The past and the present meet with a trophy celebrating the ties of our French-American community.
Victor Obadia would have been proud of the legacy he left behind and of this year’s Bastille Day celebration which, following the long days of the pandemic, is a strong reminder of our resilience.
- The Victor Obadia Humanitarian Trophy
- Eligibility Requirements and Nomination
- Bastille Day in Pictures
- L’Amicale des Musiciens Francophones de Washington D.C.
The Victor Obadia Humanitarian Trophy
Many of you had the chance to meet Victor Obadia, the Comité Tricolore’s first president who for more than forty years worked tirelessly to strengthen the ties that bind together the Washington area French-American community.
In order to carry on Victor’s legacy the Comité Tricolore has created the VICTOR OBADIA HUMANITARIAN TROPHY.
This trophy will be presented to an outstanding individual to honor their achievements, benevolent actions and principles of generosity and compassion, in memory of the values to which Victor dedicated his life.
Victor Obadia was the first importer of coffee, espresso machines and French fine goods in the DC area. The unique design of the trophy pays homage to Victor Obadia’s career and incorporates his initials: the shape of the cup is a V and the handle is an O. Sharing a cup of coffee is a symbol of conviviality. (Design: J-P Krukowicz; manufactured by LR-Paris).
The Victor Obadia Humanitarian Trophy will be presented by the President of the Comité Tricolore to the selected laureate at an Award Ceremony at the French Embassy in Washington, DC, in October 2021.
The laureate will also be recognized in an official announcement that will appear in the Comité Tricolore’s newsletter. In addition to recognizing this outstanding individual, the Comité Tricolore hopes this award will encourage others to serve their community.
Eligibility Requirements and Nomination
If you know of an individual who meets the following criteria, we invite you to submit an application by August 30, 2021. The call for nominations is now open.
The applicant must be:
• A French humanitarian living in the DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania region whose benevolent actions serve either his/her local community OR a humanitarian of any nationality supporting the French or French-American community
• A reliable, and discreet individual acting with humility
• An individual recognized by her/his peers for her/his generosity and ethics.
Members of the Comité Tricolore or their immediate families are not eligible for nomination
The application can be completed online (preferred):
Click here to submit your nomination
or download the application from our website’s Victor Obadia Humanitarian Trophy page
Bastille Day in Pictures
After the cancellation due to COVID last year, the Comité Tricolore was very happy to be able to organize a magnificent evening for Bastille Day, on July 16th at the Embassy, on the theme of La savoie-The French Alps.
The seated dinner limited to 180 guests in order to respect the sanitary precautions was "Sold-out"; excellent news for the Comité Tricolore which thanks to the funds raised will be able to continue its mission to support the French-American community in need.
In the presence of Mr. Philippe Etienne, our Ambassador, who introduced the evening, Mr. François Penguilly, our Consul General, Mr. Benjamin Roehrig, Premier Conseiller and Mr. Damien Regnard, Senator for French people living abroad, we were able to transport ourselves to Savoie for a few very pleasant hours!
Here are a few pictures just to give you a general idea of the evening. You can see many more on our website photo album.
Eight famous Chefs deployed their talents for the elaboration of the dinner and our guests enjoyed different dishes of the region.
The musical atmosphere was provided by Myriam Phiro Jazz Band and we had the great pleasure of listening to four French opera or operetta arias chosen by Julien Bénichou, Music Director of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and sung by Maggie Polglaze and Anna Kelly with Simon Charrette on piano.
The many volunteers did a wonderful job decorating the room: the decor featured views of our mountains and villages of Savoie and models equipped for all local sports: skiing, climbing, hiking ...
We would like to thank:
the Chefs,
our Sponsors,
the whole Bastille Day team,
and all our guests,
thanks to whom this evening was a great success.
See you next year for Bastille Day 2022!
Amicale des Musiciens Francophones de Washington D.C.
L’Amicale des Musiciens Francophones de Washington DC aims to bring together French and Francophone musicians from the greater Washington, DC area.
To date members are associated with institutions such as the:
Peabody Institute of Baltimore
Lycée Rochambeau
Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
Washington Opera Society
Choir of the Embassy of France
Annapolis Symphony
Maryland Symphony Orchestra
Annapolis Opera
The Amicale organizes concerts and supports the activities of the Comité Tricolore and its members.
For more information contact:
Julien Bénichou
President
or Simon Charette
Vice-President
We are updating our Agenda almost daily so that you don’t miss any opportunity to connect and have fun! See the listing of events below, and for more information go to our Agenda.
