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 and a room category upgrade.

At 16:00, join your tour leader Anne-Maree McDonald and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing and talk, followed by an early dinner. Then, attend the first performance of the tour, La Bohème, in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House. Directed by award-winning director and writer Constantine Costi and conducted by Opera Australia’s music director Andrea Battistoni, this fresh production of Puccini’s timeless tale stars Australian soprano Samantha Clarke as Mimì and Italian tenor Paride Cataldo as Rodolfo.

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Following a morning talk by Anne-Maree, 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. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, delve into the surreal world of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, in a production by Sir Thomas Allen, who has been reinventing Mozart’s operas for over half a century, first as a baritone and now as a director. Under the baton of German conductor Johanna Malangré, the cast includes Australian soprano Alexandra Flood as Pamina, Australian tenor Alasdair Kent as Tamino and Italian soprano Daniela Cappiello as Queen of the Night.

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After breakfast, transfer to the Art Gallery of NSW for a private, guided tour of Australia’s first dedicated exhibition of one of the most influential and recognisable contemporary Japanese artists of the current age, Takashi Murakami. Titled When the Mountain Is High, the Moon Rises Higher, this exhibition reveals the evolution of Murakami’s signature ‘Superflat’ aesthetic in which art, subculture and commercial imagery meld with diverse influences from anime to historical Japanese painting.

After lunch, return to the hotel for some free time.

Tonight, experience two French masterpieces in a double bill of one-act operas, comprising Poulenc’s La Voix humaine and Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges. Performed in concert under the direction of Claudia Osborne, La Voix humaine is a one-woman performance showcasing Italian soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci, while L’enfant et les sortilèges features Margaret Plummer, a principal artist at the Vienna State Opera, as the Child, whose tantrums bring the objects and creatures around her vividly to life.

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This morning, visit the State Library of New South Wales, Australia’s oldest library, which celebrated its bicentenary in 2026. On a private, guided tour, explore highlights of the library’s significant art collection.

The afternoon is at leisure to relax or to further explore Sydney at your own pace.

In the early evening, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a special farewell dinner with Anne-Maree and fellow travellers, before attending the final performance of the tour, Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love. Reimagined in the Australian outback in 1915 by acclaimed Australian director Simon Phillips, renowned Australian soprano Stacey Alleaume takes on the role of Adina, alongside Australian tenor John Longmuir as Nemorino. 

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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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