A MUSICAL ODYSSEY in the MEDITERRANEAN Greece, Sicily & Italy With Artistic Director MICHAEL PARLOFF Aboard the Deluxe Le Bougainville September 18–27, 2019 Athens, Greece A MUSICAL ODYSSEY in the MEDITERRANEAN Greece, Sicily & Italy With Artistic Director MICHAEL PARLOFF Dear Traveler, Aboard the Deluxe Le Bougainville Your host for this exquisite musical odyssey is MICHAEL PARLOFF, who will lead a series of private recitals by world-class musicians September 18–27, 2019 as you cruise the loveliest destinations from Athens to Rome. In the space of one week, this Musical Odyssey in the Mediterranean takes in the entire span of Greco-Roman antiquity, and during that week, musicians of the highest international caliber will perform aboard Le Bougainville, our deluxe floating concert hall. The artists featured on the opposite page were each personally invited by Mr. Parloff, who chose them not just for their superb talent, but also for their affable personalities. Exclusively for this voyage, Mr. Parloff has designed four concerts for these musicans to perform, with themes relating to the countries and ports-of-call you will visit, including a concert inspired by Greek myths to correspond with the day in Sifnos; virtuoso showpieces by various Italian composers; and a selection of Sicilianos by composers ranging from the 18th- to the 20th-century which will be performed ashore at Taormina’s medieval Cathedral—an event that promises to be the highlight of the trip! Mr. Parloff himself is a remarkable asset to have as Artistic Director aboard this special musical journey. Principal Flutist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 1977 until his retirement in 2008, he has been heard regularly as recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. He is highly respected as a lecturer and teacher, and gives regular presentations at the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society and Music@Menlo, and masterclasses at major conservatories and university music schools in the United States and abroad. Aboard Le Bougainville, Mr. Parloff will illuminate the themes, composers, and repertoire of each private concert, examining the eras and circumstances surrounding the composers and their work—and adding a new layer of understanding and appreciation. Sincerely, Margaret M. Betchart President, Betchart Expeditions Inc. For AAAS Travels, ACS & Sigma Xi Expeditions Back cover: Sifnos (left); Naples (right) FEATURED MUSICAL GUESTS Flutist JASMINE CHOI, whom The Philadelphia Inquirer declared “A major talent with a robust tone,” performs more than 100 concerts a year in all of the major musical capitals of the world. She has recently been featured as a soloist, chamber musician, and in recital in Berlin, Vienna, Saint Petersburg, Seoul, Paris, London, and New York City. Her infinite curiosity has led her to make her own arrangements of major works, including the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky violin concertos, as well as recent world-premieres of works composed by Detlev Glanert, Taxu Kim, and Mark Laycock. In 2015, she was selected as one of the top ten flutists in music history by Sinfini Magazine UK. Cellist NICHOLAS CANELLAKIS has become known as one of the most sought-after and innovative performers of his generation. The New York Times praised his playing as “impassioned,” saying “the audience was seduced by Mr. Canellakis’s rich, alluring tone.” He performs regularly with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society in Alice Tully Hall Credit: Matt Dine and on tours throughout the world and has also been a guest artist at many of the world’s leading music festivals, including Santa Fe, La Jolla, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, Verbier, and Aspen. He is the co-artistic director of the Sedona Winter MusicFest in Arizona and is on the faculty of the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Equally acclaimed as a pianist and composer, MICHAEL BROWN has been described as “one of the leading figures in the current renaissance of performer-composers” (The New York Times). A recipient of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Brown appears regularly as a soloist with orchestras from Seattle to Germany and recently made his solo recital debuts at New York City’s 92nd Street Y and Zurich’s Tonhalle. As a member of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Mr. Brown performs regularly in New York City, on tour throughout the U.S., and he recently shared a Lincoln Center recital with his longtime duo partner, cellist Nicholas Canellakis. Violinist KRISTIN LEE enjoys a vibrant career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and educator. A 2015 recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, she has performed concertos with orchestras throughout the U.S. and abroad and recitals at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and the Kumho Art Gallery in Seoul. As a chamber musician, she is Credit: Arthur Moeller an artist of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society and has made appearances at Music@Menlo, Sarasota, Ravinia, El