Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella have joined their parents Prince Albert and Princess Charlene on the Palace balcony for the annual St. John’s Day celebrations.
It was a beautiful evening on Tuesday for the Princely family’s first public engagement since the Covid crisis began and the mood was certainly celebratory. St. John’s Day festivities take place in Monaco every 23rd and 24th of June in two districts, Monaco-Ville on the 23rd and Place des Moulins on the 24th. Celebrations kick off on the Rock with a religious service at the Palatine Chapel, followed by a batafoegu, or bonfire, in the square in front of the Palace.
Tuesday’s service was attended by the Prince and his family as well as government officials and members of traditional Monegasque associations.
Afterwards, the Princely family were perched on the balcony overlooking the square where dancers accompanied the palm frond-fuelled fire to enliven the event.
The festivities occur roughly around the summer solstice to kick off the new season and celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. He was a major figure in several religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the Baháʼí Faith, and is one of only three Christian saints whose birthday is celebrated annually.
The nights are organised around the dual themes of fire and light – particularly fitting as they are amongst the longest days of the year and are also the start of the hot summer season.
Health rules were applied during festivities, including the wearing of masks and social distancing.
Scroll through the photos of the celebrations below:
Little did Brisa Trinchero know when she took over as CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA that a worldwide pandemic would force her to abort three flagship events and redirect much of the Foundation’s awards money towards struggling artists.
One year into the job, we spoke with the two-time Tony Award winning Broadway investor and ‘40 Under 40’ award winning entrepreneur about how the coronavirus has allowed the Foundation to re-examine 40 years of tradition, and her efforts in building a cultural bridge between the birthplace of Princess Grace and the Principality.
Monaco Life: How would you summarise your first 12 months as CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA?
Brisa Trinchero: I would say it has been an incredible whirlwind – from learning about the Foundation’s amazing artists and meeting everyone in Monaco to the Monte Carlo TV Festival and our New York Gala in the Fall. Then, when Covid hit, everything went dark so quickly, just as I was looking forward to celebrating a successful first year. Did it take the edge off the momentum?
When I started at the Foundation, I really hit the ground running; we were going full-speed for that whole first year. I was brought in to usher the Foundation into a new era but it was hard to spend time on long term strategy work while also launching several immediate new initiatives for the Foundation. So, this time has actually been a really unique opportunity to reflect and delve into the strategies that we had already been talking about and to take the time to put together a plan for the Foundation’s new era. In the end, the Foundation is going to emerge even better for it. One of the biggest events that you were planning – and something the Foundation had never done before – was the 007 ‘No Time to Die’ film premier launch in Monte Carlo in April. How disappointed were you when that was cancelled?
Heartbreaking is the only way to describe it. So many of us at the Foundation and in Monaco had worked so hard on that event and it was coming together so beautifully. We had guests from around the world who were very excited about the trip, so it was truly heartbreaking. But we still have every reason to believe that we will be able to reschedule it once the Bond team knows what they are doing with the film release. And if not, it has at least allowed us to figure out how to do these kinds of events, so there will definitely be others like it. One of the things you mentioned when we last spoke a year ago was your desire to build a cultural bridge between America and Monaco. Have you been able to do that?
We have strengthened the bridge between the US and Monaco significantly, partly through simply having myself and my team spend time in Monaco to speak to the community about Princess Grace. A lot of the feedback I hear is that Monaco is very excited that we are raising the visibility of her legacy, because there is a fear in the community that once someone has been gone for nearly 40 years, even an icon, that there is a risk that their memory might start to fade. So many people, particularly in Monaco, have been asking what we are doing to introduce her to new generations. And that is exactly what we intend to do. There is nothing more exciting than explaining to younger people who she was – her style, fashion and philanthropy. So, I have a lot of confidence in the future of her legacy, but this is the work that we have to do. The culture industry has taken an enormous hit from the Covid-19 crisis due to the closure of theatres and film sets. What are you seeing on the ground there?
