It is a long-standing Vienna Philharmonic tradition on New Year's Day to present a program consisting of the lively and cheerful repertoire of the most impressing pieces by the Johann Strauss family and its contemporaries.

This spectacular concert takes place at Vienna's Musikverein, a truly unique concert venue. This magnificent neo-Classical building was designed by one of the most popular Ringstraße-architects, Theophil Hansen, and officially opened in 1870. It contains one of the best and most beautiful concert halls in the world - the Golden Hall.

To check local listings in California for PBS’ “Great Performances program: The New Year’s Celebration 2012”, please click here.

To read more about the "Wiener Musikverein", please click here .
Information about the Vienna Philharmonic can be found here .

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As part of the "Monday Evening Concert Series" at Zipper Hall of Colburn School in Downtown Los Angeles, Russian singer Natalia Pschenitschnikova will perform the work "einfalt.stille." of Austrian composer Klaus Lang. On Sunday, January 8, Klaus Lang will introduce his work at the Goethe-Institut. To learn more about the concert and where to buy tickets, please go to the main article. Read more about Klaus Lang on his homepage.

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Pictures of the young Austrian photographer Michael Krebs are featured at Photola at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium from January 12 - 16.

From March 3 - April 14, dnj Gallery will host Michael Krebs' exhibition "surplus". "Surplus" was already exhibited at the Albertina in Vienna and received the Design Award of the "Graphische".

To read a biography of Michael Krebs and an artistic statement about "Surplus" which deals with the "war of consumerism", please go to the main article.

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The UCLA Film Archive presents a retrospective of groundbreaking Russian director Dziga Vertov. This retrospective includes an extensive selection of Vertov’s silent films and sound features produced in what he called his “factory of facts.” The vast majority of the program is drawn primarily from the Austrian Film Museum’s unparalleled Vertov collection, including fourteen Kino-Week films from 1918–19, and all of his extant Kino-Pravda films from 1922–25. The Austrian Film Museum houses the largest collection of Vertov material outside of Russia and is a vital center of international research into Vertov’s life and work. The cooperation between the Austrian Film Museum and the UCLA Film Archive is supported by the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles. To read more about the films and how to receive discounted tickets, please go to the main article. Here you can visit the website of the Austrian Film Museum. For more information on the UCLA Film Archive, please visit their website .

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Vienna's world famous Ball season, part of Austria's UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, is in full swing. Please click here for this season.

One of the largest Balls in Vienna is the Ball of the Viennese Coffee House Owners (Kaffeesiederball ), who represent with their Coffee Houses a distinct part of Viennese tradtition and history. Usually, more than 5000 people dance, laugh, chat and dine in the glamorous salons of the Hofburg.

Besides, the Viennese Coffee House is also on Austria's UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

To read more about Austria's UNESCO list, please click here

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From January 13 - 22, Innsbruck and Seefeld will host the first Winter Youth Olympic Games. Together with young people from the local region, 1,058 athletes from over 70 nations, aged 14 to 18, competing in 63 sporting competitions, take part in a one-of-a-kind Culture & Education Program. The idea behind mixing sport and culture is to support young people in their personal and athletic development and to raise their interest in the Olympic Values. Following the Winter Olympic Games in 1964 and 1976, the Winter Youth Olympic Games give Innsbruck and Seefeld the chance to welcome the Olympic Family for a third time. To read more about the Winter Youth Olympic Games, please click on the main article. For more information on this world-famous region full of Olympic History, please click here.

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If you or students you know are thinking about applying for a Summer Program in Europe, the International Summer Program in Strobl, offered and organized by the University of Vienna, might be the right choice. The International Summer Program provides a multidimensional survey of the present development of Europe and the European Union. Participants will study the decision making process within the EU insitituions as well as particular aspects of Europe's political culture. Additionally, various German language courses are offered at four different levels of proficiency.

To read more about this program, please click here.

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With the year coming to a close, we wish to convey our appreciation and gratitude to our partners at the Austrian Honorary Consulates in Anchorage, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Scottsdale and Seattle. We appreciate the close cooperation with the Austrian Honorary Consuls and their assistance, in particular by providing fast and efficient help to Austrians in need. In the coming months, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles will consider candidacies for the function of the Honorary Consul in Denver as well as for the upcoming opening (January 1, 2013) at the Honorary Consulate in Las Vegas. It is the aim of the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles to ensure a continued strong presence in the Western United States.

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On June 15, the validity of the entry of a child's name into a parent's Austrian passport ends.

We recommend a timely application for a separate passport for each child - please see information on our website.

Please note that once an Austrian citizen who has completed 12 years of age fingerprints are mandatory for the issuance of a regular passport. The child has to appear in person in order to get fingerprinted at one of the Austrian Consulates Generals in the US or at the Austrian Honorary Consulate in Vancouver/Canada. The application has to be signed by both parents or the parent who has custody of the child.

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