Chinese New Year, the most important festival of the Chinese community throughout the world, will be celebrated during a special gala dinner at the Hôtel Hermitage supported by the Embassy of Monaco in China.
Chinese New Year officially begins on 22nd January 2023 under the sign of the rabbit, and more specifically the water rabbit.
Celebrations of Chinese New Year traditionally last for 16 days, stretching to the Lantern Festival on 5th February 2023.
To mark the occasion, Monaco Dragon Prestige and the Monaco-China Association are organising a gala in the Salle Belle Époque of the Hôtel Hermitage on Tuesday 24th January at 7pm. The evening will be supported by the Embassy of Monaco in China.
According to the organisers, “the event will combine Chinese and Mediterranean tradition and gastronomy in a glamorous and prestigious atmosphere. Dragon dance, popular Chinese and international songs, and shows will accompany the festive meal prepared especially for this unique evening by renowned chefs”.
The evening is expected to be attended by Monegasque and Chinese guests from the political, economic and cultural spheres, and will be opened with a speech by Her Excellency the Ambassador of Monaco to China. Also present will be representatives of the Chinese community from various European countries, including journalists, influencers and travel agents.
For more information: info@monacodragonprestige.com
Princess Charlene of Monaco on Wednesday celebrated the 10th anniversary of her Foundation with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its new headquarters and a giant birthday cake.
Princess Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer and witness to the devastating reality of drowning and aware of the positive changes that sport can bring to a life, created her namesake Foundation in 2012 with the aim of offering more positive opportunities to children around the world.
For 10 years, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has been working to prevent drowning and inspire children through the values of sport.
“Sport has the power to change lives – positively affecting an individual, a family, a community. Sport teaches compassion, inspires and gives hope, and can unite people and countries,” says her Foundation.
Princess Charlene and her brother, Gareth Wittstock, General Secretary of Her Foundation. Photo credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace
Over the past decade, more than one million people have benefited from the Foundation’s and its partners’ programmes in 43 countries through 510 different projects.
More than 510 projects have been supported and created by the Foundation in countries such as Argentina, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Greece, Japan, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, to name but a few.
In 2022, new projects were implemented in countries such as Brazil, Haiti, and Jamaica and in the French overseas departments of La Réunion and Martinique.
Prince Albert helps Princess Charlene cut the ribbon of her Foundation’s new premises. Photo credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace
To mark its 10th anniversary, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation invited donors, partners and personalities, in the presence of H.S.H Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, H.S.H. Princess Stephanie, Gareth Wittstock, Secretary General of the Foundation, and Pierre Dartout, Minister of State.
After a blessing by Monseigneur Dominique-Marie David, Archbishop of Monaco, Princess Charlene inaugurated the new premises of Her Foundation located at 4, Quai Antoine 1er.
Monseigneur Dominique-Marie David, Minister of State Pierre Dartout, Princess Charlene, Prince Albert, Princess Stephanie, Gareth Wittstock and Mayor Georges Marsan. Photo credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace
Photo above credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace
Monaco to host start of final stage of Tour de France
In the presence of one of the biggest names in cycling, Thor Hushovd, Prince Albert II has announced that the final stage of the Tour de France 2024 will start in Monaco for a climatic showdown to Nice.
Alongside Tour Director Christian Prudhomme, Monaco’s Head of State made the announcement at the Yacht Club of Monaco on Saturday 3rd December, two days after it was revealed that the Tour de France will end in Nice in 2024.
It will be the first time the ending has been hosted elsewhere than Paris since 1905 due to the Olympic Games which will take place in the capital that summer.
“Paris is not easily replaced, we needed prestige to finish this event,” said Christian Prudhomme. “We could not have dreamed of better with this test of truth between the Principality and Nice.”
The last stage of the Tour de France 2024, an individual time trial, will leave from Monaco to reach Nice and while the exact route is unknown, it should encompass around 35km in total, with some elevation on the program.
The Tour de France has not visited the Principality since the 2009 Grand Départ.
Photo source: Prince’s Palace
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.
The chefs who will feature in this year’s Festival of the Stars have been announced. Britain’s Clare Smyth, Australia’s Shaun Hergatt, France’s Bruno Verjus and Italy’s Davide Oldani will join Monaco’s Michelin-starred chefs for a series of extraordinary dining experiences.
One can barely throw a stone without hitting a Michelin-starred restaurant in Monaco these days. Diners have irresistible choices like never before, so it takes something truly special to create a serious buzz.
That buzz is here. After a successful launch in 2021, the Monte-Carlo Festival of the Stars (Festival des Etoilés Monte-Carlo) is returning to the Principality this autumn. Monte-Carlo SBM is once again giving foodies a chance to sample menus prepared by four Michelin-star chefs who have each invited a special guest to join them to create unforgettable culinary experiences.
