The 16th edition of the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival is featuring 11 dates with an eclectic schedule of performers ranging from 1960’s progressive rock legends Jethro Tull to Cuban Jazz with Bona/Rodriguez.
This year’s Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival is going to be one to remember! Running from 9th November to 4th December at the Opera Garnier Monte-Carlo, the line-up is sure to have something for everyone.
The event starts off with a reunion of the electric quartet of Redman, Mehldau, McBride and Blade: A Moodswing Reunion on 9th November, followed by a special Master Class conference with Alex Jaffray at the Salon Eiffel at the Hermitage Hotel on the 12th.
Then on 23rd November, classic rock stars Jethro Tull return to the stage with their quirky brand of flute-infused rock. The next night on the 24th will be Jazz and Cuba with Richard Bona and Alfredo Rodriguez featuring Michael Olivera and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, with Matt Brewer and Eric Harland playing hip-swinging, get up and dance jazz with a Latin twist.
Next up on the 27th are French jazz rockers Magma and the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra playing side by side in a show blending two worlds to great effect. Two nights later on the 29th is Jazz and Modern Music, a special event put on by the young talents from the Académie Rainier III.
Then there’s two concerts in one on the 30th with Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner and Sofiane Pamart performing jazz and rhythm and blues numbers.
On 1st December, to start the month off right, there will be a Tribute to Chet Baker film screening at the Audio-Visual Institute of Let’s Get Lost by Brice Weber. The following night, on the 2nd, a concert by sultry American singer and composer Melody Gardot will hit the spot for true jazz aficionados.
On the 3rd, Richard Galliano and Anour Brahem will share the night but not the stage in a two-fer concert experience. The Anour Brahem Quartet will play their brand of instrumental music whilst Galliano will demonstrate a different approach with his New York Tango Trio.
The last night has been set aside for Chilly Gonzales. The Canadian musician, songwriter and producer comes for one night only, closing the Festival on the 4th and bringing down the house with him.
Junior champions were crowned on a packed day of tennis on the clay of the Monte-Carlo Country Club (MCCC) this Friday, although the tournament ended in disappointment for Monaco’s Lenny Petit.
Friday marked the end of a three-day event at the MCCC, which for only the second time gathered the brightest prospects of the sport for a tournament that marks the end of the season. The conditions were perfect for the crowning of the U14 and U16 champions in both the boys’ and girls’ categories.
Champions of today, and of tomorrow
The action got underway early on Court A. Ksenia Efremova, competing under a neutral flag, won the opening final of the day in the girls’ U14 tournament (6-4, 6-4).
All matches played on the main court were won in straight sets, but no performance was more dominant than that of German U14s prodigy Diego Dedura-Palomero. He was a class apart, showing strength and technical proficiency that went completely unmatched in all of his games. He swept Nikola Bilozertsev aside (6-0, 6-2) to claim his title and finish the season on a high.
The Czech Republic’s Alena Kovackova beat Romania’s Diana-Ionna Simionescu also in straight sets (6-4, 6-1). However, Kovackova didn’t have things all her own way. The first set looked to be wrapped up at 5-2, but an impressive comeback almost took the set to a deciding game, but Simionescu couldn’t take her final break point opportunities. Once her resistance was broken, the Czech athlete confidently and professionally killed the tie in the second set.
The final game on the main court was the Boys’ U16 final, contested by Norway’s Nicolai Budkov Kjaer and Sweden’s William Rejchtmann. The game was won by the former (6-4, 6-2). A tight first set gave way to one-way traffic in the second.
Speaking to Monaco Life post-match, Budkov Kjaer said, “[The match] was difficult. He is a very good player. I know and I practice with him a lot. I’m glad that I won. He played an unbelievable week, so I’m just happy that I won all of my matches.”
“Of course this year it was a goal for me and my team to reach the Masters, so I’m very happy that I came here. It’s an achievement just to be here. [Next year] I want to try and do well on the ITF. I want to move up the ITF rankings,” he continued.
Ultimately, the dream for all of the players competing in this second edition of the Junior Masters Monte-Carlo is to one day compete here at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, which marks the beginning of the clay season.
