In Transit: Depart from the US/Canada on international flight.

Morning: Arrival in Vienna's Schwechat International airport (VIE) and transfer to the hotel.

Afternoon: Introduction to the program and to the participants. Our first acquaintance with the Austrian capital will be a guided excursion by coach along the Vienna Ring Boulevard. In the 19th century Emperor Franz Joseph decreed the demolition of Vienna's medieval fortifications and ramparts to make room for the city's expansion. This 'Boulevard of Splendor' is lined with many of the most important political and cultural institutions such as Parliament and Town Hall, the Royal Palace, the prestigious State Opera and Burgtheater, the University and museums.

Dinner: Welcome dinner in the hotel dining room.

Lodging: Austria Trend Hotel Lassalle

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: A morning lecture gives you an Introduction to the History of Cultural Vienna. Vienna is the former capital of the powerful Hapsburg Empire that reached far into the Pannonian plain in the East and into the Balkan countries in the South. For centuries Vienna was the cultural center of Central Europe, home to many famous composers and works of art. Next we take a guided excursion through the city center following in Mozart's footsteps, passing St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Figaro House, Mozart's residence in Vienna.

Lunch: Get a taste of Vienna in the city’s most famous coffeehouse, the splendid Café Central, part of the Palais Ferstel, which once housed the Vienna Stock Exchange and the Austro-Hungarian central bank. The Café was a meeting point for Europe’s intellectuals and artists.

Afternoon: Field trip to the Central Cemetery, resting place of such famous composers as Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms and Strauss. In addition to the Catholic section there is a Jewish cemetery. Although the cemetery was destroyed by the Nazis during the Kristallnacht, around 60,000 graves still remain intact. Prominent burials here include those of the Rotschild family and that of the author Arthur Schnitzler. We also admire the cemetery church built by Max Hegele, protegé of Jugendstil architect Otto Wagner.

Dinner: Dinner in the hotel dining room.

Evening: Attend a private concert with works by Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn, performed by a string ensemble. The ensemble is comprised of musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic or State Opera orchestra.

Lodging: Austria Trend Hotel Lassalle

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Attend mass at the Baroque Jesuit Church right in the old heart of Vienna. Music is played in many of Vienna's churches on Sundays. The best performances of the classic Viennese masses - Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Bruckner - are given here, where seldom a tourist is found, and the Viennese come half an hour early to get a seat in front where orchestra and choir sound best.

Lunch: Lunch at a traditional Viennese restaurant.

Afternoon: Return to the hotel for a late afternoon lecture: Mozart - Schubert - Strauss: Great Viennese Musicians. This lecture concert will explore the very diverse lives of three of Vienna's most famous composers. While Mozart initially enjoyed great success as a freelance composer, then struggled, Franz Schubert led a rather introverted life, only known for his renowned "Lieder" to his contemporaries. Johann Straub, however, was one of the first global superstars of music. The lecture will be completed by a delightful selection of works by these composers, all three being contributors to the most Viennese of musical forms, the Viennese waltz.

Dinner: Explore local fare on your own.

Evening: Free to attend an opera performance or a concert on your own. In Vienna, we highly recommend that you pre-book tickets (instructions included).

Lodging: Austria Trend Hotel Lassalle

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: All day excursion to Eisenstadt, state capital of Burgenland, city of Haydn and his patron Esterhazy. After a guided visit of the town, with its Baroque houses along the Haydn Path and the Jewish Quarter, you will see Esterhazy Palace where Joseph Haydn was employed by Prince Esterhazy for 30 years before he went to London. Prince Esterhazy built a church (Bergkirche) for Haydn as well as a mausoleum where Haydn is buried.

Lunch: Lunch at the Haydnbräu Restaurant.

Afternoon: We will pay a visit also to the Haydn House, where Joseph Haydn lived from 1766 to 1778. The museum hosts a carefully compiled collection of paintings, sheet music, and personal items.

