"Dueling Divas" at the Waldorf Astoria Viennese Opera Ball

"The 57th annual Viennese Opera Ball at the Waldorf Astoria was a fair full of random cast members. Beauty queens, 'Project Runway' and 'Dancing with the Stars' alumni, West Point cadets and a biochemical scientist were all partying with the Austrian-American blue bloods at the anticipated white-tie event. Renate Brauner, vice mayor of Vienna, was the guest of honor. 'To be honest, I don't attend many balls in Austria,' said Ms. Brauner. 'But I've also never been to Brooklyn until this trip.' Perhaps because the cheapest ticket cost about $975, the entertainment portion was very elaborate. Two separate horse-drawn carriages were called to duty, transporting the evening's 'Dueling Divas,' a duo of Metropolitan Opera singers, Cynthia Sieden and Amy Shoremount-Obra. They arrived at the ball in fancy equestrian transportation, giving each other icy stares while their ponies circled the ballroom. They were acting out a diva rivalry as part of the evening's theme, while pretending to compete in a role in Mozart's The Impresario. Even though the script was camp, guests ate it up." [Source] One more photo of the divas after the jump.