Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene joined award-winning theatre, dance, and film artists in New York on Thursday for the Princess Grace Awards, where Princess Charlene also revealed the new Grace Diamond necklace to the world.
The Princess Grace Foundation USA Awards ceremony was held at the glorious 583 Park Avenue, an historic building from 1920s New York that has been recently restored.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene joined members of the Kelly Family, Foundation board members, Crown Patrons of the Foundation, and notable luminaries and industry leaders for the special event, honouring this year’s class of Princess Grace Award winners in theatre, dance and film.
“The Princess Grace Foundation-USA was delighted to return to an in-person celebration of our newest class of Princess Grace Award winners,” Brisa Carleton, CEO Princess Grace Foundation USA told Monaco Life. “Covid has had a devastating and long-term impact on artists and we recognise that our financial support is needed now more than ever before to ensure that these incredible emerging artists can take the first key steps of their career. There’s no doubt the artists that we had the privilege to celebrate will shape the cultural landscape in the future.”
Photo left to right: Jeanette Fantone, Katie Mathews, Jahmil Eady, Princess Charlene of Monaco and Their Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Río Castañeda, Diana Milena Ojeda Castellanos, Hazel McKibbin and Kelechi Agwuncha. Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Princess Grace Foundation – USA
Princess Charlene had the honour of wearing the pink Grace Diamond for its world premier, the spectacular La Vie en Rose, created by renowned Place Vendôme designer Lorenz Bäumer.
The 1.79-carat Grace Diamond presented by Maison Mazerea in collaboration with Grace de Monaco, the first global luxury brand for good, pays tribute to Princess Grace’s legacy and also establishes Princess Charlene as a steward of the iconic jewel. The Grace Diamond is designed to capture the world’s attention and direct focus to those whose work is ultimately about leaving the world a better place.
As the first ever to wear the Grace Diamond, Princess Charlene has set a magical story of philanthropy in motion. After a year, the Grace Diamond in La Vie en Rose will be replaced by another Fancy Colour diamond and the necklace will be sold at auction, with a share of the proceeds to benefit the Foundation Awards Program.
Photo left to right: Gabriela Saker, Siena Zoë Allen, Francisco Mendoza, Dane Edidi, Princess Charlene of Monaco,Their Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Britnie Narcisse, Abigail C. Onwunali, Shayok Misha Chowdhury and Héctor Alvarez. Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Princess Grace Foundation – USA
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert, vice president of the Foundation that was established by his father Prince Rainier III after the death of Princess Grace, spent the night meeting and congratulating the award winners.
“Prince Albert has been passionately committed to upholding his mother’s legacy,” said Brisa Carleton. “He gets such joy from meeting the new artists and learning about their work. It was extra special to be able to celebrate with Princess Charlene as well this year.”
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) legend Georges Saint-Pierre speaks about his entry into the fighting world, the evolution of his sport and his interest in UFOs in a wide-ranging interview with Monaco Life.
The two-time UFC World Champion recently assumed the role of the President of the Jury at the recent Sportel awards in Monaco, which is where we catch up with the now-retired legendary fighter.
When one asks Saint-Pierre a question, you never know exactly where he will take you, and which tangent he will lead you on. That’s all part of the charm of the smiley Québecois, who delved into the sad circumstances that led him into the sport as well as the positive and negative evolution of MMA and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). But, during our interview, in no context is he more loquacious than when talking about an interest outside of the cage: UFOs.
Monaco Life: Whilst MMA has rocketed in popularity in recent years, that wasn’t the case when you first entered the sport in 2002. What pushed you into the UFC Octagon?
Georges Saint-Pierre: I started doing martial arts because I was a victim of bullying at school. I started doing ‘self defence’ to defend myself and saw that I was very talented. I worked really hard and the ‘self defence’ transformed into a passion. Following on from that, I did competitions, I won titles and I developed a lot of love for it. And now, I earn my living from it.
From the outside, MMA is a sport based very much on respect for one’s opponent. Is that how it is from the inside as well?
