With Aida (Armiliato; Hawkins, Baek, Petrova), Parsifal (Nézet-Séguin; Garanča, Beczała, Mattei, Speedo Green) and Tosca (Armiliato; Radvanovsky, Polenzani, Enkhbat, Carfizzi). Plus Carnegie Hall concert (Kissin, Vengerov, Capuçon) and the Lincoln Center Diamond Jubilee Gala. Superb library/art tours and cuisine. Firmdale Whitby Hotel.
No one does New York better. From our Orchestra Premium seats at The Met to our hidden gem hotel, to our off-the-beaten-path touring and unforgettable meals. We love this tour, and you will too.
Our 2027 tour will include three blockbuster operas with incredible casts: Aida (Marco Armiliato; Leah Hawkins, SeokJong Baek, Olesya Petrova), Parsifal (Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Elīna Garanča, Piotr Beczała, Peter Mattei, Ryan Speedo Green) and Tosca (Marco Armiliato; Sondra Radvanovsky, Matthew Polenzani, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Patrick Carfizzi). We also include a superb Carnegie Hall concert with Evgeny Kissin, Maxim Vengerov and Gautier Capuçon in an all-Beethoven programme. But wait...there's more...
The highlight will be an evening Gala celebrating The Met's 60th year at Lincoln Center, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting fully-staged scenes by director Julian Crouch, featuring a dazzling array of opera’s brightest stars.
Our guided tours will feature the renovated Frick Museum, the Morgan Library (one of our favourite spots in the city), and a morning spent visiting several other hidden-gem libraries and museums.
Meals each day will be at some of the finest restaurants in the city.
Click here to register now. Only 16 spaces available.
ITINERARY
FRIDAY, MAY 21
Upon arrival at your NYC-area airport, you are met and transferred to the ideally-located Firmdale Whitby Hotel. The design is elegant, warm and wistful, the rooms are large and superbly appointed, and the staff is charming, attentive and professional. This is the sister hotel to the Firmdale Covent Garden in London, one of our favourite hotels anywhere, and our groups in New York over the past few years have raved about it. Tonight we meet for a Cocktail Reception and Welcome Dinner at Il Tinello.
SATURDAY, MAY 22
09.30 Following breakfast (included each day), we enjoy a unique tour of New York, focusing on the origins of the city, China Town and Little Italy.
11.30 Back to the hotel for a quick change before our first opera at The Met: Verdi's monumental Aida (13.00 curtain). Marco Armiliato; Leah Hawkins, SeokJong Baek, Olesya Petrova.
16.30 Meet at lower level parking garage doors and transfer back to hotel.
19.00 Gather and depart for dinner at nearby Estiatorio Milos.
SUNDAY, MAY 23
13.30 After a morning at leisure, we walk to nearby Carnegie Hall to hear three of the world’s leading instrumentalists share the stage here for the first time. Together, they perform a program of game-changing piano trios by Beethoven, featured as part of the Hall’s season-long exploration of the composer’s chamber works. The program begins with an intense early work from Beethoven’s first opus, which announced a bold new era for the piano and chamber music. The “Ghost” Trio follows, so named for its eerie, trembling evocations from the piano. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s final piano trio, the “Archduke,” a massively influential achievement known for its grand scale and unprecedented integration of instruments.
Evgeny Kissin, Piano
Maxim Vengerov, Violin
Gautier Capuçon, Cello
ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 3
Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost"
Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97, “Archduke"
17.00 Following the concert, we enjoy early dinner in the Weill Café at Carnegie Hall, after which the evening is at leisure.
MONDAY, MAY 24
10.00 We depart for a highlights tour of the refurbished Frick Collection. The Frick carries masterpieces of European painting, major works of sculpture (among them one of the finest groups of small bronzes in the world), superb 18th-century French porcelains, Old Master and 19th-century works on paper, Limoges enamels, and other works of remarkable quality.
13.00 Lunch and the afternoon are at leisure.
19.00 This evening we dine at the chic Harry Cipriani.
TUESDAY, MAY 25
10.00 Meet in the lobby and transfer to the Morgan Library & Museum for a guided tour. A complex of buildings in the heart of New York City, The Morgan Library & Museum began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United States. As early as 1890, Morgan had begun to assemble a collection of illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts, early printed books, and old master drawings and prints. Built between 1902 and 1906 at Madison Avenue and 36th Street by Charles McKim, the library is an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo with three magnificent rooms epitomizing America’s Age of Elegance.
17.15 This evening we transfer to The Met for a very special performance. Sixty years after the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center ushered in a spectacular new age of grand opera, the Met celebrates the diamond anniversary of its magnificent home with a glittering gala—conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and fully staged by director Julian Crouch, with immersive video and projections by 59 Studio, and featuring a dazzling array of opera’s brightest stars and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. The program will include a broad selection of arias, duets, and scenes from more than 30 operas, including thrilling excerpts from Die Walküre, Der Rosenkavalier, La Forza del Destino, Akhnaten, Pagliacci, Romeo et Juliette, and The Queen of Spades.
FEATURING:
Aigul Akhmetshina | Roberto Alagna | Xabier Anduaga | SeokJong Baek | Piotr Beczała | J’Nai Bridges | Lawrence Brownlee | Anthony Roth Costanzo | Lise Davidsen | Freddie De Tommaso | Joyce DiDonato | Ying Fang | Rosa Feola | Gerald Finley | Renée Fleming | Igor Golovatenko | Ryan Speedo Green | Asmik Grigorian | Leah Hawkins | Brian Jagde | Isabel Leonard | Will Liverman | Peter Mattei | Latonia Moore | Erin Morley | Ailyn Pérez | Matthew Polenzani | Sondra Radvanovsky | Nadine Sierra | Elza van den Heever | Christian Van Horn | Sonya Yoncheva
A special post-Gala dinner is included at Lincoln Ristorante.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 26
10.00 This morning we enjoy one of the world's greatest museums, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
17.15 Depart for The Met for Wagner's glorious Parsifal (18.00). We will enjoy dinner at the Met's Grand Tier Restaurant during the intervals.
THURSDAY, MAY 27
10.00 This morning we explore the Chelsea Market and walk the fabulous High Line.
17.00 Transfer to Café Fiorello for early dinner prior to Puccini's beloved Tosca (19.30 curtain). Marco Armiliato conducts a superb cast featuring Sondra Radvanovsky and Matthew Polenzani.
FRIDAY, MAY 28
Airport transfers are included and will be arranged on-site.
TOUR INCLUDES
Premium seats for 4 operas and 1 concert as listed
7 nights Deluxe accommodation at the Firmdale Whitby Hotel
Full breakfast daily, plus 7 dinners
Private tours as listed
Airport-hotel and performance transfers
On-site Tour Direction
Comprehensive Tour Guidebook
FLIGHTS
Flights are not included in tour pricing. Return flights should be booked to either LGA, JFK or EWR for arrival no later than 15.00 on May 21, with departure any time on May 28.
TRANSFERS
We provide airport/rail station—hotel transfers for arrivals and departures within within 3 days of the start/end of our tour. We also provide transfers for group meals and performances that are beyond a 10 minute walk.
MOBILITY
There is minimal walking with some stairs and uneven terrain during the guided tours. As for all of our tours, we are happy to accommodate you regardless of your mobility level. Please make clear your mobility concerns at the time of registration. We provide transfers for group meals and performances that are beyond a 10 minute walk.
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. For more information about our travel insurance, click here.
Your Tour Director
David Merritt
David Merritt is the owner and founder of Aria Tours and has been leading opera groups around the globe for nearly 25 years.