Monthly Archives: January 2015

We almost danced all night!

306ebadd85e94a92226cd6a4105f0f48Last week saw the 74th return of one of the highlights of the ball-season on Vienna: The Vienna Philharmonic Ball! It takes place in the Musikverein, and yes, that is the famous Golden Hall in the photo, transformed into a ballroom for this special occasion. Those of you who have heard our “Living Their Dream in Vienna”-lecture on Mozart, Schubert and the Strauss family know a bit about the importance  balls had for 18th and especially 19th century social life in Vienna. Nowadays they are mainly an incredibly fun event to go to – and we certainly had fun last week!

Combine the ingredients of great friends, a table on the stage of the Brahms Saal, agreeable beverages, the opportunity to dance to anything from “real” waltzes to Swing and a very whimsical disco-selection while the kids were happily at home with the best babysitter ever, the hours just flew by – we threw in the towel at 4.30 am, and though we had to get up again two hours later for a normal school/workday, it was definitely worth it!

Good though that there was no lecture or concert on Friday, we were decidedly worse for the wear… We keep thinking that a Road Scholar ball-themed tour of Vienna might be fun…hm…we’ll keep pondering that one.

Happy new year, dear Road Scholars!

So, were you watching? The New Year’s Concert 2015 was an especially elegant affair, we thought, and we (in this case, that means Julia and our kids) got to see a LOT of Walter, judging from the frequency of the “there’s Papa!!”-shouts.. And the second flute/piccolo Karin Bonelli did a brilliant job too! We really feel privileged to have day jobs that deal exclusively with beauty and harmony, especially in times like these.

We were really touched that some of you included us in your Christmas mail! Thank you VERY MUCH …  we hope to maybe see some of you again in 2015. Walter will be in New York around the end of February, and maybe some of you get to come back to Vienna? Let us know if you do – and all the best for 2015!