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Elisabeth Muhr,
Denise Rich, and Jean
Shafiroff chaired the 65th
Viennese Opera Ball on Friday,
February 7, 2020 at Cipriani 42nd
Street, New York City, under the
patronage of The President of
the Republic of Austria, H.E. Alexander
Van der Bellen. Actor Nathan
Lee Graham emceed the Ball,
celebrating the cultural and economic
relationships between Austria and
America, connecting two continents, two
cities and two centuries in one
glamorous evening.
“There is nothing like this in America
with pageantry that could only come from
the Habsburg Royal Houses” said
President and Executive Director Silvia
Frieser, “Just as in Europe,
the celebration began with our
Debutantes, wearing beautiful tiaras
donated by Austrian jewelry company Ciro
and white gowns, dancing the Polonaise and Alles
Walzer with their partners in white
tie.” Artistic Director Daniel
Serafin presented an operatic
concert with Ewa Płonka, Limmie
Pulliam, Michael Spyres and Corinne
Winters performing alongside a
full orchestra conducted by Matthias
Fletzberger. At Midnight, a Quadrille that
enlivened the dance floor until 4am.
The Viennese Opera Ball proudly supports
charitable projects of New York
and Vienna. This year, appropriately
benefiting the musical therapy program
at Memorial Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center through Denise
Rich’s Gabrielle's Angel
Foundation for Cancer Research.
While the Viennese Opera Ball is
inspired by the famous Vienna Opera Ball
in Austria, it is older and its own
American 501 (c)(3) not for profit
foundation, held under the auspices of
the U.S. Austrian Chamber of
Commerce.
The Honorary Gala Chair was The
Honorable Michael Ludwig, Governor and
Mayor of Vienna. Notable guests
included Host Committee members Janna
Bullock, Joanna Fisher, Ana Saucedo,
Randi Schatz, and Marisa
Rose Van Bokhorst, Honorary
Guests Florence Hvorostovsky and Ann
Ziff, Junior Chairs Emily
Mohr and Colgate
Rumbough, Junior Vice Chair Briana
Lestage, as well as Star
Jones, Ricardo Lugo, John Paulson,
Karlheinz Muhr, Martin Shafiroff and
Stifel Investment Services, Hikmet
Ersek (CEO of Western Union), Actress Samantha
Mathis, Lukas Barwinski-Brown (CEO, Lang
Lang International Music Foundation),
Trisha Willis, John Willis, Diandra
Douglas, Sandra Stockmayer (Viennese
dancing school Svabek), Agnieszka and
Witold Balaban, and U.S. Military
Academy West Point Cadets who
marched in with flags representing
America, Austria, and the European Union
before singing the three respective
anthems.
Sponsors included The City of
Vienna, Royal Flowers, A.E. Koechert,
Aida, as well as a selection of
donated Austrian wines and spirits by Schlumberger,
Sonor Wines, Esterhazy, Rick Gin and
Manufaktur Mueller, and Hallstein
Water. The debutantes wore
beautiful donated tiaras by Austrian
jewelry company Ciro,
and were exclusively styled, together
with the opera singers, by The
Salon at BG. |
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The 2020
Debutantes
Aimee Anne-Caroline Auguin of
New York City
Daughter of French conductor Philippe
Auguin and opera singer Jena Ruchek
Natalie Aldridge of
Mequon, Wisconsin
Daughter of Thomas Lee and Jane Marie
Aldridge
Rachel Barcellona of
Palm Harbor, Florida
Daughter of Frank and Barbara Barcellona
An Autism advocate
Despina Drougas of New
Fairfield Connecticut
Daughter of Demosthenes
and Carmela Drougas
Rachel Engelberg of
Vienna, Austria
Daughter of Martin Engelberg, Member of
the National Council of Austria and
Danielle Spera, Director of the Jewish
Museum of Vienna
Clara Heupgen of
Munich, Germany
Daughter of His Excellency the Austrian
Ambassador to Portugal, Thomas Stelzer,
and Helene Heupgen
Asia Hickman of West
Point, New York
Daughter of Marc Hickman
(U.S. Department of Defense) and Major
Jamie Hickman (U.S. Army)
She is the 2017 Miss New York Teen
America
Katherine Kuhl of New
York City
Daughter of the late Dr. David Kuhl and
Diane Kuhl of the American Ballet
Theatre
Luisa Majnoni d’Intignano of
New York City
Daughter of Giovanni Majnoni d’Intignano,
a Director of the Bank of Italy and
Bonizella Biagini of United Nations
Development Programme
Proudly representing the country of her
birth, Italy
Anastacia Grace Weyerhaeuser
McCarthy Markoe of White Bear
Lake, Montana
Daughter of James Admire Markoe, Jr. and
Sarah Jane McCarthy
Christiane McCabe of
New York City
Daughter of Michael J. McCabe and Aline
Rizk
Olivia Maria McNaughten of
New York City
Daughter of Anthony McNaughten and
Rossana McNaughten
Yaelle Shaked of
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Daughter of Alon and
Lorraine Shaked
Currently attending
Harvard University
Doris Winkler of
Vienna, Austria
Daughter of Harald Swoboda and Brigitte
Winkler
About Gabrielle’s Angel
Foundation for Cancer Research
Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer
Research was created in 1996, when
Grammy-nominated songwriter and
philanthropist Denise Rich lost her
daughter Gabrielle, a vibrant
27-year-old actress and Hodgkin’s
lymphoma survivor, to acute myelogenous
leukemia. Gabrielle’s mother and
sisters, Daniella Rich Kilstock and
Ilona Rich Schachter, believed the best
way to honour Gabrielle’s memory was to
create a Foundation that would fund the
best and brightest scientific
researchers with the hope that less
toxic treatments, and ultimately a cure,
might be discovered.
About Viennese Opera Ball
The Viennese Opera Ball, an annual
white-tie charity gala celebrates the
cultural and economic relationships
between Austria and America, connecting
two continents, two cities and two
centuries in one glamorous night. It was
founded by Austrians immigrating to the
United States 65 years ago, and is a
tribute to both their former home town
Vienna and their host city, New York.
Considered the most prestigious and
oldest Viennese ball outside of Vienna,
the gala draws an international audience
that includes diplomats and dignitaries,
international corporations and
professionals. Performances by
Metropolitan opera singers, the Viennese
Opera Ball orchestra, ballet
performances, the West Point color
guard, midnight Quadrille and many more
surprises contribute to a glamorous and
delightful night. |
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