Certain fighters use intimidation. It’s a very mental sport, lots of guys use psychology. They use Mohamed Ali’s quote: “Love me, hate me, but don’t ignore me.” Conor McGregor, for example: he wants to get himself noticed to make money. And that’s what attracts people too. If everyone was kind, we wouldn’t interest anyone! Me, I stay authentic to who I am. Martial arts have taught me values that I’ve transposed into my life – respect in particular. However, that’s not to say that fighters who show off, who are arrogant, are bad people. It’s just that, for him, that’s the best way of making himself known. I don’t need to do that, personally. I stay true to myself. And that works well for me.
You’ve already referenced McGregor: he has been the face of the sport for the past few years. During that time, would you say that the sport has changed?
There have certainly been changes [in the sport]. We’re in a universe where everything is online with social media. Everything is made fake. We don’t have human interaction in the way that we used to. Before, when I’d meet a woman, we’d go to a bar and have a drink. Now, it’s on online apps. People work like that.
The world has changed, it’s another generation. I’m old – I’m 41 – and I can only observe the change. Some people have difficulties adapting. The fighters adapt and want to show off, even if that means receiving insults online. They want to get people talking about them. I’m not like that. I advocate for respect, but I know other fighters who like to be arrogant with their components because they win on a psychological level. This puts them at an advantage. It allows them to put more weight on their shoulders to perform better. It’s a different strategy.
Has that ‘different strategy’ tinged your love for the sport at all? Do you still tune into every fight?
No, I don’t watch all the fighters, there are too many now. I watch those who I like the most. I watch the champions because they’re very high level. By watching them, I can continue to learn. There was one really interesting one last weekend (Islam Makhachev defeating Charles Oliveira) who won from a masterful performance. I like watching fights sometimes.
UFC has a strategy: crush the competition. They decided to do more galas to flatten down the little organisations who were looking to climb. It’s a strategy they’ve used that has worked really well because they have the monopoly. It’s a shame for us, the fighters, because when we renegotiate our contracts, there’s no competition. It’s UFC or nothing.
Despite the clear issues within the sport, do you still believe that there is a positive momentum around MMA?
Yes, it’s on a positive path. Sooner or later, there will be a union in the sport to allow the athletes to have better conditions. Currently, the athletes are underpaid. We only hear from the ‘headline acts’ like me, Conor… The reality is the successes are really slim. The majority of athletes don’t have money at the end of their career. They’re physically injured too. It’s a sad reality.
Since ending your illustrious career in 2019, you have devoted time to other projects such as starring in films and TV shows, but you’ve also had to field repeated questions about UFOs. Could you explain this?
I’ve seen a UFO. However, I’m not qualified to define such an object, I’m not an astrophysicist. There were five people in the car, known athletes including Ali Abdel Aziz. We were in New Mexico and we saw something in the sky while we were driving. We saw the thing move in a way I’d never seen, it lasted a few seconds. We said, “OMG, what was that?!” The most special thing is that when we describe what we saw, we describe it in different ways. People take us for liars. We witnessed the same event, but when we describe what happened, we don’t perceive it in the same way. That’s what’s special. I’ve read a lot of books and I know that when the European colonies arrived on boats, the Native Americans didn’t see the boats because they were outside of their frame of reference. You can’t describe something that is beyond what you know. I describe UFOs in this way because I’ve never seen anything else like it. It could be a natural phenomenon that I can’t explain.
It piques my curiosity. I’m a rational person. When I’m not capable of explaining something, it drives me mad. I find it exciting, especially since the Pentagon has declassified some research projects and made them public. I find that even more fascinating. NASA has declared only one team studies this kind of phenomenon. We are living in very exciting times. Even people in the army are no longer afraid of being ridiculed for talking about it.
Photo source: Sportel
Interview: Award winning composer and concert pianist Georges Tomb
At just 29 years of age, it is hard to believe that Georges Tomb is already an award-winning composer and concert pianist. But that’s just the start of it.
Georges Tomb is a child prodigy. He has actually been making music since the age of five. Born in 1992 in Beirut, Lebanon, Georges was raised in a family of professional artists.
His father Samir Tomb is also a composer, pianist and orchestrator, his grandfather and uncle are eminent painters, and his three aunts – Amale, Ronza and Fadia Tomb – are all celebrated singers, not to mention the angelic voice of his grandmother, Georgette. Georges’ mother Guitta was his biggest supporter on his musical path alongside his piano professor Liza Tutunjian.