“It is very far until we get there (Monte-Carlo Masters). Hopefully one day I will play here on the senior tour. We’ll see!” Budkov Kjaer told Monaco Life.
Monégasque disappointment
For the first time, a player representing the Principality competed in the competition. Having lost on the opening day, Petit then retired through a thigh injury in his final match on Friday. However, after a difficult, injury-hit season, Petit is already looking forward to next season.
“It was incredible [to compete here] with all the supporters and all the support that I had. To play here for Monaco is incredible. I’m a bit disappointed with the tournament I played,” Petit told Monaco Life.
Photo of Lenny Petit by Michaël Alesi
However, playing against the bet in the world in his age category constitutes not only a great achievement but also a reference point for the level that he must reach. “It is true that the best in the world have qualified for this competition. I’m going to continue to give everything to progress further and reach my best level in the future,”
Like all players that represent Monaco, the biggest dream is to play in the Principality’s most prestigious tournament. “I need to progress and continue on my path. It is my dream to be able to play here in a few years [in the Monte-Carlo Masters],” admitted Petit.
In the short term, Petit is looking to have a strong campaign in 2023, telling Monaco Life, “My objective for next season is to have an ATP point and the most important thing is to just continue my progression.”
Should he continue to develop, there is no reason why Petit can’t return for the third edition of the prestigious tournament next year, and once again compete with the stars of tomorrow.
Main photo by Monaco Life
Podcast: Yannick Alléno and Bruno Verjus take fine dining to new heights
The Festival of the Stars has brought together Monaco’s adopted multi-starred chef Yannick Alléno and two-starred Bruno Verjus for an “only in Monaco” gastronomic experience.
The Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) may boast seven Michelin stars amongst its establishments in Monaco, but there’s always room for more, especially if they’re some of the brightest stars in the world.
This year marked the second edition of SBM’s Festival of the Stars Monte-Carlo, held at some of the company’s most famous restaurants.
It began at Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris where the man himself, Alain Ducasse, collaborated with his chef Emmanuel Pilon and triple-Michelin star awardee Clare Smyth from the UK for a special lunch and dinner service.
On 7th October, Monte-Carlo Bay’s two-starred Marcel Ravin and modernist Australian chef Shaun Hergatt came together for a “four hands dinner” where both chefs drew on their roots and surroundings for inspiration.
Yannick Alléno at his Pavyllon Monte-Carlo restaurant, Hôtel Hermitage. Photo courtesy of Monte-Carlo SBM
By 15th October, the Festival of the Stars was well underway and it was time for Yannick Alléno, who holds a total of three Michelin stars across two restaurants, and his Pavyllon Monte-Carlo restaurant to take the reins.
The Paris-based chef called on his “very close friend”, two-starred Bruno Verjus, to propose something new for his guests because, as Alléno says, “life is too difficult to waste time not enjoying it and sharing good times with friends”.
It was an invitation that Verjus, who opened his first restaurant at age 54, could not turn down. “When Yannick Alléno invites you, you always feel super happy,” the chef tells Monaco Life. “I don’t really belong to this world of chefs because I arrived to this story only nine years ago, but Yannick has always taken care of me; he was always very interested in what I was doing with food, with the products. What Yannick and I do with food is love, in a way.”
The food writer-come-two Michelin star chef has a deep passion for sustainable ingredients. At his restaurant Table in Paris, the dishes are often dictated by the suppliers and what they can provide that day.
“It means you are not in your comfort zone, always repeating the same story with the same dishes in the same way,” says Verjus. “It pushes my staff to be creative, to think and not just do. It is a super good energy.”
That good energy translates on the plate to Jardin éphémère – a bold and beautiful beetroot “millefeuille”; Bruno’s revolutionary mi-cru-mi-cuit (half raw, half cooked) lobster; and Japanese-style sea bass, hung for three days and enriched by its own natural fats, served with Oscietra Petrossian Caviar.
