At first overwhelmed by Tchalaev’s pupil, a violinist-boy of six steadily and from memory holding his part in a J.S.Bach Invention for two voices, the audience was then treated by Tchalaev’s improvised chant. His voice of five registers, unlike the common three for most humans, was accompanied by the musician himself on the piano and the violin. The musical language of the improvisation would be hard to classify. Dare I say, Classical at its very finest? Contemporary by the incredible mix of global influences – from Bach to Paganini and the French impressionists, Mongolian overtone singing – when one voice sings two voices at the same time, to today’s music of the Middle East and of the Tibetan monks inspired by today’s inter-connectedness and inter-dependence of the modern world and by the vast amounts of music assimilated and transformed by the musician himself. Should I think of any other composer creating music on similar basis I cannot help but think of the Malaysian Kee YongChon. Listening to Tchalaev’s transcendental performance I thought of the larger audiences who missed the chance, or at least of the smaller audiences of The Hague certain professionals dealing with the various problems of this vast and complex world. There are clearly solutions in the work of this musician! Simply put, I hope to hear him perform one day in The Hague.
Born into a family of prominent musicians in Moscow (his father Shirvani Tchalaev is the composer of the National Anthem of Dagestan Republic), Kamil Tchalaev is a multifaceted musician: conductor with 25 years of experience, specially as a liturgic conductor at Paris Sinagogue and the Russian Orthodox Church, violinist, cellist, bassist, pianist, singer, composer, musical instrument collector. He worked at Theatre Post Alternatif and the Comédie Française, creating music for the productions of ”Le Bal Masqué” by Lermontov (1992), “Amphitryon” by Molière in 2002 and “Thérèse philosophe” by Boyer d’Argens at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in 2007. In 2000 he produced the Urban Opera “Les Tours Sonnantes” and in 2010 founded the Ecole Sauvage based on his collection of musical instruments and sounding objects. Now this collection contains over 300 pieces. At present moment Tchalaev dedicates most of his time to Ecole Sauvage, violin and church music. Kamil Tchalaev – musicien extraordinaire
By Dmitry Badiarov, independent contributor to the Diplomat magazine
Meeting Kamil Tchalaev – musicien extraordinaire defying any attempt of classification – on my recent trip to Paris was an out-of-worldly experience from the start filled with music till the end, when Tchalaev drove me across midnight Paris to my hotel in his car filled with church bells – his still unloaded collection – which rang at every traffic light stunning the occasional pedestrians and the policemen. It was a scene worthy of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris! 
At first overwhelmed by Tchalaev’s pupil, a violinist-boy of six steadily and from memory holding his part in a J.S.Bach Invention for two voices, the audience was then treated by Tchalaev’s improvised chant. His voice of five registers, unlike the common three for most humans, was accompanied by the musician himself on the piano and the violin. The musical language of the improvisation would be hard to classify. Dare I say, Classical at its very finest? Contemporary by the incredible mix of global influences – from Bach to Paganini and the French impressionists, Mongolian overtone singing – when one voice sings two voices at the same time, to today’s music of the Middle East and of the Tibetan monks inspired by today’s inter-connectedness and inter-dependence of the modern world and by the vast amounts of music assimilated and transformed by the musician himself. Should I think of any other composer creating music on similar basis I cannot help but think of the Malaysian Kee YongChon. Listening to Tchalaev’s transcendental performance I thought of the larger audiences who missed the chance, or at least of the smaller audiences of The Hague certain professionals dealing with the various problems of this vast and complex world. There are clearly solutions in the work of this musician! Simply put, I hope to hear him perform one day in The Hague.
Born into a family of prominent musicians in Moscow (his father Shirvani Tchalaev is the composer of the National Anthem of Dagestan Republic), Kamil Tchalaev is a multifaceted musician: conductor with 25 years of experience, specially as a liturgic conductor at Paris Sinagogue and the Russian Orthodox Church, violinist, cellist, bassist, pianist, singer, composer, musical instrument collector. He worked at Theatre Post Alternatif and the Comédie Française, creating music for the productions of ”Le Bal Masqué” by Lermontov (1992), “Amphitryon” by Molière in 2002 and “Thérèse philosophe” by Boyer d’Argens at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in 2007. In 2000 he produced the Urban Opera “Les Tours Sonnantes” and in 2010 founded the Ecole Sauvage based on his collection of musical instruments and sounding objects. Now this collection contains over 300 pieces. At present moment Tchalaev dedicates most of his time to Ecole Sauvage, violin and church music.