It all kicks off on Friday 2nd September at Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris where the man himself, Alain Ducasse, will collaborate with his chef Emmanuel Pilon and triple-Michelin star awardee Clare Smyth for a special lunch and dinner service. British Smyth was trained under the legendary Ducasse early in her career, and has gone on to open her own establishment, Core by Clare Smyth, where she became the first woman in Britain to obtain a third Michelin-star for her work.
Next up on 7th October will be the dynamic duo of Monte-Carlo Bay’s Marcel Ravin and modernist Australian chef Shaun Hergatt. Ravin’s Caribbean-infused cuisine has made him his name and earned him two Michelin stars, making him one of Monaco’s most popular chefs.
Hergatt, now a New York transplant, has won both Best Young Chef and Best New Restaurant awards from the New York Times, the Michelin Guide and Esquire Magazine. His creativity is the ideal foil to Ravin’s exotic fare.
Then on 15th October, Yannick Alleno and Bruno Verjus team up for a night to remember. It wasn’t long ago that three-starred Alleno opened his new-look restaurant, Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, at the Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo where he is making magic every day.
He is joined by businessman turned food writer turned Chef Bruno Verjus. Verjus was in his 50s when he opened his first eatery, Table, and is now one of France’s most respected chefs, winning his second Michelin star this year.
Finally, on 21st and 22nd October, Executive Chef of the Hôtel de Paris’ Le Grill, Dominique Lory, will be joined by Davide Oldani for two spectacular nights. Lory worked alongside Alain Ducasse for many years, earning him accolades and skills.
Italian chef Oldani is bringing his “cucina pop” to Monaco, showcasing his delicious flavours and uncomplicated recipes to the Principality’s fine diners, for a night sure to dazzle.
For more info on the events and to book reservations, visit the website.
It was a packed house at the Opera Garnier on Friday 16th September as opera singer Cecilia Bartoli presented the upcoming schedule for the Opera de Monte-Carlo, her first as director.
“It is with great joy that I present you my first season as director of the Monte Carlo Opera,” said Cecilia Bartoli during the presentation at the Salle Garnier. “I would like to think that it reflects the soul of this prestigious theatre, as I see it: a careful look at history but turned towards the future, a variety of styles and genres, glamour, grandeur, but also proximity; and of course the highest standards in the quality of performance, guaranteed in particular by the presence of some of the greatest names in our profession.”
Bartoli said that it was important for her to create “continuity”, and to build on the foundations of success laid by her predecessor Jean-Louis Grinda, who was also part of the 2023 season presentation.
The director, a renowned opera singer herself, then presented the 2023 programme, a journey from Monteverdi to Giordano, from 1607 to the late 19th century.
“In many ways, the passage also reflects my personal voyage, and I am proud that many of the artists I have had the pleasure of working with over the years are joining and supporting me in this new adventure, a major step in my life.”
Cecilia Bartoli, Opera de Monte Carlo, photo credit: Fabrice Demessence
Cecilia Bartoli will kick of the season starring in Alcina for four shows from 20th January, a musical drama in three acts with music by George Frideric Handel.
This will be followed by a “concert of the heart” of Stabat Mater for one night only on 25th January, featuring tenor Celso Albelo and soprano Maria Agresta.
In February, the Opera Andrea Chénier will be performed over four nights, an historic drama with Jonas Kaufman performing the role of Chénier.
Daniel Barenboim will take to the stage for a piano concert on 10th March. Born in Buenos Aires, Barenboim is described as a true citizen of the world whose artistic ventures are as varied as his cultural influences.
The melodramatic opera La Traviata, a Jean-Louis Grinda production created in 2013, returns for four nights in March as “a symbol of harmonious handover of power and a sign of true understanding”, according to the opera. These performances will also be an opportunity to celebrate the return of Placido Domingo to a stage he last walked on as a singer in 1980.
On 20th March, the Vienna Philharmonic will give a unique performance of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, conducted by Phillip Jordan.
By April, the Il Barbiere di Siviglia opera will feature on the Monegasque stage, a production by the Festival of Salzbourg. On 20th February 1816, just as Carnival week was approaching its climax, Giachino Rossini’s Il Barberie di Siviglia had its (eventful) premiere at Teatro Argentina in Rome. Delighting in masks and disguise, parody and the grotesque, it is permeated through and through with the spirit of carnival.
Ending the season on 17th April is the marionette opera L’Orfeo, going back to the beginnings of the history of opera. Thanks to the 200-year-old puppet company Carlo Colla & Figli, L’Orfeo, created in 1607, will appear for the first time in Monte Carlo in a form that will appeal to the most demanding music lovers, as well as the youngest spectators.
Season subscription and individual ticket pre-booking is now open by internet at www.opera.mc and mail. Former subscribers have priority on 30th September.
From Wednesday 2nd November 2022, ticket bookings will be open by telephone, at the box office and on montecarloticket.mc.
Photo above credit: Marco Borrelli, OMC
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