German song festival returns this month
The Kelowna Liedertafel Choir will be hosting the 2017 North Pacific Sängerfest, the West Coast’s premier festival for traditional German music.
For the last 80 years, the North Pacific Sängerfest has delighted audiences in Oregon, Washington, and B.C. with the harmonious sounds of classic German songs. This year, the song festival is returning to Kelowna for the third time to give locals the opportunity to share in a night of music as eight choirs compete for top spot.
German music has a rich history in Kelowna, dating back to the formation of the Liedertafel Choir in 1970.
Choir cofounder Paul Fischer says that the idea for a German choir came about after Fischer and some friends reminisced about the many songs they learned while growing up in Germany.
Says Fischer: “The Liedertafel Choir started with a group of about 17 enthusiastic singers. We didn’t have any sheet music— just a blackboard and some chalk — in Joe Baumgarten’s basement.”
The Liedertafel Choir has attended a variety of Sängerfests over the years, and even went on singing tours in Europe in 1992, 1997, and 2008.
While the Liedertafel Choir is celebrating 47 years of song this May, the cultural phenomenon of Sängerfests in North America dates back to the turn of the century.
The North Pacific Sängerbund (North Pacific Federation of Song Festivals) was founded in 1901, encompasses the area from San Diego to Prince George, and includes cities like Seattle, Spokane, Portland, and Vancouver. Liedertafel Choir cofounder Richard Person says that eventually, the Sängerbund grew too large, and was then divided into sections.
The choir’s music director, Rory Fader, says that the Liedertafel Choir greatly looks forward to the Sängerfests as an opportunity to bond as a group and enjoy the event.
This year’s Sängerfest is a three-day event, with a private welcoming party on the Thursday. Then, on Friday night, comes the highlight of the festival: The 8choir concert. The individual choirs perform first, and then come together at the end of the event to perform as one 252voice choir. Saturday is reserved for a banquet and delegate meeting where the festival organizers discuss logistics and decide on a host for the next Sängerfest.
Most of the singing is done in German, and a variety of styles are part of the program. Classical German music is the standard repertoire, but the festival isn’t restricted to just classics.
After Sängerfest, the Liedertafel Choir will sing at Kelowna’s Canada Day celebration. The choir will also have a food booth on Canada Day, where they will serve bratwurst and sauerkraut.
The Liedertafel Choir prioritizes community events, and enjoys singing in retirement homes and at other community venues where they are invited to sing.
Most choir members are immigrants to Canada and sing in order to preserve the songs of their youth. The Liedertafel Choir says they enjoy the camaraderie of singing songs from Germany. The choir organizers say that as they are aging, they are looking for younger singers to continue on the German choir tradition.
The 2017 Sängerfest concert will take place on Friday, May 26 at Evangel Church on Gordon Drive, and will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 each, and are available at the Kelowna Box Office at Orchard Park or at the door.