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Day: 18 June 2023

Princely family enjoy spectacular Rainier III Academy Gala Concert

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/06/2023

Prince Albert II, Princess Caroline of Hanover, Princess Stéphanie and her daughter Camille Gottlieb watched on in honour as the Rainier III Academy hosted a gala concert in honour of the late Prince. 

The Rainier III Academy Gala Concert was held on Wednesday 14th June at the Rainier III Auditorium. Joining the Princely family for the special occasion was Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy, Minister of State Pierre Dartout, Archbishop of Monaco Dominique-Marie David, Mayor Georges Marsan and numerous government ministers, representatives of the Prince’s Palace and the National Council.

In his welcoming address, Mayor Georges Marsan recalled how much Prince Rainier III left his mark on Monaco’s relationship with the performing arts and how much music, in all its forms, was fully at the heart of his generosity.

Georges Marsan then gave the floor to Jade Sapolin, Director of the Rainier III Academy, who presented the program for the evening, thanking the teachers and students for their involvement in the preparation of the concert, held as part of the Prince Rainier III centenary celebrations.

Students had the honour of being accompanied by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, while Jules Renoux performed several extracts from the letters of Prince Rainier III addressed to French conductor Nadia Boulanger.

The evening included a speech by Karyn Ardisson Salopek, in charge of Culture and Delegate to the Rainier III Academy, who presented a violin designed and made by students from the violin-making workshop and their teacher, Roberto Masini, in homage to Prince Rainier III. The piece, which required more than 400 hours of work, was offered to Prince Albert II.

The second part of the evening began with excerpts from the tale ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry by the Theater Department, then the stage was given to classes from the other departments of the Academy: early music, electro-acoustics, jazz and voice.

The concert ended with the ‘Symphony of the new world’ by Antonin Dvorak, performed by the class of the department of Collective Practices and the Youth Orchestra of the Academy.

 

 

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Photo: Ed Wright Images, Mairie de Monaco

 

 

Monaco’s Prince Albert hosts Moroccan and Saudi royals at ocean summit

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/06/2023

Prince Albert II welcomed royals, including Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco and Princess Hala bint Khaled bin Sultan Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, to the third edition of the recent Ocean Decade summit.

Showing that environmental matters have truly gone global, an international congress of world leaders and philanthropic foundations headed to Monaco between 14th and 16th June for the third edition of the Foundations’ Dialogue for the Ocean Decade summit.

MONACO IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The first two editions of the summit, held each year to promote exchanges between philanthropic foundations focused on ocean sciences, were held in Demark and Morocco respectively. This year, with Monaco as the chosen venue, it was fitting that Prince Albert II opened with a few words about his thoughts on a topic he holds dear and to which he has clear views on.

“The preservation of our planet is based on four pillars,” he said. “The first is science, without which nothing would be possible. Then there are the political, national and international organisations. They must strengthen the laws and regulations that will allow us to reconcile human activity with the conservation of nature. There are also businesses, whose vital role is becoming increasingly apparent, because they hold the main technological innovations, and we must resolve the issues at stake. Finally, we have civil society, NGOs whose action is increasingly needed, whether they are carrying out conservation enterprises on the ground or playing a political role in raising awareness. These four pillars generally represent grounds for hope in solving the major challenges that we have before us.”

DISTINGUISHED GUEST SPEAKERS

The list of participants included Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco and Princess Hala bint Khaled bin Sultan Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia.

During her speech, Azoulay said, “We need to get to know the sea better and that’s the whole challenge of this decade of ocean sciences… The ocean will survive without us, but we will not survive without it. If we want the ocean to remain as we know it today, we must act and we must act on the basis of science.”

Princess Lalla, in her roles as President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection and a central sponsor of the Alliance for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, is a key international figure in the fight for ocean conservation.

“I see the sea as a source of unity rather than separation,” she declared. “We must act decisively and quickly to protect our Atlantic and Indian coasts from rising waters and pollution. I say this for Africa, my continent.”

Princess Hala is equally as committed, serving on the Board of Directors at the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation.

The Foundations Dialogue of the UN Decade of Ocean Science is an informal global network of community, corporate and private foundations that have chosen to work together to support the vision of the Ocean Decade.

