COUNTRY HOUSE MUSIC WEEKEND IN TASMANIA
The five broad-sweep music programs feature composers from Europe, the Americas and Australia.
Bach, Brahms, Chopin, Schubert, Paganini, Piazzolla, Britten and Grainger all make an appearance. The Ensemble will perform Messaien’s Quartet for the End of Time to flickering candlelight on Saturday night – a work written in the shadow of the European war while another one rages currently.
The festival climaxes with works from the Americas, especially wonderful arrangements of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Rhapsody in Blue.
YOUR TOUR LEADER: Rob Lovell started Alumni Travel in 1989 and led one of its first tours to Viet Nam, before the country really opened up. Another early tour saw a group in Eastern Europe just at the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union. Since then, hundreds of tours have taken Alumni Travellers to destinations that were, at the time, difficult or impossible to visit without an expert Leader, who had some knowledge of the country being visited or of the cultural focus of the tour. Many of these places have become relatively easy to visit now, or sadly, no longer safe to visit at all. Yemen, Syria, even Iran, spring to mind.
Alumni Travel has also had a musical thread with many concert and opera tours of UK and Europe and the Australian based Ring Cycles from Adelaide and Melbourne, and at the end of the year, in Brisbane. These have been inspired by a number of music specialists, not least Len Amadio AO who has been leading most of the recent music tours for Alumni Travel. Other groups have enjoyed the Barossa Music Festival, Coriole Music Festival and the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival.
Our association with The Country House Music Weekend in Hobart began in 2015 and we have had a group at each festival since then. This year the tour has been pared back to just the musical offering, with no local touring, so Rob is taking the opportunity to visit Epsom House for the second time.
DETAILED ITINERARY
FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY – ARRIVE HOBART
Fly into Hobart, arriving around mid-day. There may be a chance to arrange shared transport from the airport. Closer to final payment, we shall check the flights that would be best for a joint transfer. Check-in will be possible at 2pm. Afternoon free.
1700: Meet your Tour Leader, Rob Lovell in the hotel lobby.
1715: Board the coach for the drive to Pontville, where our weekend musical festival will be located at Epsom House, and where we will be in the capable hands of our hosts, Jacqui and Geoffrey Robertson, and the program presenter, Christopher Lawrence.
EPSOM HOUSE – Country House Weekend of Music performed by Ensemble Liaison with Sophie Rowell
David Griffiths Clarinet
Svetlana Bogosavlijevic ‘Cello
Timothy Young Piano
Sophie Rowell Violin
1800: Welcome champagne and canapes
1845: Introduction by Christopher Lawrence
1900: Concert 1
Schumann – Adagio and Allegro
Chopin – Nocturne Op 48 no.1 in C minor
Interval with coffee and desert
Brahms – Scherzo from the F-A-E Sonata
Brahms – Piano Quartet no. 1
2130: Your coach will take you back to the hotel. (Supper)
SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY
Breakfast at the hotel. Free morning to stroll around the waterfront, check out the Salamanca Markets, or take in the Hobart Museum and Art Gallery. Find your own lunch today.
1345: Board our coach for Epsom House
1430: Christopher Lawrence presents “Conversations”
1500: Concert 2
Ross Edwards -White Cockatoo Spirit Dance
Paganini – Moses Variations
Interval – Coffee and cake
Weber – Grand Duo Concertante
Brahms – Clarinet Trio
1730: Pre-dinner drinks in the garden
1800: Courtyard dinner
1900: Concert 3
Arvo Part – Speigel im Speigel
Interval – Coffee and dessert
Messiaen – Quartet for the End of Time
2100: At the end of the performance, the coach will take you back to your hotel. (B,D)
SUNDAY 18 FEBRUARY
Breakfast. Free time.
0945: Board our coach for the trip to Pontville for the third day of the festival.
1030: Concert 4
Grainger – Shepherd’s Hey
Britten – Salley Gardens and Last Rose of Summer
Bach – Largo from Violin Sonata no. 3 on C major
Bach – Prelude from Cello Suite no.1 in G major
Chopin – Mazurka Op.17 no.4:
Etudes Op.10 nos. 9 & 12
Schubert – Notturno
Grieg – Excerpts from Peer Gynt Suite
1130: Coffee and cake
1200: Concert 5
Frolov/Gershwin – Porgy and Bess Fantasy
Piazzolla – Seasons (Otono; Primavera)
Novacek – Four Rags for Two Jons
Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue
1315: Gourmet Buffet Lunch celebrating locally grown
Produce and Tasmanian wines.