Half raw, half cooked lobster by Bruno Verjus, photo courtesy of Monte-Carlo SBM
But it is his chocolate tart, infused with capers and topped with caviar, that highlights why “King Bruno” has a three-month waiting list at his Parisian restaurant.
“I love Bruno because he is a fanatic, and he does fanatic food!” laughs Alléno.
Thankfully, there is no three month-wait in Monaco. The Festival of the Stars is a unique opportunity for residents and visitors to try world-famous cuisine without having to step foot out of the Principality.
Bruno’s signature dishes are positioned in a nine-course gastronomic menu that includes Yannick’s Alléno’s delicate tempura Shiso leaf; his signature Badaboum egg with caviar; scallops with rich Jamón ibérico extraction (a groundbreaking technique founded by Alléno); foie gras-stuffed cabbage with lamb rack; and pear galette.
And if that isn’t enough, all the dishes come together right before your very eyes. Seated at the counter, you can watch the chefs “dance” around their stations to form each plate, before the legend himself places it in front of you, cutting open your Badaboum egg to reveal the caviar surprise, or finishing it with a shaving of fresh truffle. You can chat with the chefs, ask questions, praise them and press them for their secrets.
Chou farci au foie gras de canard by Yannick Alléno, photo courtesy of Monte-Carlo SBM
It is one of the drawcards of the Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, a sister to Yannick Alléno’s Pavyllon Paris restaurant. It’s only been open a matter of months at the Hermitage Hotel, but Alléno believes that it has been lovingly embraced by the local community, as has he.
“Today I am a Monaco chef, I feel Monegasque,” he smiles.
Next up at the Pavyllon Monte-Carlo is a “creative” weekend brunch (it wouldn’t be Alléno if it wasn’t creative), a perfect excuse to spend cosy days in this beautifully designed restaurant.
The fourth and final collaboration of Festival of the Stars took place on 21st and 22nd October at Le Grill, where newly appointed Executive Chef Dominique Lory was joined by Italian two-star chef Davide Oldani for a never-before-seen fusion of Riviera flavours and mouth-water “pop cuisine” (cucina pop).
Stay tuned for our next interview and book your place now for the Festival of the Stars grand finale gala on 26th November, when Alain Ducasse, Yannick Alléno, Dominique Lory and Marcel Ravin come together to cook for one spectacular evening at the Salle des Arts at One Monte-Carlo.
To hear the full interview by Monaco Life’s Cassandra Tanti with Yannick Alléno and Bruno Verjus, click on the Podcast at the top of this article!
Halloween, All Saints’ Eve or Toussaint: whatever you call it in your house, Monaco has something for every family to enjoy.
The Great Halloween Games
From 2pm to 5.30pm on 31st October at the Princesse Antoinette Park, this event is for all children aged six and over who attend school in Monaco. Visitors are invited to dress up in costume to take on a new game, Dia de los Muertos, and win sweets along the way.
Children in the Sixème to Quatrième are invited to a bash from 6pm to 10pm on 31st October, which will feature a DJ, dancing and a photo booth set-up so the scariest monsters can be forever memorialised.
Monaco-resident students can invite one non-resident friend of the same age, though tickets for the non-resident must be purchased at the same time as the Monaco resident. Tickets are €15 and include unlimited soft drinks, as well as treats. For more info, visit the website on www.espaceleoferre.mc.
Night-time adventures at the Centre Botanique
For something a bit different, children eight years and older are invited to come on a night-time adventure in the greenhouses of the Centre Botanique (part of Monaco’s Jardin Exotique). This event runs from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on 31st October and registration is required by calling +377 93 15 29 80.
Dia de los Muertos
To celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the Monaco Latin American Association (AMLA) is throwing a charity Halloween Fiesta Night alongside the Golden Voices Music Awards and MIMA Club on 29th October. The evening will feature a live Latin concert at 8.pm, in Port Hercule, followed by a dinner-dance at Jack’s Restaurant with a DJ and prizes awarded for the best costumes. Face painting and other games and goodies will be provided.
10% of proceeds from ticket sales with go to charitable endeavours. Please email contact@mimaclubmonaco.com or call 06 34 61 17 64 for further information.