The event was co-organised in Monaco by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

 

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Photo credit: Palais Princier de Monaco

IBSA and David Trezeguet recognised in 2023 Sports for Nature Awards

by: Luke Entwistle
18/06/2023
Prince Albert II at the Sports for Nature Awards

Former France international forward David Trezeguet and Swiss pharmaceutical company IBSA were amongst those recognised in the 2023 Sports For Nature Awards, held at the Monaco Yacht Club (YCM) on Friday. 

Under the high patronage of Prince Albert II, in attendance at the YCM for the second edition of the event, and the first in Monaco, the winners of the 2023 awards were named. Alberto Bona, a skipper in the latest edition of the Route du Rhum; Yohann Taberlet a French Paralympic skier; David Trezeguet, a former AS Monaco forward and World Cup-winner with France back in 1998; and IBSA a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company were all awarded for their concrete commitment towards protecting the environment through their sporting activities.

Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

The association, created by Stefano Tirelli last year, seeks to reward international athletes that use their platform to spread environmentalist messages. On the eve of Friday’s event at the YCM, high-level sportspeople, who are ambassadors of climate activism, gathered at the Hermitage for the awarding of three green ambassadors, one of which was IBSA.

A partnership with the Antibes Yacht Club

The pharmaceutical company have been rewarded for their commitment to raising awareness of issues surrounding social integration and inclusion through its work in sailing.

“In France, we have chosen to be a partner of the Antibes Yacht Club (International Yacht Club d’Antibes, IYCA) in order to support great inclusive sailing initiatives. We have, in 2022, donated two boats adapted for children with disabilities, to involve them in experiences in close contact with the sea, allowing them to sail with accessible boats and participate in integrated races,” said IBSA’s CEO in France Fabrice Jover.

Photo of Prince Albert II by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

The event also provided an opportunity for counter-admiral, director of the Hydrographic Institute of the Marina of Genoa and vice-president of Sport For Nature Monaco, Massimiliano Nannini, to speak about his institute’s journey to the North Pole in front of the attentive Prince Albert II, who is no stranger to the region, nor its precarious existence.

Using the voices of renowned international athletes as a vessel to amplify an environmentalist message is at the heart of the Sport For Nature project, and through a third edition of the awards, which will take place in Milan later this year, and a fourth edition in Monaco this time next year, those voices will garner even greater reach.

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Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

Government tours newest state-funded housing projects Honoria and Réséda

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/06/2023

The Honoria and Réséda residence buildings, among the best state funded housing projects in the world, are nearing completion with the first Monegasque citizens set to move in in a matter of weeks.

The micro-state of Monaco has a very ambitious – and generous – housing plan to accommodate its native citizens, who would otherwise be priced out of what is the most expensive real estate market in the world.

State-owned housing is allocated to Monegasque households in line with their income and a strict call for applications applies to each new residential building.

The latest call took place between 29th August and 23rd September 2022, and 304 homes were allocated including those in the new Honoria and Réséda (Testimonio II) developments.

Tour of Honoria and Réséda

On Friday 16th June, Monaco’s Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning Céline Caron-Dagioni, Minister of Economy and Finance Jean Castellini, President of the National Council Brigitte Boccone-Pages, and several elected officials visited the ‘Tour Honoria’ and ‘Tour Réséda’.

‘Honoria’, located on boulevard Belgique, consists of 84 apartments as well as a crèche which will be managed by the Mairie. Delivery of this new building is scheduled for this month and the first tenants will be able to move in during the summer of 2023.

The ‘Réséda Tower’ is part of the Testimonio II development on Boulevard d’Italie and it has a total of 197 apartments, following a decision to raise it by five additional floors. It’s due to receive residents in the first quarter of 2024.

“During this visit, those present were able to appreciate the quality of the apartments and look forward to future visits by the Monegasque beneficiaries. State tenants will thus be housed in very good conditions,” said the Prince’s Government in a statement. “These two operations constitute major achievements within the framework of the major efforts undertaken for several years by the Government for the housing of Monegasques in accordance with the wishes of H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince.”

Substantial funding of around €1 billion had been made available for housing construction between 2019 to 2023 alone. 

SEE ALSO:

Exclusive interview: Daniele Marzocco on building Monaco’s landmark skyscrapers

 

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