Arrive in Sydney on suggested flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including a private transfer to the hotel, accommodation before or after the tour or a room category upgrade.

At 15:30, join your tour leader Marshall McGuire for a welcome briefing and talk about this evening’s performance. Then, enjoy an early dinner before walking to the Sydney Opera House to attend Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Directed by Moffatt Oxenbould and conducted by Paul Fitzsimon, this award-winning production stars the Australian soprano Olivia Cranwell performing the title role as Cio-Cio-San and La Scala-trained tenor Oreste Cosimo as Pinkerton.

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This morning, gain an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Opera Australia’s Opera Centre in Surry Hills and discover the hidden world of set-building, costumes, props and rehearsals that bring large-scale productions to life. Afterwards, enjoy lunch at Café Sydney, a rooftop restaurant overlooking the glittering waters of Sydney harbour, followed by an afternoon at leisure.

Tonight, be immersed in one of Tchaikovsky’s most celebrated operatic masterpieces, Eugene Onegin, produced by the internationally acclaimed Kasper Holten and led by German conductor Anna Skryleva in her Opera Australia debut. The cast features renowned Australian soprano Lauren Fagan as Tatyana, Ukrainian baritone Andrei Bondarenko as Onegin and rising Australian star Nicholas Jones as Lensky.

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Following a pre-performance talk by Marshall, embark on a private, guided history-focused walking tour through the hidden corners of The Rocks. Learn about the controversial building projects of Millers Point and explore how the nation’s economy was founded upon the wool and shipping industries of the 19th and early 20th centuries along the Walsh Bay wharves. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to relax or to further explore Sydney at your own pace.

In the evening, enjoy a special farewell dinner at one of Australia’s most awarded restaurants with Marshall and fellow travellers before a performance of Puccini’s Turandot. Watch one of Australia’s notable sopranos, Anna-Louise Cole, take on the title role, alongside the audience-favourite Rosario La Spina as the unknown prince, Calaf.

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Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. 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, travel insurance (highly recommended), a room category upgrade and private airport transfers.

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