The symposium The Viennese Ball Season of 1938 at the Crossroads of Hope and Despair, Escape and Exile on October 29th, 2025 explored the cultural and political significance of the last Viennese ball season before Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany.
Inspired by a rediscovered souvenir from the Caro & Jellinek company ball scheduled for March 12, 1938, the event—organized in cooperation with the Exilarte Center of the mdw – University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna —examined how music and dance reflected identity, resistance, and farewell on the eve of exile. With scholarly lectures, a seminar, and a staged reading, it highlighted the life of composer Leonhard Märker and the role of music in exile and internment. Featuring scholarly contributions by Emily Marker, Mélina Burlaud, Marie-Theres Arnbom, Dietmar Friesenegger, and Gerold Gruber, and musical performances by Romana Amerling, Clemens Seewald and Ulrike Anton, the symposium linked research, teaching, and artistic practice in an innovative form of remembrance culture.
This was followed by a staged reading, accompanied by music from the ball.
