Life Ball 2013
Since 1993, the annual ball – organised by Gery Keszler and Torgom Petrosian’s non-profit organisation AIDS LIFE – has raised funds and awareness for people living with HIV and AIDS. For 2013 the theme is “1001 Nights”, depicted in the Life Ball Stylebible. Several events precede the ball itself, including a fashion show and opening [...]
NYC Meets Vienna Design
On 17 April, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York opened The Vienna Model, celebrating the architectural tradition of Red Vienna, creating public housing for the Viennese between 1925 and 1934. The socialist government began funding the construction of Gemeindebauten: small, affordable living spaces, within an integrated infrastructure. Also in New York, Koloman Moser: Designing Modern [...]
Bringing back Kokoschka
A painting by the Austrian Oskar Kokoschka, valued at €3 million, will be returned to the heirs of a Jewish art dealer, Alfred Flechtheim, who was persecuted by the Nazis. The painting is now at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, but the Museum’s director respects the panel’s ruling. Instead of returning the painting, the [...]
Rock the Island Festival
The fourth annual Rock the Island Contest is part of Vienna’s Donauinselfest (Danube Island Festival), which takes place between 21 and 23 June. The contest gives emerging artists a chance to win a 30-minute time slot on one of the festival’s main stages. Entries are categorised according to genre (pop/rock, alternative/indie, house/electronic or hip-hop). Bands [...]
Christoph Waltz directs Rosenkavalier
After winning his second Oscar in February, the Austrian Actor Christoph Waltz announced that he will stage Richard Strauss’ opera Der Rosenkavalier, with the libretto by Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerpen, the Netherlands. The comedy is set in the aristocratic circles of late 18th century in Vienna. The Vienna native told [...]
Wiener Festwochen 2013
The Wiener Festwochen is a five-week arts festival taking place throughout the city, beginning on 10 May with a ceremony on Rathausplatz. This will be Luc Bondy’s last time as director of the time-honoured festival. After 15 years, Bondy, who hails from Switzerland, will hand the position over to the Austrian Markus Hinterhäuser. The theme [...]
Free-for-all at the MQ
MuseumsQuartier’s summer season officially kicks off on 8 May with the MQ Open Day. From 17:00 to 22:00, the MQ offers free admission to all of its institutions for the first time in its history. Children’s programs will begin at 15:00, and the day will also include special tours and workshops, as well as a [...]
Linz Music Theatre opens
The Linz Music Theatre opened on 11 April to much controversy over the cost of its construction. The project began in 2009 and cost an estimated €150 million, a large portion of which came from taxpayers. Finance Minister Maria Fekter (ÖVP) defended the spending: “Culture costs money, but lack of culture comes at a higher [...]
Amadeus Music Awards
The 13th Amadeus Austrian Music Awards will be held on 1 May on the stage of the Wiener Volkstheater. Finalists in eight categories were selected by a jury, then voted on by the public online community. The prizes recognise outstanding Austrian artists and those within the domestic music scene. Categories include album and song of [...]
