HPB shared Tours

the kirker music festival in venice

Venice is our most popular destination and is one of the most musical cities in the world, so it is a natural choice for a new Kirker Music Festival. Our Festival celebrates the two glorious periods in the musical history of Venice; the 17th Century when Monteverdi and Vivaldi were creating a new style of music and indeed, inventing opera; and, two hundred years later, the glorious age of belcanto opera, an era when the prima donna ruled and the singing came first. This was the golden age of opera and throughout the 19th Century La Fenice in Venice saw an astonishing number of premieres of operas by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and later Verdi. Our musicians are some of the finest and most distinguished in their fields and they will be performing in the beautiful and ornate ballroom at the famous Hotel monaco & Grand Canal where we will be staying. This was originallythe grand Palazzo Dandolo, the seat of one of the city's patrician ruling families.

HOLIDAY ESCORT: BARRY CHEESEMAN

Barry Cheeseman writes:

“It is always thrilling to introduce one of our popular Kirker Music Festivals in a new destination. We have to consider so many things when planning our Festivals and need to be sure that any new destination can meet our exacting requirements. Venice of course does; it is a unique and beautiful city, the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal with its spectacular concert hall is one of our most popular places to stay and our included guided walks will introduce you to some of the city’s best artistic treasures. We have assembled a wonderful group of musicians and it will be a real privilege to see them in such a beautiful setting, performing music with such close associations with Venice. They will, effectively, be bringing the music back home to the city.”

DEPARTURE DATE	COST
17 November 2011 - 4 nights No Single supplement	£1,498 pp

BOOKINGS AND RESERVATIONS

TRAVEL Prices are based on British Airways flights from Gatwick to Venice. Regional departuresare available on request and at a supplement,

PRICE INCLUDES • Return scheduled flights to Venice • Four nights accommodation with breakfast at the 4 star deluxe Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal • Two dinners with wine • All concert performances, transfers, entrance fees, gratuities and sightseeing as described • All excursions as detailed above • The services of Barry Cheesman, our holiday escort • A programme book with complete background notes and song texts

NOT INCLUDED Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary, travel insurance, all personal expenses such as laundry and telephone calls and gratuities

For bookings & reservations call 01638 674744 or click here

HPB Travel Club Ltd, HPB House, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8EH
Telephone: +44(0)1638 674744 | Email: tours@hpb.co.uk

ITINERARY

Day 1

We fly to Venice and transfer by water taxi to the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal where we stay for four nights. Dinner at the hotel is included this evening.

HOTEL MONACO & GRAND CANAL

We will be staying at the famous 4 star deluxe Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal which is located one minute's walk from St Mark's Square and almost opposite Harry's Bar; the Grand Canal flows directly in front and there is a wonderful waterside terrace. Rooms will either be in the main hotel or in the intimate Palazzo Selvadego, the hotel's annexe which is close by.

RECITAL BY PAULA CHATEAUNEUF

(Chitarrone)

Paula Chateauneuf will introduce sole pieces from the Courts of Northern Italy. Dances, toccatas and variations will be played on the chitarrone, a long necked lute invested to express the new flamboyant vocal style of the 17th Century.

Paula Chateauneuf is one of the most respected musicians and teachers in the world of Baroque music and has worked with many of the world's leading singers both in recital and as a coach at opera houses. She has close associations with the Bavarian National Opera in Munich and Glyndebourne.

Day 2

Our first walking tour will take us to Dorsoduro to visit the Frari Church with works by Titian and Tintoretto and then to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, one of the grandest buildings in Venice, complete with frescoes by Tintoretto.

NELLY MIRICIOIU (Soprano)

PAUL NILON (Tenor)

SIMON LEPPER (Piano)

Nelly Miricioiu and Paul Nilon will perform scenes from a selection of 19th Century operas including Rigoletto and la Traviata. Both singers have worked extensively with Opera rara which specialised in performing very rare works so expect some surprises in this concern alongside more familiar pieces.

Nelly Miricioiu was born in Romania abnd came to England in the early eighties after winning the first Maria Cllas Competition in Athens. She took the opera world by storm when she sang several roles with Scottish Opera, making a debut as Violetta. She has made the huge repertory of 19th Century bel-canto operas her own and has sung on the world's leading stages. She has made recordings for Opera Rara and her annual Masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music are legendary.

