OPERA IN GERMANY:
BERLIN, LEIPZIG, DRESDEN & MUNICH

• Enjoy a curated selection of 9 performances in premier venues in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden & Munich

• Get the most out of the experience with pre-performance talks by tour leader Robert Gay

• See three exciting new productions at Munich’s prestigious annual Opera Festival – Mozart’s Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni, and Janáček’s Katya Kabanova

• Discover Germany’s incredible wealth of museums and galleries, including Berlin’s Museum Island, Weimar’s Bauhaus collections, Dresden’s superb galleries and Munich’s Alte Pinakothek

• Gain an insight into the musical heritage and history of Leipzig, Dresden and Weimar on guided walking tours

TUESDAY 24 JUNE 2025 – ARRIVAL (CANAPÉS)
Group members arrive during the day. In the early evening, we gather in the hotel to meet our tour leader, tour manager and fellow travellers for welcome drinks and canapés. Overnight Berlin.

WEDNESDAY 25 JUNE – BERLIN, PERFORMANCE 1 (B, L)
This morning, after a talk in the hotel, we take a relaxing cruise on the River Spree. Afterwards, we head to Norman Foster’s remarkable reconstruction of the Reichstag building. At our welcome lunch, we dine on modern German cuisine while enjoying expansive city views at a rooftop terrace restaurant, adjacent to Foster’s 800-ton steel and glass dome. There is some time at leisure to relax before tonight’s performance, Bernard Foccroulle’s Cassandra, a modern operaexploring the topical theme of ecological activism performed in the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Overnight Berlin.

Performance 1
Venue: Staatsooer Unter den Linden
Program: Bernard Foccroulle, Cassandra
Performers: Anja Bihlmaier (musical director), Katarina Bradic (Cassandra), Jessica Niles (Sandra), Susan Bickley (Hecuba, Victoria), Sarah Defries (Naomi), Valdemar Villadsen (Blake)

THURSDAY 26 JUNE – MUSEUM ISLAND, PERFORMANCE 2 (B)
After a morning talk, we walk to Berlin’s outstanding Museum Island complex and explore the impressive Egyptian collection at the Neues Museum and the classical antiquities housed in the Alte Museum. The afternoon is at leisure before we attend an evening performance of Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades staged at the Deutsche Oper by rising British director, Sam Brown. Overnight Berlin.

Performance 2
Venue: Deutsche Oper Berlin
Program: Tchaikovsky, Queen of Spades
Performers: Juraj Vǎlcuha (conductor), Sam Brown (staging), Brian Jagde (Hermann), Sarah Jakubiak (Lisa), Jennifer Larmore (Countess), Lucio Gallo (Tomski), Thomas Lemski (Prince Jeletzki), Karis Tucker (Polina), Chance Jonas-O’Toole (Tschekalinski), Padraic Rowan (Surin)

FRIDAY 27 JUNE – OLD MASTERS & MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, PERFORMANCE 3 (B)
This morning there is a talk in the hotel before we take public transport to the Museum of Musical Instruments. The museum shows the development of musical instruments from the sixteenth century to the present, including the rare Naumberger wind instrument collection from the early Baroque. Our guided tour culminates with a demonstration of the Mighty Wurlitzer, Europe’s largest cinema and theatre organ. Lunch is enjoyed at leisure before we visit the famous Gemäldegalerie. There is time to explore the museum’s impressive collection of European masters from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century – including the world’s largest collection of Rembrandts – before returning to the hotel. Tonight’s performance brings together conductor Joanna Mallwitz and the Konzerthausorchester with piano virtuoso Igor Levit, performing works by Haydn, Bartók and Stravinsky. Overnight Berlin.

Performance 3
Venue: Konzerthaus Berlin
Program: Haydn, Symphonie no. 82 (La Poule), Bartók, Piano Concert no. 3, Stravinsky, Petruschka
Performers: Joana Mallwitz (conductor), Igor Levit (pianoforte)

SATURDAY 28 JUNE – TO LEIPZIG (B)
Today we check out and travel by coach to Halle where the composer George Frideric Handel was born in 1685. After free time for lunch, we visit The Handel House, where the baroque composer lived for 18 years. The museum explores Handel’s life and work from his early years in Halle and his European career, until his death in 1759. We arrive in Leipzig in the late afternoon to check into our hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure. Overnight Leipzig.

