Dates
Thursday, June 23
Friday, June 24
Saturday, June 25
Sunday, June 26
Monday, June 27
Tuesday, June 28
Thursday, June 23
Sydney Beckons!
At 8 AM, everyone will be in the lobby with their baggage down and checked out, as we leave for our flight to Sydney. At 11 AM, we leave Melbourne and arrive in Sydney around 12:20 , where buses will once again meet us for the jaunt to the hotel:
Mercure Hotel
818-820 George Street, Sydney
Tel: 011-61-02-9217-6666 | Fax 011-61-0-9217-6888
You'll have a little while to get settled, but at 2:45 PM, we leave the hotel for our first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House. Our collaborators will include about half the singers from Melbourne as the core group, plus members of the Sydney University Graduate Choir, the Sydney University Musical Society, and the Sydney Male Choir - and a few intrepid members of the Stanford Symphonic Chorus, who are paying their own way to Australia to perform with us in the Opera House!
Once we're done with the press photos, we'll head up the hill to the Sydney Conservatorium, where we'll set up in Verbrugghen Hall , rehearse as needed, and then have a light dinner before our 7:30 orchestral concert. After the concert, we return to the hotel.
Friday, June 24
The day is free until 1:45 PM, when we load up and head out for the afternoon and evening to see the sights of Sydney - including The Rocks, Sydney's Historic District, and the Opal Discover Centre to learn about Australia's native gemstone, followed by dinner at the Revolving Tower Restaurant with spectacular views of Sydney and its expansive harbor. The rest of the evening is free for you to explore more of Sydney.
Saturday, June 25
Rise and shine, because we're leaving at 8:45 for John Clancy Auditorium on the campus of the University of New South Wales for a 10 AM rehearsal with our Verdi chorus, followed by a casual lunch with the Sydney singers. At 3 PM, we head back to the hotel, and you have the afternoon and evening free. Don't stay out too late, though, as tomorrow is a very early start!
Sunday, June 26
6 AM is when the wake-up calls come, because at 7:45 AM everyone will be in the lobby with full concert dress and we leave for the Opera House for the big day! Our dress rehearsal is at 9:30 AM, and we'll lunch in the Green Room (which is really much more like a large, well-equipped and staffed, Union Square - lots of variety, comfort, and of course, harbor views! The final concert, with the Berger Interlude from The Three Christs of Ypsilanti and the Verdi Requiem, starts at 2:30 PM in the main Concert Hall. Once we've packed up, we bid farewell to the Opera House and head to the Argyle Centre for our Australian Bing Dinner (this will be a unique Aussie experience!) After dinner, your evening is free.
Monday, June 27
Take your time (until 10 AM) to eat breakfast at the hotel; at 11:30, be in the lobby because we're going on a cruise - a Sydney Harbour Luncheon Cruise! (You could use one of the shots of the Opera House from the water at this point) After our voyage of discovery, we'll have a couple of hours before we assemble in the lobby again, to depart for our "Farewell to Down Under" dinner at The Little Snail . After dinner, the evening is free to explore.
Tuesday, June 28
Homeward Bound!
Relax and have breakfast - but be in the lobby at 10:30 AM with your baggage and check out. We're leaving for the airport - where you can find a good lunch on your own once we've checked in. At 3:40 PM, we say goodbye to Sydney and head for Auckland to catch our trans-Pacific flight home. At 8:45 PM. we leave Auckland , and at 2:40 PM the same day, we arrive at LAX - where we say goodbye to those heading home from LA, and board our flight for SFO. Buses will be at the airport to return everyone to campus - and then it's time for the rest of your summer (or your life!) to begin!
