Ultimate Opera: Two Productions at the Met

I’m a lifetime opera lover, but have never taken an in-depth look at operas like we did at this program. RS’s Ultimate Opera satisfied my curiosity beyond my expectations, and brought my love of this art form to a new level! I enjoyed tremendously every speaker, and discussions among participants, led by Daniel Egan. I want to express my profound appreciation of the thoughts that go into the program, the vision, and expertise and efforts practiced by all the staff whose devotion and attentiveness made participants welcome. Thank you for a program well run!

Road Scholar always exceeds my expectations. This one did so spectacularly. Our guide, Karl, was knowledgeable, welcoming, fun to be with, and available to help. Wherever we went in Manhattan, he had interesting information to relate. The walk he led us on the first night we arrived was wonderful to help us understand what was available right around the hotel. Our main instructor, Dan, was one of the best I have seen anywhere and I am a retired professor who has seen many instructors. As an opera singer and actor himself, he punctuated some of his talks with his powerful voice. He used multimedia effectively, and was an excellent moderator for our discussions. He got everyone to participate and his enthusiasm was infectious. I learned new perspectives from which to experience the art form. The speakers were experts in different areas and fascinating. Our backstage tour of the opera house was revelatory. We dined at restaurants with a variety of cuisine. The New Yorker is in a great location and very comfortable for our "home base." I really enjoyed getting to know our group of participants. We came from all over the country and everyone was friendly and interesting in his or her own way. I will return.

My thanks to the crew who led this tour! Kevin, Dan and Karl did a spectacular job. Kevin was a great organizer and kept us safe as we navigated the subway with Karl as a great “sweep”. Dan did an excellent job as narrator. I could listen to him all day long! Great crew, great list of speakers! Thanks for a flawless week! Sue

The NYC Opera trip was absolutely fantastic- I gained a deeper understanding of opera and learned so much. I did this in the company of a wonderful group of people that I truly enjoyed. Opera exposure ranged from very knowledgeable to absolute newcomers to the art form - the wonderful thing was everyone contributed and all levels were equally embraced- take this program whether you’ve never seen an opera or if you’re a seasoned opera goer!

This is an outstanding program! I have been an opera/music lover all my life but knew very little about the complex, diverse and enormous skill levels required to produce an opera. I loved all on an emotional lever. After this week I felt like a whole new world has opened and I will appreciate all future performances with newly enriched awareness and love it even more!

If you are interested in grand opera, this is a great program in which to learn all about the Met in NYC and what goes into their productions.

As a novice, this program enhanced my knowledge of opera to a degree that I did not expect. The presenters were amazing due to their talents, knowledge and dedication to the field. I was in awe the entire week!

If you have any interest in opera, this is a marvelous program!

As a longtime opera aficionado, the high quality of lectures deepened my understanding and joy of opera even more. The program by far exceeded my already high expectations

Met opera at Christmas in Manhattan - sign up soon, this program fills up fast - I can't believe how much I enjoyed Lincoln Center and fellow Road Scholar travelers riding Subway, sharing great food in magical setting.

This week in New York really deepened my appreciation of opera - through the experience of going to two live performances at the Met and through the many excellent talks that prepared us and helped us to reflect on the experience.

If you love opera, this program is for you. The experience goes well beyond attending two opera performances. You will appreciate the lectures by professionals and learn quite a bit. Soprano Pamela Jones sang four arias to our group in a private session, wonderful. And you get to tour The Met backstage!

The Two Operas in NY program is perfect for both newbies (like me) or veterans. Interesting lecture discussions culminate in visits to the majestic Met with some free time to explore NY.

