The Viennese Opera Ball celebrated its 70th anniversary at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City with “A Magical Night, a Fairy Masquerade Ball,” transforming the evening into a masquerade ball for the very first time while commemorating 270 years of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Inspired by Mozart’s beloved opera “The Magic Flute,” the evening transported guests into a world of mystery and enchantment, celebrating Austrian cultural heritage through the elegance, pageantry and romance long associated with the storied event.
Held under the auspices of the U.S. Austrian Chamber of Commerce, the event featured Jean Shafiroff, gala chair; Silvia Frieser, president and executive director; Daniel Serafin, artistic director; and Petra Schneebauer, Austrian ambassador to the United States. The gala also recognized the 250th anniversary of the United States, celebrating the longstanding friendship and close ties between Austria and America.
A highlight of the evening was the appearance of guests of honor and opera stars, including two-time Grammy Award-winner Angel Blue, two-time Grammy nominee Lawrence Brownlee, Hera Hyesang Park, Adam Smith and Golda Zahra. The program also featured a special ballet performance by Liudmila Konovalova, principal dancer of the Vienna State Opera, and music by the Viennese Opera Ball Orchestra under the direction of concertmaster Maestro Rainer Sulzgruber. The celebrated presentation of the debutantes and their escorts, choreographed by Sandra Stockmayer of Dancing School Svabek, remained one of the evening’s most anticipated traditions. Among this year’s 16 debutantes were Miss New York Teen USA, Ginger Ragaishis and Gabriela Ortega, whose grace and elegance beautifully embodied the ball’s cherished traditions.
With an international guest list spanning diplomacy, philanthropy and the arts, the evening once again affirmed the Viennese Opera Ball’s standing as one of New York’s most enduring cultural traditions. Guests enjoyed the ball’s signature blend of ceremony and festivity, including formal dinner and dance, the Midnight Quadrille and late night dancing, as the 70th annual celebration paid homage to Austria’s musical legacy in grand style.
To mark its 70th anniversary, the Viennese Opera Ball in New York embraced the long-cherished Viennese tradition of presenting commemorative fans to the ladies of the ball, unveiling a newly designed fan by Austrian artist Pablo Meier- Schomburg.
Notable attendees included: Jean Shafiroff, Silvia Frieser, Daniel Serafin, artistic director; Petra Schneebauer, Austrian ambassador to the United States; Juergen Czernohorszky, executive city councilor, Vienna; Thomas Schlesinger, Austrian consul general, New York; Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger, director, Austrian Cultural Forum, New York; Nicholas Harnik, president of the United States Austrian Chamber of Commerce; Maribel Lieberman; Rebecca Seawright; Baroness Lulu Sezercan Dalkanat; Bibhu Mohapatra, fashion designer; Wolfgang Koechert; Thibaud Artur De La Villarmois; Ginger Ragaishis, Miss New York Teen USA; Juliet Ragaishis; Sandra Stockmayer; Roman Svabek; Irwin Trester; Sylvia Hemingway; Joseph Fichera; Agnieszka and Wiltold Balaban; Juliana Dancanet; Kristin Beattie; Laine Siklos; Suzanne Amini; Stephen and Debi Harnik; Noreen Donovan; Fer Da Silva; Nicole Chessin; Christopher Leake; Emily Mohr; Diana Bocsha; Gabriela Ortega and Marie Mannix.
