In the shadow of Mount Etna
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In the shadow of Mount Etna
Music and Theater
“ROMANIA!”
13-day, 12-night folk dance tour, Aug. 5-17, 2017. Meet with local folk dance groups. Highlights: In Bucharest, Romanian Athenaeum, National Museum of the Romanian Peasant/next to River Olt, 14th-century Cozia Monastery/in medieval town of Sibiu, Transylvania, folk-dance lessons/in Cluj, Turda Salt Mine/in Maramures¸ region, Merry Cemetery, dance lessons/in Bukovina, Wooden Spoons Museum/in Bras¸ov, Black Church, Bran Castle. Land only, $3,395 ppdo; land & air (from Newark, NJ), $4,495. Single supp., $695.
Douro River with Vantage
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Warm memories when you chill in Europe
Every summer, Europe greets a stampede of sightseers. Instead of jumping into the peak-season pig pile, consider planning a trip for the off-season, generally November through March. Here are some things to know when planning a winter trip.
Classical Music in Prague
Tickets for the 72nd annual Prague Spring International Music Festival, May 12-June 6, 2017, went on sale Dec. 12, 2016.
The 2017 festival opens with a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. The closing concert will feature modern Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki conducting one of his own symphonies. International orchestras, soloists and small ensembles will hold concerts throughout the festival.
Free London concerts
At St Martin-in-the-Fields church, on the northeastern corner of Trafalgar Square in London, England, free lunchtime concerts are performed throughout the year each Monday, Tuesday and Friday starting at 1 p.m. Concerts are classical instrumentals or chorals.
Seating is first-come, first-served. A donation of £3.50 (near $5) is recommended. To reach the church by Underground, exit at Charing Cross station on the Northern or Bakerloo line and walk northeast.
“AUSTRIA: ART, MUSIC & MOUNTAINS”
7 days, 6 nights; departures March 23, June 14 & July 1, 2017. Highlights: In Vienna, Hofburg and Schönbrunn palaces, Sisi Museum, St. Stephen’s Cathedral/12th-century Klosterneuburg Monastery/in Salzburg, “Sound of Music” sites/in Lake District, Mirabell Gardens, Leopoldskron Castle, Nonnberg Abbey/Hallstatt. $2,370-$2,450 (per dates) ppdo. Single supp., $700-$880. EuropeToo (New York, NY; 877/387-1866, www.europetoo.com).
Ayers Rock concert
In Australia’s Northern Territory, the Australia Chamber Orchestra (ACO) will perform three outdoor concerts at Uluru (Ayers Rock) in 2017, one on the evening of June 2 plus matinee and evening concerts on June 3. Attendance at the ACO Uluru Festival is limited to 400 people.
A ticket costs AUD495 (near $379) for a standard seat or AUD595, premium, each granting entry to all three concerts. With a ticket, cultural tours and exclusive meals can also be booked. Visit www.ayersrockresort.com.au/events/detail/aco-uluru-festival.
Hamburg concert hall
A new, eye-catching, glass-facade concert hall, built on the Norderelbe River atop the 120-foot-tall, brick Kaispeicher — once the largest warehouse in Hamburg — is scheduled to open Jan. 11, 2017.
The Elbphilharmonie (Platz der Deutschen Einheit 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany; phone +49 40 357 666 66, www.elbphilharmonie.de/en) houses two concert venues, a hotel, apartments and a restaurant. The lower Kaispeicher section, now containing parking, is also topped with a viewing platform.