At first overwhelmed by Tchalaev’s pupil, a violinist-boy of six steadily and from memory holding his part in a J.S.Bach Invention for two voices, the audience was then treated by Tchalaev’s improvised chant. His voice of five registers, unlike the common three for most humans, was accompanied by the musician himself on the piano and the violin. The musical language of the improvisation would be hard to classify. Dare I say, Classical at its very finest? Contemporary by the incredible mix of global influences – from Bach to Paganini and the French impressionists, Mongolian overtone singing – when one voice sings two voices at the same time, to today’s music of the Middle East and of the Tibetan monks inspired by today’s inter-connectedness and inter-dependence of the modern world and by the vast amounts of music assimilated and transformed by the musician himself. Should I think of any other composer creating music on similar basis I cannot help but think of the Malaysian Kee YongChon. Listening to Tchalaev’s transcendental performance I thought of the larger audiences who missed the chance, or at least of the smaller audiences of The Hague certain professionals dealing with the various problems of this vast and complex world. There are clearly solutions in the work of this musician! Simply put, I hope to hear him perform one day in The Hague.
Born into a family of prominent musicians in Moscow (his father Shirvani Tchalaev is the composer of the National Anthem of Dagestan Republic), Kamil Tchalaev is a multifaceted musician: conductor with 25 years of experience, specially as a liturgic conductor at Paris Sinagogue and the Russian Orthodox Church, violinist, cellist, bassist, pianist, singer, composer, musical instrument collector. He worked at Theatre Post Alternatif and the Comédie Française, creating music for the productions of ”Le Bal Masqué” by Lermontov (1992), “Amphitryon” by Molière in 2002 and “Thérèse philosophe” by Boyer d’Argens at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in 2007. In 2000 he produced the Urban Opera “Les Tours Sonnantes” and in 2010 founded the Ecole Sauvage based on his collection of musical instruments and sounding objects. Now this collection contains over 300 pieces. At present moment Tchalaev dedicates most of his time to Ecole Sauvage, violin and church music. Alliance Francaise for Diplomats
The Alliance Francaise in The Hague is offering special courses for Diplomats.
Please open the link for additional info. FLYER_DIPLO
Ambassador of Chile, H.E. Maria Teresa de Jesus Infante Caffi
On 2nd July of 2014, diplomatic community in The Netherlands welcomed H.E. María Teresa Infante as newly appointed Chilean Ambassador and Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
H.E. María Teresa Infante is highly professional lawyer with incredible experience in both academic and government spheres, where she has shown her strong commitment to International Law and Order. She studied Bachelor of Laws in University of Chile and later decided to undertake postgraduate studies in the top-leading institutions of Madrid and Geneva.
In 1980, H.E. María Teresa Infante was honored to represent Chile as a member of the delegation in research missions of Permanent Commission for the South Pacific, Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and United Nations Development Programme. Moreover, Ambassador Infante was a key figure in diplomatic negotiations with neighboring countries on the issues concerning integration, international law and frontier cooperation policies.
In 1987, H.E. María Teresa Infante was appointed to be Director of Institute of International Studies of the University of Chile. In the same time period, she gained scholarly reputation and became a visiting professor in various academic institutions in Argentina, Spain and Brazil. Since 2008, Ambassador Infante had served as Co-Director of the LL.M. Program on Investments, Trade and Arbitration, offered jointly by the University of Heidelberg and the University of Chile, Santiago and Heidelberg, Germany. Throughout her academic career, H.E. María Teresa Infante had written numerous journal articles and books on Law of the Sea.
Hence, as a prominent expert in the Law of the Sea, H.E. María Teresa Infante was appointed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile to be a co-agent in defense of Chile in the Maritime Dispute case (Peru v. Chile) before the International Court of Justice in The Hague (1997-2014).
