Santa Fe Opera
August 22-26, 2012
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Opera lovers rejoice! Your trusted travel friends at UW-Madison can escort you to one of North America’s most historic and celebrated destinations. Join us for an elegant and refined weekend at one of the most spectacular opera venues in the world: the open-air Santa Fe Opera House.
This trip is a must for the opera lover. Everything is taken care of; all you have to do is enjoy yourself.
This weekend includes four world-class productions
- Puccini’s magnificent Tosca;
- Strauss’s comedy Arabella
- Bizet’s beautiful The Pearl Fishers
Your opera experience is augmented with an enriching set of learning events that include:
- A private educational seminar with Ms Desiree Mays, author of the Opera Unveiled literary series
- A visit to Shidoni Foundry for an in-depth look at a working bronze foundry;
- A delightful pre-opera buffet dinner on the opera house grounds before the performance of The Pearl Fishers
- A guided Walking Tour of Historic Santa Fe.
Don't miss this special weekend!
In addition to three wonderful evenings of opera you have ample free time to relax or shop, visit Santa Fe’s world-famous art galleries on Canyon Road, go to the spa, or delve deeper into the city’s history at its many museums and historical sights.
Your days begin with a hearty breakfast at the beautiful and historic La Fonda Hotel on Santa Fe’s colorful plaza, and end at the peerless Santa Fe Opera House, under the beautiful desert skies. Your opportunities to enjoy yourself on this weekend are almost limitless.
This is going to be a first-class weekend of opera and educational travel in what is one of America’s most interesting and cultured cities. If you are an opera lover and have not yet made the pilgrimage to Santa Fe for their exquisite treatment of this art form, you owe it to yourself to join us for this very special weekend.
Itinerary
Wednesday, August 22
- morning
Travel by air to Albuquerque, then transfer to the beautiful La Fonda hotel on Santa Fe’s historic Plaza. - afternoon
After settling in you join the group for your educational seminar with Ms Desiree Mays as she introduces you to the subtleties of the three operas you will attend.
- evening
We have no organized activities this evening.
Thursday, August 23
- morning
Step outside into a glorious high-desert morning for your walking tour of Historic Santa Fe. - afternoon
Enjoy a free afternoon getting to know Santa Fe. Shop downtown or visit the art galleries along world-famous Canyon Road, pamper yourself at the 10,000 Waves Spa, check out the Indian jewelry on the plaza, visit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, etc. The day is yours! - evening
Enjoy your first opera of the weekend at the world famous Santa Fe Opera House with their production of Arabella, by Strauss.
Friday, August 24
- free day
Enjoy a day to yourself getting to know Santa Fe. Shop downtown or visit the art galleries along world-famous Canyon Road, pamper yourself at the 10,000 Waves Spa, check out the Indian jewelry on the plaza, visit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, etc. The day is yours! - evening
Tonight you return to the beautiful Santa Fe Opera House for Puccini’s Tosca.
Saturday, August 25
- morning
Join the group for a guided visit to Shidoni Foundry for an exhibition of the bronze pouring process, and we’ll also visit Tesuque Glass Blowing studio for a look at that sculptural process. The rest of the day will be yours to design as you wish.
- evening
Your weekend of opera concludes with a flourish at the closing performance of the Santa Fe Opera’s 2010 season, a stirring production of George Bizet’s story of friendship and love, The Pearl Fishers, preceded by a delicious dinner buffet and informal pre-opera discussion of this evening’s performance.
Sunday, August 29
Traveler comments
“The entire four days were learning experiences. Came away wiser and glad for making new friends as well as knowledge of how the Santa Fe Opera works behind the scenes!”
“Santa Fe provides a well-rounded educational experience: music, art, architecture, cuisine and, for many of us, an introduction to the southwest. In addition to the tour’s pre-trip materials, I found Desiree Mays’ 2010 ‘Opera Unveiled’ very helpful. She is an excellent speaker and her lectures are worth repeating. The backstage tour of the opera house provided some insight into the complexity of the production we were about to see and hear. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the people I met and look forward to returning on 2012.”
“We figured this trip to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it lived up to our expectations in every respect.”
“…Each day offered a rich cultural activity, time for just relaxing, exploring, dining, shopping, or touring.”
“….The UW trips are always well planned and excellent.”
General information
Price: $1849/per person based on double occupancy, plus air. (Single supplement $406).
Price includes four nights lodging, premier seating at three operas, two lectures, city tour, Bronze and Glass Studio tours, daily breakfasts, a buffet dinner and lecture at the opera house, and all transfers.
Airfare is not included in this package price. Upon receipt of your deposit our travel agent will contact you to assist with flight arrangements, regardless of your point of origin, if you wish. If you plan to make your own air arrangements contact us beforehand to confirm available space on this trip.
You are welcome to extend your stay in Santa Fe. Please let us know if we can assist you in your plans to stay beyond our travel dates.
Lodging information
www.lafondasantafe.com
Performance information
www.santafeopera.org
Your travel director
Doug Whittle, UW-Madison Director of Educational Travel, has led programs to Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, Paris, and New York City. He's traveled independently in Asia, Africa, Europe, and throughout Central and North America. Doug also served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire. Before coming to UW-Madison, he spent a decade as professor of painting and printmaking at Converse College in South Carolina. His paintings and prints have appeared in museums and galleries from Richmond, Virginia to Krakow, Poland.
How to register
There is a registration form in each program brochure.
Please contact Kim Seymour at (608) 262-3731 or kseymour@dcs.wisc.edu to request the brochure, or you may download a copy of the brochure (pdf). To sign up, just complete and return the registration panel along with the required deposit as directed.
Contact information
For information contact Doug Whittle, 608-263-7787, dwhittle@dcs.wisc.edu, or Kim Seymour, 608-262-3731, seymour@dcs.wisc.edu.
Also of interest
For additional festival and performance information visit: http://www.hotelstfrancis.com/