Georges Tomb has had many achievements in his career so far. He was the youngest in his country to have his music performed by the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Lebanese-American conductor Dr. Joanna Nachef (2014). He then gave a concert with the National Orchestra of Jordan at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman under the patronage of Queen Noor Al-Hussein (2015). That same year, some of his compositions were played by the Vienna String Orchestra, conducted by Dimitrie Leivici, at Baden Castle, Vienna.
But it was in February this year that Tomb received his biggest accolade, winning ‘Best Music for a Feature Film’ at the Hollywood International Golden Age Film Festival in New York. It was for the music he composed for the film Enough! Lebanon’s Darkest Hour by Daizy Gedeon, a heart-wrenching, awareness-raising documentary about the country’s corrupt political system, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. For this soundtrack, he also picked up the ‘Outstanding Excellence Award for Original Score’ at the 2022 DWB Film Festival in Delaware and the best musical feature at the Hollywood International Golden Age Festival in New York.
“I love the classical world, and cinema is my passion,” Tomb tells Monaco Life. “Writing music for film has always been my dream. Imagine watching a film without music. How would you feel? How would you feel Titanic’s vibe without the music; how would you feel about Schindler’s List without the music? I really believe that music is the language of a film. It is how we feel the emotions.”
In a solo piano concert this September, Tomb inaugurated the David Lynch Ceremony and the Better World Fund at the Venice Film Festival in the presence of Catherine Deneuve. He played his original music, including the many soundtracks that he composed for various projects, and announced the music United Against Violence campaign that will be launched next year.
He is now scoring the music for the next film of Mario Kassar, the Hollywood producer behind blockbusters The Terminator, Basic Instinct, and Rambo, the song for the movie Sicilian Holiday produced by Oscar winner Adam Leipzig, Michela Scolari and Ivo Romagnoli, as well as the music for Hollywood film Siege of Tyre produced by Tony Haswani.
He is also the commissioned composer of Pinocchio, an Italian ballet to premier in 2023 by Balletto del Sud at Lecce Opera House with the participation of award-winning choreographer Freddy Franzutti. The ballet will launch at the Opera di Lecce then embark on an international tour including the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Kings Theatre in New York, Paris, Dubai and Monaco.
“The ballet is different because there is no discussion, there is no talking,” says Tomb. “The talking is the music, so whenever Pinocchio is ‘talking’ to his dad Geppetto, the flute is speaking. You are just imagining the conversation and discussion via the music.”
Writing for the ballet is something composers do later in life, says Tomb, because it is very difficult. “But I was very blessed with this project,” he says, “especially as I am the only non-Italian on the staff.”
He writes the music without seeing the choreography, without seeing the dancers.
I ask him what his creative process is like.
“I’m old school. I don’t use electronics, just a pencil and paper. The music just shows in my head, I’m not really sure how. Then I write it out.”
Georges Tomb at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival
“For film, I have the scenes in front of me, I watch them and then write the music. If the movie has a Turkish influence, for example, I need to have the music reflect a Turkish style.
“But writing music has never been hard for me. All instruments are parallel. I was five when I realised I could do this. It started when I saw an ad on TV for Miss Lebanon. I heard the music and went to the piano and started playing it. My parents went crazy! They took me to the conservatory the next day and I started playing there. The piano helped me to write music in a more logical way. It gave me a foundation. Composers who have classical foundations are rare in the business. They use more effects and electronics nowadays.”
So, which contemporary artist does Georges Tomb look up to? He says it’s the American composer, conductor and pianist John Williams, who he describes as his “orchestral mentor”.
Composer and pianist Georges Tomb
But his dream project would be to score for a film on the life of Beethoven. “Though they would use Beethoven’s work for the film, I would like to take some of his piano music and orchestrally arrange it my way. He’s my mentor. I listen to his music every day. He went deaf from the age of 30 and continued to compose.”
Tomb has just finished writing a new Ave Maria dedicated to world peace. He is set to compose music for a large circus show in Europe, and he is also working on the music for an Armenian Genocide film, produced by Emmy Award-winning Nelly Achken.
