Arrive in Adelaide 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, a room category upgrade and pre-tour accommodation.

Tour arrangements commence at 17:00 with a welcome briefing and talk by your tour leaders, Mairi Nicolson and Phillip Sametz, followed by dinner at the hotel.

(D)

Begin this morning with a talk by Mairi and Phillip on the upcoming days’ performances.

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure before an early dinner in one of Adelaide’s fine restaurants.

At the Adelaide Town Hall, delight in an enchanting evening of music by Australian singer-songwriter Jess Hitchcock and the award-winning Penny Quartet. Jess’s songs, have been rearranged for string quartet by eleven renowned Australian composers, ; the result is a superb song-cycle for the present, showcasing a generation of creative talent.

(BD)

Enjoy the morning at leisure. You may wish to attend events included in the Adelaide Writers’ Week, which coincides with the Adelaide Festival (not included in tour arrangements).

In the early afternoon, walk to the Dunstan Playhouse for the poignant one-act play, Krapp’s Last Tape. With a cast of one man, portrayed by the BAFTA Award-winning Irish actor Stephen Rea, iconic Irish dramatist Samuel Beckett delves into themes of memory, regret and the passage of time. Krapp’s Last Tape is a powerful exploration of identity and the choices that shape the lives of human beings.

In the evening, visit the Art Gallery of South Australia for a private, after-hours tour, followed by dinner in the gallery’s atmospheric covered atrium.

(BD)

Begin this morning with a talk by Mairi and Phillip on today’s performances. Then walk to Elder Hall for a lunchtime recital with Canadian soprano Claire de Sévigné accompanied by pianist Michael Ierace and clarinettist Lloyd Van’t Hoff.

Following an afternoon at leisure, enjoy an early dinner in one of Adelaide’s fine restaurants.

Afterwards, continue to Her Majesty’s Theatre for a striking contemporary flamenco performance, titled Caída del Cielo (Fallen from Heaven), produced by Spanish choreographer and dancer Rocío Molina. Known for her powerful and expressive style, Molina explores themes of femininity, spirituality and the human experience through her choreography, pushing the boundaries of flamenco while maintaining its emotional depth.

(BD)

Enjoy the morning at leisure. You may wish to attend events included in the Adelaide Writers’ Week, which coincides with the Adelaide Festival (not included in tour arrangements).

At midday, walk to Elder Hall for a lunchtime concert by the acclaimed Affinity Quartet. For their Adelaide debut, the quartet performs works by Shostakovich, marking the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death with his first String Quartet, composed in 1938 during a time of impending catastrophe, as well as Beethoven’s tenth String Quartet, created in 1809 amidst the turmoil of French occupation in Austria.

Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure before an early dinner. Afterwards, attend this evening’s performance, A Quiet Language, at Norwood’s Odeon Theatre. For this world premiere, which marks the 60th year of the Australian Dance Theatre, Artistic Director Daniel Riley bridges the company’s groundbreaking beginnings with a bold future, exploring its legacy and Australia’s dance history through dynamic movement and cultural reflection.

(B)

Following a pre-performance talk in the morning, transfer to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens to join Mairi, Phillip and fellow tour members for a special farewell lunch in the beautiful International Rose Garden. The garden displays over 2,700 roses and more than 350 rose cultivars and is also home to a unique trial garden which tests roses not yet commercially available in Australia.

In the evening, walk to the Festival Theatre for the final performance of the tour and the festival’s centrepiece production, Innocence. Directed by acclaimed Australian director Simon Stone, Innocence makes its Australian premiere at the Adelaide Festival. A co-commission and co-production of Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, San Francisco Opera, Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden London, Finnish National Opera and Ballet Helsinki, in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera, it is considered one of the most important operas written this century. Clement Mao-Takacs conducts a fine international cast, with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Chamber Singers and State Opera Chorus.

(BL)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

If you are returning home today, make your own way to Adelaide Airport. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour, a room category upgrade and a private airport transfer.

(B)

** Please note: This tour is designed to be combined with our Weekend of Music in the Adelaide Hills tour from 07 – 10 March 2025, with Phillip Sametz. Places for this tour are very limited. Please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. A joining package is available on request.