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Monet & Van Gogh

CP001

 

Sunday, June 8

 

Day trip to Giverny and Auvers-sur-Oise. The serene landscape and constantly changing patterns of light along the Seine were a major source of inspiration for the many 19th-century artists drawn to this region. In the morning, you will travel by bus to Auvers-sur-Oise, the last residence of the tortured genius Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh spent the last three months of his life here during which time he painted over seventy canvases. See the local church immortalized in the artist’s painting, as well as the cemetery where he and his brother Theo are buried. After lunch, you will continue to the town of Giverny where Claude Monet resided for over forty years. The world-famous gardens, restored to their original glory, were Monet’s passion. See the setting for the famous Water Lily paintings and visit the artist’s home, where an impressive collection of Japanese prints is on display.

 

Minimum: 15 students

Maximum: 40 students

 

Cost: €105

Cost includes private coach transportation, lunch, entrance fees, guided visits, and VAT (taxes).

 

 

Normandy Excursion

CP002

 

Friday-Sunday, June 13-15

 

Discover the rich history of Bayeux, Caen, and the D-Day beaches, sample apple cider, delicious creams, and other regional specialties, and watch the scenic countryside roll by during this weekend excursion to Normandy. After arriving by train in Bayeux Friday afternoon, enjoy a tour and tasting at a local cider factory before settling down to a delicious threecourse dinner with the group. Head out by bus the following morning to visit various World War sites and memorials, including the U.S. Cemetery in St. Laurent. On Sunday, spend a little more time exploring the charming medieval town of Bayeux and take a step further back in history at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, home to the 11th century embroidery that tells how William the Conqueror conquered England in 1066.

 

Minimum: 15 students

Maximum: 25 students

 

Cost: €295

 

 

Fête de la Musique

 

Saturday, June 21

 

Join the French as they dance in the streets, celebrating all forms of music. Free outdoor concerts are held throughout the city from the afternoon until the wee hours of the morning. AUP will compile a list of the main activities to help you choose how to best spend your day and evening.

 

 

Bastille Day Festivities

 

Monday, July 14

 

Spend the 14th of July watching the annual parade down the Champs Elysées and enjoying the abundant festivities of this exciting day. At night, you can dance at the firemen’s ball and take in the fireworks. AUP will compile a list of the main activities to help you choose how to best spend the day.

 

 

Champagne Region

CP003

 

Sunday, June 22

 

Champagne, the region between Lorraine and Paris, is the only internationally recognized source of real champagne. Learn about the rigorous méthode champenoise that makes this wine so special that it has come to symbolize the essence of celebration the world over. The drive will take you through the region’s rolling hills to Epernay where you will have a guided tour of a champagne cellar. Lunch will be served in a nearby country inn and will be followed by a visit to a smaller, family-owned cellar for a private tasting. Return to Paris in the evening.

 

Minimum: 15 students

Maximum: 25 students

 

Cost: €125

Cost includes private coach transportation, lunch, entrance fees, guided visits, and VAT.

 

 

Versailles

CP004

 

Sunday, June 29

 

The spectacular symbol of the splendors of Louis XIV, the Château de Versailles, embodies the nobility and the exuberance of the Baroque era. In the mid 17th century, work first began to transform a simple hunting lodge into a magnificent castle. It was expanded and embellished over the following years, ultimately becoming, in 1682, the official residence of the Sun King and his court. In 1837, the “King of the French”, Louis Philippe, declared that the castle should be a museum, open to all and dedicated to “all the glories of France.” The day will begin with a guided visit of the castle, followed by a walking tour of the gardens. You will then have a lectured visit of the Grand & Petit Trianons, smaller palaces on the grounds that Louis XIV and his family used to escape from the oppressive protocol of Versailles. Later, enjoy Les Grandes Eaux Musicales, a summer spectacular when an impressive water display takes place in the numerous fountains and the gardens are alive with classical music. It is also possible to rent a bike or rowboat in order to more fully enjoy the landscape dotted with statues, fountains and waterfalls, or just stroll over to the Queen’s Hamlet, built in the style of a Norman farming cottage.

 

Minimum: 15 students

Maximum: 25 students

 

Cost: €80

Cost includes round trip RER transportation, lunch, entrance fees to the Château, the gardens, the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, guided visits, and VAT.

 

 

Provence Excursion

CP005

 

Friday-Sunday, July 11-13

 

From café terraces and bustling city markets to ancient Roman monuments, enjoy a little slice of the south of France during this weekend trip to Arles, nestled in the heart of the Provence region. Kick things off Friday afternoon with the internationally renowned Arles Photography Festival, which brings together over 60 exhibitions scattered throughout the city. Once you’re all exhibited out, enjoy a leisurely three-course dinner with the group later that evening. The next morning, tour the Provencal countryside by bus, stopping along the way at of one of the most impressive Roman aqueducts still standing, Le Pont du Gard. Sunday’s activities include a visit to one of the region’s largest outdoor markets and a walking tour focused on the Celtic, Greek, and Roman history of Arles and the surrounding countryside.

