Updated posts 2026
The 63rd Annual Quadrille Ball, a white tie charity event, took place at 583 Park Avenue in New York City. The gala brought guests together for a cocktail reception and three-course dinner followed by dancing and the evening’s centrepiece, the Quadrille performance.
The annual ball raises funds for scholarships awarded to students enrolled at US or German universities. The Quadrille was founded decades ago to strengthen transatlantic relationships through education and exchange. Through its non-profit parent organisation, the Germanistic Society of America, it supports undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students.
The stipends awarded by the 501(c)(3) organisation give students the opportunity to study and conduct research across the Atlantic. Recipients are selected in cooperation with the Fulbright program, the Institute of International Education, and Columbia University. More than 700 students have received support over the years.
The quadrille itself is the reason this ball looks unlike most charity galas. A formation dance for four couples that emerged in late eighteenth-century France and spread across European courts, it requires rehearsal and coordination rather than simply knowing the steps, which is why the performance sits at the centre of the evening rather than on its margins. Its survival here, in a New York ballroom two centuries later, is itself a piece of the transatlantic exchange the organisation exists to support.
The Quadrille is organised by volunteers, ensuring that tax-deductible contributions from sponsors, advertisers, donors and guests benefit the stipend fund. The evening depends on hundreds of hours of their time and skills.
This year’s ball welcomed Guest of Honor Dr. Bernd Scheifele and his wife Dr. Kornelie Schütz-Scheifele, alongside the Consul General of Germany in New York, Mr. David Gill, and his wife Ms. Sheila Shrivastava. Also attending were Austrian Consul General Ms. Helene Steinhäusl and her husband Mr. Hubert Heiss, and the acting Consul General of France, M. Damien Laban, with his wife Mme Rebecca Laban.
The Quadrille Stipend Fund depends on the continued support of corporate sponsors, individual patrons and private donors. The Quadrille Ball thanks sponsors including The Mejean Family Foundation (Full Scholarship Sponsor), Microsoft, The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, The Max Kade Foundation, and Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Shiva (Platinum Sponsors).
The Society also thanks Diamond Sponsors Mrs. Lya and Mr. Joseph Pfeifer and Dr. William Radin, along with benefactors Mr. David Detjen, Dr. Barbara and Dr. Karl Elling, Dr. Timothy DeZastro, and Freiherr und Freifrau von Arnim.
Notable Attendees: Dr. Bernd Scheifele (Guest of Honor) and Dr. Kornelie Schütz-Scheifele; Mr. David Gill (Consul General of Germany in NY) and Ms. Sheila Shrivastava; Mr. Damien Laban (acting Consul General of France in NY) and Rebecca Laban; Ms. Helene Steinhäusl (Consul General of Austria in New York) and Mr. Hubert Heiss; Dr. Barbara Elling (President, Germanistic Society of America); Mrs. Lya Pfeifer (Treasurer, Germanistic Society of America); Ms. Irmintraud J. Jost (Ball Committee Co-Chair); Mr. Jean-Baptiste Kresser (Ball Committee Co-Chair); Mrs. Heide Herz (Ball Committee Honorary Chair); Mr. Ryan T. Smith (Ball Committee Vice Chair); Mr. Thorsten Schmidt (Ball Committee Vice Chair); Mr. Gordon Cooper, Ms. Katherine Pfeiffer, Mrs. Susanne von Türk and Mr. Philipp von Türk, Ms. Stephanie Heintzeler, Mr. John Vricella, Mr. Brian Hutchinson, Dr. Zoran M. Budimlija, Mr. Markus J. Hoecherl, Mr. Jon Omahen, Ms. Priya S. Nayar, Ms. Bettina Lindner-Lippisch and Dr. Kathrin DiPaola (Ball Committee); Mr. Christopher Adams and Ms. Emma Sweeny (Junior Committee Co-Chairs); Mr. Andrew Bevan and Mr. Conrad C. Steinmann, Jr. (Alumni Committee Co-Chairs); Dr. William Radin and Ms. Olga Gold; Baron and Baroness von Arnim; Dr. Paul Trotta; Mr. David Chou; Ms. Christine Romulus; Dr. Claudine Holt; Ms. Bettina W. Bennett; Mr. Simon Liepold and Mrs. Arabelle Liepold; and Mr. Matthew Yokobosky.
Photo credits: Angela Gaul / Milestone Images