French Grandeur in The Hague
It was a lovely afternoon last week when H.E. Mr. Pierre Menat, Ambassador of France with a group a friends from different nationalities, diplomats, Dutch officials, artists, and business people came to enjoy the French contemporary sculpture exhibition displayed on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague’s city centre named Grandeur.
Grandeur , presented by The Hague Sculpture and Museum Beelden aan Zee means big, enormous as the monumental sculptures featuring chairs, birds, the moon and even a football player that will be sitting on the venue from June 6 to August 31. Ambassador Menat accompanied by a guide gave explanations and showed to his guests each monumental piece of French art before going to his residence to share a nice dinner.
Croatia, to host next Diplomats Meet&Greet
Now is the turn for Croatia to show its best at the next Diplomats Meet&Greet, hosted by the Embassy of Croatia in coordination with Diplomat Club The Hague. 
Resignation of ICC Judge Hans-Peter Kaul
ICC regret to announce that Judge Hans-Peter Kaul has resigned from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for health reasons. His resignation will take effect today 1 July 2014. Judge Kaul’s full term at the ICC would have ended on 11 March 2015.
The President of the ICC, Judge Sang-Hyun Song, expressed deep regret over Judge Kaul’s departure from the Court and the circumstances which necessitated his resignation. “I thank Judge Hans-Peter Kaul wholeheartedly for his dedicated service to the Court and his pioneering role in the ICC’s development, even before the Court was established”, President Song stated. “I worked closely with Judge Kaul, particularly when we were first sworn in together in 2003 and when he served with me in the Presidency as Second Vice-President from 2009 to 2012. I have enormous respect for his deeply humanist personality and his substantial contributions to international justice, which will continue to guide the Court in the future.”
A German national, Judge Kaul has served as an ICC Judge for 11 years. In the first elections of ICC judges in February 2003, he was elected by the States Parties to the Rome Statute for a three-year term and assumed his duty on 11 March 2003. He was re-elected in 2006 for a further term of nine years.
Judge Kaul was a member of the ICC’s Pre-Trial Division, serving as the Division’s President from 2004 to 2009, as well as from 8 April 2014 until his resignation. He contributed to important decisions in proceedings regarding situations in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur (Sudan), the Central African Republic, Kenya, Libya and Côte d’Ivoire and related cases.
Judge Kaul also served for several years on various committees related to the Permanent Premises: he was chairman of the Inter-Organ Committee on the Permanent Premises (2003-2008), the senior representative of the Court in the Jury of the International Architectural Design Competition, and contributed to the work of the Oversight Committee of States Parties, playing an important pioneering role in the process which eventually led to the planning and construction of the ICC’s future permanent home.
From 1996 to 2003, Hans-Peter Kaul served as chief negotiator and head of the German delegation during the process leading to the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
“Re-opening” Barend Houtsmuller
The opening of the solo exhibition “Verweven”, raw beauty was a great success. So great in fact that it was not always possible to enjoy the pictures looking thru the crowd.
Reason for a re-opening! This time no speeches, no first book award or live music, but of course with finger food and a drinks! Obviously Barend Houtsmuller will be present himself.
Saturday, July 12th from 15:00-18:00 hours. 
Garden jazz concert with Laura Fygi
Laura Fygi will sing with a special jazz concert in the gardens of Kasteel de Wittenburg.
On July 6, the beautifully illuminated castle will serve as a podium for Laura Fygi and her combo. Starting at 19.00 hrs with a glass of Champagne, Chef cook Jan-Willem Rietveld is responsible for the culinary experience of this evening. After the walking dinner a festive grand dessert buffet will be served.
Ticket price includes: free parking, free cloakroom, culinary walking dinners, grand dessert buffet, glass of champagne in the break, meet & greet with the artists.
Gallery Patries van Dorst may offer you tickets with a discount of 20%. Order your tickets directly at Kasteel de Wittenburg.
http://wittenburg.nl/en/node/301 or contact the gallery.
Garden jazz concert with Laura Fygi
Laura Fygi will sing with a special jazz concert in the gardens of Kasteel de Wittenburg.
