Curtains up!
The Metropolitan Opera is the largest performing arts institution in America, with its peerless orchestra, chorus and wondrous stagecraft providing magical underpinning to the outstanding singers who appear on its stage each night. All will be on display in May 2025.
Fred Plotkin, world-famous opera expert and gastronome, has curated a cultured and pleasurable visit to his home town that will include four operas, one concert, superb dining and time to pursue your own interests.
Hear established stars and discover new ones in this immersion into the classics (Le Nozze di Figaro and Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and new productions of Antony and Cleopatra and Salome at the Metropolitan Opera. Attend the New York Philharmonic in its newly refurbished home for a program featuring Renée Fleming. Fred Plotkin, who selects menus and wines for fine dining in some of New York’s best restaurants, will lead fascinating discussions about the performances you will attend.
Fred Plotkin, world-famous opera expert and gastronome, has curated a cultured and pleasurable visit to his home town that will include four operas, one concert, great food and time for pursuing your own interests. Hear established stars and discover new ones in this immersion into the classics (Le Nozze di Figaro and Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and new productions of Antony and Cleopatra and Salome at the Metropolitan Opera. Attend the New York Philharmonic in its newly refurbished home for a program that features Renée Fleming. Learn from opera expert Fred Plotkin, who will also select menus and wines for fine dining in some of New York’s best restaurants.
Trip Details
Dates
May 13-18, 2025
Duration
6 days
Prices Per Person
$4,890 per person
Deposit
$500
Highlights
Itinerary
Arrive in New York. Please note no hotel is offered as part of this package. Guests are free to stay where they prefer, see below for more information on hotel suggestions. Gather for this evening’s welcoming dinner. Get to know your culture-loving fellow travelers.
Included Meal: Dinner
Most of the day is at leisure, perhaps visit the shops, galleries, old and new landmarks and distinctive neighborhoods in Manhattan and the other boroughs. Or taking in a theater matinee. Fred Plotkin can provide you with suggestions to suit your interests. Enjoy pre-opera dinner. Then walk across to the Metropolitan Opera house and take your seat for this evening’s performance of Le Nozze di Figaro; Mozart’s comic masterpiece, conducted by Joana Mallwitz with Luca Pisaroni (Figaro), Rosa Feola (Susanna), Jacquelyn Stucker (Countess), Emily D’Angelo (Cherubino) and Adam Plachetka (Count).
Included Meal: Dinner
Morning at leisure, then gather for lunch and conversation with Fred to review last night’s opera. Afternoon at leisure, perhaps visit one of the many wonderful museums in New York. Pending confirmation a star from The Met will join you for conversation over lunch. At 7:30 p.m attend Antony and Cleopatra by John Adams, who will conduct. Superstars Gerald Finley and Julia Bullock appear in the title roles in this Metropolitan Opera premiere. With Paul Appleby (Caesar) and Elizabeth DeShong (Octavia).
Included Meal: Lunch
Morning at leisure own. Gather with Fred for conversation about tonight’s performance followed by a delicious lunch. This evening at the Metropolitan Opera: take your seat for Rossini’s brilliant Il Barbiere di Siviglia, with new star Aigul Akhmetshina, Jack Swanson and Peter Kálman in their Met debuts, Andrey Zhilikovsky as Figaro and conductor Giacomo Sagripanti.
Included Meal: Lunch
Enjoy a leisurely morning. At 1 pm attend Salome, by Richard Strauss. Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a new production by celebrated producer Claus Guth in his company debut. Elza van den Heever is scheduled to sing the towering title role with a strong supporting cast led by Peter Mattei (Jochanaan), Michelle DeYoung (Herodias) and Gerhard Siegel (Herod). At 4:30 pm join your fellow-opera lovers for an excellent post-opera meal with compelling discussions about the works you have seen and will see this evening. A possible guest from the Met will join you tonight. In David Geffen Hall this evening enjoy the remarkable new acoustics as New York Philharmonic. Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry sing Kevin Puts’s The Brightness of Light, a work created for them and based on letters between painter Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Conductor Juanjo Mena will then lead a performance of Daphnis et Chloé by Ravel.
Included Meal: Dinner
Nourished by music and all kinds of cultural and social stimulation that is part of time spent in New York, return home renewed.
Your Host
Fred Plotkin
Fred Plotkin is one of the world’s foremost opera experts, noted for the depth and breadth of his knowledge and for the joy and ease with which he shares it. He is the author of Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera, the best-selling standard text in America for opera education. He is the author of seven books on Italian food and wine (including Rick Steves Italy for Food Lovers, published January 2023). He has lectured, taught, consulted and held managerial or artistic roles at many top opera companies, including La Scala; the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He led opera and food symposia for New York Times Journeys and, since April 24, 2020, has hosted Fred Plotkin on Fridays, a weekly program of cultured conversations seen worldwide on Idagio.com.
