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The Viennese Opera Ball Hosted
66th Annual Charity Celebration
in New York City
Gala To Benefit Music Therapy Program
at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
The Viennese Opera Ball - the oldest
and most prestigious outside of Vienna - held its annual
celebration for the 66th year at Cipriani 42nd Street in
New York City under the auspices of the U.S. Austrian
Chamber of Commerce. The gala benefited the music therapy
program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with
support from Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer
Research. The Gala chair for the evening was
philanthropist Jean Shafiroff. The vice chairs were Sylvia
Hemingway and Peter Thomas Roth. A special thank
you goes to Ernst Woller, President of the Vienna
Provincial Parliament, and the continuous support of
the City of Vienna.
Some notable attendees included: President
of the Viennese Opera Ball Silvia Frieser, event chair and
philanthropist Jean Shafiroff, Artistic Director of the
Viennese Opera Ball Daniel Serafin, President of the Vienna
Provincial Parliament Ernst Woller, Peter Thomas Roth,
Martin Shafiroff, Winemaker Leo Hillinger, owner of A.E.
Köchert Jewelers Wolfgang Koechert, Iurii Samoilov, Carolina
López Moreno, Lilah Ramzi of Vogue Magazine, Emily Mohr,
Cole Rumbough, Patricia Shiah, Mrs. Brookfield, Ana Stone,
Scott Stone, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, Maria Fishel,
Kenneth Fishel, Maribel Lieberman, Nicole Salmasi, Alice
Lutz, Annabel Oreste.
The evening started with delightful VIP cocktail hour
followed by the formal presentation. Just as in Europe, the
celebration commenced with their Debutantes. The theme of
this year's ball was 'A Night of Love,' with the goal
of sending peace and love to their guests and the world, as
well as celebrating the love and friendship of
Austrian-American friends and connections. Royal Flowers,
in collaboration with Luz Flora, donated 20,000 red
roses to emphasize the night's theme. A donation table was
set up to collect funds for Caritas Ukraine.
For the first time, the Viennese Opera Ball
had a new Austrian wine sponsor, Leo Hillinger Wine.
Winemaker Leo Hillinger was also present at the ball.
Another event sponsor was Austria's oldest jewelry
designer, A.E. Köchert, and owner Mr. Wolfgang
Koechert, who presented the magnificent diamond 'Sisi'
star brooch at the live auction.
Top opera stars Carolina López Moreno,
Iurii Samoilov, Johanna Will, Matthew White, and Donata
D'Annunzio Lombardi performed at the 66th
Viennese Opera Ball. Iurii Samoilov also performed a moving
tribute to his homeland Ukraine, singing a folk song to
remind guests of the terrible situation in Ukraine, the
importance of remembering what is going on in that part of
the world, and to help raise funds during the evening. The
Viennese Opera Ball Orchestra was led by conductor Vinicius
Kattah.
The annual white tie charity gala honors
Austria and America's cultural and economic ties, uniting
two continents, two cities, and two centuries in one
glamorous evening. It was founded 66 years ago by Austrian
immigrants to the United States as a tribute to both their
former hometown Vienna and their host city, New York. The
gala attracts an international audience that includes
diplomats and dignitaries, international corporations, and
professionals. |