Monaco has put out a call for talented young musicians to audition for the opening act of the new MC Summer Concert in July. The successful artists will perform in front of a crowd of several thousand people, ahead of the main concert by internationally acclaimed DJ Kungs.
French DJ Kungs will headline the concert
Do you have talent? Are you aged between 13 and 26 years old? Do you have links to the Principality? If you have answered yes to these questions then the Monaco Government wants you to audition.
Two artists or groups will be selected to perform a set of about 20 minutes before Kungs takes to the stage. The French DJ, producer and musician is renowned the world over and is expected to draw in a big crowd to the first ever MC Summer Concert on 15th July.
Young artists are invited to send an example of up to 6 minutes showing the extent of their talent, accompanied by a set list of the covers or originals that they will perform at the concert (20 to 30 minutes), their backline (instruments and equipment etc) and a presentation of the group, which must not exceed six people.
This is an initiative of the National Council, the Monaco Government and the Monaco City Council.
Submissions must be made before 31st March to mcsummerconcert@monaco.mc
Latin dance lovers will head to the Principality from across the globe this weekend for the annual Monaco Salsa Congress. Now in its 13th year, the three day event is packed with dance workshops and world-class performances.
Be it salsa or bachata, beginner or advanced, novice or just curious, everyone finds their groove at the salsa festival of Monaco.
This year, international artists from England, Morocco, Poland, Spain, Italy and Romania will join the congress, with dance lessons staged for all levels in three rooms simultaneously. There’s also a VIP dinner, shows, a Zumba masterclass, and DJ parties until late.
The congress is run by Hamidine Thiam who aims to bring together different dance styles that cross Latin music, in a friendly and festive atmosphere. He will be joined by a team of volunteers.
The congress runs from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd March at the Espace Léo Ferré. More information can be found at salsamonaco.com
Serbian Sasa Obradovic has officially taken over as the new head coach of ASM Basketball. The team made the announcement on Monday, with both sides willing for a long term cooperation.
This will be Obradovic’s first time coaching in France. Photo: ASM Basket Twitter
The 50-year-old coach spent the previous two seasons in Lokomotiv Kuban’s bench and parted ways with the Russian club four months ago. He’s been a free agent since.
Obradovic was named head coach of the year for the 2017/2018 EuroCup, and this will be his first time coaching in France, although as a player he had a stint with Limoges early in his career.
Obradovic replaces Saso Filipovski and follows the team’s loss to Lietuvos Rytas in a do-or-die EuroCup game and elimination from the competition’s quarterfinals.
‘Grace Kelly, from Hollywood to Monaco’ … and now Macau.
The Grimaldi Forum Monaco is continuing its policy of roaming exhibitions abroad, this time signing a new partnership with Macau. The deal will see the new ‘Grace Kelly, from Hollywood to Monaco’ exhibition displayed at the heart of a resort dedicated to high-end leisure tourism.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Patrice Cellario, Government Counselor-Minister of the Interior, of David Tomatis, Advisor at the Sovereign Prince’s Cabinet and of Jean-Louis Masurel, Managing Director of the Société des Bains de Mer
On 22nd February, at the Hermitage Hotel, the Grimaldi Forum Monaco (GFM) and Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) joined hands in their first ever art and cultural collaboration.
The Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation unveiled its ambition to become engaged in the promotion of art and culture by producing, for the first time, a cultural exhibition detailing the life story of Grace Kelly, from being an actress to becoming the Princess of Monaco, and includes a special exhibit dedicated to the Grimaldi dynasty and artists’ tributes with their work inspired by Grace Kelly. For its part, the GFM formalised a new step in its policy of roaming exhibitions abroad.
The ‘Grace Kelly, from Hollywood to Monaco’ exhibition, which was made possible with loans from the collections of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, will be hosted from 15th May to 28th August 2019 in an exhibition gallery specially created for this purpose and located in the heart of the Galaxy Macau™ complex.
‘Grace Kelly, from Hollywood to Monaco’ combines two previous productions: ‘The Grace Kelly Years’, created in 2007, whose tour raised Monaco’s profile around the world for over 10 years and, ‘Princes and Princesses of Monaco. A European Dynasty’, presented in Beijing’s Forbidden City in 2018. Its curator, Thomas Fouilleron, Director of the Archives and Library of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, takes up this new challenge. The GFM is responsible for its scenographic design and logistical implementation.
The cultural memorandum of understanding was signed jointly by Henri Fissore, President and Sylvie Biancheri, Chief Executive Officer of the Grimaldi Forum on the one hand, and Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of GEG and its Foundation, and Michael Mecca, Non-Executive Director and Senior Advisor of GEG , on the other.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Patrice Cellario, Government Counselor-Minister of the Interior, of David Tomatis, Advisor at the Sovereign Prince’s Cabinet and of Jean-Louis Masurel, Managing Director of the Société des Bains de Mer, of which the GEG is a shareholder since July 2015.
Historic villa goes on the market for record price
One of Monaco’s last remaining mansions from the Belle Époque era has hit the market at a record price of 110 million euros. The property, which spans six floors, was formerly owned by François Blanc, founder of the Monte Carlo Casino.
The pastel-pink villa known as ‘l’Echauguette’, meaning ‘the watchtower’, straddles the cliff edge above Port Hercule, overlooking the Vallon Sainte Dévote, the Mediterranean sea, the Prince’s Palace and the Formular One race track.
The villa overlooks the Port Hercule
With an asking price of 110 million euros, the villa is particularly exceptional even for the Principality of Monaco, where real estate prices are among the highest in the world at 48,799 euros per m2 on average (IMSEE). That’s an increase of more than 47% in just 10 years, says Sotheby’s, which is listing the 700m2 villa. It features a living space spread over six floors, a plot of 550m2, a 22m swimming pool, a spectacular wine cellar, rooftop terrace, and two internal lifts.
Sold unfurnished, the neo-classical property is one of the last of its era – the beginning of the 20th century. Many of Monaco’s grand historic homes have since been subdivided or demolished for apartments or office space.
Villa Echauguette was renovated in 2008 and will be sold unfurnished
The villa’s former owner, François Blanc, was a French casino mogul who invested heavily in building Monaco’s casino industry. He helped transform the tiny city-state into an international destination for the wealthy.
For more information, see the listing at Sotheby’s:
The first ever Port Hercule Regatta was held on the weekend and declared a resounding success. Under glorious sunshine almost 100 boats gathered at the base of the Rock, with the Monegasque club taking home the most wins of the day.
Regatta organisers Monaco Nautical Society won 10 of the 14 races entered. Photo: Screenshot Youtube rowermc
In all there were 350 athletes on 95 boats taking part in races, which ran from early morning to mid-afternoon. Participants came from all over southern France, as well as Spain, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.
Weather conditions were perfect, with blue skies and a light westerly wind.
It was a great day for the Principality, with organisers Monaco Nautical Society winning 10 of the 14 races entered. “For its first edition, the Port Hercule Regatta was a success, both at the sporting level and at the organisation level,” Daniel Fauché, Base Manager of the Société Nautique, told Monaco Matin.
The next rowing regatta in Monaco will be the Prince Albert II Challenge, held at the end of November 2019 and featuring a new formula.
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