The in-depth look at opera is exciting, informative, delightful and enriching. Every day something sparked my interest and enthusiasm and my curiosity encouraging me to think, often out of the box. I loved it! Truly Loved it! It was a feast of the senses, a must for anyone who has even a tiny interest to the seasoned opera goer. Sylvia L. Tucker

When I signed up for "Ultimate Opera," my first Road Scholar program, I was uncertain what to expect. Opera was new to me, but I had high hopes. Good news! I thrilled to my exhilarating 5-day program. The pacing was good; food was great; program quality was top notch; demonstrations, field trips and presentations featured experts in top form; overseers were accessible, helpful and fun. I learned so much while having an absolutely wonderful time. Thank you Road Scholar; I will be back.

This was my first Road Scholar program and it will not be my last. Going to the Opera is a bucket list item and I could not be happier. Do not believe all the bad you hear about New York City. I was concerned to travel by myself as I am a women of a certain age (over 80). I used the airport transport recommended by RS and it was great. Subway travel was so easy. Do yourself a great favor and join Road Scholar.

Curious about opera? Enjoy live opera? This is the program.

This was our third Ultimate Opera experience and the program just keeps getting better. The presenters were excellent and offered unique insights to opera and the Met. The program leaders, Karl and Dan, were helpful, organized and able to lead discussions that encouraged differing and diverse opinions. The options for dining were interesting and offered us the opportunity to try different cuisines. We felt well prepared for the two operas offered during this program. The post discussions offered additional insights.

Great program for Opera fans. Group Leader was exceptional! Trip organization was superb. Rolando Ghedini

I would recommend this program very highly. The quality of the speakers/presenters exceed my expectations and I learned so much! I thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of being at the Met!

Five Stars! The most satisfying six-day class that I have ever taken. I liked opera but came away loving it! Daniel Egan, Academic Coordinator, is a great speaker who assembled a star-studded team of industry insiders for a wonderful event.

We've enjoyed all 7 Road Scholar experiences, but Ultimate Opera is at the top of our list.

Bravo! An enriching opera experience! Learn a bit; share your insights; reflect and enjoy!

This program far exceeded my expectations. If you think that you are only somewhat familiar with opera and maybe not ready for this program you will do just fine. The presenters are knowledgeable, sincere and engaging. They shared so much about themselves and their personal journeys in the opera world whether that be as a singer, musician, director , administrator or radio host. The week flew bye and I left wanting to come back and do it all over again. And of course there is no place like NYC.

This program far exceeded my expectations. It was very well-thought-out, fed my intellect and enlightened my to an exceptional degree about most aspects of the Met Opera. I might even sign up for this program again with different operas.

Our experience was truly memorable. Well done in every regard.

The Ultimate Opera program is great for opera newbie’s or seasoned opera goers. Dan Eagan and his staff of experts put together a program unmatched anywhere. It is engaging and enjoyable!

This Road Scholar program is the perfect avenue to immerse yourself in Opera. Whether you already enjoy the art form or are new to the experience, you will not be disappointed.

Even if you are a opera "newbie," I encourage you to enroll in this program. The presentations, the opera performances, and the program leader, are inspiring and offer a program which is well worth your time and will expand your knowledge base. Thank you Karl and Daniel!

It is a fantastic way to learn about opera!

Regardless of your experience and expertise in opera, consider this program if you have any interest that you want to extend. You get a taste of New York City and opera performed at the highest level with presentations enabling maximal appreciation.

This is a great program for opera novices as well as those who already know opera. The guest speakers and performers added a valuable dimension that would be hard to match. The program is mostly conducted indoors, but there is still plenty of free time to get out of the hotel and explore on your own if you wish.

Wonderful program. My hope was that the program would excite my interest in opera and it did! I wanted to come away with an interest in opera and desire to see more opera and I did! In fact, it did much better and more than I had hoped.

Great program! Informative, fun. I have a fair amount of theater experience but much less with opera. I have mostly seen the live HD performances from the Met but little live opera, and no education in opera. This program made the topic and the venerated locale, The Met, very accessible and approachable. I loved every minute! And, also had free time to add in a Broadway play and a musical.

