Economics and art – do they go together? Obviously, culture and the arts are an important industry, but it is less well known that in their private lives, many entrepreneurs and executives draw strength and motivation from pursuing artistic talents. Plenty of such hidden creative talents exist in the WU community, waiting to be discovered. For this reason, the university launched the WU’s Talents initiative, inviting all members of the WU community to submit creative contributions and showcase their talents.

WU’s community of 55,000 alumni, 21,000 students, 2,500 faculty and staff members, and numerous supporters is a rich talent pool. The genre-spanning submissions WU received from creative musicians, dancers, painters and sculptors, photographers, and writers as part of the WU’s Talents initiative exceeded all expectations. WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger says, “I’m amazed and impressed by the many different talents that exist in the WU community and I’m very much looking forward to the live show. I wanted to turn the spotlight on the potential that exists at WU and to show that a creative talent and an interest in business and economics are by no means mutually exclusive.”

Big live show starting at 8:15pm

All members of the WU community, alumni, and friends and supporters of WU were invited to apply, from hobby to pro level. The categories ranged from music to acrobatics and the fine arts. The live show will feature eight selected talents. It will be streamed live from the Library & Learning Center on Campus WU on June 10, 8:15pm. The event will feature a live panel of judges. Aside from WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, the panel also includes the following personalities: Max Hollein, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and WU Manager of the Year 2020, WU University Board Chair Cattina Leitner, musician and talent scout Peter Pansky, ORF TV presenter  Elisabeth Vogel, and Norbert Zimmermann, former CEO of Berndorf AG and an enthusiastic jazz musician.

You can find out more about the eight talents at https://www.wu.ac.at/wus-talents

WU’s Talents live show
When? June 10, starting at 8:15pm
Where? Livestream link on wu.at/talents (link available starting at 8:15pm)