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Month: February 2021

Prince's foundation launches Environmental Photography Prize

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/02/2021

As part of the 15th anniversary celebrations for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, an international photography competition has been launched for the best environmentally-focused snaps, with the winners splitting a cash prize of €10,000.

The Prince’s Foundation is marking the important milestone with a competition called the ‘Environmental Photography Prize’, that puts nature and the world around us into sharp focus.

The contest, organised in conjunction with Barclay’s Private Bank and Monaco Digital, is a chance for photographers from all over the world to show their skills and shine a light on environmental issues.

A jury of professional photographers and representatives from sustainable development entities will choose the overall best photo, as well as winners in three categories: beauty of wildlife, wildlife in crisis and a glimmer of hope.

The jurists won’t be the only ones deciding, though, as the public are also invited to vote for their favourite snaps from 1st April.

The grand prize winner will be crowned the PA2F Environmental Photographer of the Year 2021, receive a cash prize of €6,000 and receive a VIP invitation to the opening of the PA2F Environmental Photography Award exhibit, as well as the foundation’s 15th anniversary events.

The winners of each category will receive €1,000 each and the people’s choice winner will get €500. All shortlisted photographers will be featured in the event’s exhibit in Monaco and their work will be published in the PA2F Environmental Photography Award book.

“We are very happy to inaugurate this competition, with high-quality partners and a jury of recognised and passionate professionals around a strong theme, in the current context of the health crisis. We hope that this campaign will participate in the efforts made to develop more harmonious relations with nature,” said Olivier Wenden, Vice-President and Managing Director of the Foundation.

Up to 50 images will be chosen across the three categories and the nominated artists will be announced on 15th April, with the winning images revealed on 30th April. After the prizes are awarded, an exhibition of all the shortlisted works will be on display from 4th May to 1st June, with “the aim to raise awareness of the importance of environmental protection and conservation.”  

Entries can be submitted at https://www.photocrowd.com/photo-competitions/photography-awards/pa2faward-2021/ until 28th March.

 
Photo by Yoni Kozminsi on Unsplash
 
 

Philharmonic celebrates the classical greats

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/02/2021

The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra is pulling out all the stops over the next few weeks to delight audiences with a line-up of classics made for young and old.

On 24th February, two musical tales for children, Le Souriceau Stupide by Chostakovich and Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev will be performed for audiences from four years of age. Julie Depardieu will narrate to conductor Philippe Beran’s version, whilst sand painter Keterina Barsukova adds an additional element to the performance. The show starts at 3pm.

Then on Saturday 28th February, conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti leads pianist Gerhard Oppitz in a concert featuring Mozart’s Concerto pour Piano No 20, K466 followed by Franz Schubert’s Symphony No 9 La Grande. This show will begin at 3pm to remain in curfew compliance.

Then on Sunday 7th March at 3pm, painist David Fray will perform Jean-Sebastien Bach’s Concerto pour Clavier No 1, BWV 1052 and his Concerto pour Clavier No 4 BWV 1055 along with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto pour Piano No 24, K49.

A Musical Happy Hour on Tuesday 9th March will feature a string quartet featuring violinists Jae-Eun Lee and Sybille Duchesne, Violist Sofia Timofeeva and Cellist Delphine Perrone. They will perform Sofia Goubaïdoulina’s Reflections on the Theme of B-A-C-H, Schubert’s Quartet No 14, D180, La Jeune Fille et La Mort and two pieces by Igor Stravinsky, 3 Pieces pour Quator Á Cordes, K033 and Concertino pour Quator Á Cordes.

As part of the Spring Arts Festival of Monte-Carlo, conductor Kazuki Yamada will be leading violinist Tedi Papavrami in performing Alban Berg’s Concerto pour Violin ‘A la Memorie d’un Ange’ along with Arnold Schönberg’s Pelléas et Méllisande, Opus 5 on Saturday 27th March at 8:30pm.

To finish up the month of March, another children’s concert will be performed by conductor Christophe Mangou and narrator Julie Martigny. Indigo Isle by Julien Herrisier comes on the Wednesday the 31st at 3pm.

All shows will be performed at the Auditorium Rainier III. Tickets and more information can be found on the Philharmonic’s website at www.opmc.mc.