On July 6, the beautifully illuminated castle will serve as a podium for Laura Fygi and her combo. Starting at 19.00 hrs with a glass of Champagne, Chef cook Jan-Willem Rietveld is responsible for the culinary experience of this evening. After the walking dinner a festive grand dessert buffet will be served.
Ticket price includes: free parking, free cloakroom, culinary walking dinners, grand dessert buffet, glass of champagne in the break, meet & greet with the artists.
Gallery Patries van Dorst may offer you tickets with a discount of 20%. Order your tickets directly at Kasteel de Wittenburg.
http://wittenburg.nl/en/node/301 or contact the gallery. Diplomat Magazine’s staff received training at Clingendael
The volunteer staff of Diplomat Magazine received a special training in “Effective International Negotiations” at Clingendael Academy. Ron Ton, Director of this renowned Dutch academic centre was in charge of the course in the presence of ten selected volunteer members of our publication. Enhancing the training and knowledge in diplomacy and international relations of our volunteer personnel is an issue of high priority for Diplomat Magazine. On the other hand, the volunteer promotion of top level academic centers in the Netherlands, such as Clingendael, has been and will continue to be part of our agenda.
Diplomat Magazine staff attending the course:
- Dr. Eugenio Matos.
- Henry Arvidsson,
- Kim Vermaat
- Julinda Giebel-Muhametaj
- Dr. Mayelinne De Lara
- Guillermo Pineda
- Eugene Matos De Lara
- Nicole Pierre
- Manolis Arvanitis
- Ellen Heijligers
The National Herring Party 2014.
By Bonnie Klap, Editor In Chief.
The National Herring Party is considered to be the Herring Party in The Netherlands. The Castle de Haar in Haarzuilens provides a magical backdrop for this annual event. Although its name would suggest otherwise, the Herring Party is as much about sampling the delicious new herring, as it is about people-watching and – for lack of a better word – networking. The impressive guest-list, which includes Royalty, politicians, members of the Diplomatic Corps, business-community, media and entertainment make for a fascinating mix of people. The National Herring Party is one of the few truly stylish events, providing photographers with a wealth of photo-opportunities, especially of the ladies wearing hats. Hundreds of guests roamed the vast Castle-gardens enjoying the live music, the various creative ways the herring was served, the sunshine and last but not least the unique ambiance. Originated in 1961, this year’s National Herring Party marked its 53rd Anniversary. That alone is a testament to its sustained popularity and success.
Please take a look at the complete set of beautiful pictures by clicking here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/
Please take a look at the complete set of beautiful pictures by clicking here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/
Please take a look at the complete set of beautiful pictures by clicking here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/
At the Kasteel de Wittenburg
Ambassador Karim Ben Becher at the conference of the Union des Français de l’Etranger at the Kasteel de Wittenburg.
By Drs. Eva Maria Mennes with the President of UFE Véronique Uijttenboogaart-Jullian.
At the initiative of the Union des Français de l’Etranger, the Union of French Citizens Abroad, a prestigious conference was held some days ago at the Kasteel de Wittenburg in Wassenaar. Before a large assembly of diplomatic personalities, international and Dutch officials, members of the UFE and Tunisian friends. Ambassador Karim Ben Becher presented with clarity and precision, historical and social elements of democratic transition that knows Tunisia since 2011. With a powerpoint presentation and music, photographs, films, and accurate documentation, we were able to get to know the changes of the events that the Tunisian people have gone through in the past two years. Exemplary and very specific transition in this region that places it among those capable in the Muslim world to move towards democracy, in peace and social order. Consensus and dialogue that characterizes this great institutional and constitutional change, now allow us to hope for a serene and constructive future for Tunisia and Tunisians.
A rich and lively debate followed the conference allowing people at the meeting to speak freely about sensitive issues such as gender equality in government or questions for the future of the youth, education and the culture of the population in their traditions.
In its mission, the President of UFE Véronique Uijttenboogaart-Jullian explained that the UFE presents a major annual conference on an issue focusing on larger subjects than the actual French interests, with a range of general interest and news, humanitarian, economic and environmental.
See you next time ….