Our president, Niovi Kyriazakou, opened the evening, before a packed audience, by welcoming everyone to this grand charity concert in celebration of International Women’s Day, organised by the Association’s Multinational Group.

The concert was an opportunity to showcase exceptional female talent with an international all-female string ensemble, drawn from the top orchestras in Belgium, The programme was devised by the concert pianist Nadia Weintraub, a member of the Association’s Multinational Group and performed under the baton of conductor Talia Ilan.

It was also a rare opportunity to see three mothers performing with their daughters on the same stage ; Nadia Weintraub with her daughter, mezzo-soprano Mala Weissberg ; Talia Ilan and her daughter, violinist Noya Ilan-Xu, and cellist Ana Maria-Velasco with her daughter, violinist Jana Mestdag.

The programme comprised pieces by some of the Greats, i.e., Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, Felix Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven and George Gershwin. It also included less well-known composers, Cécile Chaminade, Ethel Smyth, Lili Boulanger and Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Nadia treated the audience to a very interesting thumbnail biography of these composers.

The encore, Gershwin’s sublime S’Wonderful, was a bonus and a marvellous finish to this musical celebration and the audience showed its appreciation with a standing ovation.

The concert was followed by a most convivial reception organised by Nora Hautain Rakotonirina, of the Multinational Group.

A special word of thanks to Fiona Joyce, V.P. Events, who worked tirelessly with the Multinational Group and Nadia Weintraub to make the evening such a resounding success.

Maura Carroll, Irish Group