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Month: February 2020

Japan comes to Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/02/2020

For the 14th year, the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Tourist Convention Authority are putting on the Monaco-Japan Artistic Meeting coming this month.

The Auditorium Rainier III will be the setting for the upcoming exhibition featuring nearly 200 works by both local Monegasque and Japanese artists. From the 21st to the 23rd of February, the public are welcome to slip into a world of the exotic east and learn about Japanese traditional crafts and customs.

There will be workshops for Japanophiles of all ages including a tea ceremony called the Way of Tea by the Japanese, where guests will learn the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha green tea.

Visitors can also learn how to sculpt a miniature bonsai tree, where through a time-honoured process, artists prune and shape tiny trees to replicate those of much larger ones.

Finally, there will also be a kimono workshop for people interested in the intricacies of these beautiful ceremonial robes.

Admission is free, as is participation in the workshops.

 

Photo: Visit Monaco
 
 

'Street Scene' premieres at Opéra de Monte-Carlo

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/02/2020

Based on the 1929 play by Elmer Rice, Street Scene looks at the complex daily lives of people living in a walk-up tenement building in New York City, and the foreboding sense of despair that hovers over every interaction.

This opera in two acts was adapted by Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes and debuted at the Adelphi Theatre in New York City on the 9th of January 1947.  

Weill was a well-known composer in his native land and escaped Nazi Germany in the early 1930’s. He found New York to be a receptive and vibrant place where he quickly integrated and found a place amongst the musical set. By the late 1940’s when Street Scene came out, he was a firm fixture, and the opera earned him the Tony for Best Musical Score.

The story revolves around two plotlines, that of the romance between star-crossed Rose Maurrant and Sam Kaplan, as well as the extramarital affair going on with Rose’s mother Anne. The opera portrays the lovers, their squabbles, the street gossip of the neighbours and the increasing tensions surrounding the Maurrant family, which ultimately lead to a tragic, murderous end.

Weill’s opera is a work somewhere between a musical, with its blues and jazz inflected numbers and soaring operatic arias, making it a true 20th century masterpiece.

The production is coproduced with the Teatro Real de Madrid and the Cologne Opera, and includes artists from the Rainier III Children’s Academy, the Choir Monte-Carlo, the Philharmonic of Monaco and the International School of Monaco.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, conductor Lawrence Foster will be replaced by his assistant conductor Lee Reynolds on February 21, 23 and 25.
Lee Reynolds, a young and talented conductor, had previously participated in the creation of this co-production at the Teatro Real in Madrid.
 
 

Monaco Delegation visits Mali

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/02/2020

A delegation from Monaco has visited the African nation of Mali where health, education and civil protection topped the agenda.
Laurent Anselmi, the Minister for External Relations and Cooperation, led a Monegasque delegation to the landlocked, French-speaking country where they met with Malian officials and the Monegasque Cooperation partners.
Michel Sidibe, Mali’s Minister of Health and Social Affairs, joined Mr Anselmi for a sanctioned signing of two Memoranda of Understanding regarding the fight against sickle cell anaemia in the region.
The disease strikes people of African descent and affects millions. In fact, it is the world’s leading genetically transferred disease and can increase risks of stroke, cause delayed growth, affect vision and lead to painful episodes that see swelling in hands and feet as well as in bones, joints, chest and abdomen.
In addition to the memo signing, the delegation attended formal meetings and field visits. These gave the two sides a chance to speak about the various partnerships that Monaco and Mali enjoy together in the fields of civil protection, health, education and socio-economic integration practices.
Equipment was also delivered to the National School of Civil Protection in Bamako, and a renewal of the partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, aimed at strengthening security food in northern Mali, were also on the agenda.
Finally, Laurent Anselmi participated alongside the former Malian head of state, Amadou Toumani Touré, president of the Children’s Foundation, to inaugurate the Mali-Monaco-SHARE cardiac catheterisation unit of the Mother-Child Hospital of Bamako.
Monaco and Mali have had formal relations since 2006.
Photo: Laurent Anselmi, Government Advisor-Minister of External Relations and Cooperation visiting SOS Children’s Village Mali © Hamdia Traoéré
 

Human health and the ocean

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/02/2020

The risks that ocean degradation pose to human health will be the focus of a high-level symposium coming up in May at One Monte Carlo, organised by key institutions in Monaco and supported by the World Health Organisation.
Interactions between the oceans and human health are numerous, complex and yet largely unknown to most of the public, stakeholders and the scientific community.
That is why the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM) and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation will organise an International Scientific Symposium titled ‘Human Health and the Ocean in a Changing World’ from 11th to 13th of May at the One Monte Carlo Conference Centre. It will be held under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and in partnership with many international institutions and stakeholders including the WHO, CNRS, Boston College, Scripps Institute, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The purpose of the symposium is to provide an update on the various risks human activities expose the oceans to, and the threats that those activities and the resulting ocean degradation pose to human health, but also to consider the various benefits that the ocean can bring to the health and wellbeing of populations.
The symposium is expected to attract around 250 scientists, researchers and physicians as well as journalists, policy makers and other stakeholders such as NGOs.
 
Photo: Pixabay
 

Hundreds join in Pink Ribbon Monaco Walk

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/02/2020

The 9th edition of the Pink Ribbon Monaco Walk has been a huge success, with close to 200 participants dressing in pink and supporting a very important cause.
The skies were clear on Sunday 17th February and despite it being the start of the school holidays, Pink Ribbon Monaco founder Natasha Frost says she is very happy with the turnout.
HSH Prince Albert helped kick off the walk which in the end raised 2,000€ for the Princess Grace Hospital.

Pink Ribbon Monaco Founder Natasha Frost and HSH Prince Albert

“It was great to hand the cheque to Benoite de Sevelinges, the hospital director,” Natasha told Monaco Life. “The money will be used for cancer patients to help with their comfort and contribute to post reconstruction nipple dermo-pigmentation.”

Now in its ninth year, the Pink Ribbon Monaco Walk follows a five kilometres circuit around the Principality and is an opportunity for people of all ages to support friends and family while raising awareness about breast cancer screening. Each year, the walk takes place alongside the Monaco Run.
 
Photos courtesy: Pink Ribbon Monaco
 
Read more:
Interview Natasha Frost: Founder Pink Ribbon Monaco
 
 

Monaco auto show to feature new technology cars

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/02/2020

The exciting future of automobiles and new transport technologies will be showcased during the Automobile and Mobility Innovation Show 2020 at Port Hercule next month.
The 4th annual Monaco Auto Show, being held from 5th to 8th March, is a car lover’s dream. The show emphasises automobiles and alternative mobility vehicles of tomorrow, featuring incredible new technologies that visitors are encouraged to see, touch and admire.
Displays includes urban electric vehicles, concept cars, prototypes, sports cars and ‘hypercars’ loaded with the latest technological advances in the industry.
Innovative charging systems, connectivity directly from personal devices to the cars, and new applications are some of the new elements being added to these state-of-the-art cars and mobility vehicles.
The show will also include the launch of the new Porsche Taycan, which is said to go from zero to 100 in 2.8 seconds using an advanced launch control system. It also has an incredible 388 to 412 kilometre range. The car is equipped with what they call a Performance Battery Plus, the latest in lithium-ion technology and is based on a system similar to their endurance race car, the 919 Hybrid. Higher voltage offers more power and shorter charging times.