German Choirs of Fredericksburg, TX

We are working hard getting ready for this year's Sängerfest. 

✧ Arion Men's Choir was founded in 1908. At the beginning its seat was at Palo Alto Creek. Arion also had a mixed choir - its members were ladies (wives and daughters) of the Arion singers. Clipping source: Dietel, William. The Radio Post (Fredericksburg, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 51, Ed. 1 Friday, August 30, 1935 , newspaper , August 30, 1935; Fredericksburg, Texas . ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1510164/ : accessed June 7, 2024 ), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu ; crediting Gillespie County Historical Society . ✧ Hermannsons Mixed Choir (Hermannsöhne Gemischter Chor) came into being in 1934.  In May 1935, Arion Men's Choir hosted the annual Gillespie County S ä ngerfest. The ladies of the Arion Mixed Choir assisted the men in organizing and preparing the celebrations. Clipping source: Source:  Di...

Another song from Maifest - performed by Arion Männerchor.   "I trink jetzt kan Schnaps mehr"   Studying the song lyrics, you may notice that the German language used in it is a bit different from the language version you might have learned at school. We wanted to know more about it and here it is what we have found out. The lyrics are written in a regional Carinthian dialect spoken in Carinthia (Eastern Alps), Austria.  𝅘𝅥𝅮 The music was created by Gretl Komposch (Margaretha Maria Elisabeth Komposch née Höfferer), an Austrian composer and choir director. She was born on February 22, 1923 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. When Margaretha was a little baby, her family moved to Arnoldstein/Carinthia, Austria. The lady studied at Villach Conservatory and also received musical training from Ferdinand Grossmann and Hans Gillesberger. Gretl Komposch founded several singing societies, including Grenzlandchor Arnoldstein and Die Junggebleiben choir. In the 1970s, G. Komposch collab...

 Our Maifest took place on May 05. The Choirs did enjoy meeting with the guests who attended the event. Hopefully, they all had at least as much fun as we did. Thank you guys for your support!  ♪ One of our newer pieces: "Im Wald und auf der Heide"  - a German folk and hunting song.  Text: Wilhelm Bornemann Music based on folk tune: Ferdinand Ludwig Gehricke More videos from the fest - soon.

We are getting closer and closer to our 2024 Maifest concert/event, the time with Gemütlichkeit and German songs! The Choirs are very busy with mastering songs for the May concert.

On 3/21/2024, after our choir rehearsal, the members of the Arion Choir elected unanimously the following two new officers:   Bryan Bierschwale is the new President. James Franer is the new Vice President.  James will continue as the Arion Schatzmeister ( Treasurer ). ♫ All Arion members appreciate Bryan and James stepping forward and taking on the responsibility. Dieter Kemper and Vernon Tribes , our previous President and Vice President, have served the choir for a very long time. Dieter was the President for 22 years and Vernon, the Vice President, for approximately 15 years. We thank both of them for their long service and hope they will continue their activity as Arion choir members for a long time in the future.   ♫