With the city’s most beautiful summer ball, the press club Concordia invited to a festival for independent journalism and democratic values: The 125th edition of the Concordia Ball also set a lively sign of dialogue and diversity of opinion. With the splendidly radiant backdrop of the Vienna town hall, the approximately 3000 enthusiastic visitors were offered varied dance opportunities inside from all over the world until the early hours of the morning.
“In view of the world situation and the difficult economic situation, one should think: We media have nothing to celebrate. But especially when it becomes difficult, it is critical, independent journalism than ever. We guarantee the continued existence of democracy. And that is exactly what we should celebrate,” says Petra Stuiber, Presseclub Concordia-Vice President and Deputy editor-in-chief of the standard.
“I am pleased that so many have again accepted our invitation this year. The Concordia Ball sets a clear commitment to democratic values and has always been a social place of discourse and diversity of expression,” adds Daniela Kraus, general secretary of the press club Concordia.
Johann Strauss and the Concordia
In Johann Strauss year 2025, the traditionally close connection between the Concordia Ball and the musician family was celebrated. As part of the traditional ball, their members premiered over 40 dedication works and, among other things, set musical statements for the free press with the “Morgenblätterwalker” or the “Stampfrei Polka”. Eduard Strauss, chairman of the Vienna Institute for Strauss Research and the son of the family’s last musician to date, also spoke at this year’s opening about the great importance of the press for the artists of the Strauss family.
The musical ball tradition continued with the young British youth classic stars Alma Deutscher: Under Deutscher’s direction, the Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra played their “New Concordia Polka-Eilmission” dedicated to the press club at the opening ceremony. The composition was commissioned by the multi -year of Johann Strauss 2025 Vienna.
Artistic statement for freedom of the press
The opening was moderated by ORF III editor-in-chief Lou Lorenz-Dittlbacher, the choreography of the opening committee comes from the dance masters: inside Chris Lachmuth and Sonja Hofstätter. The headdress of the debutants was once again designed by the visual artist Simone Bernert as a symbolic statement for freedom of the press. The dedication dynasty for the Concordia Ball and Alma Deutscher’s new composition were depicted in hair accessories. In other hair sculptures, fantasy compositions with reference to the recent past and present were found like an “anti-corruption tango” or a “podcast polka”.
This year’s ball donation with bouquet caricatures and title leaves of the most important trauss dedications to the Concordia invited to a special journey through time. The illustrations come from the extensive collections of the Vienna Library in the town hall and the Press Club Concordia, high quality and sustainably printed by Gutenberg Werbering GmbH.
“The Concordia Ball picks up the central concerns of the Press Club Concordia for freedom of press and expression artistically and sets visual and audible signs: of the dedication compositions that sound in the ballroom, about the headdress of the opening committee that take up to the ball donation with cartoons and title leaves- this also makes the unmistakable brand of our world-open traditional event!” says ball master Deborah Grumberg.
In addition to Mayor Michael Ludwig UA Ambassador Jan Braathu (OSCE representative for media freedom), Edgar Weinzettl (State Director of ORF Vienna), Meret Baumann (NZZ-Corner sponde and President of the Association of the Foreign Press), the journalist and author Hanna Herbst Altenberger, Michael Ostrowski and Dirk Stermann as well as from the Concordia alongside Secretary General Daniela Kraus and the Vice President Petra Stuiber (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Standard) and Katharina Schell (Deputy editor-in-chief APA) also the board members Dieter Bornemann (ORF editor-in-chief), Eva Linsinger ORF-Magazin Report), Wolfgang Sablatnig (correspondent Tyrolean daily) and university professor Matthias Karmasin.
The Concordia Ball has been a benefit event since it was founded, the income of which supports the work of the Concordia. With the legal service journalism, journalist is journalist: legally supported and strengthened on the inside so that you can concentrate on your order: the mediation and classification of correct, critical and credible information as the basis of the democratic debate. If you also want to support this important project, you can here donate.
You can find the entire program of the Concordia Ball here
Image material Concordia Ball here