Sydney OPERA

On stage & Beyond

Experience the richness of Sydney's spring performing arts season, including a private recital with Elena Kats-Chernin.

TOUR STATUS

Places Available | Maximum 16

TOUR DATES

October 12-15, 2026 | 4 Days

TOUR LEADER

Dr Tarita Botsman | View Bio

snapshot

  • Download printable itinerary >

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  • The tour starts at 10.00am on Monday 12 October, at The Fullerton Hotel, Sydney.

    The tour ends after breakfast on Thursday 15 October, at The Fullerton Hotel, Sydney.

  • Short Breaks
    These tours are compact in nature and typically involve moderate walking within urban precincts, regular standing during guided visits and movement between venues across short distances – an ideal short break from a single base.

    View the core fitness requirements for this tour style >

  • 3 nights’ accommodation in
    a centrally located 5-star hotel.
    All breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner. Premium tickets to 5 performances. Services of an expert tour leader and an experienced tour manager throughout. All ground transport, entrance fees and tipping.

    View standard tour inclusions >

  • $4,780 AUD per person, twin share (land content only)
    $820 AUD supplement for sole use of a hotel room

    A $2,000 AUD non-refundable deposit is required per person to confirm your booking on tour

  • Places Available. Maximum 16

    Book Online >
    Download Booking Form >

    Hold a place - Go to section >

OVERVIEW

Springtime in Sydney sees the city’s major performing arts organisations – Opera Australia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Theatre Company – all in full swing. At its heart stands the Sydney Opera House, the centrepiece of a vibrant cultural precinct that attracts leading artists from Australia and around the world.

Led by Tarita Botsman, this four-day mid-week break brings together five outstanding performances. Opening the program is an exclusive private recital by one of Australia’s most celebrated composers, Elena Kats-Chernin, joined by acclaimed pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska. We also attend Opera Australia’s Great Opera Hits and My Fair Lady, Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Unfriend, and a Sydney Symphony Orchestra concert conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles, featuring violinist Bomsori Kim.

Based at the historic Fullerton Hotel in the heart of the CBD, the performance program is complemented by a private talk with an Opera Australia cast member – extending the experience beyond the stage.

Performance PROGRAM

Experience five outstanding performances by Australia’s leading performing arts companies

  • My Fair Lady

    Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House

    Marking the 70th anniversary of My Fair Lady’s Broadway debut, Opera Australia lavishly recreates the 2016 Australian production directed by Julie Andrews,
    preceded by an exclusive Q&A with a cast member

  • Great Opera Hits

    Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House

    Opera Australia’s celebrated gala, bringing together many of the repertoire’s best-loved arias and ensembles by Bizet, Puccini, Rossini, Verdi and more, performed by some of Australia’s finest opera singers

  • Recital with Elena Kats-Chernin

    The Church, Phoenix Central Park

    A private performance by award-winning composer Elena Kats-Chernin and internationally renowned pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska, interwoven with conversation exploring their remarkable creative processes

  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra

    Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House

    Sir Donald Runnicles leads the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Australian premiere of Dobrinka Tabakova’s Orpheus’ Comet, with internationally acclaimed violinist Bomsori Kim making her Sydney debut

  • The Unfriend

    Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay

    A deliciously dark comedy from the Sydney Theatre Company, together with playwright Steven Moffat, acclaimed director Simon Phillips and comedic genius Helen Thomson

Private Recital
with Elena Kats-Chernin

FEATURED ARTIST

JOINED BY Tamara-Anna Cislowska

Among Australia’s most influential contemporary composers, Elena Kats-Chernin has created a body of work that has transformed the nation’s musical landscape. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, she trained in Moscow before emigrating to Australia in 1975, later continuing her studies in Germany with avant-garde composer Helmut Lachenmann.

Over the past four decades, Elena’s works have been performed by leading orchestras and opera companies throughout Australia, Europe and beyond. Her music has featured at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, while Eliza Aria from her ballet Wild Swans has become one of the best-known works by an Australian composer, performed internationally by artists including Lang Lang.

Our tour opens with an exclusive at The Church, Phoenix Central Park – one of Sydney’s most distinctive contemporary arts venues – where Elena is joined by pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska for a private recital of her music.

Interwoven with the performance, Elena discusses the evolution of her compositions, her lifelong habit of drafting every score by hand at the piano and the inspirations that have shaped a career spanning opera, ballet, orchestral and chamber music.

