What is the
New York State Sängerbund?

As German-speaking immigrants settled around the state, they brought with them a love of choral singing and formed choruses like those back in their heimat. In 1897 twenty-two choruses pledged to support each other, encourage competitive singing, and advocate camaraderie. Thus the sängerbund was founded.

This host association is the umbrella organization uniting German choruses from throughout New York State. Our mission is to promote and advance German culture, heritage, and tradition through music and song to communities all over the state. We meet these objectives in several ways:

• Encourage and support local concerts, festivals, and celebrations of traditional Germanic heritage.
  
  
• Promote the triennial statewide competitive singing festival known as a Sängerfest. The Sängerfest comprises three days of concerts, dances, and competitive choral singing events.
  
  
• Distribute grants for German scholarship, youth choral programs, and funding for public concerts and community education.

Around the State    2009

This Calendar of Events is provided to help publicize German events scheduled throughout the year. Please support our choral brothers and sisters as you travel in New York State and perhaps are visiting a New York State Sängerbund member-verein city. We present this only as a guide and do not guarantee its accuracy. Therefore, please contact the appropriate verein for any last minute changes. If you have any additions, corrections, or changes please contact the webmaster.

Sun 18

Kingston

Pizza Party & Raffle

1:00 to 5 PM

Ed Rrock

Sun 18

Utica

Lasagna Dinner

12 to 4 PM

Sun 24

Albany

Wurstfest

Doors Open 4 PM

Vic Meister

Sat 31

Utica

Dinner Theater

Doors Open 6 PM

"You Say Tomatoes"

Sat 7

Troy

Sweetheart Ball

5:30 PM

Sun 8

Utica

Valentine Brunch

9:30 to 12:30 PM

Sat 14

Poughkeepsie

Karneval und Fasching

Sun 15

Albany

Dinner-Dance

1:30 PM

Valentine's Day Sweetheart

Sat 21

Kingston

Fasching - Mardi Gras

7:30 to 11:30 PM

Gregory Reinwald

Sat 21

Albany

Karneval - Fasching

5 PM

Mardi Gras

Sat 21

Utica

Fasching - Mardi Gras

6 PM Dinner

Costume Party

Mon 9

Utica

Student Night

6:30 PM

Sat 14

Utica

St. Patricks Day Party

12 to 4 PM

Sat 21

Albany

Irish Night

5 PM

Shamrocks & Sauerkraut

Sun 22

Kingston

9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Sun 29

Poughkeepsie

International Dinner - France

Fri 10

Poughkeepsie

Karfreitag Service

3 PM

First Lutheran Church

Sat 18

Kingston

7:30 PM - 11:30 PM

Sat 18

Albany

Schnitzelfest

5 PM

Sun 26

Utica

Sauerbraten Dinner

12 to 4 PM

Sun 26

Utica

NYSSB BMC Meeting

1:00 PM

Hosted by Utica Männerchor

Sat 2

Poughkeepsie

Fruhlingsgala

Sat 2

Utica

144 Anniversary Dinner

6:00 PM

Sat 16

Kingston

7 PM -12:30AM

Mountain Tops

Sat 16

Albany

Bierfest

5 PM

Sat 16

Utica

Edelweiss Dinner - Dance

6:00 PM

Mon 25

Binghamton

Breakfast in the Woods

With Musikverein?

26 - 29

Utica

Bus Trip

Trapp Family Lodge

Fri 5

Albany

Schuetzenpark Biergarten

4:30 PM

Opening Party

Fri 5

Utica

Chorus Concert

12 - 14

Utica

Hosted by Utica Männerchor

Sat 20

Poughkeepsie

Annual Meeting and Elections

Sun 21

Albany

Father's Day Picnic

1 PM

Sun 28

Kingston

2 - 6 PM

Reinhold Wiedemann Zither

Fri 3

Albany

Schuetzenpark Biergarten Open

4:30 PM

Sat 4

Binghamton

Breakfast in the Woods

Frühstück im Wald

17 - 19

Utica

Bavarian Festival

Sun 19

Albany

Old Time German Day Picnic

1 PM

Sun 19

Poughkeepsie

Family Picnic at Pavilion

Sat 25

Binghamton

July Fest . . . Schuplattlern?