Dinner: Dinner in the hotel dining room.

Evening: Free to attend an opera performance or a concert on your own. In Vienna, we highly recommend that you pre-book tickets (instructions included).

Lodging: Austria Trend Hotel Lassalle

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Guided visit of the Vienna State Opera or Vienna Musikverein with its famous Golden Concert Hall. This is where the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs most of its concerts, including the New Year's Concert. Then, talk with a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra or State Opera.

Lunch: Explore local fare on your own in one of the nice Viennese coffee houses.

Afternoon: Free afternoon.

Dinner: Farewell dinner: spend the farewell evening in a "Heurige," a typical wine inn in a village outside Vienna. Enjoy wine of the current vintage and a tasty buffet with local dishes as you listen to the music of the accordion.

Lodging: Austria Trend Hotel Lassalle

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: We transfer to Munich by bus. On the way we take time to visit the old town of Salzburg. The town, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997, represents one of the best examples of Baroque town planning anywhere in Europe. Nestled among stunning mountain landscapes, the town is homage to both Baroque architecture and to Mozart, its famous son. Church spires, palaces and concert halls, narrow cobbled streets, passages and spacious squares, small shops, historic restaurants and café’s such as famous Tomaselli and Fürst – together they create a very charming ensemble.

Lunch: Lunch at a Salzburg restaurant.

Afternoon: Take a guided excursion through the city center, home to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We arrive at our hotel in Munich in the late afternoon.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Carat Hotel Munich

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Lecture on the history of Munich as a European Cultural and Music Center. In the 16th century the House of Wittelsbach started an ambitious cultural policy where they sent agents to engage famous artists, composers and musicians, especially those from Italy. Through the past five centuries Munich has remained very attractive to artists, as the stunning list of names visiting and working in the Bavarian capital is endless. The Wittelsbach legacy is alive and well in the city's fabulous museums, the Opera House, the Philharmonic, and much more. Following our lecture, we will experience our first acquaintance with the Bavarian capital - a guided excursion by coach along the famous landmarks outside the old town.

Lunch: Lunch at a downtown restaurant.

Afternoon: A guided excursion through Munich will familiarize you with the old center around the Marienplatz, the very heart of the city.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Attend a chamber concert in the Hofkapelle chapel at the Munich Residenz.

Lodging: Carat Hotel Munich

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Lecture on Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, two composers with close connections to Munich. Munich is the birthplace of Strauss, who later became artistic director at Berlin Court Opera and the Vienna State Opera, and it is also where Wagner met King Ludwig II, who became the most important patron to the composer. Four of Wagner’s operas had their first performance in the State Opera.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Excursion to the Residenz, a huge palace with several inner courtyards that houses the State Museum, the Treasury and the Cuvillies Theater. For centuries it was the political and cultural center of the dukes and kings of Bavaria. As the residence and seat of government of the Wittelsbachs, the history of this palace is inseparable from that of the Bavaria's ruling dynasty. The various rulers furnished and extended the rooms to suit their own personal tastes engaging important artists for this purpose. The Residence was also the place where the rulers kept their art collections and treasure. The Residenz's old theater is one of the finest Rococo theaters in the world.

Dinner: Explore local fare on your own.

Evening: Free to attend an opera performance or a concert on your own. In Munich, we highly recommend that you pre-book tickets (instructions included).

Lodging: Carat Hotel Munich

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Lecture on the Music Legacies of Central Europe. This music program focuses on the great composers of three countries. Since the masterpieces created by these composers are still a major part of the classical repertoire today, they are ever-present in their influence on our perception of any music. Any later composer could draw from this rich legacy, but maybe also have to free himself from its burden.

Lunch: Explore local fare on your own.

Afternoon: Free time.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at a local Munich restaurant.

