Festive, celebratory and fantastic - the ETH Alumni Gala on June 10 was "a night to celebrate and to remember"!
140 ETH alumnae and alumni danced the night away until the early hours of Sunday morning. Next to indulging in culinary highlights, they were entertained by the great atmosphere provided by the ETH Big Band, as well wonderful singers and rousing dance performances. To give you an insight into the memorable evening apart from the detailed picture gallery, we also collected a few testimonials on the event below. Enjoy!
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Starting at 6 p.m., the guests enjoyed an aperitif on the terrace in front of the ballroom of "The Dolder Grand" in Zurich. A small formation of the ETH Big Band played in the foyer, which got the guests in the right mood for the evening. While inside the ballroom, the band, led by conductor Christoph Eck, continued to create a great atmosphere, and so many enthusiastic alumni and alumnae filled the dance floor between the individual courses. ETH architecture alumna Sibèlle Urben skillfully moderated the event and revealed right at the beginning that she is a great ETH enthusiast by linking her alma mater to the event’s location: she noted that the majestic doors to the ballroom of the Dolder Grand awakened memories in her of her first day at ETH, whose impressive doors, opening as if by magic, made a lasting impression on her.
Then Jeannine Pilloud, President of the ETH Alumni Association since May, thanked her predecessor, Walter Gränicher, and his wife. ETH President Joël Mesot and Managing Director of the Association, Isabel Sauter, also expressed their gratitude towards former ETH Alumni President Walter Gränicher for his work over the past 12 years before the Gränichers took to the dance floor, thus opening up another session with "Fly me to the moon."
The guests were also charmed by a Lindyhop interlude as well as a short Charleston performance by 'the Sophisticated Rascals', all in accompaniment of the excellent cuisine provided by the Dolder Grand. After midnight, DJ Madness ensured the continuation of good vibes. Finally, at around two o'clock in the morning, the last dancers left the ballroom, with each lady receiving a rose on her way out.
The guests were thrilled:
«The atmosphere is great, I like the music and the program. The ambience in the ballroom is wonderful. You can have a good chat with many other guests thanks to the big tables.» - Ines van der Lely
«We are enjoying the evening. It is a pity that my husband stepped down as President of the ETH Alumni Association, but he now has more time for other projects.» - Stephanie Gränicher, wife of Walter Gränicher, President until May 2023
«We had no expectations of the event, as it is our first time, but it is really wonderful. We like the elegance and the setting of the event at the Dolder. Everyone is dressed so festively. The atmosphere and the interactions are relaxed, and the food is delicious.» - Sandro Meier and Inkeri Pellinen
«We graduated from ETH this year. It is nice to get a picture of the alumni community here - there are people of all ages! The human component that one sometimes misses while studying can at last be found and contributed to in the alumni community. An event like this serves as another reminder that it was definitely worth it.» - Geena Benga and Greg Weiler