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.
Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Photo: Ed Wright Images, Mairie de Monaco