It just doesn’t stop for this young composer.
“It’s a bit too early to announce anything, but we’re also going to have something this year with the orchestra, the ballet and a solo piano performance in the French Riviera and Monaco,” smiles Tomb.
“Monaco is amazing, it is such a beautiful country. But I felt when I came here the first time that, although it is absolutely gorgeous, it needs some new music, new magic and I don’t know why I felt it, but I am ready to do this here.”
Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival celebrates 16th season in style
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.
Far from the Mediterranean shores he knows best, Prince Albert II has travelled to the Indian Ocean to join a 150-team of scientists and researchers aboard the S.A. Agulhas.
The #MissionOcéanIndien2022 left Cape Agulhas, the African continent’s most southern point and where the Atlantic Ocean officially meets the Indian Ocean, on Monday 3rd October. Its first stop was Mauritius seven days later before heading to the French overseas territory of La Réunion. The Monaco Explorations expedition will soon reach Mahé, the largest island in the Seychelles archipelago, before sailing back to Mauritius. In total, the mission will cover 7,300 nautical miles – or 13,500km – in two months.
Most recently, the team aboard spent a week in the Aldabra atoll and it was here that Prince Albert II met with Jean-François Ferrari, a Seychellois minister for fishing, and Flavien Joubert, the minister for agriculture, climate change and the environment, on Monday 24th October.
Together they spoke with Doctor Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, the CEO of the Seychelles Island Foundation, to learn more about the biodiversity of the islands and to sign a proclamation to establish a cooperation of research and conservation of the region’s coral reefs between the Scientific Center of Monaco, the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and the Seychelles Islands Foundation.
“What strikes me today is that expertise and research in the maritime field have never really been priorities,” said Prince Albert. “The ocean remains largely unknown. Yet it holds so many treasures. A better knowledge of them is essential to ensure the protection of our planet.”
Prince Albert II at the helm
On Tuesday 25th October, Prince Albert II joined the S.A. Agulhas and its crew, getting a personal tour of the vessel and its highly developed laboratories from Captain Knowledge Bengu. Ever keen to get involved, the Prince took the helm of an ROV, a remotely operated underwater vehicle, that had been deployed to a depth of 700 metres – a record-breaking depth for this zone of the ocean.
“[The Indian Ocean mission] mobilises significant resources: one of the largest oceanographic vessels in service and an international team of around 150 people representing some 20 nationalities and a wide range of profiles: seasoned scientists, young researchers and students, artists, filmmakers and photographers, divers, communicators, and members of civil society,” says the director of Monaco Explorations, Gilles Bessero.
The flagship of the expedition is the S.A. Agulhas II, a multipurpose vessel of 134 metres that was built in Finland in 2012 and chartered by Monaco Explorations for this unique expedition. The ship is designed for navigating in ice and recently won acclaim for its role in finding Sir Ernst Shackelton’s Endurance, which sank in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica in 1915, in March of this year.
Prince Albert II tours the S.A. Agulhas II. Credit: Nicolas Mathys
“An adventure addressed to all humanity”
Prince Albert II travelled ahead of the S.A. Agulhas II on Wednesday 26th October in order to meet with the president of the Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, as part of a diplomatic visit in Mahé. It was an opportunity to discuss all he had learnt on the Aldabra atoll and the wider goals of the Monaco Explorations mission.
The objectives of the expedition are to: “understand, analyse and evaluate the state and functioning of the ecosystem of the area”. It hopes to mobilise governments through diplomatic action, and help contribute to a sustainable management of maritime spaces by sharing the issues faced by the region and the knowledge gained thanks to the expedition with as many people as possible.
“The Monaco Explorations are at the confluence of most of the themes which are dear to me and which in this respect resonate particularly in me,” said Prince Albert. “It is an adventure that also echoes the most beautiful traditions of the Principality, and is addressed to all humanity.”
The S.A. Agulhas is expected to be back in Cape Town on Wednesday 30th November.
In an effort to step out of the shadow of her famous father, Ghizlan El Glaoui created a new style of art using backlight to give life to her portraits. Now, she’s taking that concept to the seas.
