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New York City - Holiday Weekend

December 4 - December 7, 2008

Download the brochure for this tour. (Includes registration form.)
Check out the itinerary for this tour.
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Enjoy one of the happiest holiday traditions around as the University of Wisconsin returns to New York City for a weekend of uplifting performances by some of the world's most inspiring performers and artists.

Your weekend begins Thursday evening with tickets to the long-awaited Broadway arrival of the musical Billy Elliott. This heart-warming play has won three Olivier Awards during its run on London’s West End and is destined to become a standard by which future musicals are judged. With a musical score by Sir Elton John and a story based upon A.J. Cronin’s novel “The Stars Look Down,” this uplifting story is a perfect beginning to a weekend of holiday good cheer.

Friday will be a good one. In the morning we will make the short walk over to one of most important art museums in the world, The Museum of Modern Art, for a private, before-opening-hours tour of their exhibit Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night. This is a special opportunity to have unfettered access to the artwork without the crowds, as we will have the exhibit all to ourselves for a full hour before the museum opens! Later that evening, after a free afternoon, you will have prime seats in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for a performance by The New York Philharmonic of two of the most popular pieces of music ever written: Brandenburg Concerto #6 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.   

Saturday morning we’ll take a leisurely stroll a few blocks north for our popular educational seminar. Always a good time, in a casual setting where you get to ask the questions, this is a fun and informative opportunity to meet with an actor from the play Billy Elliott and learn firsthand what life on Broadway is really like.

Saturday afternoon is another unscheduled day in the city so that you can do whatever you desire, but if your desire is to see The Nutcracker, then we’ve got you covered! The New York City Ballet presents this timeless tale with all of the beauty and artistry that you expect from one of the world’s great dance companies, and we are making this an optional ticket purchase for you if you would like to attend. Just let us know. 

That evening the entire group returns to Lincoln Center for a rare concert performance of the opera Elektra, by Richard Strauss. The peerless New York Philharmonic provides the music and the voices of Deborah Polaski, Anne Schwanewilms, Jane Henschel and Ryan MacPherson bring this classic tragedy to life before our very eyes. Quite different than a staged opera, the concert version allows a unique look at the interaction between the singers and the musicians with whom they share the stage, and is a fascinating look at the live creative process.

 

Program Itinerary

Download a pdf of this itinerary

Thursday, December 4, 2008

• Morning
  Travel to New York City and the Hampton Inn Manhattan-Times Square North and enjoy a free afternoon on your own.
• Evening
  A great evening of theatre welcomes you to the city with the long anticipated Broadway arrival of Billy Elliott. Hailed as one of the most exciting musicals in years, this uplifting story is a great way to begin your holiday season.

Friday, December 5

• Morning
  Enjoy a morning walk with the group to one of the world’s most renowned museums, the Museum of Modern Art, for your private tour of the exhibit Van Gogh at Night. This is a special, pre-opening-hours tour of the exhibit, without crowds to hinder your enjoyment of the artwork!
• Afternoon
  Enjoy free time this afternoon in the city.
• Evening
  Tonight you hear one of the world’s greatest orchestras perform two of the most extraordinary musical works of all time: Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Saturday, December 6    

• Morning
  Join the group for our always entertaining and informative Educational Seminar.
• Afternoon
  Your afternoon is again free to explore the city, or you may take advantage of our optional tickets to The Nutcracker, performed by the incomparable New York City Ballet.
• Evening
  Tonight you attend a rare concert performance of the Strauss opera Elektra, performed by the New York Philharmonic, and featuring the voices of Deborah Polaski, Anne Schwanewilms, Jane Henschel, and Ryan MacPherson.

Sunday, December 7

• We’ll take our final day in the city nice and easy, with no scheduled activities before our mid-day departure from LaGuardia Airport.

 

Your travel director:

 

Doug Whittle is entering his 4th year as UW-Madison's Director of Educational Travel after a decade as a fine arts professor in South Carolina. He served in the Peace Corps in Zaire and has traveled independently in Asia, Europe, Central and North America.

 

 

General information:

Costs – $1699/per person based on double occupancy; plus air. Price includes premier seating at all performances, lodging and transfers.

Airfare is not included in this package price. Upon receipt of your deposit our travel agent will contact you to make your flight arrangements, regardless of your point of origin, if you wish. If you plan to make your own arrangements, you must contact us first to confirm space/ground arrangements.

As with all of our trips, you may choose to extend your stay in New York. Please let us know if we can assist you in your plans to stay beyond our travel dates. Please join us for a great weekend!

Location/accommodations:

You’ll enjoy first-class accommodations at the Hampton Inn Manhattan-Times Square North.

Contact information:

For information contact Doug Whittle, 608-263-7787, dwhittle@dcs.wisc.edu; or Kim Seymour, 608-262-3731, kseymour@dcs.wisc.edu.

How to register:

To register download and complete the registration form and mail it to:

Kim Seymour
Performing Arts Study Tours
610 Langdon St., Room 724
Madison, WI 53703