“WestFest” Music Travel Packages
Duke City Gateway Travel
15 Montgomery Boulevard
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111
(505) 555-1234
www.gwaytravel.com
Duke City Gateway Travel Agency’s “WestFest” Music Travel Packages
“Passionate, artful performances.”
“Rejuvenating. Stirred my work-weary soul.”
“We were stunned by the quality of the Puccini production.”
“An intoxicating weekend of hot jazz and the pounding ocean surf.”
“Our dream vacation, a week of sun and classical music in the mountains!”
This is just a taste of what clients have had to say about our popular “WestFest” music travel
packages. Duke City Gateway Travel will whisk you off to the most well-established,
internationally recognized music festivals in the western United States, where you’ll stay in our
fine, accredited hotels and inns while attending concerts, workshops, and seminars with your
favorite classical and jazz artists.
Our festivals have been chosen not only for their musical quality, but also for the stunning
settings in which they are held. What could be better than Mozart high in the mountains at
Aspen, Colorado? Verdi beneath the desert sky at Santa Fe? Or Ellington at oceanside? Come
see for yourself by trying one of these spectacular packages.
We offer travel to four exceptional festivals: The Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado; The
Santa Fe Opera and Chamber Music Festivals in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the San Francisco
Jazz Festival in San Francisco, California. Best of all, the festivals occur at different times
throughout the summer and fall—so with careful planning, you could even arrange an entire
season full of memorable music and travel.
Each “WestFest” package includes ground transportation between the festival and a major
airport, daily transportation and tickets to festival events, and lodging. What’s more, our flexible
packages include several accommodation options, allowing you to tailor the trip to your budget.
Meals are “on your own,” but special package “add-ons” include dinners for two at some of the
finest restaurants in the festival area.
This brochure describes each “WestFest” package in detail, including the following items:
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The festival—its history, performers, setting, and venues
Transportation to, from, and around the festival
Accommodation choices and package prices
“Add-on” dinners for two and dining recommendations
We at Duke City Gateway Travel sincerely hope you enjoy your stay at some of the finest music
festivals the Western United States has to offer!
The Aspen Music Festival
For fifty years the Aspen Music Festival has been a place of musical inspiration. Some of the
world’s most brilliant musical minds come together here for the celebration and exploration of
the art form of classical music. For nine weeks every summer, conductors, composers, seasoned
performers, and eager students arrive at Aspen to share their love of music.
The Music
This “WestFest” package provides access to several events a day, so you can immerse yourself
fully in the art or just taste bits and pieces as you like. The Festival’s 250-plus musical events
include orchestral performances, chamber music, lavish operas, provocative contemporary music
concerts, lectures, master classes, and children’s concerts. Previous performers have included
noted violinist Joshua Bell, The Aspen Festival Chamber Players, and the Takacs Quartet.
Contact Duke City Gateway Travel for more information about the specific events that will be
held during “your week.”
The Atmosphere
The atmosphere is casual. Previous tour participants have enjoyed wearing shorts and even tshirts. These are classical concerts, but in Aspen the “rules” are relaxed. Catch an afternoon
lecture and dine alfresco at one of Aspen’s truly outstanding restaurants, where the dress code is
a light sweater and your most comfortable jeans. Or take time out to hike into the backcountry,
spend an early morning on the river, or play a luxurious round of golf.
Aspen’s quaint Victorian downtown features shops, galleries, restaurants, theaters, nightclubs,
and a pedestrian mall. You’ll be surrounded by spectacular peaks and serenaded by music
students playing pick-up chamber music. Days are warm and sunny, and nights are cool and
starry. The mountain air is crystal clear and clean.
The Venues
Benedict Music Tent: New in 2000, the Benedict Music Tent is the world’s first concert facility
that combines the openness and romance of a tent with the acoustic integrity of a concert hall.
Designed by renowned architect Harry Teague, the graceful structure seats 2,050 and offers
stellar acoustics and gorgeous mountain atmosphere.
Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall: Located next to the Tent, the 500-seat Harris Concert Hall
provides an intimate and acoustically pristine venue for chamber music performances. This
warm, woody hall—once compared to being “inside a cello”—was proclaimed “the Carnegie of
the Rockies” by the Denver Post when the hall opened in 1993.
Wheeler Opera House: The 489-seat, exquisitely restored Victorian Wheeler Opera House is the
venue for each summer’s fully staged opera productions. Located in downtown Aspen, the
facility provides superior sight lines, state-of-the-art production amenities, and unparalleled
charm.
David Karetsky Music Lawn: The lawn surrounding the Benedict Music Tent, scene of so many
delicious evenings of music, picnicking, and friendship over the years, will remain free and open
to the public in perpetuity, thanks to an extraordinary endowment gift given by the friends and
family of David A. Karetsky. Enjoy the spirit and spontaneity of listening to concerts from the
lawn anytime!
The Aspen “WestFest” Package
While you attend the festival, you can get around by your choice of foot, bicycle, or bus. Duke
City Gateway recommends the week-long bus pass that is included in the package price. Our
one-week travel package also includes lodging, daily Aspen Music Festival performance tickets,
and private transportation from Denver International Airport.
You’ll arrive on a Sunday afternoon and stay for six nights at one of the following inns, all
located in downtown Aspen, Colorado, just minutes from the festival locations. (Airfare not
included. All rates are per-person, based on double occupancy.)
The Alpine Lodge: A four-star, world-class resort hotel with swimming pool and tennis courts.
Package price: $1,999
Heimler’s Inn: A comfortable bed and breakfast owned by longtime Aspen residents Neal and
Gertrude Heimler.
Package price: $1,499
The Aspen Valley Motor Inn: A clean, attractive motel situated just on the outskirts of Aspen
proper, with hourly bus service to the festival site.
Package price: $799
For an extra $50 per day, choose to include dinner for two from one of the following outstanding
Aspen restaurants:
The Mountain Grill: Classic Western-style food, including barbecued ribs, chicken, and all the
side dishes.
The Aspen Starlight: Legendary four-star French cuisine, served in your choice of a lavishly
appointed dining room or alfresco, under the Aspen stars.
Patrick Wan’s Asian Dragon: The finest in “nouveau fusion” cuisine, featuring southeast-Asianinspired creations by award-winning chef Patrick Wan.
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival celebrates the art of chamber music from Bach and
Mozart to living composers in residence, with concerts from four centuries of classical music to
jazz and world music performed by world-class musicians. Come to the festival billed by the
Newhouse News as “the most outstanding chamber music festival in the land.”
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival was founded in 1972. During the first season—the
summer of 1973—fourteen artists performed six Sunday concerts in Santa Fe and toured to
several New Mexico and eastern Arizona communities. Today, 26 seasons later, the Festival
presents over 80 events during its annual summer season—including concerts, adult and youth
education/outreach presentations, free open rehearsals, concert previews, and roundtable
discussions with composers and musicians. The Festival’s goal has been to provide listeners with
the finest music of the ages, performed by artists in the timeless beauty of Santa Fe.
The Music
The concert series presents chamber music from all stylistic periods, including a special Baroque
period series. A New Music Series consists of two concerts featuring the work of contemporary
composers. Other highlights include a concert of Celtic music, a three-concert Jazz Series, and a
Vocal Series of three concerts (co-presented with The Santa Fe Opera).
The “Composer-in-Residence” program was inaugurated in 1976 and is designed to encourage
communication among composers, musicians, and audiences through premieres of Festivalcommissioned works, performances of a composer’s other works, and concerts featuring the
composer as performer. Resident composers have included Aaron Copland, Ned Rorem, Ellen
Taafe Zwilich, and John Harbison. The “Music of the Americas” program was begun in 1988 to
explore the musical diversity of the Western Hemisphere. After a five-year survey of the music
of Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Mexico, the program has evolved into an
annual jazz series.
