The Austrian national broadcaster ORF has revealed the opening act for this year’s final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will open the final show of the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest from the Schönbrunn Palace garden, from where the viewers will go on a cinematic journey through the most beautiful parts of Austria and end up on the stage in the Wiener Stadthalle, where the star-violinist Lidia Baich will play a snippet of the first Austrian Eurovision winning song by the late Udo Jürgens – Merci Chérie.
Subsequently, last year’s winner Conchita Wurst will perform alongside the Vienna Boys’ Choir, the multinational Suparar Choir and the Austrian rapper Left Boy the official anthem of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest – Building Bridges – written by David Malin. Their vocals will be accompanied by the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO), to be led by conductor Peter Pejtsik.
The final highlight of the opening act will include all the contestants coming to the stage by means of a “magical bridge” through the audience.
The ORF Television Director Kathrin Zechner said:
By incorporating all possible elements of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, we want to send a creative and artistic message to 200 million viewers: “Build bridges!”
Foremost, bridges shall be built musically. Zechner further added:
The rapper Left Boy will perform alongside the classical violinist Lidia Baich, and Conchita Wurst, who embodies like no other the subject of respect, will add on to the artistic feature of the opening act of the final show.