Paul Nilon is that rare thin; an English tenor with an Italianate sound and a technique which enables him to sing the most fiendishly difficult coloratura roles. He sang the title role in Idomeneo at ENO in the summer of 2010 and is equally distinguished on the concern platform.

Simon Lepper is one of the leading accompanists of his generation. He studied at King's College Cambridge and then at the Ropyal Academy of Music. He is now a Professor at the Royal College of Music and works regularly with an impressive array of internationally known singers.

Day 3

Our second walking tour will take us to the churches of Miracoli with its shimmering marble facade and to SS Giovanni e Paolo where we wee works by Bellini.

MARK TUCKER (Tenor)

PAULA CHATEAUNEUF (Chitarrone)

Innovation & Revolution: Monteverdi and his influence. This concert will include highlights from the rich and sumptuous repertory of sacred and secular music by the fiants of the Baroque, including Monteverdi and Cavalli, together with some less familiar composers.

Mark Tucker has worked with all the leading Baroque specialists including Renee Jacobs and Sir Roger Norrington. He has sung at the Salzburg and Edinburgh Festivals and at La Fenice. His recent recording of The Dream of Gerontius has received critical acclaim.

Day 4

A free day for independent exploration. There will be an optional excursion to the historic island of Torcello with lunch at the Locanda Cipriani. Dinner at the hotel is included this evening.

NELLY MIRICIOIU (Soprano)

SIMON LEPPER (Piano)

Nelly Miricioiu will give a recital of songs together with a seclection of arias from operas which received their first performances at La Fenice, Venice, including Semiramide, Beatrice di Tenda, La Traviata, Rigoletto and more.

Day 5

We transfer to the airport and the flight back to the UK.

GENERAL INFORMATION

travel information

Flights are with British Airways timings as follows:

Depart Gatwick 1150 - Arrive Venice 1500 Flight No. BA2584

Depart Venice 1655 - Arrive Gatwick 1800 Flight No. BA2585

Health

The requirements and recommendations in force at the time of publication are detailed below. If there is any change, you will be informed when you book. However, it is your responsibility to double check relevant requirements and recommendations before departure to ensure that you comply with them and take with you the correct documentation for the country you are visiting.

No compulsory health requirements.

Passports and Visas

This advice is only valid for British passport holders. Please advise us if you hold foreign documents in order that we can check entry requirements. It is your responsibility to double-check relevant requirements before departure to ensure that you comply with them and take the correct documentation for the country you are visiting. It is important that you hold a ten year British passport with at least three months validity from your return date in the UK. Visas are not required.

Money

Credit cards are accepted at tourist hotels or tourist shops in major cities. There are cash point machines in most cities. Local currency is the Euro.

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Your contract is with Kirker Holidays, a member of ABTA.

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS OF BOOKING
LATE BOOKINGS.You may book your holiday at any time – right up to the day of
departure.

CANCELLATION CHARGES. Cancellations made more than 56 days prior to departure: deposits forfeited and insurance premiums held. 56-43 days: 25% of the holiday cost or £100 (whichever is the greater) plus insurance premiums. 42-15 days: 50% of the holiday cost plus insurance. 14-8 days: 75% of the holiday cost plus insurance. Within 7 days of the departure, on the departure date or after the holiday has commenced: all holiday costs forfeited, including insurance premiums. Any client choosing to leave their hotel before the end of their holiday will receive no refund for unused accommodation. In the unlikely event that a hotel, airline, aircraft type or destination airport is altered we shall advise clients immediately. Such an alteration will not be accepted as grounds for canceling a holiday, unless the amendment is of a
material nature.

ALTERATIONS. Rates on request, but a major alteration may be treated as a cancellation.

TRANSFER OF BOOKINGS. If you are unavoidably prevented from proceeding with your holiday you may, after giving at least 21 days’ notice, transfer the booking to another person/s. We shall make a charge for administrative costs and any cancellation charges imposed by our suppliers arising from the transfer.