Covid has been devastating for the arts community. It’s been challenging to sit in this position as a Foundation, to have relationships with so many incredible artists, and to see how they are all struggling. With so many of the arts organisations having gone dark, even the most successful artists are suffering because their places of work have shut down. Your Foundation relies partially on the generosity of donors. What impact has the crisis had from a financial perspective?
We’ve been managing our endowment carefully, as it has certainly been impacted by the market drops. We are also being especially sensitive as to how we approach our donors. While our focus is on the effect this has had on the arts, we know that every industry has been impacted. Many of our donors have continued to be incredibly generous, which we have appreciated, but others are struggling in their own businesses. So, it is a time to be sensitive and to have very candid conversations with people about what we are trying to do while understanding what they’re going through. How have you approached your Award program during the crisis?
We decided to direct all donated funds directly to artists as opposed to holding our traditional awards programme, because right now we think it is important to just get the money into the hands of artists who have lost their livelihoods and are simply trying to get by. You’ve been helping to put dollars directly into the hands of artists through your #GratitudeandTonic campaign, can you tell us about that?
In March, just as quarantine was beginning, I saw so many of my artist friends instantly lose their livelihoods and begin to create work virtually to keep us smiling as things went dark. I made the personal commitment to donate $100 a day to different artists. Fortunately, several of my generous friends immediately joined me and soon we were giving away hundreds of dollars a day. The momentum continued to build and it made sense to move it inside of the Foundation so that our donors and artists could participate as well. Now, each week, we empower a different Princess Grace Award winner to give away these donated funds to the artists of their choosing. You can find it on Instagram on my feed @brisatrinchero or at #gratitudeandtonic. Brisa Trinchero with Prince Albert and the twins at the 2019 Monte Carlo Television Festival Has the crisis made it easier for you, in a sense, to shake things up as the new CEO?
Absolutely. I had a year to understand how things had been done and recognise areas where there might be room for improvement and adjustment. Our board and our staff have completely embraced that and are excited to take a fresh look at all of our programming. We have convened a series of task forces to look carefully and evaluate all aspects to make sure we are best addressing our mission. Is this year’s Prince Grace Foundation-USA Awards Gala still going ahead?
No, we are not pursuing the gala this year – charity galas in the US have almost all been cancelled. But we hope to get back to hosting events soon, that’s our favourite thing to do – we love to gather the community together. But again, we have to be sensitive to when people will want to gather. However, we have many events planned for next year, so watch this space! You have been strengthening the bridge between Monaco and the US through meeting with the community and partnering with events like the Monte Carlo Television Festival, which was in fact founded by Princess Grace. How else do you plan on strengthening this cultural bridge between the two countries?
We are very excited to be continuing our partnership with Monaco Life and we will be showcasing our incredible artists and awards recipients to the Monaco community through a series of interviews. Many people in Monaco don’t always have the opportunity to meet these artists, so we appreciate the opportunity to share their stories and how the Princess Grace Award has truly shaped their careers, highlighting the incredible achievements that these artists have been able to accomplish thanks to Princess Grace’s legacy.
Photo: New York, November 25 2019, (L-R) John F. Lehman, Brisa Trinchero, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and Christopher Le Vine attend the 2019 Princess Grace Awards Gala on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Princess Grace Foundation – USA)
Inauguration of the new Court of Honour at City Hall
Prince Albert, Archbishop Dominique-Marie David, Mayor Georges Marsan and National Council President Stéphane Valéri have joined a host of council and government members to inaugurate the new Court of Honour at City Hall.
A ceremony was held on Wednesday 24th June to commemorate the new court, which took eight months to complete – longer than expected due to confinement. It is a “place of reception, meetings and exchanges (…) which has today found a new splendor,” said Mayor Georges Marsan in his welcome speech.
This major project, carried out by the Municipal Technical Services under the leadership of François Lallemand, was designed to increase security at the Court of Honour with the addition of an electric gate and a video surveillance system.
It also included the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles and a new olive tree in the centre of the court. The original olive tree, planted in 1932 by the Local Traditions Committee, had contracted a disease and was replaced by a new tree of the same variety chosen from the olive trees of the old Parcours Vita as a “symbol of peace and attachment to our country”, thus perpetuating “the memory of the work of our ancestors whose culture of these trees was the main resource,” said Mr Marsan.