Born in Morocco in 1969, Ghizlan spent much of her childhood in the studio of her father – world renowned Moroccan artist Hassan El Glaoui. She was his muse, posing for portraits amidst the exotic surroundings of Morocco and France, inhaling all the history that had been set by her grandfather, the last Pasha of Marrakech, Thami El Glaoui.
Ghizlan actually credits Sir Winston Churchill for the path that she is on. The former UK prime minister had convinced her grandfather to send his son to study art in London after seeing one of the horses he had painted behind a desk. They were to become a defining feature in Hassan’s work, and he an inspiration for Ghizlan.
Today, Ghizlan El Glaoui paints portraits, mainly women, using vivid colours and metallic paints to capture the light, reminiscent of the glittering mosaics of the Byzantine Empire. She uses the ‘golden ratio’ technique, learned during her art studies at the Académie Charpentier, “the measurement you choose for perfection,” she tells me. “Leonardo da Vinci used it on the canvas before he would paint over it. I like the comfort of the mathematics behind the beauty, and I like the fact that I cannot get the proportions wrong.”
Geisha by Guizlan El Glaoui
El Glaoui also uses backlights that shine through the canvas, the remote controlled warm and cold LED light filtering through the material to create a translucent effect.
“I did that because, being the daughter of a famous artist, I needed to invent something. People were saying, ‘your father is famous, let’s see what you can do’, as if – firstly, you are a woman, and secondly, you are attempting a career when your dad is in a museum, you will always be in his shadow.”
But, says Ghizlan proudly, she established her own way, and Hassan opened the doors that allowed his daughter to do portraiture in a heavily conservative, Muslim culture.
“In that particular culture, you’re not supposed to follow your creativity and passions. It’s very difficult for a woman to shine in this masculine world and I’m proud of making sure that women shine more than men (in my art),” says Ghizlan. “It is the beauty of a woman, the soul of a woman, the multi facets of a woman which I am fascinated by.”
The addition of light behind the canvas brings another dimension to her work, a bridging of modern and classic, an inner light and aura that gives life to her portraits, exposing the subject’s strength.
Among them is Princess Grace. “My favourite models are women that have succeeded in their life,” reveals Ghizlan. “Grace Kelly succeeded in Hollywood; she became the most prestigious artist in the world. And then there was the beautiful love story with Prince Rainier and her arrival here.”
Guizlan El Glaoui’s portrait of Grace Kelly (centre) has been gifted to her son, Prince Albert II of Monaco
Ghizlan is gifting the Grace Kelly portrait to Prince Albert, and he has promised to hang it in the Palace. She has also painted another member of the Grimaldi family – Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Princess Caroline. But it was commissioned by Gad Elmaleh, and then the couple broke up, so that portrait of the beautiful young Charlotte hangs in Ghizlan’s art room.
“When I go to a different country, I try to adapt to that country,” she says. “So, when I went to Madrid, I painted Toreros and flamenco dancers because I wanted the people of the country to feel that I was into them, not just my own muses.”
Monaco’s Princess Charlene is next on the list, says the artist: “She has a very sculptural silhouette, and gorgeous shoulders and neck.”
Today, it is also her new concept, ‘Art to Sea’, which has gathered us here at the private salon of La Môme, overlooking the Mediterranean. Art to Sea is similar to her illuminated paintings in that her canvasses are enhanced by light, only this time the canvas is a colossal sail, and the light is the natural sun that radiates through them. Images of a giant Brigitte Bardot floating gracefully across the water sells the dream.
Art to Sea by Ghizlan El Glaoui
“A sail is the biggest canvas on the planet,” says Ghizlan, “but it’s always been on my mind that the canvas was so empty and virgin of anything. I just thought, it’s a pity because obviously the light could be the sun, the canvas could be the boat sail, and the sea is the gallery.”
It is a bold and spectacular concept that is sure to lead Ghizlan El Glaoui on another bright path. To see more of Ghizlan El Gaouri’s work, visit her website: https://www.ghizlanelglaoui.com
To hear the full interview between Monaco Life’s Cassandra Tanti and Ghizlan El Glaoui, click on the Podcast at the top of this article.
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