On October 23, 2014, Austrian Ambassador Hans Peter Manz welcomed more than 600 guests at the Embassy on the occasion of Austrian National Day. At the celebration, expats and friends of Austria had the opportunity to mix and mingle while sampling authentic Austrian food and drinks. A special highlight of the event this year was the rendition of both the Austrian and the U.S. anthems by singers of the American Institute for Musical Studies.
Every year, one of Austria’s nine regions is being highlighted during the celebration. This year the focus was on the state of Styria, which was represented by a delegation from Styria including the vice president of the state assembly of Styria, Ursula Lackner, and the city councilor of Graz, Gerhard Rüsch.
During the evening, Austrian wine specialist Harald Surpan presented a fine selection of Styrian whites and reds while pastry chef Erich Handl spoiled the guests with his special Steiermarktorte.