To salute Vienna’s unique and extraordinary musical legacy, the Carnegie Hall in New York City is currently hosting a three-week citywide festival. The event features symphonic and operatic masterpieces, chamber music and a variety of new music that is emerging from the Austrian capital. The central piece of the festival is a concert series by the renowned Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. Within the framework of the festival, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York is also hosting a series of events, including lectures, concerts and exhibits centered around Vienna.

On Friday, February 14, 2014 a group of thirteen students from the International School of the Americas in San Antonio, TX, visited the Embassy to learn about Austria’s educational system and family well-being. After a brief presentation outlining the topics, the students had the opportunity for an extensive Q+A session. Besides stopping by at the Embassy, the group also visited a couple of other institutions in Washington, D.C. as part of their research project.

The Viennese coffee houses are not only an integral part of Austrian culture but are also recognized UNESCO cultural heritage. More than just a place to get a cup of coffee, the Viennese coffee house serves as a meeting point for the exchange of ideas, opinions and creativity.

On Thursday, February 13, 2014, Georg Stangelberger, Artistic Director of the Phoenix Boys Choir, was presented with the "Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria" by the Consul General of Austria, Ulrike Ritzinger.

The Opera Ball in Vienna is regarded as one of the most glamorous and most prestigious events in Austria. Since 1955, the Viennese Opera Ball in New York, a white tie charity gala, has been representative of Vienna’s cultural legacy, elegance, and glamour in the Big Apple.

The Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation invites applications for its Marshall Plan Scholarships program for the academic year 2013/2014. Areas of emphasis include science as well as technology and engineering. The program was established to finance scholarships and fellowships for academic exchange between Austria and the U.S. with a special focus on universities of applied sciences and technical universities ('Fachhochschulen und Technische Universitäten’). Both students at U.S. and Austrian universities may apply.

Horst Rechelbacher, founder of the renowned beauty brand Aveda, has died at the age of 72 at his home in Osceola, Wisconsin. The succesful Austrian, who dedicated his life to beauty and wel-lbeing, was also the founder and chairman of the Horst M. Rechelbacher Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to social and environmental preservation projects.