SUNDAY 29 JUNE – HISTORIC LEIPZIG, PERFORMANCE 4 (B)

This morning, after a talk in the hotel, we have a walking tour with a local guide of the historic centre of Leipzig. There is time to relax or explore one of Leipzig’s galleries before we attend Strauss’s comic opera showcasing the female voice, The Rosenkavalier, at Oper Leipzig. Overnight Leipzig.

Performance 4
Venue: Oper Leipzig
Program: Strauss, The Rosenkavalier
Performers: Christoph Gedschold (musical director), Michael Schultz (director), Solen Maingené (The Field Marshal Princess Werdenberg), Yorck Felix Speer (Baron Ochs of Lerchenau), Gabrielé Kupšyté (Octavian), Mathias Hausmann (Mr Faninal), Samantha Gaul (Sophie), Caroline Stein (Miss Marianne Leitmetzerin), Paul Kaufmann (Valzacchi)

MONDAY 30 JUNE – WEIMAR (B, D)
From the European Enlightenment through to the eponymous republic of the twentieth century, the beautiful city of Weimar played a key role in German culture. It is a particularly enriching destination for those with an appreciation of German musical heritage. Today we travel to Weimar by coach to undertake a walking tour with a local guide. After free time for lunch, we take a guided tour of the Bauhaus Museum, exploring the influential twentieth-century modernist movement founded in Weimar by Walter Gropius. We return to Leipzig to enjoy a traditional dinner of Saxon dishes in the historic Auerbachs Keller. Overnight Leipzig.

TUESDAY 01 JULY – TO DRESDEN (B, D)
After a leisurely morning, we check out and travel by coach to Dresden, seat of the former rulers of Saxony. The baroque city centre was extensively damaged in World War II and has undergone a remarkable reconstruction. In the afternoon, a local guide takes us on a walking tour of the historic centre. After checking into our hotel, there is time to unpack before dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Dresden.

WEDNESDAY 02 JULY – GEMÄLDEGALERIE, PERFORMANCE 5 (B)
After a talk in our hotel, we enjoy a guided tour of the highlights of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, followed by time at leisure to admire the extensive porcelain collection housed in the Zwinger Palace. The afternoon is at leisure before a performance this evening of Handel’s Oratorio Saul, in the beautifully restored Semperoper. Overnight Dresden.

Performance 5
Venue: Semperoper Dresden
Program: Handel, Saul
Performers: Leo Hussain (conductor), Florian Boesch (Saul), Jake Arditti (David), Jasmin Delfs (Merab), Mary Bevan (Michal), James Ley (Jonathan), Tansel Akzeybek (Abner, High Priest, Doeg), Jake Ingbar (Witch of Endor)

THURSDAY 03 JULY – HISTORIC GREEN VAULT, PERFORMANCE 6 (B)
This morning, after a talk in the hotel, we visit the baroque masterpieces housed in Augustus the Strong’s treasure chamber at the Historic Green Vault. Some 3000 free-standing objects, including precious jewels, gold and bronze statuary, are uniquely displayed throughout nine opulent rooms, each with a theme: the Amber Cabinet, the Silver Gilt Room and the Hall of Precious Objects, to name a few! Returning to the hotel, the afternoon is at leisure before we return to the Semperoper for tonight’s performance, Tchaikovsky’s intimate masterpiece Eugene Onegin, based on the novel by Alexander Pushkin. Overnight Dresden.

Performance 6
Venue: Semperoper Dresden
Program: Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin
Performers: Oksana Lyniv (musical director), Markus Bothe (director), Sabine Brohm (Larina), Nicole Chirka (Olga), Michael Doron (Filipyevna), Thomas Atkins (Lenski), Danylo Matviienko (Eugene Onegin), Aaron Pegram (Triquet), Tareq Nazmi (Prince Gremin), Martin-Jan Nijhof (Saretzki)

FRIDAY 04 JULY – TO MUNICH (B, D)
Today we check out and travel by coach to the medieval city of Nuremberg,with its storied history dating back to the Holy Roman Empire and the German Renaissance. There is time to stroll through the half-timbered houses in the Hauptmarkt and admire the Gothic artistry in St Lawrence’s Church, before browsing the traditional and modern workshops in the Craftsmen’s Courtyard. Later this afternoon, we depart for Munich. After checking into our hotel, we enjoy dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Munich.

