Compare Ultimate Opera: Two Productions at the Met by Road Scholar

Day 1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
New York D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Hotel check-in 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:00-5:00 p.m.: After checking in at the hotel front desk, take your bags to your room. At 4:00 p.m., come to the meeting room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your schedule when you check in.

Dinner: 5:00 p.m. at Trattoria Bianca, conveniently located inside the hotel, we’ll enjoy a plated dinner with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase. Dinner is included even if you arrive late. If your arrival is delayed, please attend orientation and then eat afterwards.

Evening: Orientation: 6:15 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will be using public transportation/subways exclusively throughout the program. Artists and repertoire are subject to change by the Metropolitan Opera. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Wrapping up the evening, we will set out on a walk to become familiar with the neighborhood around the hotel. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Day 2
History of Opera, Overview of First Opera, Lincoln Center
New York B,L,D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Use of New York City subway; walking approximately 1 mile.

Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room, we’ll have bagels, muffins, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cold cereals, cream cheese, jelly, butter, plus milk (regular/low-fat), orange juice, coffee/decaf, tea, water. During breakfast, we will register with the MTA for a senior citizen MetroCard (if you are 65 or over). A representative from the MTA will take your picture and a copy of your driver’s license to process your permanent MetroCard application. They will give you a temporary card to use for the week, enabling you to ride for half price. A few weeks after you return home you will receive a permanent card in the mail — your official invitation to come back to New York and ride around for half price. If you have a NYC Senior Citizen MetroCard from a previous program, please bring it with you.

Morning: We’ll be joined by a local expert who will give us an overview of opera history. With another expert, we’ll have an overview of the first opera we will attend.

Lunch: In the meeting room, we’ll have a sandwich lunch with green salad and a beverage.

Afternoon: We’ll visit Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a 16.3-acre complex that is home to 11 resident arts organizations representing the highest standards of excellence in opera, symphony, chamber music, theater, dance, film, and arts education. There are 30 indoor and outdoor facilities that welcome 5 million visitors annually. Lincoln Center is the world’s leading presenter of superb artistic programming and a national leader in arts and education and community relations. A $1.2 billion campus renovation was completed in 2012.

Dinner: In a neighborhood restaurant, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 3
About Opera Productions, Opera People, Met Opera Performance
New York B,D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Use of New York City subway; walking approximately 1 mile.

Breakfast: In the Tick Tock Diner off the hotel lobby, we’ll have a plated breakfast and order from a select menu; juice, coffee, tea included, other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: Opera began in 16th century Italy. A lot has changed since then! We’ll learn from local experts about different aspects of opera productions.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Back at the hotel, we’ll meet people in the opera world and learn what got them where they are today.

Dinner: At a neighborhood restaurant, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Performance. We will attend a Metropolitan Opera production of Bizet's "Carmen." Bizet's masterpiece of the gypsy seductress who lives by her own rules has had an impact far beyond the opera house. The opera's melodic sweep is as irresistible as the title character herself, a force of nature who has become a defining female cultural figure. "Carmen" was a scandal at its premier at the Opera Comique in Paris (1875) but soon after became a triumphal success and has remained one of the most frequently staged operas in the world.

Day 4
Performance Review-Critique, The Met & New Media, Free Time
New York B,L New Yorker Hotel
Breakfast: In the Meeting Room.

Morning: Led by a local expert, we’ll engage in a discussion and critique of last night's performance. With another expert, we’ll examine the Metropolitan Opera’s approach to new media. Like performing arts institutions everywhere, the Met feels pressure to attract younger audiences to succeed its aging base, which means selling nearly 4,000 seats for performances that now range from $25 for rush tickets to hundreds of dollars for the best seats in the house. A break from traditionally reserved methods of promotion took place after Peter Gelb became General Manager in 2006. The Met began placing ads in conspicuous places such as city buses, lamp posts, subways, and public telephones. That was 2006. Today, there are new media initiatives including filmed performances in local theaters around the country. We’ll learn what’s happening.

Lunch: In the Meeting Room.

Afternoon: Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like. New York has literally thousands of dining options. This might be your big splurge meal or a quick bite before taking in a show.

Evening: At leisure. See and do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences.

Day 5
Overview of Our Second Opera, Meet a Met Performer
New York B,D New Yorker Hotel
Activity note: Use of New York City subway; walking approximately 1 mile.

Breakfast: In the Tick Tock Diner.

Morning: We’ll be joined by an expert who will provide an overview of the opera we will attend this evening. We’ll then have a class with another expert who will delve more into different aspects of opera productions.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Afternoon: Regrouping at the hotel, we’ll meet a Metropolitan Opera performer and learn what’s involved.

Dinner: In a neighborhood restaurant, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Performance. We’ll attend the Metropolitan Opera production of Boito's "Mefistofele." This spectacular Robert Carson production of the opera is returning to The Met stage for the first time since 2000. "Mefistofele" is the celebrated and only opera by Arigo Boito, who famously collaborated with Verdi on the libretti for "Otello" and "Falstaff." Based on the Faust legend, Boito shifts the focus onto the character that truly drives the action: the devil of himself. The title character is one of the great bass-baritone roles in opera.

Day 6
Performance Review-Critique, Program Concludes
New York B
Activity note: Hotel check-out 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: In the Meeting Room.

Morning: With our expert, we’ll have a discussion and critique of last night's performance as well as a review of the week as a whole, ending at approximately 10:30 a.m. This concludes our program. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!