Christopher Clark, Harvard-educated past National Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and former General Manager of Italy's prestigious Spoleto Festival, founded Great Performance Tours in 1979 to provide:

• A smaller, more personalized alternative to packaged tours, geared to today's sophisticated music lover.

• The world's greatest performances, researched and reserved far in advance for good seats.

• Convenience. Tickets and accommodations are arranged by one reservation and one check, with all the bother of coordinating bookings and exchange rates done for you. Transportation is provided for all of our included events unless within easy walking distance.

• More free time. Our clientele is independent and active, valuing time to visit friends, take in a game of tennis or visit spots from past visits. We assume that our friends have different interests and want the time.
From Top to Bottom: Christopher Clark, Bunny Clark, Sybil Baldwin, David A. Roper, Deborah Birnbaum, Gail C. Petit.

• Quiet, civilized hotels, catering to the discriminating traveler. Most of our host hotels do not accept groups or conventions as such, yet welcome our parties.

•Hand-picked restaurants, chosen for fine food, interesting decor and superior service at realistic prices. Wine is served at tour meals, with a full bar available.

• Unusual sites you'd never know existed. Hidden gardens, private homes and unique experiences closed to the public are open to our small and cultured groups.

• A close and dependable friend in each city. Chris and Bunny Clark consider you a personal guest every time you travel, whether they or their associates are your host. In any city, here or abroad, you will be welcomed as friends rather than customers. Today, Great Performance Tours serves a small and selective nationwide clientele and offers more than 40 tours annually to the world's most prestigious arts destinations here and abroad.

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IN GRATITUDE: BRIDGET PAOLUCCI


We have been honored by Bridget Paolucci as our New York lecturer for close to thirty years. She has become a very dear friend to us and to many of our travelers who have appreciated her extraordinary lectures, and I wish to pay tribute to her on the occasion of her recent decision to retire.

Bridget has given us unforgettable introductions to a wide range of operas. Her natural warmth and humor have always added immeasurably to her incisive analyses of the productions we have attended at the MET and the NY City Opera. At the conclusion of our NY weekends, a common compliment from our Tour members has been: “Bridget’s lecture was the highlight of your program. During the performance, we were reminded so many times of exactly what Bridget explained.”

Bridget addressed our group on our very first NY Tour in 1979, and she has been our only lecturer for the past thirty years. I am very proud of her contribution to Great Performance Tours, and I thank her for the many friends she has made for us. Every one of you who has encountered her professionalism has also been touched by her radiant personality. We wish her many years of health and happiness with her wonderful family, and we extend our gratitude to her for sharing her unique gifts with Great Performance Tours.

Christopher T. Clark, President