Monaco Mediathèque
The Monaco Media Library is also hosting a series of daytime events throughout the latter half of October with Halloween-themed fun to be had. Children can be involved in parent-child workshops, join in on games and even create a spell-book for Monaco’s budding witches and wizards. The library will also host cinema events, with popcorn of course, and a reading of Gaïa and Rosie, the Little Witches. Older children are also welcome to come to an evening of horror film-inspired games. For a full listing of events and times, visit www.mediatheque.mc.
Musée d’Anthropologie Préhistorique de Monaco
Two dates to remember for the MAP: 27th October between 2pm and 4pm for children over six with clay-making and skeleton ateliers, and 2nd November between 10am and 12pm for three to five-year-olds who want to discover terrifying animals from pre-history.
Reservations are required in advance for both activities. Please visit www.map-mc.org.
“We can rely on entrepreneurs to get us through challenging times”
EY is commonly known as one of the world’s ‘Big Four’ accounting firms. It also organises the annual EY World Entrepreneur Of the Year (WEOY) Awards in Monaco – the ultimate global competition for entrepreneurs, those that are reinventing industries, revitalising economies, and reimagining a new era of diversity, sustainability and prosperity.
What sets EY apart is its global commitment to ‘Build a better working world’. The current EY World Entrepreneur Of the Year theme is ‘How can one person make a world of difference?’. The 2022 winner was Gaston Taratuta, an Argentinian entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Aleph. Taratuta has revolutionised digital advertising by enabling companies in emerging markets to advertise on the world’s largest digital platforms. He also invests in educational programs that help people in emerging countries develop professional careers in digital media.
Continuing the honours, fashion designer Stella McCartney received the EY Social Entrepreneurship Award 2022 for Sustainability. McCartney is a well-known environmental and animal activist, and her label uses innovative materials and cutting-edge technologies to reduce environmental impact and improve sustainable methods of production, like sustainable faux furs and fabric made from recycled plastic bottles.
Each year, EY recognises unstoppable entrepreneurial achievements among individuals and companies that demonstrate vision, leadership and success, on both a local and global scale. The firm boasts a powerful network of over 300,000 employees and one million alumni, each inspiring others during their time at EY and beyond.
Stasia Mitchell, EY Global Entrepreneurship Leader, champions an ecosystem of entrepreneurial programs, relationships, and opportunity drivers around the world. I recently spoke to Stasia about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, the importance of connections, and what’s currently trending in the business world.
Stasia Mitchell with 2022 EY World Entrepreneur Of the Year winner Gaston Taratuta
Monaco Life: How and why does EY have such a strong focus on supporting entrepreneurs?
Stasia Mitchell: As EY was founded by two entrepreneurs in the US, it’s such a pleasure for me to continue the legacy of our global entrepreneurial program, which is the only known global program of its kind. We work with entrepreneurs across 60+ countries with the goal to connect them with other people’s projects and resources that will empower them. Also, as advisors to the ambitious, we help entrepreneurs in their growth journeys to deliver long term value and build a better working world.
What I enjoy most about WEOY are all the connections we make. We have the opportunity to bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders and other passionate voices, who, without this program, would likely never have this type of access or engagement. The networking amongst the entrepreneurs is about connecting the dots to build stronger companies that make a world of difference. Right now, there are so many variables separating and dividing us as humans, but I don’t see those as obstacles, they’re actually challenges and opportunities to create an ecosystem. We built a space for the commonality of these people to come together, because they’re entrepreneurs, they’re builders, they’re creators. And when that commonality flourishes, it creates a bridge to get on the same agenda, including the need to be more sustainable and drive diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Entrepreneurs are tough and tenacious, they never give up, they will continue to grow despite any conditions or challenges. We can rely on them to help get us through challenging times.”
What trends are you seeing amongst entrepreneurs nowadays as opposed to, say, five years ago?
I love seeing entrepreneurs prove that they will continue to take on the world’s greatest challenges. What we saw entrepreneurs achieve during the pandemic — their solutions and the speed at which they were brought to the table — I was blown away. It was a global rallying cry to get to a much better place.