Since 1981, Festival performances have been regularly broadcast on national radio networks,
including WFMT Fine Arts Network, American Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, and
National Public Radio (NPR). Radio series have ranged from 13-week, hour-long broadcasts to
selections on NPR’s “Performance Today.”
The Gala and Concerts
The summer festival opens each year with a Friday night benefit concert at the Lensic Theater
and a post-concert gala. As participants in the Duke City Gateway “WestFest” travel package,
you’ll receive tickets to this concert and gala, as well as to the kickoff weekend and week of
events that follow it. By attending the opening week of this festival, you’ll experience the initial
concert from each of the main performance series, as well as lectures, student recitals, and other
special events. Featured artists at the festival have included The Swingle Singers, Regina Carter,
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, the Orion String Quartet, Gary Hoffman, and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.
The Venues
Beginning in the summer of 2001, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival will be held in two
wonderful venues: the newly restored Lensic Performing Arts Center and the venerable St.
Francis Auditorium. The Lensic, which will open in the spring of 2001, was called “the most
splendid theater in the West” when it first opened in 1931 as a film and vaudeville house. When
restored to its original splendor, it not only will host Chamber Music Festival and other concerts,
but also will be home to the Founding Organizations—eight of Santa Fe’s most renowned and
respected performing arts organizations.
The Santa Fe Chamber Music “WestFest” Package
Your Duke City Gateway travel package includes private transportation to and from the Santa Fe
airport, seven nights of lodging at the spectacular historic Hotel Santa Fe, and tickets to the
opening gala and first-week festival concerts. The Hotel Santa Fe is located in the downtown
shopping district, just a few blocks from the festival theaters and within easy walking distance.
Package price: $2,500 (Airfare not included. Rate is per-person, based on double occupancy.)
One popular option for this festival is the six-day rental car, which allows you to explore the
beautiful countryside surrounding Santa Fe. Add $200 to the base package price. Also, for an
extra $50 per day, choose to include dinner for two from one of the following outstanding Santa
Fe restaurants:
The Hotel Santa Fe Cantina: Dine where the stars dine when they visit Santa Fe. The photos on
the cantina walls of legendary southwest outlaws are alone worth the price of this option!
Romera’s: Traditional Spanish cuisine, including several delicious paellas.
The Gila Monster: Classic Tex-Mex grill, including spicy dinner omelets and the house specialty
mesquite-grilled chicken.
Contact your Duke City Gateway Travel agent to inquire about specially priced two-week Santa
Fe combined Chamber Music and Opera packages!
The Santa Fe Opera
The country’s premiere opera festival needs little introduction. It goes without saying that the
world’s most exceptional singers, conductors, directors, and designers are engaged each year to
bring you the highest-quality productions. The combination of great music with the natural
beauty of Santa Fe is unbeatable.
Duke City Gateway’s special five-day “WestFest” opera excursions allow you plenty of time to
explore the Santa Fe area, take in several of the “special feature” events held each week on the
opera grounds and included in the package price, and attend one of the season’s five outstanding
main stage productions.
Your Night at the Opera
A night at The Santa Fe Opera is an occasion to remember. Two pre-performance events are
included in your Duke City Gateway Travel package. The preview buffet starts 2½ hours before
the performance and is a relaxing and informative start to your evening. The Opera Cantina
offers supper on the beautiful lower grounds. Hosted by the Guilds of The Santa Fe Opera on
most performance nights, a bounteous buffet is presented beneath a tent overlooking a swath of
lawn, gardens, and pool. During dessert, enjoy a few well-chosen words from our guest speaker
about the opera that awaits. Take the courtesy shuttle between the theater parking lot and the
Cantina, or enjoy a twilight stroll up to the theater.
