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Month: August 2021

Monaco mourns passing of famed conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/08/2021

Former Conductor and Artistic Director of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra Gianluigi Gelmetti has died at the age of 75.

News of the death of celebrated conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti on 10th August in Monaco has spurred an outpouring of grief and remembrances fitting for such a beloved figure.

Gelmetti was Artistic and Musical Director in at the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic (OPMC) from 2012 to 2016. His illustrious career saw him at the helm at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and finally in the Principality. 

The Philharmonic released a statement on Thursday morning, stating, “It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors, the Management and all the musicians and staff of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra have just learned of the death this morning in Monaco of the former Artistic and Musical Director and Honorary Conductor of the orchestra: Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti.”

They went on to say, current Maestro Kazuki Yamada, who had a deep respect and a particular affection for the Maestro, “joins all the forces of the OPMC to offer their most sincere condolences to his wife Stefania and his daughter Biancalaura, as well as to all his very many friends. We share their pain and will pay tribute to him as it should be later.”

Born in Rome in 1945, Gianluigi Gelmetti comes from a creative family. His father was a pianist and his mother, a poet. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecila where his instructor saw raw talent in the young man.

Gelmetti’s last performance at the OPMC was Requiem by Verdi, performed just before the first lockdown as part of an Italian week concert series put on by La Dante Monaco, which he was former president of.

News of Gianluigi Gelmetti’s passing came the same day the government announced the Principality’s 34th Covid victim, a 75-year-old resident, however no official connection has yet been made. 
 
 
 

Explained: How foreign tourists can access the health pass

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/08/2021

The French government has created a new system for non-EU travellers to obtain a health pass certificate. The news came the same day as the requirement for health passes for several daily activities went into effect.
As of 9th August, a health pass is mandatory in France for entry to cafes, restaurants, bars, hospitals and long-distance train and bus travel. For EU residents, obtaining a certificate is quite a simple procedure, but for non-EU visitors, the waters had been slightly muddied until now.
Previously, people from outside the Schengen zone had to find a pharmacy who would accept their vaccination cards in exchange for the French version, or hope that the places they visited would allow them to enter without the QR scan.
Now, tourists can convert vaccination certificates from their home countries into the French one with the QR code to be used just as a resident or citizen does.
“Initially, this system is only open to non-EU tourists who are already in France or who will arrive on or before 15th August,” the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Monday.
For foreign tourists who arrive after the 15th, Minister for Tourism Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne explains that they can submit their applications.
In order to apply, the traveller will be required to provide a vaccination certificate showing full vaccinations, a valid passport, return airline tickets and the application form in PDF, JPG or PNG form.
Applicants from the United States are asked to send their completed dossier to area1.covid-pass@diplomatie.gouv.fr. Those from Canada must remit to area2.covid-pass@diplomatie.gouv.fr, and for all other countries, the forms go to area3.covid-pass@diplomatie.gouv.fr
The subject line must state the country of residence and the surname followed by the given name of the applicant.
“As soon as the application has been processed, the QR code will be sent by e-mail,” the ministry explains. “The code can then be printed out and presented on paper or electronically and will have no expiry date.”
It is also possible to undertake the same process with a negative test result, but the certificate will only be valid for 72 hours.
All travel guidance information can be found on the Foreign Ministry website at https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coronavirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france
 
 
Photo by Monaco Life
 
 
 

Date set for 'No Time to Die' Monaco premiere

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/08/2021

The screening of the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, will take place at the historic Opera Garnier in September after a disappointing postponement due to the pandemic in 2020.

Bond is back!

The 25th instalment of the wildly popular spy film series is holding its premiere in Monaco on 29th September, one day before the film is released in the United Kingdom and over a week before the USA release.

The Principality was chosen for Princess Grace Foundation USA winner Cary Joji Fukunaga, who directed the latest in the series. The red-carpet event will host the director and Prince Albert II among distinguished guests. 

The film sees Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as the debonair British MI6 agent 007. In the film, Bond has left active service after his last mission. He is approached by friend and CIA agent Felix Leiter, who asks for his help in finding a missing scientist. The pair learn the scientist has been abducted and is in the hands of a villain, whose scheme to use the scientist for his own ends could result in the deaths of millions of innocent people.

Following the exclusive film screening, a Casino Royale Dinatoire will be held at the Casino de Monte-Carlo.

Proceeds from the premier event will go to a new Princess Grace award for up-and-coming filmmakers in honour of Princess Grace Foundation USA founding member, former Bond and long-time Monaco resident Sir Roger Moore, who passed away in 2017.

The event is sponsored by and partnered with the Société des Bains de Mer, Blackwell Rum and the Monaco Ambassadors Club, and proudly supported by Monaco Life as a media partner.

