Concordia Ball

Italian music and art at the oldest Viennese Traditional Ball

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTO © PHILIPP ENDERS

Every year, the Concordia Ball, steeped in tradition, is a highlight of Vienna’s ball season. The 2019 ball, hosted by the Press Club Concordia, an organisation of Austrian journalists and writers, celebrates Italy`s cultural diversity and richness under the motto ‘Una Notte Italiana’. The Italian embassy in Vienna and ambassador Sergio Barbanti are supporting the event.

For over 150 years now, the Concordia Ball has been part of Vienna’s cultural life, celebrating music and art with a certain ‘joie de vivre’ and ease that can be felt throughout the evening. It is the only Viennese Traditional Ball taking place in summer and attracts more than 2,000 guests each year. First celebrated in 1863, it soon became an annual highlight, to the extent that even Johann Strauß dedicated several waltzes to the Concordia.

“Over the last few years, the Concordia Ball has been very colourful and exotic. From hot Salsa rhythms to Bollywood dances and Tango, the oldest Viennese Traditional Ball presented itself in a new robe, without renouncing its traditions,” says Deborah Grumberg, the Concordia Ball’s organiser. The 122nd Concordia Ball on 14 June 2019 will be a return to its European and classic roots. And what theme would be better suited than Italy with its rich culture and tradition?

The team, under artistic director Chris Lachmuth, and the ball’s ambassador and PR grand dame Elisabeth Himmer-Hirnigel, will give this ball a special and unique touch. For ten years now, Lachmuth has been the Concordia Ball’s artistic director and dance master, surprising guests with great new dance routines each year. The opening ceremony always befits the chosen motto and combines ceremonial elements with modern dance routines. “This individually choreographed opening has become one of the Concordia Ball’s highlights,” says Press Club Concordia secretary general Astrid Zimmermann.

The ball offers great entertainment for everyone: “Among ball and dance enthusiasts, the Concordia Ball is well known for its spaciousness, which allows those, who love to dance, to do so unhindered,” says Zimmermann. The Viennese Opera Ball orchestra and pt art orchestra will fill the ballroom with classic dance music, while Italian pop music will be played in the arcade court. The Charly Hloch Trio meanwhile, for years now, has indulged guests with jazz music at the city senate hall. Overall, the Concordia ball is a feast for all five senses in a breathtaking location – the Viennese town hall.

Grab your dancing shoes on 14 June 2019, dress in your best gown and enjoy a stunning experience in the home town of the Waltz!

concordiaball.at