The Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra came under the direction of the young British conductor Jamie Phillips before a Grand Auditorium on Friday 26 February 2016, the proceeds of which will be dedicated to helping refugees in Luxembourg and abroad and families in precarious situations in the Grand Duchy.
The concert programme of this 13th edition paid tribute to dance with jazz, virtuoso gypsy melodies and excerpts from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet.
Among the public, twenty refugees accompanied by the Luxembourg Red Cross had the opportunity to enjoy this special evening that was dedicated to them. Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess took advantage of the interval to meet the refugees.
Rita Krombach-Meyer, Vice President of the Board of the Red Cross Luxembourg, thanked all the participants in the evening’s production in his speech. "I want to thank all those who helped to perform this evening and collect a significant sum for the conduct of our actions: Deloitte, the Philharmonic and its prestigious orchestra and Steffen Catering and obviously all the people who bought their place tonight."
The proceeds from the concert will aid and support the actions of the Red Cross for not only refugees arriving in Luxembourg but also to those who are in transit or in camps at the borders of their own countries.
The Ministry of Family and Luxembourg Office for Reception and Integration (OLAI) has entrusted the Luxembourg Red Cross to develop the first reception of refugees. The Luxembourg Red Cross is committed to supporting its sister organisations in Macedonia and Serbia who come to the aid of the transit refugees in those countries. It also supports the Turkish Red Crescent, by providing single family tents, and Greece, where delegates are currently active on the Island of Lesbos. Not to mention countries such as Ukraine, Niger and Mali, where Luxembourg's Red Cross aid those fleeing other conflicts and other humanitarian disasters.
Part of the proceeds will also be used to help those people who live in poverty in Luxembourg and have been overlooked because of the recent refugee crisis which has been at the heart of Red Cross concerns.
More and more people slip below the poverty threshold. One of the contributions by the Red Cross in this area is the establishment of welfare grocery stores across the country. The eighth of these groceries from Red Cross opened its doors last month in Remich. These stores provide access to proper yet cheap necessities. They are also places for meeting and learning for people at risk of social exclusion. More information on these projects www.croix-rouge.lu
Photo by: Charles Caratini (L to R): Rita Krombach-Meyer (Vice-Chair CA Red Cross), Marc Hook (assistant general manager Red Cross), Michel Simonis (General Manager Red Cross) Their Royal Highnesses, Yves Francis (Managing Partner Deloitte Luxembourg-CEO), Pierre Ahlborn (CA Philharmonic President and member CA Red Cross) and Stefan Gehmacher (CEO Philharmonie).
