On October 25, 2017, Ambassador Wolfgang Waldner and his wife Gudrun Faudon-Waldner welcomed more than 600 guests at the Embassy on the occasion of Austria’s National Day. His address was followed by a toast by U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), who was an honorary guest along with U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.
Several ambassadors, representatives of the Austrian OSCE-Chairmanship 2017, expats (#AustriansAbroad) and friends of Austria joined the reception, during which various "quintessential" dishes and drinks from Austria by Chef Mikko were offered. Cultural highlight of the event was the performance by jazz trumpeter Franz Hackl, who introduced the musical part of the evening by a solo, after which he teamed up with classical pianist Andreas Woyke and cellist Friedrich Kleinhapl for an amazing jazz-classic crossover followed by both anthems; the audience was furthermore treated to a Woyke / Kleinhapl excerpt of Friedrich Gulda’s "Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra" as a teaser for their concert two days later at the Austrian Cultural Forum.
