THE BEST OF NEW YORK

With I Puritani (Oropesa, Brownlee), Porgy & Bess (Renee, Graves, Speedo Green), Carmen (Brugger, Fabiano), Madama Butterfly (Pérez, Kim, Baek), plus Isabel Leonard & Nadine Sierra in recital at Carnegie Hall. Superb 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.

In 2026, we hear the best singers on the planet in four operas at The Met, as well as two more of the finest voices in opera at Carnegie Hall. 

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.

Daily itinerary on our website later in March, but click here to register now.

Only 16 spaces available.

ITINERARY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13

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 in the hotel’s Library.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14

10.30 Following breakfast (included each day), we enjoy a unique tour focusing on China Town and Little Italy.

13.30 Lunch is included at Tavern on the Green.

18.15 Transfer to The Met for Bizet's enduringly-popular Carmen (19.00 curtain).

Conductor  Pier Giorgio Morandi

Micaëla  Janai Brugger

Carmen   Aigul Akhmetshina

Don José   Michael Fabiano

Escamillo   Christian Van Horn

22.45 Meet at lower level parking garage doors and transfer back to hotel.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15

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.

17.00 This evening we dine at Estiatorio Milos before a concert at Carnegie Hall (20.00). Multiple Grammy Award–winning, multilingual mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard welcomes fellow Metropolitan Opera star Nadine Sierra for a rare duo recital. They’re joined in the magnificent-sounding Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage by John Arida, a pianist praised for his “natural empathetic link to Leonard’s phrasing” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Curated as part of Leonard’s artist-led Carnegie Hall Perspectives series, this performance is a heartfelt, contemporary tribute to Renée Fleming’s storied duo recitals with Susan Graham.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 10.00 Meet in 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. 

13.30 Following the tour, lunch is included at Keen’s, New York’s finest steakhouse since 1885.

19.15 This evening we transfer to The Met for a performance of one of the great works of American Art, the Gershwins' Porgy & Bess (20.00). Bass-baritone Alfred Walker and soprano Brittany Renee headline one of the defining works of American music theater. With its fusion of opera, jazz, and Broadway, the Gershwins’ enduring masterpiece features a number of tunes whose popularity has transcended the opera house, including the classics “Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Hailed by The Washington Post as “a Porgy of its time that speaks to ours,” James Robinson’s vivid staging features electrifying choreography by Camille A. Brown, with an all-star ensemble portraying the community of Catfish Row.

Conductor Kwamé Ryan

Bess Brittany Renee

Clara Vuvu Mpofu

Serena Leah Hawkins

Maria Denyce Graves

Sportin' Life Frederick Ballentine

Porgy Alfred Walker

Crown Ryan Speedo Green

Jake Benjamin Taylor

23.40 Meet at lower level parking garage doors and transfer back to hotel.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17

10.00 Gather in the lobby and depart by coach for a private tour of The Cloisters, the branch of the Metropolitan Museum devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Renowned for its architectural sculpture, The Cloisters also rewards visitors with exquisite illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, metalwork, enamels, ivories, and tapestries. We stop at some hidden gem spaces on the way back to the hotel.

18.00 This evening we dine at the Grand Tier at The Met prior to a performance of Puccini’s timeless Madama Butterfly (20.00). Coffee and dessert will be served during the interval.

Conductor Marco Armiliato

Cio-Cio-San Ailyn Pérez

Suzuki Hyona Kim

Pinkerton SeokJong Baek

Sharpless Andrzej Filończyk

23.15 Meet at lower level parking garage doors and transfer back to hotel.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18

Enjoy the final day in New York at leisure.

14.15 Transfer to The Met for a matinée performance of Bellini's gorgeous and all-too-infrequently-performed I Puritani (15.00 curtain).

Conductor  Marco Armiliato

Elvira Walton  Lisette Oropesa

Lord Arturo Talbot  Lawrence Brownlee

Riccardo Forth  Artur Ruciński

Giorgio Walton  Christian Van Horn

18.30 Meet in the main lobby and walk across the plaza to Lincoln Ristorante for our Farewell Dinner.

MONDAY, JANUARY 19

Airport transfers are included and will be arranged on-site.

TOUR INCLUDES

• Premium seats for 4 operas and 1 concert as listed

• 6 nights Deluxe accommodation at the Firmdale Whitby Hotel

• Full breakfast daily, plus 6 additional meals 

• 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 January 13, with departure any time on January 19.

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.