When you arrive, enjoy the 30-minute pre-performance lecture, which begins one hour before
the performance in the new Stieren Rehearsal Hall adjacent to the theater.
Special Feature Events
You’ll discover the Apprentice Showcase Scenes on Sunday evenings. These festive nights offer
a rare opportunity to appreciate the Opera’s young apprentices in the spotlight. Each evening
features approximately eight staged and costumed scenes from a variety of operas (different
repertory each evening).
A comprehensive, behind-the-scenes facility tour provides a unique opportunity to look in on the
makings of opera. Tours, held daily at 1:00 pm, include scenic storage areas, the costume shop,
properties shop, and production areas. Hear the remarkable history and vision that make The
Santa Fe Opera unique.
Another special attraction is the series of informal visits with featured artists. Held on Saturdays
throughout the season, these lively meetings between audience members and artists let listeners
express their appreciation for stellar performances. Get up close and personal with your favorite
opera stars as members of The Santa Fe Opera staff go one-on-one in these lively Q and A
sessions.
The current Santa Fe Opera season is the subject of the popular Opera Insights
Discussion/Lecture Series presented on Tuesdays in St. Francis Auditorium at the museum of
Fine Arts in downtown Santa Fe. A different opera is explored each week at 12:00 noon and
repeated at 6:00 PM.
Finally, the midday community concerts, given by the young Apprentice Artists, have become a
tradition eagerly anticipated by locals and visitors alike.
The Theatre
The open-air theater, which debuted in 1998, commands nearly a 360-degree panorama of
breathtaking scenery. It is one of the most intimate major opera houses, with seating for 2,128
and standing room for 106. The theater sits on a portion of the 155 acres that comprise the Opera
grounds. The Santa Fe Opera is unusual in that it owns all of the facilities and therefore is
responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the physical plant. The theater is a self-contained
plant for opera production, one of the most complete in the country.
The Electronic Libretto System
The Electronic Libretto System (ELS) had its origins at Maria’s restaurant in Santa Fe. Within
weeks after doodling on napkins, The Santa Fe Opera’s then Technical Director, Patrick Markle,
and Geoff Webb, a design engineer working at the Metropolitan Opera, huddled with another
engineer pal, Ron Erkland to produce a prototype of what has become the most sophisticated
solution for displaying translations of onstage singing. A small, private display screen on the
back of the seat in front of you displays the English text of the performance.
The Santa Fe Region
Northern New Mexico provides visitors a wealth of natural and worldly pleasures that include 19
nearby Indian Pueblos; 44 National and State Parks, including 10,000-year-old archeological
ruins, 13,000-foot mountain peaks, 650-foot canyons, lakes, and deserts; world-class art galleries
and restaurants; and some of the world’s finest hotels, spas, and bed & breakfasts.
The Santa Fe Opera “WestFest” Package
Your package includes lodging at the world-famous Hotel Santa Fe, tickets to four “special
event” features and a main stage production, and the use of a rental car for five days.
Package price: $1,999
Also, for an extra $50 per day, choose to include dinner for two from The Hotel Santa Fe
Cantina, Romera’s, or The Gila Monster. (See detailed dining information under the Santa Fe
Chamber Music package, above.)
Contact your Duke City Gateway Travel agent to inquire about specially priced two-week Santa
Fe combined Chamber Music and Opera packages!
The San Francisco Jazz Festival
The San Francisco Jazz Festival, recently hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “the best such event
in the country” and by the Boston Globe as “a model festival,” showcases premiere performances
by world-renowned artists, tributes to legendary musicians, and concerts by new talents in shows
that range in style from classic and modern jazz to swing, salsa, rhythm and blues, and more—all
of it in spectacular locations throughout the beloved and bedazzling City by the Bay. You’ll
spend three full weekend days concert-hopping, immersed in the multifaceted sounds of our
country’s unique contribution to the musical world.
