In Transit: Depart US/Canada on international overnight flight.

Afternoon: Arrival. Introduction to the program and orientation. Orientation walk in the area up to the Holocaust Memorial with the Field of Steles, Brandenburg Gate - which marks the very center of Berlin, and famous Unter den Linden Boulevard. With longer distances we use public transport such as subway and S-Bahn.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Lodging: Hotel BelAhr

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Guided field trip by boat to Berlin Mitte, the district of the most important landmarks of the German capital. On the Spree River, we pass Museum Island with the major museums; the Berlin Cathedral, once part of the destroyed Prussian Imperial Castle on the Schlossplatz, the topographical center of the capital; the government quarter with the German Parliament, the Reichstag; Schloss Bellevue, today the Berlin home of the Federal President. The boat trip will be followed by a walk through the Reichstag area, the very center of political power.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Enjoy a few hours of free time to relax or visit some of the sites close to the hotel. Then hear a lecture on "The History of Germany and its Capital." Follow history from the creation of one German state out of a loose league of sovereign duchies and kingdoms in the late 19th century to the recent reunification.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Evening: Attend Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" at the Berlin State Opera. Conductor: Daniel Harding.

Lodging: Hotel BelAhr

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Guided field trip to the Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall. Wildly controversial at first, its unique architecture and acoustics has become a model for many other concert halls all over the world. Go behind the scenes of Berlin's music institutions as we have the opportunity to meet and talk with Prof. Michael Hasel, principal flute with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Lecture: "Berlin - The Capital of Music." With the Philharmonic Orchestra and the excellent Symphonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle and State Opera, the Kammer and Rundfunksymphonie Orchestra, the German capital certainly occupies the world’s highest ranks when it comes to classical music and opera. This lecture introduces the world of music and “who's who” in this attractive center of classical music. Then enjoy a few hours free time.

Dinner: Explore local fare on your own.

Evening: Attend a concert by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Schlueterhof / Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin.

Lodging: Hotel BelAhr

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Start the day with a visit to the Museum of Music Instruments, which contains a collection of over 3,500 musical instruments from the 16th century onward. It is one of the largest and most representative musical instrument collections in Germany. The collection includes the precious flute collection of Prussian king Frederick the Great and the original harpsichord from Sanssouci Castle's music room. Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach played this harpsichord while serving the king for 26 years.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant at the Gendarmenmarkt.

Afternoon: After lunch you will have a guided walk to the Museum Island. Then enjoy some free time to explore Berlin on your own.

Dinner: Explore local fare on your own.

Evening: Free time to attend a concert or opera on your own.

Lodging: Hotel BelAhr

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Take advantage of an entire day to explore Berlin at your own pace. You may wish to wander to Museum Island, explore the area around Alexanderplatz with Nikolaiviertel and the DDR Museum, or visit the Jewish Museum, a phenomenal building designed by Daniel Libeskind.

Lunch: Explore local fare on your own.

Afternoon: Continue your self-guided exploration. In the late afternoon, we take a guided field trip through the Reichstag Building, the German Parliament. You will learn important facts about the functions, working methods and composition of Parliament, as well as the history and architecture of the Reichstag Building. The roof terrace and dome offer spectacular views of the parliamentary and government district and Berlin’s sights.

Dinner: Explore local fare on your own.

Evening: Meet your group for a drink and share the stories of your day.

Lodging: Hotel BelAhr

Meals Included: Breakfast

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Transfer by bus to Leipzig. En route, we visit Potsdam, a World Heritage Site since 1990 and undoubtedly one of Germany's most beautiful cities. It is surrounded by a string of lakes and the Havel River. Guided visit to Sanssouci Castle, summer residence of Prussian King Frederick the Great, which is situated on a beautiful terraced hill overlooking the town of Potsdam. It is a huge complex of garden landscapes and palaces. Sanssouci Palace itself is considered the major work of Rococo architecture in Germany.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Late afternoon arrival in Leipzig. Time to settle in. Orientation walk.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Art ‘Otel Leipzig City Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Lecture: "Leipzig and Dresden - Cradles of Great Music." Both cities of roughly 500,000 inhabitants only, Leipzig and Dresden are associated with many famous composers from the 17th century onward. These composers include Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert and Clara Schumann, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner. Both cities pride themselves on their world famous concert halls and great orchestras and choirs. The Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Gewandhaus concert hall have cultivated classical music in Leipzig for over 250 years, while the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sächsische Staatskapelle both perform at the famous Semper Opera House. Both the history of St. Thomas's Boys Choir and the Dresdner Kreuzchor span almost over eight hundred years. This lecture introduces the music history and life in these Saxon cities.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Field trip to the Thomaskirche. The St. Thomas Church is the place where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as a cantor and where his remains currently lie. Take a few hours to explore the old town on your own.

Dinner: Explore local fare on your own.

Evening: Free evening to attend a concert or opera on your own.

Lodging: Art ‘Otel Leipzig City Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: A free morning in Leipzig to spend as you wish.

Lunch: Explore local fare on your own.

Afternoon: Excursion to the Opera House. Learn about the history of the two leading music halls, Gewandhaus and Leipzig Opera. Participate in a discussion with a musician from the Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Attend a concert at the Gewandhaus.

Lodging: Art ‘Otel Leipzig City Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Transfer to Dresden. Upon arrival, start with a guided field trip of the old town.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Field trip by private bus to the Richard Wagner Museum in Graupa, which recently opened with the 200th anniversary of the birth of the composer. Pay a short visit to Pillnitz Castle, summer residence of August the Strong. The grand castle and park grounds directly situated on the banks of the Elbe River are considered a perfect example of the chinoise style, an amalgamate of the architecture of the Far East and the Baroque.

Dinner: Dinner at the Alte Meister restaurant.

Lodging: Art 'Otel Dresden, by Park Plaza

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Lecture: Learn about composer Richard Wagner who spent his childhood in Dresden and studied music in Leipzig and Dresden. After the performances of his operas "Rienzi" and "The Flying Dutchman" in Dresden, he was appointed as the Royal Saxon music director of the court orchestra for life. Field trip: Bus excursion to Loschwitz, Dresden’s Villa quarter. Continue with an excursion to the historic “Green Vault,” one of Europe's finest treasure collections reopened only recently after 68 years. It was amassed by Augustus the Strong, the 18th-century Prince of Saxony.

Lunch: Explore local fare on your own.

Afternoon: Enjoy some free time. In the late afternoon, enjoy a guided visit of the Dresden Semper Opera, home to the Staatskapelle Dresden, which is one of the oldest orchestras in the world and steeped in tradition.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Attend a concert at the Frauenkirche.

Lodging: Art 'Otel Dresden, by Park Plaza

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Attend mass at the Kreuzkirche and enjoy the beautiful voices of its choir performing works by J.S. Bach.

Lunch: Explore local fare on your own.

Afternoon: Free time to explore Dresden. Then meet your group for a late afternoon concert.

Dinner: Farewell Dinner at restaurant Kahnaletto.

Lodging: Art 'Otel Dresden, by Park Plaza

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.

Morning: Transfer to the airport for departures.

Meals Included: Breakfast