1500: Our coach takes us back to the hotel.
Free evening. (B,L)
MONDAY 19 FEBRUARY
Breakfast at the Hotel.
Check out of your accommodation. Take yourself (maybe share taxi) to the airport for your flight home, or, continue with your own arrangements. (If you arrange your return flight around late morning, this should guarantee that you will be on a flight with other members returning to your State.) (B)
GENERAL INFORMATION AND SPECIAL BOOKING CONDITIONS
TOUR PRICE:
Land Only per person, twin-share A$2,650
Single Supplement A$410
LAND ONLY TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:
• 3 nights accommodation twin share with private facilities at Mantra on Colins Hotel
• 3 day all-inclusive musical program
• Transport in comfortable air conditioned coach
• Transfers, touring and entry fees as indicated in the itinerary
• Breakfast daily and other meals as indicated in the itinerary: 1 supper, 1 dinner (D), 1 lunch (L). Wine and other beverages included in all included meals
• Performance Tickets
• Tour host throughout
LAND ONLY TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
• Transportation to and from Hobart and airport transfers. Airfares can be purchased in addition. Please specify requirements at time of booking or you can check: www.qantas.com or www.virginblue.com.au
• Travel Insurance
• Items of personal nature (telephone, laundry, etc.)
I’m Interested…How Do I Book?:
Fill in the online Booking Form, read and agree with our Terms & Conditions, select your payment option for your deposit of $500 per person to Alumni Travel and Submit. Upon receipt of your Booking Form and deposit, you will receive a confirmation of your place in writing.
DEPOSIT AND FINAL PAYMENT:
The deposit is accepted as a first installment of the tour cost and will be fully refunded if the arrangements can not be confirmed or the tour is cancelled by Alumni Travel. Final payment for the tour needs to be received at least 60 days prior to tour departure. An invoice will be sent to you about a fortnight before the final payment becomes due.
CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS:
Any cancellation from the tour needs to be done in writing. The cancellation date will be taken from the day your written cancellation is received by Alumni Travel. Because of the tour cancellation charges imposed by our various suppliers, the following cancellation charges apply, per person:
Over 60 days $100.00 – Administration Fee
59 – 40 days 25% of tour cost
39 – 10 days 50% of tour cost
Within 10 days 100% of tour cost
If a difference occurs between these cancellation conditions and those imposed by our suppliers, then the conditions of the supplier shall apply.
There is no refund before or after travel has commenced or for any unused portion of the tour, either in regard to the standard group arrangements or separate independent arrangements.
CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS:
Any payments by credit card will be subject to a 2% non-refundable Merchant Administration Fee.
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
It is now standard policy with our company that all our international travellers have some type of international travel insurance, so that you are covered for any unforeseen circumstances that may arise. A comprehensive Insurance brochure is available from Alumni Travel. The insurance brochure contains the terms and conditions under which insurance cover will be offered to you.
ADDITIONAL TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS:
If you would like Alumni Travel to assist you with any additional arrangements pre or post tour, please contact our office for assistance at time of booking. All arrangements need to be finalised at least 30 days prior to your departure.
AMENDMENTS:
An administration fee of $30.00 per amendment will be charged for any changes made to any reservation within 30 days prior to your departure. Any additional charges imposed by our suppliers will also be payable.
PASSPORT AND VISAS:
It is the traveller’s responsibility to ensure that they possess the necessary travel documentation for the tour, such as a valid passport and any required visas. Your passport should be valid at least 6 months beyond the end of your journey and have two clear pages for each country to be visited in your journey.
FORCED CANCELLATION:
In the event that passenger numbers do not reach the minimum number of tour participants (approximately 7, excluding the tour leader) required for the tour, it may be necessary to either surcharge or cancel the tour. If such an event does occur, you will be notified at least 60 days prior to the tour departure.
TOUR PRICES:
This tour price has been calculated on the basis of exchange rates and tariffs at time of print and is subject to change up until final payment has been received. At the time of final invoicing (approximately two months prior to the tour departure date), Alumni Travel reserves the right to re-cost the tour based on actual exchange rates. This could mean an increase or decrease to the above listed prices. Should you decide to cancel your arrangements on the basis of a change in the tour price, normal cancellation charges will apply.