The Performers
Too numerous to mention, the performers that appear on the multiple stages of this festival are a
“who’s who” of the jazz world. The following performers have appeared at previous San
Francisco Jazz Festivals: Abbey Lincoln, Jimmy Scott, Lee Konitz, Paul Bley, Lou Rawls, Etta
James, Cecil Taylor, Russell Malone, Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, Bobby McFerrin, Bobby
Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Eliades Ochoa, Orquesta Aragón, ¡Cubanismo!, McCoy Tyner,
Toots Thieleman, Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack Dejohnette, John McLaughlin, and many
more!
The Venues
In a city with a history as rich as San Francisco’s, the venues are almost as much of an attraction
as the music itself! Your “WestFest” weekend package includes at least one event held on the
very spectacular floating concert hall, the “San Francisco Spirit” yacht, as well as performances
at many of the following locations:
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium: A spacious and newly renovated concert hall located in the heart
of San Francisco’s bustling Civic Center.
Bimbo’s 365 Club: A paragon of 1950s style and elegance, Bimbo’s is one of San Francisco’s
most historic nightspots—a great place to dance or to sit back and soak up the scene.
Castro Theatre: One of San Francisco’s most popular rep houses, the Castro is a classic ‘20s-era
movie palace—complete with “mighty Wurlitzer” organ!
Florence Gould Theatre: Situated among the great works of art in the California Palace of the
Legion of Honor, the intimate Florence Gould Theatre combines classical elegance with
exceptional sound.
Ghirardelli Square: A landmark shopping center and gathering place in San Francisco’s Wharf
District, famed for its restaurants, galleries, street performers, and chocolate.
Grace Cathedral: A picturesque neo-Gothic cathedral, site of Duke Ellington’s 1965 “Concert of
Sacred Music.” Feeling stressed? Take a slow walk in the labyrinth on the cathedral’s grounds.
Herbst Theatre: San Francisco’s finest chamber music hall, boasting superb acoustics and elegant
Beaux Arts decor.
Justin Herman Plaza: Located on the waterfront at Embarcadero Center, Justin Herman Plaza is
an ideal spot for a picnic lunch and a noontime concert. Enjoy shopping, dramatic downtown
views, and jazz!
Masonic Auditorium: Situated at the crest of Nob Hill, the stately Masonic Auditorium affords
exquisite City views and one of the most intimate concert hall experiences available.
Paramount Theatre: The Paramount is Oakland’s lavish Art Deco palace, dating back to 1931. It
was designed by Timothy L. Pflueger, whose other Bay Area “entertainment environments”
include the Castro Theatre and Bimbo’s 365 Club.
San Francisco Spirit: The San Francisco Spirit is one of the most elegant yachts on the bay,
boasting three salute decks, opulent furnishings, a grand staircase, and two marble dance floors.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater and Forum: With year-round live performances and
visual exhibits, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is a popular complex located in the heart of San
Francisco’s fastest-growing arts and entertainment district. (Enjoy a pre-concert walk in the
adjoining Yerba Buena Gardens.)
The San Francisco Jazz “WestFest” Package
Your package includes taxi service from San Francisco International Airport, lodging at one of
our premiere downtown San Francisco hotels, and a full festival pass, good for admission to all
concerts and workshops during the festival weekend and festival-sponsored shuttle service
between venues. Festival food (plentiful!) not included.
You’ll arrive on a Thursday evening and stay for four nights at one of the following hotels, all
located in downtown San Francisco. (Airfare not included. All rates are per-person, based on
double occupancy.)
The Endicott Hotel: A four-star palace, newly renovated, with a spectacular lobby and grand
ballroom dating to the mid-1800s.
Package price: $999
The Bayside Arms: An Art Deco theme hotel in West San Francisco, featuring ocean views and
beautiful artist’s renderings of bay area sites.
Package price: $799
The Hotel Berkeley: A 1960s-era contemporary motel located in the heart of the Haight, one of
San Francisco’s liveliest arts neighborhoods.
Package price: $599