 
Photo of Kazuki Yamada by the OPMC
 
 

Securing the Jardin Exotique for centuries to come

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/02/2021

The Jardin Exotique will remain closed to the public until 2022 as the council battles unexpected hurdles renovating one of Monaco’s national landmarks.
After the end of the first lockdown in May of 2020, the Jardin Exotique started undergoing long-overdue restoration projects that were expected to last only a few months.
When the actual work began, François Lallemand, the Deputy Mayor, and Benjamin Marchal, Head of Municipal Technical Services, realised the task was much more complex than initially thought, as the site itself has topographical constraints, making transportation of machinery and materials particularly difficult. Add to that the lack of documentation from when the site was first created between 1913 and 1933, and the revamp has proven to be a far larger job than anticipated.
In order to create a safer locale, demolition of artificial rock structures on or near the public path needed to come down. This work began last summer and continues throughout several sectors of the garden. The most dangerous man-made structures on the Cap d’Ail side have now been secured, with the Menton side receiving attention all this year. Once the sites are deemed safe, reconstruction efforts will start by rebuilding new rock formations.
Footbridges are also receiving an overhaul. By the end of March, four will have been replaced. The majority of this work is done at night, making the job that much more complicated as it is necessary to block traffic on Boulevard du Jardin Exotique in order to complete the works.
In the end, a total of nine footbridges will be replaced. When complete, the bridges will have the same look as when they were first designed, ensuring the integrity of the site as it was first imagined over a century ago.
The cost of the works will come in at €1.16 million, a sum that was voted on unanimously by the Municipal Council. Securing the artificial rock structures will cost €600,000 and another €500,000 was earmarked for the reparation of the four bridges. Another €100,000 has been used for land studies, surveys and tests. The final phase of the works will be taken over by the government.
In addition to construction workers, the site has their usual staff of gardeners who are on hand to maintain the precious plants, as well as to temporarily move them when required.
As there are thousands of species harboured at the Jardin Exotique, some centuries old, one of the primary concerns is the protection of as many plants as possible. To this end, modernisation projects including refurbishment of rainwater drainage paths, updating irrigation systems and installing new lighting networks are part of the overall project, in the hope that in 2022, the public will be able to enjoy a new look whilst preserving the best elements of the past.
 
 

Partial lockdown ordered for French Riviera

by: Cassandra Tanti
22/02/2021

The Alpes-Maritimes will be placed in to lockdown for the next two weekends as authorities try to counteract a circulation of Covid-19 in the department that is said to be “out of control”.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Bernard Gonzalez, and follows a visit to Nice by France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran On Saturday.
Mr Gonzalez revealed that the incidence rate in the Alpes-Maritimes is now 588 per 100,000 inhabitants, three times higher than the national average.
The situation in Nice is even worse, with the incidence rate reaching as high 735.
In an effort to slow down the contamination rate, linked to the more contagious UK variant, a number of tighter restrictions are coming in to play.
Weekend lockdown
For the next two weekends starting 26th February, a lockdown will kick in at 6pm Friday and remain in place until 6am Monday. Similar to the first lockdown in March 2020, trips to buy groceries, walk the dog or get some exercise will be possible but documentation will be needed and activity is limited to a five-kilometre radius with a one-hour deadline.
The restriction will apply to municipalities stretching from Menton to Théoule-sur-Mer, and take in Nice, Antibes and Cannes.
“The coastal strip of the department is particularly concerned because it concentrates a significant mixing of the population every day,” said Bernard Gonzalez, adding that the aim is “to preserve as much as possible the populations of the valleys, already hard hit by Storm Alex” in October. Around 90% of the department’s population is therefore affected by the measure.
Business closures
The prefect also announced that businesses and retail stores over 5,000 m² will be closed in the Alpes-Maritimes from Tuesday 23rd February for a period of 15 days, with the exception of food stores and pharmacies.
Border checks and random tests
Controls at the Nice Côte d’Azur airport and at the Italian border will be stepped up, said the prefect. “For foreign travelers who will arrive at the airports of the department, there will be PCR tests which can be performed on entire flights chosen at random.”
Vaccination boost
The Alpes-Maritimes is receiving 4,000 more doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine on Monday, adding to the 90,000 doses earmarked for the department and set to be delivered by the end of March. The next stage of the inoculation programme is also kicking into gear, with people aged 50 to 64 and suffering co-morbidities invited to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
GPs in France will be able to administer Covid vaccinations from this Thursday, although doses are said to be extremely limited.
 
