In advance of the retirement of Luxembourg's Ambassador to Washington, Jean-Louis Wolzfeld, an Embassy Series Celtic-themed event was organised at the week-end.
“Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height. My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight. For the ends of being and ideal grace.” (Sonnet 43)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s spirit lives in the hearts, one hundred and fifty five years after the inspiring poet’s death. So she obviously could not be physically present to bid a Celtic fond farewell in Washington, orchestrated by the Embassy Series, to His Excellency Ambassador Jean-Louis Wolzfeld. Adam Simon, however, created a collage of some memorable musical events at the charming ambiance in the Luxembourg Embassy during the last four years. These were the amazing pictures taken by his father Morris Simon for the Embassy Series.
In the programme notes provided, Jerome Barry, Embassy Series Founder wrote “Luxembourg is a small country but very efficacious, a respected member of the European Union and a culturally oriented country….His Excellency understood so well how to make his country look good.” These words of truth set in motion an evening of joy, harmonious sounds and delightful conversations. As Dr. Ian Portnoy, Board Chairman, Embassy Series presented the collage to Ambassador Wolzfeld, echoes of Christmas carols sung in the very same room played silently in the audience’s ears along with slow motion images of past concerts rendered by the auto-rewind buttons in the wind mills of the enlightened minds gathered to show sincere appreciation for a man they love.
A fringe benefit to attending this special event was a guided intellectual trip to Ireland and the European Union. Ambassador Wolzfeld educated his friends and admirers about the Celtic affinity, the European heritage and how Luxembourg connected the historical dots. Dónal Doherty and the internationally acclaimed chamber choir, Codetta, charmed the audience. Through engaging conversations with the Codetta artists, one travelled to Derry and the nearby places in Northern Ireland. Harmony North, a trail-blazing inter-denominational choir comprising 190 young people from 9 schools in North Belfast won over the hearts with their exceptional performance and beautiful smiles. Award winning pianist Barry Douglas, delighted the audience with a taste of Celtic Reflections while enabling Codetta and Harmony North to shine.
Alison Adler, Embassy Series Board Member, felt that it was a “made-for-each other collaboration with the exquisite Irish choirs we were most fortunate to hear the night before their Kennedy Center performance.” She was deeply moved by the finale which featured the deeply beloved Danny Boy. “The enjoyment and social interaction afterwards as the audience and the performers mingled together over hors' d'oeuvres and refreshments,” Adler added.
Anne Howard-Tristani, Embassy Series Board Member and a niece of late US Vice President Hubert Humphrey wrote: “The outstanding excellence of the Codetta Choir and of pianist Barry Douglas in such an intimate setting at the Luxembourg Embassy truly showcased the Embassy Series at its best last evening. The fact that choir members represented young people from both Northern and Southern Ireland also underscored the Embassy Series mission of musical diplomacy.”
The success of the musical diplomacy through the Embassy Series is a two-way street and a cultural thoroughfare in which diplomats play a key role. A great example of this constructive cooperation provided by exceptional diplomats like Ambassador Wolzfeld gave the freedom to the staff led by Elizabeth Herndler and all his assistants like Victoria Vieru in making everyone feel at home. With their agility, dexterity and smiling faces, they make it feel that nothing is impossible in the art of diplomacy.
Luxembourg as a country has been at the cross-roads of European and world history. As an ally of the United States, Luxembourg share many common interests which Ambassador Wolzfeld mentioned during a chat over coffee with The Luxembourg Chronicle in his spacious office. Ambassador Wolzfeld, who had previously served as Luxembourg’s representative at the United Nations in New York, discussed his travels throughout the United States of America. He expressed deep admiration for the American people and their creative genius and the tenacity to survive against all odds. He spoke about trade and investments made by Luxembourg businesses in US as well exchange visitor programme.
Ambassador Wolzfeld comes across very relaxed and conveys his message effectively. His interests in history and support for charitable organizations will follow him in retirement. Before leaving US, Ambassador Wolzfeld will take a boat trip along the Mississippi and one can visualise him enjoying an evening cocktail listening to “Blue Bayou.” With such affability, it will not be a surprise that his friends and admirers might be humming along because it was a truly fond farewell, not a good-bye, from the Embassy Series in Washington.
Photo by Morris Simon
