Monaco celebrates culture... the culture of excellence!

Publication date: 07/10/2022
With world-class cultural institutions and an array of huge events throughout the year, some special one-offs and others regular fixtures on a packed calendar, there is always something to see and do in the Principality!

A natural setting that plays host to some of the finest cultural offerings there are to offer from January to December, the Principality is the perfect destination for extraordinary events, gatherings, and performances or all kinds, like nowhere else.

Starting with the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, which will embark on a new adventure from 1 January 2023 as world-renowned singer Cécilia Bartoli takes over from Jean-Louis Grinda as Director. The first season concocted by the mezzo-soprano will kick off with four performances of Georg Friedrich Haendel's Alcina. The top-class programme also includes the Stabat Mater and the Barber of Seville by Gioacchino Rossini, La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, and Moeart's The Marriage of Figaro.

The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra has also unveiled its calendar for 2022-2023 with a programme of concerts specially chosen to please loyal fans and attract new audiences. Founded in 1856, the Orchestra has already dedicated two evenings in tribute to Rachmaninoff at the start of October, and promises others grand symphonic concerts dedicated to essential composers including Mozart and Saint-Saëns. There is also plenty to enjoy for children and teenagers, and those less familiar with classical music, with cine-concerts, concerts for a young audience, and musical happy hours! 

The excellence continues at the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, where the 2022-2023 season puts the art of choreography back centre-stage.  From a show that brings together seven of the best-known contemporary choreographers to an orchestra inviting audiences on a voyage to the edge of the Orient, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo promise an exciting and inspiring season, culminating in the highly anticipated second "F(ê)aites de la Danse" festival on 8 and 9 July on the Place du Casino, with performances, parades, and open-air shows.

The Théâtre Princesse Grace will be making its own priceless contribution to the Principality's cultural year by hosting 32 performances, including an eclectic mix of classic and popular, comedy and drama. Treading the boards will be a succession of leading actors, alongside young up-and-coming talents, with special shows designed to introduce the theatre to a new audience, including one based on the famous novel "1984".  A season full of surprises is in store.

"There is no age for philosophising". So says Charlotte Casiraghi, President and founder of the Rencontres philosophiques. This series of philosophy events returns in October with an eclectic selection of themes ranging from love to gender, dreams and, justice… all at a single venue. The workshops of the Rencontres Philosophiques are taking up a permanent home at the Théâtre Princesse Grace with the aim of attracting a loyal audience. These fascinating discussions and debates, which began seven years ago, have proved a popular addition to Monaco's rich cultural landscape!

A cultural landscape that also attaches great importance to cinema. As part of its "The Art of the Cinema" programme, the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco organises screenings of feature films from various backgrounds and eras. Some of the greatest masters of the "seventh art" of cinema are being honoured this season, with works by Orson Welles, Luis Buñuel, Alfred Hitchcock, Luchino Visconti, and François Truffaut all on the programme selected by the Audiovisual Institute, while audiences will be introduced to new faces, such as Mathieu Amalric or a masterclass with Bruno Podalydès.

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