Vienna Ball 2019 Press Release - The Highlights of the Event's Successful Fifth Year Go back »

2019-04-18 | Beijing

Beijing, 18 April 2019 - The fifth Kempinski Vienna Ball Beijing was held at Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center on April 13. Brice Péan, the hotel's managing director, ceremoniously opened the ball to all guests. H.E. Friedrich Stift, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the People’s Republic of China, and Mr. Ernst Woller, the President of the Federal State Parliament in Vienna, attended the ball together with over 400 distinguished guests.

The event saw the grand return of the Strauss Festival Orchestra, after having made their debut in China 27 years ago at Kempinski Hotel Beijing. The orchestra is led by world-renowned conductor Peter Guth. Allan Wu, star presenter of the show "The Amazing Race Asia," was the night's master of ceremony. Artistic director Heinz Heidenreich joined in to lead and officially debut the ball with the traditional debutant dance. The event also announced its charity partner of choice, the HeFeng Foundation. 

Speaking on the cultural significance of the event, Brice Péan said "Since 2015, Kempinski shares and maintains a dedication to art and music to the capacity of incorporating it into our core values and DNA." And more, he expressed "The cooperation with all of our partners, including the city of Vienna, the Austrian embassy in Beijing, is an important one, as they strive to strengthen their relationship with China. I also want to thank Freywille, an authentic Austrian jeweler, and Austrian Airlines, for their grand support in this year's ball. " He lastly thanked HeFeng Foundation, as their charity partner of choice, and highlighted the participation of Allan Wu as this year's master of ceremony. 

H.E. Friedrich Stift also took the opportunity to say that the ball presented "Unparalleled Viennese culture and brings one of the most important insights into Austrian lifestyle to Beijing, the city of imperial traditions and the joy of life." He continued "I am glad that Kempinski Hotel Beijing is able to bring this event here tonight and thankful that Mr. Ernst Woller joined us as ambassador of the Viennese Ball in China."

The event commenced with the Viennese tradition of a debutante committee led by directing choreographer Heinz Heidenreich, former principal of the Vienna State Opera Ballet. Furthermore, the ball offered a signature 5-course gala dinner with Austrian delicacies and specialties. Alight with culinary offers, entertainment performances included live operettas performed by acclaimed European singers, ballroom dancing, and glamorous guests.

This year's ball introduced its support of the advancement of local community art. Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center cooperated with HeFeng Foundation, an initiative aimed at the development of art programs in rural China. All proceeds from the ball's charity raffle have been donated to the HeFeng Foundation. As of this year, Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center partnered with the HeFeng Foundation to bring musical talents to Kempinki's new Concertini musical series. Musical ambassadors have included Xinyi Wang, Yuan Chenxing, Peng Jianqi, and more. The evening's cello performance by Chu Yibing, the first Chinese cellist ever to win a prize in a major international cello competition, is one of HeFeng's top musical ambassadors. 

The 2019 Kempinski Vienna Ball Beijing was proud to present the Strauss Festival Orchestra Vienna as this year's top musical feature. Led by internationally acclaimed conductor Peter Guth, SFO marks its grand return to Beijing after having been the first orchestra appointed by the mayor of Vienna to perform Viennese music in China in 1992. A visionary conductor and composer, Peter Guth is renowned internationally for his masterful renditions of traditional Johann Strauss compositions as well as being one of the most coveted specialist of Viennese music by hundreds of symphony orchestras worldwide. Peter has performed around the world, including in some of the world's most notable stages like the Cologne Philharmonic Hall, the Herkules Hall in Munich and the Vienna Musikverein. 

A musical and cultural house, Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center prides itself on providing events for all worldly guests and travelers. Its next big event, "Shake Beijing", will take place on September 14, 2019. It will feature the original cast of "Shake the Lake" Austria and play swing, boogie woogie and blues.

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