It’s all in the blend: famous arias and songs from opera and operetta alongside polkas and waltzes by the Strauss dynasty, mixed with popular orchestral pieces from the gala repertoire, a young vocal soloist and humorous moderation – just the combination for a rousing start to the New Year! The Tonkunstler Orchestra’s New Year’s Concerts are a decades-old tradition. Alfred Eschwé, leading authority and connoisseur of the music of the Strauss family and their contemporaries, first conducted a Tonkunstler Orchestra New Year’s Eve concert in 1998. Since then, the concert programmes he has compiled and presented have been enjoyed by around 20,000 people in Vienna and Lower Austria at the turn of each year.