Arrive in Shenzhen on suggested flights and transfer to the hotel (transfer included in tour price). Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel), a room category upgrade and accommodation before or after the tour.

After breakfast, join your tour leader Marshall McGuire and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing and pre-performance talk. Then, embark on a private, guided tour of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning (MoCAUP), tracing Shenzhen’s metamorphosis from fishing village to global megacity. Continue with a walk through Futian’s Civic Centre cultural precinct to admire Arata Isozaki’s landmarks, the Shenzhen Library and Shenzhen Concert Hall.

After lunch at a local restaurant, return to the hotel for the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

In the evening, enjoy the first of several Shenzhen Verbier Festival performances at the Shenzhen Concert Hall. The Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Gábor Takács-Nagy, is joined by world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell and virtuoso pianist Sergei Babayan.

PROGRAM:
Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, ‘Jeunehomme’
Bruch – Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 46
Mendelssohn – Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, ‘Scottish’

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Begin the day with a pre-performance talk by Marshall. Then, enjoy some time at leisure to relax or explore Shenzhen at your own pace.

In the afternoon, return to the Shenzhen Concert Hall for a recital by double bassist Marc André and pianist Julien Quentin.

PROGRAM:
Works by Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Dvořák, Debussy, Morricone, Piazzolla, Gluck, de Falla and Soltan

After dinner at a local restaurant, enjoy an evening concert of chamber music featuring Russian pianists Nikolai Lugansky and Vadim Rudenko, violinists Clara-Jumi Kang and Marc Bouchkov, violist Antoine Tamestit and cellist Pablo Ferrández.

PROGRAM:
Rachmaninoff – Suites Nos. 1 and 2 for Two Pianos, Op. 5 and Op. 17
Dvořák – Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81

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This morning, attend a solo recital by French pianist Lucas Debargue, whose fiercely original voice has drawn acclaim on the world’s greatest stages.

PROGRAM:
Works by Scarlatti, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Gershwin

Return to the hotel in the early afternoon for some time at leisure.

In the late-afternoon, join Marshall for a pre-performance talk followed by dinner at the hotel.

Tonight, Gábor Takács-Nagy conducts the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra with legendary violinist Pinchas Zukerman and pianist Behzod Abduraimov.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Schumann – Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97, ‘The Rhenish’
Beethoven – Choral Fantasy, Op. 80

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Begin the day with a recital by violinist Clara-Jumi Kang and pianist Lucas Debargue at the Shenzhen Concert Hall.

PROGRAM:
Debargue – Mozart transcription
Prokofiev – Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80
Franck – Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel for the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, attend a chamber music performance bringing together soprano Ana Oniani, violinists Marc Bouchkov, Daniel Lozakovich and Clara-Jumi Kang, violists Antoine Tamestit and Blythe Teh Engstroem, cellists Pablo Ferrández, Mischa Maisky, Kian Soltani and Jong Zhao, pianist Sergei Babayan and musicians from the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.

PROGRAM:
Villa Lobos – Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Tchaikovsky – Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70
Shostakovich – Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57

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This morning, attend a chamber music concert featuring pianists Jeremy Denk and Lucas Debargue, with violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Clara-Jumi Kang, violists Antoine Tamestit and Blythe Teh Engstroem, cellists Kian Soltani and Jing Zhao, and double bassist Marc André.

PROGRAM:
Mendelssohn – Piano Sextet in D major, Op. 110
Brahms – Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60

Return to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure.

After an early dinner at the hotel, return to the Shenzhen Concert Hall for a performance by the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. Soloists include violinists Clara-Jumi Kang and Daniel Lozakovich, soprano Ana Oniani and pianist Ziyu Shao.

PROGRAM:
Bach – Double Concerto for Two Violins in D minor
Catalani – ‘Ebben? Ne andrò lontana’ from La Wally
Verdi – ‘Sempre libera’ from La Traviata
Saint-Saëns – Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
Beethoven – Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36

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Begin the day with a pre-performance talk by Marshall. The remainder of the morning is at leisure.

In the afternoon, attend a recital by violist Antoine Tamestit and pianist Julien Quentin.

PROGRAM:
Works by Mozart, Schubert and Schumann

Afterwards, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant before returning to the concert hall for a chamber music performance featuring Behzod Abduraimov, Sergei Babayan, Marc Bouchkov, Antoine Tamestit, Mischa Maisky, Kian Soltani and Marc André.

PROGRAM:
Mendelssohn – Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op. 49
Schubert – Piano Quintet in A major, ‘Trout’

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This morning, travel to the newly opened Shenzhen Natural History Museum at Yanzi Lake. Designed by Danish practice 3XN, the lead architects behind Sydney’s new Fish Market, the building’s biomimetic ‘Delta’ concept integrates five monumental gallery volumes with a walkable rooftop garden overlooking the lake, dissolving the boundary between architecture and landscape. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure.

This evening, attend one of the festival’s most anticipated collaborations, featuring piano superstar Yuja Wang and acclaimed violinist Marc Bouchkov.

PROGRAM:
Mozart – Sonata in E minor
Fauré – Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 13
Beach – Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23
Prokofiev – Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94b

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In the morning, hear Armenian pianist Sergei Babayan perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

PROGRAM:
Arvo Pärt – Für Alina
Liszt – Ballade No. 2 in B minor
Bach – Goldberg Variations

Following an afternoon at leisure, join Marshall and fellow travellers for a special farewell dinner before the last performance of the tour.

Tonight, Gábor Takács-Nagy and Teddy Abrams conduct the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra with pianist Yuja Wang and violinist Yamen Saadi.

PROGRAM:
Berg – Chamber Concerto for Piano, Violin and 13 Wind Instruments
Tsfasman – Jazz Suite for Piano and Orchestra
Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

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Tour arrangements conclude with an included transfer to Shenzhen Airport for suggested flights to Australia or New Zealand. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

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