Arrive in Canberra 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 room category upgrade, a private hotel transfer and pre-tour accommodation.

At 15:30, attend a welcome briefing and a pre-performance talk by your tour leader, Stewart Kelly, followed by an early dinner at the hotel.

Then, transfer to the Snow Concert Hall and attend the opening concert of the Canberra International Music Festival, with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Flinders Quartet. The concert features Fantasia, a program of contemporary Australian works alongside masterpieces of the string orchestra repertoire.

PROGRAM:
Ludwig van Beethoven – Egmont Overture arr. for string orchestra
Paul Stanhope – Dirrari Lament (from the 3^rd String Quartet)
Richard Mills – Violin Concerto, Sinfonia Sacra. Four Portraits of the Blessed Virgin WORLD PREMIERE
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (with the Flinders Quartet)
Olivia Davies – Crystalline
Jessie Montgomery – Strum (with the Flinders Quartet)

(D)

This morning, attend a concert performed by the Flinders Quartet at the Albert Hall, featuring among others Serioso, one of Beethoven’s most compact quartets.

PROGRAM:
Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet No. 11 Op. 95, Serioso
Antonín Dvořák – String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, Op. 105
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon – Bungaree

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure before returning to the Albert Hall for a concert by the acclaimed Australian Haydn Ensemble and renowned Australian baritone David Greco, featuring a program including Schubert’s Lieder.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
Franz Schubert – Selected Lieder (arranged for string quintet and baritone)
Franz Schubert – String Quartet No. 13 in A minor Rosamunde – Selected movements
Félicien David – String Quartet in E minor

After the concert, enjoy dinner at one of Canberra’s fine restaurants.

(BD)

Enjoy the morning at leisure.

After lunch at a local restaurant, transfer to the High Court of Australia for a concert exploring the enchanting landscapes of Russia and Poland through renowned composers from the Communist era. Artists include Finnish violinist Satu Vänskä and Russian-Australian pianist Konstantin Shamray.

PROGRAM:
Witold Lutoslawski – Subito
Dmitri Shostakovich – Preludes
Galina Ustvolskaya – Duet for piano and violin
Sergei Prokofiev – Sonata No. 1

Enjoy a cocktail reception at a nearby restaurant before the second performance at the High Court, featuring the Flinders Quartet’s collaboration with Finnish pianist Paavali Jumpannen.

PROGRAM:
Dmitri Shostakovich – Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57 (1940)
Grażyna Bacewicz – Piano Quintet No. 1 (1952)

Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

(BL)

After a pre-performance talk by Stewart, attend a performance by pianists Konstantin Shamray and Paavali Jumpannen performing a program of classic and modern compositions, including Schumann’s Humoreske and Beethoven’s Hammerklavier.

PROGRAM:
Valentyn Silvestrov – Kitsch Music I. Allegro Vivace
Schumann – Humoreske in B-flat major, Op. 20
George Enescu – Carillon-Nocturne from Pièces Impromptues (Suite No. 3) opus 18
Beethoven – Sonata No. 29 in Bb Major Op. 1-6 “Hammerklavier”
Olivia Davies – New work for four hands

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

Tonight, dine at a local restaurant.

(BD)

After a morning at leisure, join Stewart and fellow travellers for a special farewell lunch at one of Canberra’s acclaimed restaurants.

This evening, witness a celebration of Finnish-Australian relations through music. The concluding performance of the festival features Sibelius’ monumental Finlandia, performed by a team of Australia-based Finnish musicians, at the Snow Concert Hall.

PROGRAM:
Kaija Saariaho – Cloud Music
Jean Sibelius – Piano Quintet – Scherzo
Nicole Smede Massed – New choral work in Gathang language
Helvi Leiviskä – Cantabile for cello & piano
Kaija Saariaho – Überzeugung
Kaija Saariaho – Tag des Jahrs
Kaija Saariaho – Cloud Trio (Movement III: Sempre Energico)
Olivia Davies – Murmuration (choral and strings)
Olivia Davies – Enfold (Four spatialised bagpipes and digeridoo)
Jean Sibelius – Finlandia (new arrangement by Erkki Veltheim for Choir and Strings)

(BL)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. 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)