June 25, 2009 - This summer and autumn Silversea invites travellers to enjoy interesting journeys hosted by noted historians, political analysts, authors, and other experts.
The lineup of guest speakers includes the British stage, film and television actor Christopher Cazenove, Terry Hughes, former head of BBC TV
Variety, Alastair Bruce, the Royal and National Events Commentator for Britain's Sky News; Michael Buerk, BBC news
correspondent and anchor; Ambassador Richard Gardner, former US
ambassador to Italy and Spain; Dr. John G. Stackhouse, Jr., award-
winning historian, theologian, philosopher and journalist; Bill
Toone, conservation biologist and executive director of the Ecolife
Foundation; Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow in foreign policy at the
Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.; Richard Cowley, former
director-general of the Anglo-Uruguayan Cultural Institute; and John
Harrison, a British explorer and author.
"We are honoured to include such a distinguished group of guest
speakers on our voyages," said Cliff Perry, Silversea's Director of
Entertainment. "Our enrichment programming has always been about
offering unique perspectives, and these lecturers will offer
insightful views."
Following below is the schedule of speakers with abbreviated
biographies:
Silver Cloud - 4 July, Stockholm to Copenhagen)
CHRISTOPHER CAZENOVE: This British stage actor found fame in the
1970s and 1980s with a number of film and television roles in which
he perfected his screen persona as the international charmer with a
dark past. On the small screen, he is probably best remembered in
the roles of Charlie Haslemere in The Duchess of Duke Street (BBC
and Masterpiece Theatre) and the dastardly Ben Carrington in Dynasty
for ABC. More recently, he has appeared in such films as A Knight's
Tale, Beginner's Luck and Judge John Deed.
Silver Wind - 28 July, Monte Carlo to Rome
LONDON FESTIVAL OPERA: A must for opera aficionados, London Festival
Opera brings together some of the most established artists from
major British opera companies. The gifted artists have performed
worldwide at leading venues such as Hampton Court Palace and the
Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and will now perform onboard Silver
Wind. In addition, opera-lovers will be enthralled by guest speaker and
renowned opera connoisseur FRED PLOTKIN, who will share his passion
for opera and Italy. Plotkin has worked for more than 40 opera
companies including the Metropolitan, La Scala and the Salzburg
Festival and is the author of nine books on opera, classical music
and gourmet Italian cuisine.
Silver Wind - 18 July, Monte Carlo to Monte Carlo
AMBASSADOR RICHARD GARDNER: A professor of law and international
organisation at New York's Columbia Law School, he served as U.S.
ambassador to Italy from 1977 to 1981, and as U.S. ambassador to
Spain from 1993 to 1997. He is the author of four books on
international affairs, including In Pursuit of World Order: US
Foreign Policy and International Organization, and his latest book,
Mission Italy: On the Front Lines of the Cold War.
Silver Shadow - 1 August, San Francisco to
Vancouver
DR JOHN G. STACKHOUSE, JR: An award-winning historian,
theologian, philosopher and journalist, he holds the Sangwoo Youtong
Chee Chair of Theology and Culture at Regent College, an
internationally recognised graduate school affiliated with one of
Canada's premier universities, the University of British Columbia,
in Vancouver. Dr. Stackhouse is the author of six books and
hundreds of articles and reviews.
Silver Cloud - 26 August and 5 September, London to London
ALASTAIR BRUCE: A descendent of Robert the Bruce, he is the author
of numerous books on British royalty and a commentator for Britain's
Sky News and the BBC. He is also a documentary filmmaker with Days
of Majesty, Nicholas and Alexandra, and Victoria and Albert to his
name. He is a member of the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland and is
also an officer of arms to the Queen.
Silver Wind - 15 September, Rome to Barcelona
TERRY HUGHES: He was head of BBC TV Variety during the "golden
years" of Morecame & Wise and The Two Ronnies. He also co-produced
and co-directed the acclaimed Ripping Yarns, written by and starring
Michael Palin. Moving to Los Angeles, he soon became one of the
premiere producers and directors of television's The Golden Girls,
3rd Rock from the Sun and episodes of 8 Simple Rules, Friends,
Blossom and That '70s Show.
Silver Cloud - 29 October, Barbados to Manaus and 12 November, Manaus to Rio de Janeiro
JOHN HARRISON: British explorer who has authored books detailing
his adventures, including Up the Creek: an Amazon Adventure and Off
the Map: a Journey through the Amazonian Wild. The film John
Harrison Explorer, made for the National Geographic Voyager
television series, recounts his journey by canoe on Brazil's Rio
Ximim-Ximim.
Silver Cloud - 29 October, Barbados to Manaus, 12 November, Manaus to Rio de Janeiro and 26 November, Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires
RICHARD COWLEY: Former director-general of the Anglo-Uruguayan
Cultural Institute, the largest English-language and cultural centre
in Uruguay. In 1982, he was decorated by Queen Elizabeth II as a
Member of the Order of the British Empire, and received a further
decoration as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2004.
Silver Wind - 4 December, Dubai to Mahe
BILL TOONE: Featured in numerous PBS documentaries in the U.S.,
this conservation biologist with over 30 years of global field
experience is the executive director of the Ecolife Foundation,
providing ecologically sustainable water, food and shelter to
communities. His work for the San Diego Zoo's Center for
Reproduction of Endangered Species has placed him on the front lines
of conservation, beginning with the California Condor Recovery
Program.
Silver Cloud - 20 December, Santiago to Buenos Aires
MICHAEL BUERK: One of Britain's leading broadcast journalists, he
has worked as a BBC news correspondent and anchor for more than
thirty years. His coverage of the Ethiopian famine alerted the world
to the tragedy, and led directly to Band Aid and Live Aid, massive
international relief efforts valued in billions of dollars and
estimated to have saved over a million lives.
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