 

Minimum: 15 students

Maximum: 25 students

 

Cost: €385

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Take advantage of three cultural opportunities that are slightly "off the beaten track."  These afternoon outings feature lectured visits given by AUP professors or by the museums' professional guides.
 
 
 

CP 006

Friday afternoons: June 6, June 20, July 4

 

Cost: €45 for the series of three museum tours and includes entrance fees, guided visits, and VAT.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Musée du Quai Branly

 

Friday, June 6

 

One of Paris’ newest museums, the Musée du Quai Branly’s remarkable collection includes some 3,500 artifacts from Africa, the Americas, Oceania and Asia, all housed in an ultra-modern building designed by architect Jean Nouvel. This visit focuses on the role different civilizations and cultures played in creating selected works on display.

 

 

 

 

Musée Marmottan

 

Friday, June 20

 

This museum, located off the quiet Ranelagh Gardens, houses the private collection of the 19th-century industrialist, Jules Marmottan, and his son Paul. Upon Paul’s death, the collection, together with the family home, was left to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Among the paintings are numerous works by Monet and other impressionists, forming a collection second only to that of the Musée d’Orsay.

 

 

Palais Garnier

 

Friday, July 4

 

A masterpiece of 19th-century theatrical architecture, the Palais Garnier, built by Charles Garnier and inaugurated in 1875, stages concerts, opera, and dance. It also houses the Musée de l’Opéra, which holds a fine collection of paintings, drawings of scenery and costumes, and scale models that explain the rich history of this temple to the performing arts.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Four musical excursions, linked to the Music Appreciation classes offered each session, will be open to the greater AUP Community. Together with Professor Randall Blatt, you can enjoy some of extraordinary performances that take place in Paris throughout the summer. Schedule may be subject to change.
 
 

Parisian Harmony: Synergy between Music and the Arts

 
 
 

Capuleti e Montecchi, Vincenzo Bellini, Opéra Bastille

CP007

 

Thursday, June 7 - 8pm

 

The high-tech Opéra Bastille is the work of the Canadian Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, who was chosen in November 1983after an international competition that attracted entries from some 1,700 architects. The theatre was inaugurated on July 13, 1989. Its architecture is marked by transparent façades and by the use of identical materials for both the interiors and the exteriors. With its 2,700 acoustically consistent seats, its unique stage facilities, its integrated scenery, costume and accessory workshops, as well as its numerous work areas and rehearsal rooms, the Opera Bastille is a great modern theatre.

 

Cost: €70 per person

 

 

Ballet- La Dame aux Camélias

CP008

 

Date to be announced

 

Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, this ballet feature the music of Frédéric Chopin and the choreography of John Neumeier in the world-famous Palais Garnier. Professor Blatt will conduct a brief guided tour of the opera house during intermission.

 

Cost: €60 per person

 

 

Concert

CP009

 

Wednesday, July 9, 20:00

 

Orchestre National de France, Kurt Masur, direction, Nelson Freire, piano. Beethoven: “The Battle of Vittoria, or Wellington’s Victory,” fantasy for orchestra opus 91-Piano Converto.

 

Cost: approx. €27 per person

 

 

Concert at La  Sainte Chapelle

CP015

 

July (TBD) - evening

 

Of great importance in architectural history, the Sainte-Chapelle, famed for its jewel-like stained glass windows, is the venue for a magical, candle-lit evening concert of classical music. Afterwards, students can stroll from the Ile de La CIté over to St Michel and the Latin Quarter. Concert specifics will be announced closer to the date.

 

Cost: €18 per person

 

 

Musée d’Orsay

CP013

 

Thursday, June 14 - 4pm

 

Dedicated to the 19th century, this magnificently remodled train station now houses works from those well known movements: Romantic, Fauve, Impressionist, etc. This visit will situate the music of the period in its greater artistic context and illustrate how painters and sculptors sought musical harmonies in the visual wortld through improvisation, variation and abstraction.

 

Cost: €10 per person

 

 
 

Palais Garnier Visit

CP009

 

Friday, June 29 - 2pm

 

The class will join the visit scheduled in the Museum Series above.

 

Cost: €15 per person

 

 

Recital Notre Dame de Paris

CP016

 

Sunday, July 29 - 3pm

 

The organ at Notre Dame Cathedral is world renowned. You will be able to enjoy this recital in one of Paris’ most famous monuments. The event will also include a tour of the cathedral crypt and a visit of the towers.

 

Cost: €5 per person

 

 
 

Versailles: Les Grandes Eaux Musicales

CP008

 

Saturday, August 4 - 11am

 

The class will join the scheduled Cultural Excursion to Versailles described above.

 

Cost: €80 per person

 

 
 
 
 
 

Cultural Program Payment Policy: Space on an excursion is reserved upon receipt of payment. Outings are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Excursion selection and payment should be included with the summer application form.

 

 

 

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