SATURDAY 05 JULY – EUROPEAN ART, PERFORMANCE 7 (B)
After a talk in our hotel, we have a guided introduction to the Alte Pinakothek’s outstanding collection of European paintings from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. Artistic luminaries such as Dürer, Rubens, Raphel and Titian are all well represented. After time to continue exploring the museum independently, the afternoon is at leisure before tonight’s performance, a new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte,with Christopher Moulds conducting the Bayerisches Staatsoper at the National Theater. Overnight Munich.

Performance 7
Venue: National Theater Munich
Program: Mozart, Così fan tutte
Performers: Christopher Moulds (conductor), Benedict Andrews (production), Olga Kulchynska (Fiordiligi), Avery Amereau (Dorabella), Andrei Zhilikhovsky (Guglielmo), Daniel Behle (Ferrando), Sandrine Piao (Despina), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Don Alfonso)

SUNDAY 06 JULY – NYMPHENBURG PALACE, PERFORMANCE 8 (B)
Today we travel by coach to Nymphenburg Palace, the summer residence for the Electors and Kings of Bavaria in the eighteenth century. Expanded over time, the palace consists of a central pavilion housing the royal apartments, decorated with lavish furniture paintings and stucco, and two wings connected by galleries. Highlights include the Schönheitengalerie (Gallery of Beauties), which features portraits of 36 women chosen by the king from all walks of life, and the Queen’s Bedroom where King Ludwig II was born. Within the expansive palace grounds, we come across the Amalienburg, a graceful Rococo hunting lodge ornately decorated with crystal and gilt. Returning to the hotel, the afternoon is at leisure. Tonight we are again at the National Theater for a performance of Don Giovanni, with Faust prize-winner David Hermann directing. Overnight Munich.

Performance 8
Venue: National Theater Munich
Program: Mozart, Don Giovanni
Performers: Vladimir Jurowski (conductor), David Hermann (production), Konstantin Krimmel (Don Giovanni), Christof Fischesser (The Commander), Ver-Lotte Boecker (Donna Anna), Giovanni Sala (Don Ottavio), Samantha Hankey (Donna Elvira), Kyle Ketelsen (Leporello), Avery Amereau (Zerlina), Michael Mofidian (Masetto)

MONDAY 07 JULY – MUNICH, PERFORMANCE 9 (B, L)
After a talk in the hotel, we enjoy a farewell lunch of traditional Bavarian regional produce at a restaurant overlooking Max Joseph Platz and the Bavarian State Opera, before some time at leisure for final sightseeing or perhaps some shopping. Tonight’s performance at the National Theater sees American soprano Corinne Winters reprise her signature role as the titular lead of Janáček’s Kata Kabanova. Overnight Munich.

Performance 9
Venue: National Theater Munich
Program: Janáček, Kata Kabanova
Performers: Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductor), Milan Slajanov (Savjol Prokofjevič Dikoj), Pavel Cernoch (Boris Grgorjevič), Violeta Urmana (Kabanicha), John Daszak (Tikhon Ivanich Kabanov), Corinne Winters (Katerina), James Ley (Váňa Kudrjaš), Rachel Wilson (Barbara), Thomas Mole (Kuligin), Ekaterine Buachidze (Glass), Elene Gvritishvili (Feklusa)

TUESDAY 08 JULY – DEPARTURE (B)
Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in the hotel. Our partner, Mary Rossi Travel, will be pleased to assist with any onward travel arrangements, including flights, transfers and accommodation. Please contact us for more information.

The hotels have been principally chosen for their locations, which are central to our performance venues and to sight-seeing in the cities we visit.

Hilton Hotel Berlin 4*, 4 nights
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/berhitw-hilton-berlin/

Hotel Marriott Leipzig 4*, 3 nights
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lejdt-leipzig-marriott-hotel

Hotel Steigenberger de Saxe, Dresden, 5*, 3 nights
https://hrewards.com/de/steigenberger-hotel-de-saxe-dresden

Hotel NH Collection Bavaria, Munich, 4*, 3 nights
https://www.nh-hotels.com/en

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• Best available tickets to 9 performances at outstanding venues in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden and Munich

• 15 nights’ accommodation in 4 and 5-star hotels

• All breakfasts, 4 lunches and dinners

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrances, and tipping

• Talks by music educator Robert Gay throughout

• Services of an experienced tour manager throughout

A $1,500pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

A second deposit of $2,000pp is due on 24 February 2025.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 10 April 2025.

When you book on one of tours, we ask you to accept our terms and conditions. You can read our terms and conditions here.