Lodging: Carat Hotel Munich

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: On the way to Prague we will pay a visit to Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The collection of original Romanesque and Gothic architecture is unique to Regensburg, since its old town was mostly spared from destruction during World War II. Its old town is the only remaining large medieval city in all of Germany. The interrelation of public buildings, private residences, tradesmen's houses, and important churches, convents and monasteries creates an authentic image of the architectural concept of medieval city culture that was lost in other parts of Germany.

Lunch: Lunch at a Regensburg restaurant.

Afternoon: Arrive in Prague and settle in. General Information Meeting and Orientation.

Dinner: Dinner in the hotel dining room.

Lodging: Hotel Petr

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Learn about Czech composers and their music. During our lecture, musicologist David Beveridge will introduce us to famous Czech composers, such as Smetana, Dvorak, Martinu, Janacek, Mahler and others, as we listen to excerpts from their greatest works. The lecture is held in the Museum of Czech Music and is followed by a guided walk through the museum's exhibits.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We explore Lesser Town – a picturesque quarter with monumental palaces and churches. Charles Bridge, one of the oldest extant stone bridges in Europe, is adorned on both sides with a total of thirty Baroque statues. We will continue to the Old Town, a unique part of Prague, where we find the impressive Old Town Square, the center of all events since the Middle Ages. The stone houses, churches, palaces, and monasteries in combination with the twisty narrow streets and alleys create a very intimate atmosphere. Special attention is given to places connected with great composers. Feel the musical spirit of Prague famous among musicians of all periods.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Meet the singing choir “Collegium 419,” hear a short lecture on the history of choirs in the Czech republic, and talk to the singers. Prague is known as the conservatory of Europe and the Czech Republic as the nation of musicians. Choirs have always played a very important role in the life of Czechs. We will have an opportunity to listen to the concert after the meeting. The concert will take place in the Gothic Church of St. Peter in the Old Town, the church where Antonin Dvorak was married.

Lodging: Hotel Petr

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: We will learn about the life and work of A. Dvorak from our musical expert. We will follow all sources of inspiration that helped to develop his strong personality. From a Czech musician he became a famous composer of Slavonic, and later international, significance. Special emphasis will be given to his American stay. We will continue our Dvorak studies in the Villa America, originally a palace of the noble family Michna (built in 1720). In 1932, the Society of Antonin Dvorak converted the space to a museum in Dvorak's honor.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We start the afternoon excursion in Strahov Monastery and its Basilica of Assumption of Our Lady, founded in 1143. The Baroque church displays the famous organ that W. A. Mozart played on during his visit in 1787. A monk made a note of his music, and today we can admire it in concert halls as Mozart’s Prague Improvisation. Continue to the Prague Castle where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of the Czech Republic (and Czechoslovakia) have had their offices. Prague castle is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records it is the largest ancient castle) and dates back to the middle of the 9th century.

Dinner: Explore local fare on your own.

Evening: Free to attend an opera performance or a concert on your own. List of available concerts and operas will be provided upon arrival.

Lodging: Hotel Petr

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Explore backstage at the Estates Theatre. Guided excursion to one of the most beautiful historic theater buildings in Europe, opened in 1783, known as a jewel of Neoclassical theatre architecture. It was the venue for the world premiers of two Mozart operas: Don Giovanni (1787) and La Clemenza di Tito (1791). The theater is linked also with such names as Carl Maria von Weber, Niccolo Paganini, Gustav Mahler, Arthur Rubinstein and others.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: We will enjoy a classical concert in the Church of St. Nicolas in Lesser Town. This beautiful, heavily decorated church with the huge green cupola is one of Central Europe's finest Baroque buildings. Here, we will be reminded of W.A. Mozart's happy days in Prague one last time. In 1791, more than three thousand of Mozart's admirers came to the Church of St. Nicolas to hear the Requiem, played by 120 musicians in the orchestra, as a goodbye to "their" Mozart.

Lodging: Hotel Petr

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Transfer to the Prague Ruzyne International airport (PRG) for departures.

Meals Included: Breakfast