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Accommodations
The hotel is not included as part of the package to allow guests the flexibility to choose a property that meets their needs or allow those with homes in New York to join the program. We recommend that guests choose a hotel that is within walking distance of the Lincoln Center since all activities – performances, meals, and talks with Fred Plotkin – will be in this area. Travelers are expected to meet directly at each activity. The Travel Director will be staying in a hotel close to the Lincoln Center and will be happy to walk with guests from her hotel to the various venues. Details of where the Travel Director will be staying will be provided once the tour has reached the minimum level of participants. If you would prefer to make your hotel arrangements before we have reached our minimum, please ensure your arrangements are refundable.
Distance from the Lincoln Center has been noted in parentheses. Please also note that Academic Travel Abroad does not have partnerships with the hotels listed above and cannot comment on their current level of service.
What's Included
- Tickets to four operas at The Metropolitan Opera in Orchestra Prime seats
- Tickets to the New York Philharmonic in Orchestra seats
- All meals with drinks as outlined in the itinerary
- Comprehensive educational program with talks and discussions led by Fred Plotkin and guests
- Gratuities to wait staff in restaurants during group meals
- The assistance of an ATA travel director
- The assistance of an ATA professional travel team to assist with pre-trip questions, travel arrangements, including flights, and other services
- Comprehensive pre-departure mailings and materials with information about the destination and what to expect on tour, including a suggested reading list.
- Emergency evacuation insurance
FAQs
Our trips have a maximum group size of 25 people. They are large enough to meet new people with diverse backgrounds, but small enough to be on a first-name basis with everyone.
For all four opera performances at the Met, we have Orchestra prime seats. For the New York Philharmonic we have reserved Orchestra seats.
Yes, absolutely! There are always a good number of solo travelers on our trips, and they are welcomed with open arms. Group meals generally take place at medium to large tables, and our Travel Directors ensure that everyone is included in conversation.
Travelers should be in good health and able to walk up to 2 miles (with stops) and be able to navigate stairs unassisted. In the city, we do try to walk from place to place due to traffic congestion and also in keeping with our commitment to environmental sustainability. Restaurants chosen for the program will be within a 20-minute walk from the Lincoln Center.
The focus of this trip is really on the performances and discussions about them, which are usually before/during a meal. Otherwise, there is plenty of leisure time to rest and prepare for the performances or explore the city on your own.
On this trip, our main focus is opera — with four performances and lively talks and discussions with Fred. We have not included museum visits so that individual travelers can explore the city’s offerings according to their own personal preferences. Fred will be happy to provide recommendations on what to see and do during your leisure time in New York.
Group meals will be specially-curated by Fred, but every effort will be made to accommodate any special diet requests you may have (e.g., low salt, vegetarian or vegan). Please discuss your requests with us when signing up for a trip.
We’ll send you a detailed packing list well before departure so you know what you’ll need. We provide the rest: an engaging daily itinerary, expert trip management and access to people and places that will thrill and delight you.
Yes! Tips to restaurant staff are all included in the trip price. Your Trip Expert and Travel Director however, will not accept tips.
Airfare to and from New York is not included in the price in order to give you maximum flexibility in choosing your preferences for air travel. This way you can use frequent flier upgrades, depart from your airport of choice, or add pre- and post- trip extensions with no constraints. Please refrain from booking your airfare until your Guest Services Advisor reaches out to confirm your departure.
All cancellations must be submitted in writing (email or fax) to Academic Travel Abroad, Inc. (ATA). Per person cancellation fees are based on the date of the cancellation notice reaching ATA. Up to 120 days prior to departure; refund of deposit less an administration fee of 50% of deposit. Cancellation between 119-91 days before departure: 100% of deposit is forfeited. Cancellation between 90-61 days, 50% of the trip price is forfeited. Cancellation within 60 days of departure: no refund. Cancellation on day of departure or after trip departs: no refund. No refund for unused portions of trip, including, but not limited to, missed meals, hotel nights and sightseeing. In the event the trip is cancelled by ATA for any reason, a full refund would be issued.
We strongly suggest purchasing travel insurance to help protect your investment and provide you with financial recourse should you face trip cancellation or interruption due to sickness or quarantine. When purchasing a policy, please consult with a trip insurance agent to review what COVID-19- related contingencies are covered. While ATA will do our best to recover any unused portion of your trip due to sickness, it is often the case that payments cannot be refunded. We recommend using our partner insurance provider, Travel Insurance Services, which offers three different policies for you to choose from.
After you reserve your trip and pay your deposit, you will be sent detailed information about your itinerary, insurance information, a Participant Information Form, a packing list, and other information needed to prepare for your trip. Your Guest Services Advisor will reach out when it’s time to book airfare and hotel nights after a minimum of 10 travelers have enrolled on your departure. Final trip details will be sent roughly 2-3 weeks before departure.