Sistema in Caracas, and the Perlman Music Program. Ms. Lee earned a master’s degree from The Juilliard School where she served as an assistant teacher in Itzhak Perlman’s studio. ITINERARY of white houses, flowers, and belfries, and its twin village Artemonas, with its impressive Venetian-style houses and their distinctive CIVITAVECCHIA ITALY chimneys. (B,L,D) Naples - Pompeii Monday, September 23 GREECE CORINTH CANAL | ITEA | DELPHI | ITEA Itea - Delphi ATHENS - A morning transit of the Corinth Canal brings us PIRAEUS Taormina Patmos into the Ionian Sea and to the small port of Itea. SICILY Katakolon Drive through spectacular scenery to Delphi. Olympia Sifnos Corinth Canal Famous in antiquity as the home of the oracle Mediterranean Sea of Apollo, Delphi continues to cast a spell as we marvel at the impressiveness of the site even in ruins and imagine the awe of ancient pilgrims Wednesday September 18, 2019 when the temples and shrines were standing. FLY FROM THE USA (B,L,D) Thursday, September 19 Tuesday, September 24 ATHENS, GREECE KATAKOLON Arrive in Athens and transfer to the luxury Hotel This morning’s excursion takes us to Olympia, Grande Bretagne (or similar). Join fellow travelers the birthplace of the Olympics, and home to this evening for a welcome reception. (R) the ancient Sanctuary of Zeus—a vast expanse Friday, September 20 of well-preserved altars, temples and other ATHENS | PIRAEUS | EMBARK ruins. Highlights of the site include the Temples We begin today at the Acropolis, where we of Hera and Zeus, the Council House and explore the stunning architectural marvel of the Treasuries. The affiliated Archaeological the Parthenon, built in the 5th-century b.c. as Museum houses exquisite sculptures and other a temple to the city’s protector, the goddess artifacts from the site. (B,L,D) Athena. Tour the Acropolis Museum, an award- Wednesday, September 25 winning collection of artifacts from excavations TAORMINA, SICILY, ITALY of the Acropolis, housed in a modern state- Our call in Taormina begins with a tour of the of-the-art building specially designed for the Greek theater—offering dramatic views of Mt. purpose. In the afternoon, transfer to the pier in Etna and of the Bay of Naxos—and time to Piraeus to embark Le Bougainville. (B,D) amble among Taormina’s quaint streets and Saturday, September 21 gardens. The highlight of our visit, however, will PATMOS be a private concert at Taormina’s medieval It was to Patmos that St. John the Evangelist Cathedral, featuring a selection of Sicilianos was banished during the reign of the Roman from composers including Bach and Fauré. Emperor Domitian, and is said to have received (B,L,D) the visions of Apocalypse, which later became Thursday, September 26 the Book of Revelation. Dominating the land- NAPLES | POMPEII | NAPLES scape is the fortress-like Monastery of St. This afternoon we explore Pompeii, the Roman th John, built in the 11 century at the summit city both destroyed and preserved by the of a hill. Our visit reveals precious icons, gold eruption of Mount Vesuvius in a.d. 79. No other and silver liturgical objects, rare manuscripts place so completely captures the character and antiquities. (B,L,D) of life in the early Roman Empire. Highlights Sunday, September 22 include the Forum, the Temples of Apollo SIFNOS and Jupiter, and the Stabian Baths, the best Call at the unspoiled island of Sifnos, where the preserved and most complete in Pompeii. distinctive cubic style of Cycladic architecture (B,L,D) prevails. Explore the former island capital Friday, September 27 at Kastro, an impeccably-kept village that CIVITAVECCHIA | DISEMBARK | ROME | has retained much of its medieval character. FLY TO THE USA (B) Continue to Apollonia, a Cycladic labyrinth FOR RESERVATIONS OR INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL US AT 800 252 4910 E-MAIL: [email protected] ITINERARY PROGRAM INCLUSIONS Included • 1 night at the Grand Bretagne Hotel (or similar) including breakfast Temple at Delphi • Pre-cruise excursion in Athens • Welcome cocktail reception at the hotel • 7-night cruise aboard the deluxe Le Bougainville • Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship • All meals aboard ship including early riser’s coffee & pastry, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner • Open bar aboard ship, including select wines with lunch and dinner • Shore excursions as described in itinerary • Musical performances by guest musicians and lectures by host Michael Parloff • Comprehensive pre-departure materials Monastery of St. John, Patmos • Baggage handling and airport transfers abroad on the designated program arrival and departure dates • Port taxes and charges • Gratuities to shipboard personnel, porters, guides, and drivers Not included Airfare; visa and passport fees (if applicable); luggage, cancellation, and accident insurance; personal expenses such as laundry, telephone calls, internet, spa services and beverages other than those specified above HIGHLIGHTS • Enjoy a series of exclusively-designed, private concerts aboard ship by a collection of world-class chamber musicians.