I read a passage once that referred to entrepreneurs as weeds, but in a positive way. They’re tough and tenacious, they never give up, they will continue to grow despite any conditions or challenges. We can rely on them to help get us through challenging times.
We are also seeing underserved or underprivileged groups of entrepreneurs rise up. For example, young entrepreneurs, women, Black, Hispanic and Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, and disabled entrepreneurs. These are the newcomers to entrepreneurship, and these are the people that need to be supported.
How do you foster a good entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurs are inherently very curious people, and they need access to other entrepreneurs to feed that curiosity, learn and grow. A lot of the time when I ask people “what entrepreneur inspires you?”, they say Elon Musk and Richard Branson, but they’re less accessible. So, as an Australian, I would say to you, for example, “Cassandra, do you know that in your country, you have Jo Horgan of MECCA Cosmetica, a leading luxury beauty and skincare platform and retailer? You have Linda Brown who founded and operates Torrens University, Australia’s fastest-growing, internationally recognised university?”
When you bring it back to that local level and make that connection, it’s like, ‘Holy smokes! There are people literally in my backyard doing amazing things and maybe I could do something like that!’ To foster entrepreneurship, we’re creating awareness and then connecting them to people that can mentor them, can coach them, can take them through the journey.
EY also invests in assets that help entrepreneurs discover what they need to do. Because as an entrepreneur, you’re going to have a lot of ups and downs. Our EY 7 Drivers of Growth is a framework that was built by entrepreneurs and supported by EY, that takes them on their different growth journey. Entrepreneurs are always looking to the future, so you need to constantly challenge their thinking. I think EY does a very good job of being a little bit provocative in terms of disruptive thinking. We recently launched a Disruptive Tech Program and EY Tech University in Palo Alto, California, and so we actually have centres around the world to deliver this art of the possible or disruptive mindset.
EY in Monaco. Photo source: EY
Do you think Monaco is an entrepreneur-friendly city? What do you think about the digital transition that is occurring here and how this will serve the Principality in attracting entrepreneurs?
I believe there are more billionaires in Monaco per square metre than anywhere else in the world. So, I would say that you have the founders who can become the funders.
Offline GDP is absolutely moving to online digital GDP. It’s happening now. What Monaco can do is what we’ve done – create a community to drive more activity. And if they could host people in diverse sectors, that would be amazing. If you bring youth, different genders, different races, different types of people to Monaco who have innovative thinking and then fund their innovation, that would be a beautiful thing.
Monaco is an important place for EY, it is where you have your EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards ceremony. What was it like returning to the Principality in 2022 after two years of Covid cancellations?
The energy was electric, I can’t even describe the feeling. But it was more than buzz. We were able to bring our last three years’ of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year classes, including people who could not fully experience this unique event because of the pandemic. In a lot of ways, bringing these visionaries back to the Principality represented how entrepreneurs are key drivers in launching us forward from the global challenges we faced over the last few years.
From the timeless Joséphine Baker and Charles Aznavour to modern day icons Prince and Lady Gaga, the concert halls of Monaco have, over the last 100 years, welcomed many of the world’s finest musical acts to its stages. In a new exhibition, Monaco On Stage: 100 Years of Concerts in Monaco, the Principality honours a century of these artists, who have performed in its prestigious venues such as the Salle des Etoiles and the Opéra Garnier.
The exhibition is being supported by Société des Bains de Mer and the Direction des Affaires Culturelles de Monaco with Composer and ProducerAlex Jaffray and Scenographer Rudy Sabounghi curating a ‘backstage’ experience for visitors.
Step behind the velvet curtains of the stage and discover the behind-the-scenes workings of these great concerts and listen to moving extracts from the performances themselves, including The Beatles, the Police and Supertramp.
Hosting this special exhibit is the Salle d’Exposition on Quai Antoine Ier. The exhibition is free to all and can be visited Tuesday through to Sunday from 1pm to 7pm until 31st December 2022 (exceptional closures on 19th November and 25th December).