The Mayor concluded his speech by warmly thanking all the people and services who contributed to the success of the project before inviting Prince Albert II to unveil the commemorative plaque.
The ceremony continued with a symbolic award ceremony for the Monegasque Language Competition. Due to the health crisis linked to the coronavirus, the traditional competition had to be canceled this year but the Town Hall, in agreement with the DENJS, wanted to honour 12 Terminale students who had completed their studies in the Monegasque language. In his speech, Georges Marsan congratulated them for their motivation during these 10 years of learning, saying it was “proof of their attachment to our culture.”
Finally, the Mayor took a moment to honour Baroness Elizabeth-Ann de Massy who passed away recently, recounting her unwavering attachment to the Principality and its traditions.
The 50th anniversary season of Fort Antoine will be celebrated with a two-pronged program, Les Invités du Fort and La Saison Théâtre, offering entertaining events all summer long.
With many summer events and concerts cancelled or postponed due to the health crisis, Fort Antoine has the distinct advantage of being open air, allowing safety measures to be adhered to even as people enjoy evenings of quality entertainment.
So, starting on 8th July, Fort Antoine will have 10 evenings of eclectic events with readings, meetings, concerts and screenings organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs.
The first event of Les Invités du Fort will be hosted by the Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco where they will discuss the complex relationship between art and philosophy.
This will be followed up with fantastic events happening at the rate of two per week until 7th August from the Opera Monte-Carlo, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Princess Grace Theatre, the Audio-Visual Institute and more.
Then the amphitheatre will host it’s own events from 18th August to 4th September on Tuesday and Friday evenings. La Saison Théâtre offers six plays in total.
The complete line-up is as follows:
– The Philosophical Meetings of Monaco will open the ball with a conference, presented by Raphaël Zagury-Orly and Joseph Cohen on 8th July.
– An evening with the Monte-Carlo Opera, performing The Naples Sun on 10th July.
– The Prince Pierre Foundation offers an evening of readings on 15th July.
– The Audio-visual Institute which will take the opportunity to present two films on 17th and 31st July respectively: The prisoner of the desert by John Ford and Le Havre by Aki Kaurismäki.
– The Princess Grace Theatre will present the show Emportée par mon élan on 21st July. 24th July sees Printemps des Arts give a musical evening with percussionist Adelaide Ferrière and accordionist Jean-Etienne Sotty.
– The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra is offering three evenings at Fort Antoine. First, a Hymn to the Night on 28th July, then Moonlight Serenades on 4th August. Finally, on 7th August, they will perform a Night of Rejoicing.
– 18th August to 4th September will see the annual Theatre Festival.
All shows are free, but space is limited so reservations are required. For more information or to reserve a seat, go to https://theatrefortantoine.com/ or call on +377.98.98.83.03.
Hospital will purchase new equipment from donations
Compagnie Monegasque de Banque has handed over a cheque for close to half a million euros to the Princess Grace Hospital after an incredibly successful fundraising campaign.
Since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Princess Grace Hospital Centre (CHPG) has been on the front lines, organising screenings and treating patients who had contracted the virus.
In order to ensure that everyone received the care they needed, the hospital mobilised all of its teams. This came at considerable cost as vast amounts of protective equipment was purchased along with biomedical investments, and staff were put on round the clock call.
The Compagnie Monegasque de Banque (CMB) recognised the possible financial strain on the hospital and leapt into action. Within a month, the bank had raised funds from customers and employees totalling €470,955. The bank itself started off the initiative by putting €100,000 in the pot. This is in addition to the 800 litres of hydroalcoholic gel and 11,000 masks that the bank had previously donated to the hospital.
With the worst of the virus behind the Principality, this money will help speed up the transformation of the hospital from a confinement-era setting to one that is able to adapt to the evolution of the epidemic, as well as continue to treat those who are suffering with other conditions.
Several areas of the hospital will benefit from the generosity of donors, including the acquisition of new equipment such as respirators, neuromuscular stimulators, operating theatre devices, ultrasound scanners, pulmonary monitoring equipment and laboratory automatons.