Photo by Monaco Life
 
 

Will you accept the challenge?

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/02/2021

British world-record holding long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe is challenging the students of Monaco and their families to practice a minimum of 15 minutes physical activity per day for the Two-15 Challenge.
Paula Radcliffe devoted her life to sport, being a three time winner of the London Marathon, a three time winner of the New York Marathon, and a one time winner of the Chicago Marathon over her long-distance running career.
Now she is challenging young people and their families in Monaco to follow her lead and get active over the school holidays with the Two-15 Challenge.
The programme, a coordinated effort between Radcliffe, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and the Department of National Education, Youth and Sport (DENJS), is a two-week event aimed at getting kids and their loved ones moving.
She had been hosting these events all over Britain when she caught the eye of Princess Charlene, a world-class athlete in her own right. On her Instagram page, Radcliffe shared her delight in having crossed borders to have Monaco interested in being included in her endeavour.
“We are excited to announce that you all did such an amazing job with the Two-15 Challenge that you have inspired others,” she said. “Families on Track are travelling virtually to Monaco to support school children and their families in association with the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation for their own Two-15 Challenge.”
The name Two-15 is a nod to Radcliffe’s world record marathon time of two hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds, which went unbroken for 16 years.
The idea is to encourage students and families to engage in a minimum of 15 minutes of physical activity together every day of the two-week winter half term break. The goal is to offer families “the opportunity to engage in fun activities in complete safety.”
 
 

Date set for CC Forum Monaco 2021

by: Cassandra Tanti
22/02/2021

Five questions for Max Studennikoff, founder of CC Forum (Climate Change Forum), a global investment conference dedicated to sustainability that is set to take place for the second time in Monaco this July.
 
Monaco Life: You held the first ever CC Forum in Monaco last September, how did that go?
Max Studennikoff: We believe that we managed to get all the key messages across. Dedicated to investment in sustainable development, CC Forum Monaco enjoyed the high patronage of HSH Prince Albert II who bestowed his gracious presence to the awards gala and awards giving ceremony, which also saw a performance by Maestro Placido Domingo. The forum highlighted the need to see the pandemic as a reminder, an urge for us all to rethink our relationship with nature and change the ways in which we think in terms of investment and innovation. “Invest sustainably, innovate responsibly” is one of our mottos.
How much of this year’s CC Forum Monaco will be virtual/in-person? 
We are hoping that much of the event this year will be in-person since the world is slowly but surely returning to normal. Live communication is very much needed today, particularly when it comes to high profile investors’ meetings, which the CC Forum is all about. People are tired of zooms and webinars.
What can you tell us about the 2021 event?
This year’s CC Forum Monaco will be held on 6th to 7th July, during the start of the Cannes Film Festival, which this year has been pushed to mid-summer. One of the reasons why we will be holding the Monegasque edition in this particular time frame is that a number of Hollywood celebrities who have been scheduled to attend Cannes will be making a few global announcements at the CC Forum, showcasing or launching their sustainability and charity initiatives. We will share details with Monaco Life readers in due course.
Topics will centre around investment in sustainability and cover traditionally climate change, renewable energies, healthcare, education, finance, fintech and philanthropy. However, we have already begun work on shaping the agenda. One of the days will be dedicated to discussing the opportunities of investment in preserving the Mediterranean and we will be convening the mayors of the biggest Mediterranean cities to take part.
Ahead of the Monegasque edition will be CC Forum Middle East. Can you tell us about that event?
CC Forum Middle East has been our top priority for the last few months. Our inaugural edition will be held in Dubai on 31st March to 1st April. It has two main themes both reflecting two big resets – the revolutionary transition of the GCC area from fossil fuel-based economies to green energies, and ushering in a new economic paradigm following the signing of the Abraham Accords. One of the days of the forum will be dedicated to the new economic relations between Israel and the UAE. We are pleased to say that we have some of the biggest players on board – major investment funds, VC capital firms and angel investors. CC Forum Middle East will have a stellar line-up, an in-depth agenda and a host of networking opportunities.
 
Photo: Max Studennikoff (centre) at the CC Forum Monaco 2020 with Prince Albert II of Monaco