 
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New film grant to honour Sir Roger Moore

 

Who will succeed Cristiano Ronaldo for the Golden Foot Award?

by: Cassandra Tanti
12/08/2021

Lionel Messi is among the 10 candidates nominated for this year’s Golden Foot Award and a coveted position on the famous Champion’s Promenade in the Principality of Monaco.
Voting is now open for the public to choose their preferred winner for the prestigious award, due to take place in Monaco in November. Football enthusiasts have until 31st October to make their selection.
The 10 nominees this year are Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Giorgio Chiellini, Neymar Jr., MohamedSalah, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Agüero, Gerard Piqu, Karim Benzema and Romelu Lukaku.
The Golden Foot Award can only be awarded to a working footballer who is 28-years-old or younger and it is the only prize in the world that a footballer can win only once in their career.
The winner, or more specifically their footprint, is immortalised on the Champion’s Promenade, behind the Grimaldi Forum.
Previous winners include Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Pel, Eusebio, Zinedine Zidane, George Best,Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Roberto Baggio.
The 19th Golden Foot Awards and the imprinting ceremony will take place on 9th November, and include a Champions Gala at the Fairmont Monte-Carlo. It will also include the Golden Foot Legend Award celebrating great legends of the past, as well as the Golden Foot Prestige, a prize instituted in 2020 and exclusively reserved for a club president still in activity.
Created and organised by World Champions Club in the Principality of Monaco, the Golden Foot Award was born in 2003 and has been running since the first edition under the High Patronage of HSH Prince Albert II.
To vote, visit the website: https://goldenfoot.com
 
 
Photo courtesy the Golden Foot Awards
 
 

‘Seven Marine Beauties’ at the Columbus Hotel

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/08/2021

An exhibition is being held at the Columbus Hotel featuring works by artist Ti’Ou whose passion for scuba diving and the sea has inspired her bold collection of water dwelling creatures.

“Artist by nature” Ti’Ou grew up in Nice as an avid scuba diver with a particular affection for the Mediterranean. This infatuation with the sea inspired her as she grew up and became an artist by trade, creating wondrous sculptures made from clay and metal.

Now she is exhibiting her works at the Columbus Hotel so that others may enjoy her beautifully fluid sculptures of marine animals and life. The show, called 7 Marine Beauties, will be on display until 31st August.

She explains the thought that goes into making her pieces, saying, “I work in various media, particularly clay to draw in volume the clean lines of sublimated marine animals, with offbeat hues, luminous and shimmering as under the sun piercing the sea with its rays.”

As well as being an artist, Ti’Ou is the founder of an association that promotes environmental education called Terre de Vrai. The organisation aims to raise awareness of marine biodiversity by showcasing its beauty and inspire people to take steps to preserve it.

The show is very much in line with the Monegasque ethos, which has long championed ocean protection measures and has taken many steps over the years in this direction.

Some of her works include a sleek black sea lion playfully angled on its back, a large, detailed crevette, with delicate whiskers, a hammerhead shark in clay, iron and acrylic coloured with bronze oxide giving it an extraordinary hue, and a majestic Beluga whale, cleanly lined all in white.

All her works can be taken home by collectors looking for pieces which are at once lovely to look at and helping ocean conservation.
 
 
 

Smooth sailing for Palermo-Monte Carlo

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/08/2021

The Palermo-Monte Carlo race, cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, is returning in August and set to be one of the year’s most exciting water events.
The Palermo-Monte Carlo race has been a Mediterranean classic almost since its inception in 2005. Created by Circolo della Vela Sicilia President Angelo Randazzo, the five hundred nautical mile course continues to attract new entrants and entice old-timers again and again.
The 2020 edition of the race was forced to cancel as a result of the health crisis, but this year, it is smooth sailing for all.
Put on as a group effort by Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the Yacht Club of Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the action starts this year on Saturday 21st August at noon sharp and ending on the 26th.
For seasoned sailors such as Mauro Pelaschier, Jochen Schümann, Francesco Bruni, Philippe Monnet and four-time America’s Cup winner Brad Butterworth, this is a chance to race against the clock to beat previously held records, and for others, it’s an opportunity to live a real sea adventure with friends and family.
The race departs at noon from the Gulf of Mondello, a breathtaking show in one of the most beautiful seascapes of the entire Mediterranean.
Once leaving Mondello, the fleet of Maxis, Multihulls, ORC / IRC hulls and vintage boats will make their way towards the Strait of Bonifacio, an obligatory passage managed by the staff of the YC Costa Smeralda and then will have to choose whether to pass Corsica on the right or on the left. They then make the straight shot towards the finish line at the Yacht Club of Monaco.
The last Palermo-Monte Carlo attracted 57 boats from all over the globe. The winner in 2019 was Miguel Galuccio’s Maxi Vera from Argentina, led by Dutch skipper Bouwe Bekking and Michele Regolo. This year, it’s anyone’s race to win, so don’t miss a minute of the action and fun.
 
 
Photo by Carloni-Raspar/CVS