Musikverein?

Joe Weber Band?

Sun 9

Kingston

1 - 5 PM

Sun 16

Poughkeepsie

Annual Barbeque at Pavilion

Mon 7

Binghamton

Breakfast in the Woods

Frühstück im Wald

Fri-Sun
11 - 13

Poughkeepsie

Oktoberfest!

Sat 19

Kingston

1 - 5 PM

Sat 19

New York City

Steuben Day Parade

Sat 26

Binghamton

Oktoberfest Harvest Dance

Fritz's Polka Band

Sun 18

Kingston

9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Sat-Sun
17 - 18

TBD

NYSSB Convention

TBD

Sat 24

Poughkeepsie

Children's Halloween Costume Party

Sat 7

Troy

Männerchor-Damenverein
Anniversary Banquet

Cocktails 5:30 PM
Dinner 6:00 PM

Rsv Rq

Sat 14

Binghamton

Annual Banquet & Concert

5 - 11 PM

Sun 15

Poughkeepsie

Annual Fall Concert

International Dinner - Russia

Sat 21

Kingston

7:00 PM to 12:30 AM

Bud & Linda Band

Fri-Sun
20 - 22

Poughkeepsie

Christkindlmarkt

Fri-Sat
4 - 5

Kingston

Christkindlemarkt

Christmas Bazaar

Sat 5

Poughkeepsie

Christmas Party

Sun 6

Kingston

Kinder Christmas Party

10:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Breakfast with Santa

Sat 12

Poughkeepsie

Children's Christmas Party

Sun 13/20

Kingston

German Christmas Service

1:00 - 4:30 PM

Trinity Lutheran Church

Sun 20

Poughkeepsie

Weihnachtsmesse

2 PM

First Lutheran Church

Mon 21

Kingston

Staff Christmas Party

7:00 - 10:00 PM

Singers/Workers

Wed 31

Poughkeepsie

New Year's Eve Party

Immigrants from many lands contributed to the melting pot of American musical creativity. A specifically American form of musical culture emerged in the 19th century at a time when the German element in the United States was most active and effective in shaping musical tastes and traditions. German singing societies, the Sängerbunde, were formed to give testimony to the German-Americans' perennial love for music, sociability and conviviality.

Unfortunately, the Germans found it difficult to integrate in sizable organizations and had a tendency to dissipate their social energies in small groups. By 1881 in Cincinnati, where the Nord-Amerikanischen Sängerbund was formed in 1849, there were 18 major German clubs and six different choral societies. When new works by Richard Strauss demanded a larger scope of the choir, a recommendation was made to add female voices.

Singing societies in the cities of the Atlantic states felt the Nord-Amerikanische Sängerbund was too far west, so they formed their own Nord-Östliche League in 1850. In July of 1897, Karl Koch of Albany attended the Nord-Östliche Sängerfest in Philadelphia and conceived the idea of forming a Sängerbund in Upstate New York. At an annual meeting of the editors of the German Newspapers Association, Koch, a poet and the editor of the Albany Sonntags Journal, wrote an article calling for the establishment of such an organization. He was supported by John C. Schreiber, editor of the Utica Deutsche Zeitung, and Jacob Birkmayer, editor of the Troy Freie Presse. The next month, on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the Troy Männerchor, a number of societies pledged themselves to this endeavor and in October of 1897, at its first convention in Albany, representatives of 22 societies signed the provisional constitution of the Central New York Sängerbund and elected its first officers.