Kudos to our fearless leaders: Kurt, Dan and Kevin! Our favorite performance: Porgy and Bess. Thanks for the opportunity to see Manhattan again and Increasing our knowledge and enjoyment of Opera. We have never seen live whole operas and we will look for more live , on TV or Websites. Our favorite interview was with the wonderful and gracious Pam Jones whose voice and energy wowed us. You did a wonderful job especially considering the Covid year of no live Opera or Road Scholar. I'm sure we will see improvements as this trip is studied. Showing the documentary and then repeating the same information in an unrelenting and frigid tour of the entire outside of Lincoln Center comes to mind. Needing more time to get dressed and to enjoy our suppers before the performances is another. Thank you for all that you did; your kindness and patience are deeply appreciated. We love Road Scholar! Ellen Graham Buchanan and Mike Buchanan

A wonderful program for those who would like to learn more about opera by hearing about it from people in the field. Then, to cap off the experience, seeing the two performances at the Met made this a truly outstanding experience.

This was a superb program in all respects: -- A most welcome reversion to an interesting and beautifully staged Traviata; and a stunning interpretation of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in which not only voices but acting, chorus, dancing (with its eye-opening--for me--introduction to the creativity of Camille Brown), and stage setting all combined into an incredible experience. -- I recognize that "herding cats"--dealing with the needs and impulses of a varied group in New York City where use of an unfamiliar-to-many subway system is the basic form of transportation--is a complicated responsibility. I'd like to expresss special gratitude to Karl Baudendistel for his unfailing reliability, efficiency, and above all good nature in running all the practical aspects of the program so successfully and with so much consideration. -- As always, the artists speaking to and performing for our group were excellent, and I was happy at the inclusion of one of my favorites, William Berger. The special treat was of course Sportin' Life Freddie Ballentine whose delightful personality was so entertaining as he revealed some of the reality of the opera singer's world. -- The New Yorker Hotel is unmatched in its location, including subway access, an advantage which overcomes the age of its rooms and their often-inconvenient configuration. The first-night dinner in its restaurant was good, and the breakfasts were OK. The bag lunches in our meeting room were also very satisfactory. -- Food quality in restaurants: Chef Yu--good; ABA Istanbul--OK; Tir Na Nog--rather disappointing. Note: The deli down the block, Essen, is superb for take-out. To both Karl and Daniel Egan, thank you so very much for another wonderul program! Lorraine Polik

Outstanding

A mixed bag of people who know quite a bit about opera and those who want to learn more. The mix makes for a yeasty gathering of opinions, questions, and ideas. Walks to and from nearby subway are invigorating and fun and not intimidating. Great New York fun with compatible people of a variety of backgrounds and opera knowledge. The operas and the backstage tour just what you would expect from Road Scholar and the MET: Some of the best and most welcoming musical adventures on the travel scene.

Great experience. I'd recommend it to anyone.

This is an amazingly good program for anyone whole loves opera. You don't have to be particularly knowledgable going in, but will come out understanding more and more about what makes you love opera. The best testemony is that many of the participants in our group have been on this program more than once. I ntend to come back next year.

This was an excellent program in all respects. Our group of 37 was quite diverse, some with many operas under their belt and some (like me) who had never attended an opera before. Our main instructors (Karl and Dan) were terrific and made sure everyone felt comfortable participating in discussions. The "back-stage" tour added tremendously to the enjoyment of the performances, and all of our guest speakers were interesting. Navigating the subway to get to performances on time was easy with Karl leading the way. Highly recommend this program for anyone with the slightest interest in opera! It is especially good for a novice as you get tremendous insight you would never get by going on your own.

This is a superb program in every respect. The group leader and presenters were all extraordinary and the operas and tour of the Met and neighborhood around the hotel so interesting and informative. Our large group consisted of folks quite new to opera and others with years of interest and attendance at operas. I felt that all levels were so well accommodated and respected. People were engaged, and the presenters were so open in answering questions. It was inspirational! And being in NYC enhanced my energy and desire to attend more operas and return to some of the great attractions of New York.