic cellist and composer--is performed in Iceland, though it has been staged several times in Europe. The venue is Háskólabíó Concert Hall.

Saturday, May 19
Day: We tour the Golden Circle: Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysir hot springs and Þingvellir National Park. Not to be missed, the beauty of these natural wonders can hardly be expressed fully in words.

This evening we attend a performance by The San Francisco Ballet. The Icelander Helgi Tomasson is the artistic director of the company, the oldest ballet company in the United states, founded in 1933. Tomasson has gained extraordinary success with the company in his 20 years as. It is considered one of the best classical ballet companies in the world today and was chosen Dance Company of the Year in 2006 by Dance Europe. The dancers of the San Francisco ballet come from over 20 countries, carefully chosen by Helgi. His ballets are newly created works but classical in the sense that the dancers have classical training and dance to classical music, showing well their technical and artistic excellence. This program, choregraphed by Tomasson especially for the Festival, takes place at the The Reykjavik City Theatre.

Sunday, May 20
Day at leisure. Today you will have the option to enjoy whalewatching in the Reykjavik area.

Evening: We attend a recital by renowned Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky at Háskólabíó Concert Hall. Hvorostovsky will perform songs by Russian masters such as Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Borodin and others. In 1989, Hvorostovsky won the BBC Singer of the World competition in Cardiff, beating local favorite Bryn Terfel. Since then, Hvorostovsky and Terfel have been considered two of the best baritones in the world, although very different from one another. We will have the chance to witness the differences for ourselves. Following the recital, we enjoy dinner (included).

Monday, May 21
Day: Excursion to the South Shore. This is a lowland region of lush farmland, striking waterfalls, sandy coastline, glaciers and quaint towns and villages. It is also an area of historical significance (the famous Icelandic Saga of Njáll occurred here). This tour traverses areas where events changed the course of Icelandic history, and is also ideal for nature lovers. You will have the opportunity to stand behind a plummeting waterfall, gaze at natural rock formations and feel the amazing power of a glacier (if road conditions allow). A truly fulfilling experience and a perfect day in Iceland. Lunch included.

Evening: We attend a recital by Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel in Háskólabíó Concert Hall. Terfel is admired for both the quality of his singing as his charismatic stage presence. He will sing music from his home country and the British Isles.

Tuesday, May 22
Day: at leisure. You will have the option of spending a relaxing day soaking in the natural (and revitalizing) hot springs at the Blue Lagoon Spa.

Evening: Farewell Dinner before our final concert, a recital with young Icelandic violinist Elfa Run, a recent prize winner in competition in Leipzig. She will play with Francesco Corti (sembal) a fellow award winner at the Leipzig competition. The concert takes place in Ymir Hall.

Wednesday, May 23
Group departures (included).

OPTIONAL NORTHERN EXCURSION

Wednesday, May 23
After a short flight (included) we land in Akureyri, the cultural and commercial centre of the North. Our coach takes us to the other-worldly Lake Mývatn. On arrival, we check into Sel-Hotel Mývatn. Dinner is included this evening. Afterwards, we are invited to take an evening stroll around the area to enjoy the midnight sun.

Thursday, May 24
A guided sightseeing tour of the Mývatn area takes us to such places as "Dimmuborgir" (lava fields), "Höfði" (a community park), the bubbling mud pools at "Hveraleira", and the geothermal power station and the crater "Víti" at Krafla. This evening, dinner is included.

Friday, May 25
After breakfast guests are driven to Akureyri with a brief stop at Goðafoss waterfall. We enjoy a short tour of Akureyri before being taken to the airport for the return flight to Reykjavík. Upon arrival, we transfer to the Blue Lagoon Inn & Spa, where we bask in comfort for our final afternoon and evening in Iceland.

Saturday, May 26
After breakfast, morning transfer (included) to connect with homeward flights.