MARIA CALLAS MONACO GALA & AWARDS: the Princely

couple at Maria Callas’

100th Birthday Celebrations

Monaco celebrated the anniversary of the brilliant opera singer Maria Callas, who would have celebrated her 100 year anniversary this year. It was celebrated with a star-studded gala, the Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards, which took place on 12th May in the Salle Garnier of the Opera de Monte-Carlo.

Over three hundred guests attended the Gala, which was kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Prince Albert and Princess Charlène. Shortly afterwards, the Princely couple took to the stage and were presented with awards by the President of the Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards, artist Ioanna Efthimiou.

“So very proud and thankful to HSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène of Monaco for Their honorary presence as well Their Awards acceptance during the Anniversary edition of the 100 Years of Maria Callas… They make this event really historic, as it was sixty years ago in the same place that this event first began,” said the Maria Callas Monaco Gala organisers.

The Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards is inspired by the legendary gala held in Monaco in 1960, where the greatest opera legend, Maria Callas, known as La Divina, enchanted audiences and the princely couple of Monaco, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, with her unforgettable soprano voice.

President and founder of the Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards, artist Ioanna Efthimiou, hosted the gala for the third time. Ioanna is impassioned by Maria Callas’ talent and unique personality. The first and second editions of the Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards created a sensation. From the very beginning the initiative was supported by the princely family of Monaco.

The Honourable Awards

The evening was hosted by the Greek journalist Emi Livaniou and by George Davlas. The Awards ceremony for personalities who have contributed to the development and well-being of the community was a part of the event. The awards were designed by Brazilian artist Marcos Marin. Each award is an optical sculpture featuring a pop art graphic of Maria Callas.

On the Opera House’s stage, several important personalities were awarded for their work in arts, culture, ecology and the environment, including singer Nana Mouskouri, Greek actress Mimi Denisi and opera artists Vassiliki Karagianni, Kristine Opolais and Victoria Buleeva. Also awarded for their work in the field of ecology and the environment were Andreas Tsavliris, Oxana Girko and Nicolas Sarrut, innovation and education award went to Bryan Talebi, medical award of the year was given to Veronique Emmenegger, and finally the charity award of the year to Jessica De Montier.

The event in the crowded Opera House of Monte-Carlo was accompanied by a unique opera concert leaving all guests truly speechless. The above great names of the Opera who received the award were accompanied by the magnificent Orchestra of Paris and conductor Nicolas Krauze. They presented all together a fantastic Opera concert to tribute Maria Callas.

Unique Scenery And A Rich Programme

But the evening did not end there, it continued with a charity dinner at the emblematic Salle Empire of the Hôtel de Paris. The venue was uniquely decorated with over 50,000 fresh melons, wonderfully arranged by florist Marco Traverso.

A flavourful menu created by masterful chefs was served as the champagne flowed for the rest of the evening. The dinner was also addressed by the Ambassador of the Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards, Roy Apostolopoulou.

Several surprises were revealed to guests, including a concert by cellist Benjamin Jacobs, a fashion show by designer Christina Zafeiriou accompanied by the sounds of La Divina by Maria Callas, and finally, an Art auction by Artcurial Monaco, which featured works from internationally renowned artists including Picasso’s nephew, Jacob Vilato and also Laurence Jenk, Ioanna Efthimiou, Kostis Georgiou, Olga Goulandris, Dimitris Bakopanos, Erik Salin, André Monet and Marcos Marin. All proceeds from the auction were donated to the Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation.

Maria Callas Memorial Exhibition

The event was accompanied by an exhibition of Maria Callas objects relating to her relationship with Monaco. Here all the guests could enjoy unique items such as the legendary Monegasque Gucci bag of the opera diva, given to her by Princess Grace, the gloves from La Traviata and many other items donated by Greek collector Nikos Charalampopoulos. All this richness was on display in the Monte-Carlo Opera atrium.

All the guests were impressed and will cherish the best memories of this unforgettable anniversary, which they were able to celebrate in Monte-Carlo with the princely couple and the great opera singers, literally touching history.

There is no surprise that the summer agenda in Monaco is ahead of us this year. The Principality has prepared a rich kaleidoscope of events both for its residents and guests. The middle of summer and the beginning of autumn is probably the most anticipated time of the year, because even the weekdays are filled with exciting and interesting business and leisure events day after day. HelloMonaco has prepared for you a selection of key events for the upcoming period.

Jumping International de Monte-Carlo

29th June

1st July

Jumping International de Monte-Carlo will take place from 29th June to 1 July 2023. The Jumping International of Monte-Carlo, one of the main equestrian trials in the Longines Global Champions Tour since its creation in 2006, is a horse jumping event unlike any other. The setting up of an entire equestrian event in the middle of a busy harbour is a formidable challenge. Charlotte Casiraghi is its patron. The competition brings together professional and amateur riders from around the world in a highly competitive yet convivial event that has the entire audience on its feet. The champions are competing for the Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco, which is the ultimate reward for this stage of the challenge. There are also amateur and professional events scheduled, including the Pro-Am Cup, where the big names in equestrianism will team up with young talent for a friendly encounter.

https://www.jumping-monaco.com/index.php

Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

5th–8th July

Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco will take place from July 5th to 8th. Organised since 2014 by the Yacht Club de Monaco, in collaboration with the International Powerboating Federation (UIM) and Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is unique in the world. Teams from different nationalities will be competing in three categories: the Energy Class, the Solar Class and the Open Sea Class. More than a century after the first international powerboat meetings were launched in 1904, the YCM is reviving a tradition by leaving the field wide open to innovation and the imagination of young engineers, working hand in hand with experienced manufacturers. Their goal is to develop alternative propulsion sys- https://energyboatchallenge.com/ tems, using only clean energy sources to power the yachting of tomorrow. A real technological challenge indeed is meeting the energy needs of the leisure boat and shipping industries and the accompanying environmental prerogatives. https://energyboatchallenge.com/en/home-english/