Friday–Saturday, April 13–14, 2012
W.R. Davies University Center
6:30 p.m. – 1 a.m.
The Viennese Ball at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a formal event that recalls the culture, history and music of 19th-century Vienna. It promises the opportunity to dance waltzes and polkas from the Strauss Era in Vienna — the latter half of the 1800s and into the 1900s — known as a golden age of romance and elegance. The Viennese Ball also features many student and faculty ensembles and regional musicians, performing music from many different periods and eras. Proceeds and donations provide music, service and international study awards for University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire students.
The 2012 Viennese Ball was the last to be presented in the original Davies Center.
The 39th Annual Viennese Ball will be presented in the new W.R. Davies Student Center Friday–Saturday, April 12–13, 2013.
ENJOY AN EVENING OF MUSIC, DANCE, DINING AND ROMANCE
The Singing Statesmen and The Women’s Concert Chorale
Gary Schwartzhoff and Alan Rieck, ConductorsThe two principal choral ensembles at “Wisconsin’s Singing University” open the
Viennese Ball. Special guests, international faculty-staff members and award recipients
are recognized at the opening ceremony in the Zeremoniensaal.
The University Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble I
Nobuyoshi Yasuda and Bob Baca, Conductors
Beneath the crystal chandeliers of the Zeremoniensaal, dance to waltzes and polkas of the Strauss Era. The University Symphony Orchestra will perform a program that includes The Beautiful Blue Danube, Voices of Spring, Thunder and Lightning Polka, Cinderella Waltz, Artist’s Life, Emperor Waltz, Tick-Tack Polka, waltzes from The Merry Widow and The Nutcracker, and the Radetky March. Alternating in performance with the symphony is UW-Eau Claire’s Grammy Award-nominated Jazz Ensemble I, performing music from America’s Big Band Era. Selections include Pennsylvania 6-5000, Stardust, Serenade in Blue, Begin the Beguine, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, Oye Como Va, American Patrol and In the Mood.
Dorf Kapelle
Ernest Broeniman, Artistic Director
Capturing the traditional ethnic style of the typical European village band, Dorf Kapelle is featured in the less formal Golden Lion Festival Room (Zum Goldenen Löwen Festsaal). Inducted into the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame, this village band from Wausaukee, Wisconsin, is dedicated to the reproduction of European wind music which includes polkas, marches, waltzes and specialty selections performed in the ethnic style of its origin. In the Festsaal, patrons dance beneath a wreath of ribbons that represents the Maibaum, the Austrian equivalent of the May pole that symbolizes the arrival of spring.
Student and regional ensembles welcome patrons at every entrance. UW-Eau Claire jazz combos take the stage in the Rathskeller, and a capella groups perform in the Liedergarten. Area pianist Tim Lutz hosts a sing-along in the American Bar. Faculty and student musicians are showcased in The Blue Danube Inn and The Bösendorfer Salon. There is music for everyone.
Available throughout Davies Center all through the evening are authentic Austrian specialties, sandwiches and brats, wines and beers, tortes and coffee, and American-style bar service. A midnight tom-cat breakfast — Katerfrühstück — prepares patrons for their journey home.
A TRADITION OF ELEGANCE AND SERVICE
The Viennese Ball is inspired by the historic Kaiser Ball housed in Vienna at the Hofburg Congress Center, the former Imperial Palace and seat of the Austrian emperors. A multi-roomed New Year’s Eve extravaganza in the style of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth’s “Ball at Court,” the Kaiser Ball features thousands of flowers, wonderful food, and a wide variety of musical events including Salonmusik, Volkmusik, and, of course, orchestras playing Viennese waltzes.
Our first Viennese Ball was held in 1974. In 1981 the Viennese Ball began to be presented in duplicate on two consecutive evenings. In 1988 we received documentation that our Viennese Ball is considered the largest in the world, outside of Vienna itself. The creative energy and support of university staff members, students and volunteers from the community makes the Viennese Ball a continuing success.
An important part of the Viennese Ball has always been the excellent university-community-international relations it promotes. In 1986 an exchange program with Austria’s University of Graz was established with scholarship funds generated by the Viennese Ball. Approaching its fourth decade, the event continues to provide an opportunity for the community to experience the excellence of the university’s music program and the quality of students who receive Viennese Ball scholarships and awards. The Viennese Ball celebrates and supports UW-Eau Claire’s involvement in scholarship and study opportunities that are global in scope.