Sängerfeste were held in 1898 in Utica, 1901 in Albany, 1903 in Syracuse, 1906 in Troy, 1908 in Utica, 1911 in Albany and 1913 in Syracuse. During World War I, the societies strictly adhered to singing and remained neutral following the precepts of their adopted country. ln 1922, the Sängerbund celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Arion Hall in Syracuse and resumed the Sängerfeste in Troy, in 1925 in Buffalo, 1928 in Schenectady, 1931 in Poughkeepsie, 1934 in Rochester and 1937 in Utica.

For its first 41 years, the Sängerbund was restricted to male singers but various singing societies had already formed their own ladies' choruses. On October 30,1938, Elsie Dossert of Syracuse organized these ladies' choruses into the Vereinigte Frauenchöre of Central New York (United Women's Choruses of Central New York). Since then, this organization has been extremely supportive of the Sängerbund and instrumental in its development.

The Sängerfeste were interrupted again during World War II and resumed in 1947 in Syracuse on the 50th anniversary of the Central New York Sängerbund at which time the United Women's Choruses of Central New York presented the Sängerbund with its first Bundesfahne. This flag was cherished and proudly displayed at official meetings of the Sängerbund for the next eleven years. Subsequent Sängerfeste were held in 1950 in Troy, 1953 in Buffalo and 1956 in Syracuse. On the occasion of the 1959 Sängerfest in Rochester, the United Women's Chorus of Central New York presented a new flag, based on an original design by Hans Brand of the Syracuse Liederkranz. This flag replaced the original which had been consumed by a fire that destroyed Germania Hall of Poughkeepsie where it was being stored temporarily. This new flag was another masterpiece of the Kunststickerei of Baden-Württemberg which had crafted the original flag.

The Sängerfeste continued in 1962 in Utica, 1965 in Albany, 1968 in Buffalo, 1971 in Troy, 1974 in Poughkeepsie, 1977 in Albany and, in 1980, the 25th and final Sängerfest of the Central New York Sängerbund was held in Utica. After almost 30 years of discussion, the Central New York Sängerbund merged with the United Women's Choruses of Central New York in September 1980 during the convention in Syracuse and both organizations were united under the name of the New York State Sängerbund. The event was commemorated by the attachment of two richly embroidered banners to the Bundesfahne. The office of president of the United Women's Choruses ceased after the merger and Carol Daly took office as the first vice-president of the New York Sängerbund. Karl Haeussel continued as president of the new organization until his death in 1984. He was succeeded by Carol Daly, elected in 1986 and re-elected in 1989. In 1992 Werner Franz was elected President and reelected in 1995 and 1997. He was succeeded by Herman Koelmel, elected in 2000 and reelected in 2003.

With the uniting of the men's and ladies' choruses, the Sängerfeste continued with the additional competition of mixed and ladies' groups in 1983 in Troy, 1986 in Binghamton, 1989 in Utica, 1992 in Syracuse and 1995 in Binghamton.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the New York State Sängerbund, the 31st Sängerfest was advanced to 1997 and hosted by the Utica Männerchor and Ladies Chorus. Thereafter, the tri-ennial cycle was resumed with the 32nd Sängerfest in 2000 in Buffalo. The Sängerfest was hosted by the Buffalo Schwaben Choir and celebrated the end of the Twentieth Century.

To start the new millennium, the Kingston Männerchor and Damenchor hosted the 33rd Sängerfest in 2003. The Bundes Music committee developed Prize Singing rules designed to promote and encourage more participation of choruses by adding a non-competitive category of performance for the Saengerfest. An integral part of this Sängerfest was the participation of the Kinderchore represented by the Buffalo Spatzen, Utica, Poughkeepsie Germania, and the Engelchor from Kingston.

In a tribute to Gemütlichkeit, Freundschaft, and Kameradschaft each Sängerfest is dedicated to a weekend of German culture and tradition through music and song. The German American Club of Binghamton hosted the 34th Sängerfest in 2006. We are enthusiastically looking forward to the 35th Sängerfest hosted by the Utica Männerchor in June of 2009.