CONTRACT POINT. A binding contract (subject to the jurisdiction of English courts) will come into force between us at the time we send out our confirmation invoice, and until then we shall be under no liability to you whatsoever. If we are unable to accept your booking we shall return your deposit within 28 days.

PRICE. Whilst we reserve the right to alter prices for new bookings at any time, we do guarantee that there will be no surcharges once a reservation has been confirmed by Kirker Travel Ltd. Only government action (eg an increase in airport taxes) may affect this guarantee. Even in this case, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price which excludes insurance premiums and amendment charges. If this
means paying more than 10% of the holiday price, you will be entitled to cancel with a full refund of all money paid except for any insurance premiums, provided you let us know within 14 days of invoice date. Any money paid by you to one of our appointed travel agents for a Kirker holiday which has been confirmed by us (whether in writing or otherwise) at an agreed price will be held by him on our behalf. Prices based on £1 = 1.15 euros, 1.62 US dollars 8.60 Danish krone, 10.69 Swedish krona, 1.55 Swiss
francs, (rates as per 5 November 2010).

HEALTH. No special health restrictions apply to EC passport holders. Citizens from other nationalities should consult their appropriate embassy.

PASSPORTS & VISAS. Passports are required for all passengers. EU Citizens require visas for certain destinations, e.g. Russia, Oman and Turkey. Clients from other countries may require a visa. It is the clients’ responsibility to check passport and visa requirements for all destinations.

HELP US TO HELP YOU. If you have a complaint whilst abroad, you must advise us (via our local agents or else direct to us in London) immediately. We will try to resolve any problems on the spot. If you still remain dissatisfied, please write to us within 28 days of your return to the UK.

LIABILITY. We undertake to provide reasonable standards of product and service. We accept liability for proven negligence, deficiencies or omissions caused by our employees, overseas agents, sub-contractors and suppliers, and will pay reasonable compensation to any affected clients accordingly. Within reason, and at our discretion, initial legal assistance is also offered to clients who, through misadventure, suffer illness, personal injury or death whilst on holiday abroad. Air or sea travel liability is limited to our obligations covered by international conventions. The responsibility of IATA Airlines regarding the tours in this brochure is limited to the carriage of passengers and their baggage, in accordance with the Conditions of Carriage of the participating airlines. If you pay for any excursion while you are on your holiday your contract is with the local company, and we accept no liability whatsoever for any problem that may arise during or after such excursions.

TRAVEL DELAY.We are unable to accept responsibility for expenses incurred due to travel delay (but see our insurance details).

CHILD REDUCTIONS. Children aged up to 12 years sharing parent‘s room qualify for a reduction - further details on request.

TYPES OF AIRCRAFT. Used by scheduled airlines vary and are subject to change without notice.
ABTA. Kirker Travel Ltd is a Member of ABTA with membership number V6595. ABTA and ABTA members help holidaymakers to get the most from their travel and assist them when things do not go according to plan. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. For further information about the Code of Conduct and the arbitration scheme available to you if you have a complaint, contact ABTA, 68-71 Newman Street, London W1T 3AH; Tel: 020 7637 2444 or www.abta.com.

FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH ADVICE. For advice on travel to all the destinations featured in our brochure, refer to www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo.

ARBITRATION. Disputes arising out of, or in connection with, this contract which cannot be amicably settled may be referred to arbitration, if the customer so wishes, under a special Scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents, and administered by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. Full details will be provided on request or can be obtained from the ABTA website (www.abta.com). The Scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £5,000 per person. There is also a limit of £25,000 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims which are solely in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences. The Scheme can however deal with compensation claims which include an element of minor injury or illness subject to a limit of £1,000 on the amount the arbitrator can award per person in respect of this element. The application for arbitration and Statement of Claim must be received by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators within nine months of the date of return from the holiday. Outside this time limit arbitration under the Scheme may still be available if the company agrees, but the ABTA Code does not require such agreement.

DATA PROTECTION. Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect personal booking information held by us. This information will be passed on to the principal and to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements. The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. When travelling outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will only pass your
information on to persons responsible for your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary/religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons.) Full details of our data protection policy are available upon request.