Dr Tarita botsman

your expert tour leader

Tarita is one of Australia’s most accomplished classical artists — a celebrated soprano, director, producer and writer who has performed with major opera companies across Australia and internationally. Holding a PhD in music from the University of Queensland, she is also the founder and Artistic Director of The 7 Sopranos, an acclaimed ensemble that has toured globally for over 15 years. An Adjunct Associate Lecturer at UQ, Tarita brings her deep knowledge and passion for opera and performance to her lectures and tours.

Read full bio >

Accompanied by an Experienced Tour Manager

Alongside your expert tour leader, an experienced tour manager will accompany for the entirety of the tour. They oversee logistics, ensure your comfort and safety, and provide friendly support – whether offering tips for free time, sharing a chat over dinner, or giving you space to relax.

tour ITINERARY

Sydney (3 Nights)

Included meals are shown with the letters B, L and D

Download Printable Itinerary

  • Day 1 | Monday 12 October
    Australian Voices | Private Recital & Great Opera Hits
    We gather this morning at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney, the city’s grand former General Post Office, before joining Elena Kats-Chernin for a private lunch and exclusive recital at The Church – a meticulously restored 19th-century Gothic church in Alexandria. Joined by Tamara-Anna Cislowska, they will perform a selection of Elena’s works while sharing insights into their creative process. Following time to refresh at the hotel and an early dinner, we continue to the Sydney Opera House for Great Opera Hits. Presented by Opera Australia in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, this popular gala brings together celebrated arias from composers including Bizet, Puccini, Rossini and Verdi, performed by some of Opera Australia’s finest singers and accompanied by piano. Overnight Sydney (L, D)

  • Day 2 | Tuesday 13 October
    Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden | My Fair Lady
    Today begins with a visit to Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden, a tranquil harbourside oasis created by the artist on a neglected parcel of former railway land. Developed over many years as a labour of love, the garden combines native and exotic plantings, sculpture and sweeping harbour views, reflecting Whiteley’s enduring connection to Sydney’s creative community. We then return to our hotel for a private talk and Q&A with a cast member from Opera Australia’s production of My Fair Lady, offering insights into the creative process behind bringing this much-loved musical to the stage. A pre-show dinner follows near the Sydney Opera House, where we again take our seats in the Joan Sutherland Theatre for the beloved musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. This lavish recreation is based on the 2016 Australian production directed by Julie Andrews, who was catapulted into stardom when she originated the role of Eliza Doolittle. Overnight Sydney (B, D)

  • Day 3 | Wednesday 14 October
    AGNSW | The Unfriend & Sydney Symphony Orchestra
    We begin our morning with an exclusive curator-led tour of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, exploring one of Australia’s foremost collections of Australian, European, Asian and Pacific art before the gallery opens to the public. We then continue to Walsh Bay, where lunch is enjoyed overlooking the harbour before taking our seats at the nearby Roslyn Packer Theatre for the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Steven Moffat’s The Unfriend. Directed by the legendary Simon Phillips (Priscilla: Queen of the Desert) and starring Helen Thomson (Colin from Accounts) this new work brings Moffat’s sharp comedy of manners to life as a seemingly innocent holiday friendship spirals into increasingly absurd consequences. Returning to the hotel, we then gather for an evening lecture before a pre-show dinner near the Sydney Opera House. Our day concludes in the Concert Hall with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles. The program opens with the Australian premiere of Dobrinka Tabakova’s Orpheus’ Comet before internationally acclaimed violinist Bomsori Kim makes her Sydney debut in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The evening closes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, bringing our Sydney performance program to a stirring close. Overnight Sydney (B, L, D)

  • Day 4 | Thursday 15 October
    Departure
    The tour concludes this morning after breakfast at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney. (B)

The hotel has been selected principally for its central location and five-star standard.

Tour Accommodation

Sydney, The Fullerton Hotel | 3 Nights

Located in Sydney CBD’s Martin Place, between George and Pitt Sts, this five-star hotel offers luxurious rooms in the heritage-listed General Post Office building and in towering levels overlooking Sydney. The hotel features an à la carte restaurant, a bar and access to a fitness centre.

tour booking

$4,780 AUD per person, twin share (land content only)
$820 AUD supplement for sole use of a hotel room

A $2,000 deposit is required per person to confirm your booking on tour. This deposit is non-refundable.

Hold a Place

Still deciding? We are happy to hold a tentative place for 7 days while you make your final arrangements.

Book Online

To secure your place(s) on tour, book online below with “Athena”, our virtual tour consultant.

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DOWNLOAD FORM

Download a printable booking form. You can also complete the form on screen and submit via email.

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your tour consultant

The consultant for this tour is Jamal Fairbrother. For further information or to discuss the tour, please call 9235 0023 (Sydney) or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email jamal@academytravel.com.au

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