German Cultural Programming
Celebrating 325 Years of German Settlement
and Migration in Philadelphia: October 6, 2008
What a celebration it was! The President of the Federal Republic of
Germany, the Vice President of the United States of America, the Governor of Pennsylvania,
and the mayors of both Philadelphia and Krefeld all assembled to pay homage to the 13
brave families who set sail from Europe on the Concord, traveled to the new world and
founded what is now known as Germantown, Pennsylvania.
Twenty-five years
have past since that gala occasion; 325 since the arrival of those first Germans in the
Philadelphia area back in 1683. Millions have followed in their footsteps—nearly 43
million Americans claim German ancestry according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2004).
While that
300-Jahresfeier, 300th Anniversary Celebration, had originally been trumpeted
as the 300th anniversary of the very first Germans in America—a claim
subsequently trumped by the discovery of the earlier arrival of Germans in the Jamestown
Colony four hundred years ago this year, the celebration remains an important reminder of
the numerous and varied contributions made by German-Americans to our region and the
nation.
We are certain
that you will want to join us this October as we celebrate the 325th
anniversary of the arrival of the first group of German-speaking families and the founding
of the first permanent settlement in Philadelphia. The celebration will run from September
27 through October 6 with a diverse and exciting calendar of events.
Enthusiastically
committed to sponsoring events are academic, cultural, historical, and social institutions
such as the
· University of Pennsylvania,
· Philadelphia Museum of Art,
· Historic Germantown Preserved,
· German Society of Pennsylvania,
· German-American Chamber of Commerce,
· Immanuel Lutheran Church,
· Keystone State Boychoir |
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· Leo Borchard Musikschule Berlin
· Masonic Temple and Library,
· Liberty Bell Wanderers,
· Steuben Observance Association,
· German-American Committee,
· Grumbelthorpe,
· Bavarian Club of Philadelphia, and
· German Historical Institute of Washington, D.C.
Events include
restaurant events and beer tastings, lectures, tours of art exhibits and colonial German
sites, a film fest, tutored wine tasting, an ecumenical worship service, a 5K and 10K
benefit walk, modern dance performance, commemorative luncheon, mayoral proclamation, parade, as well as
traditional Oktoberfests. Included in this rich and varied program are activities
specifically designed for high school and college students, children of all ages and
adults.
Get involved! Share the joy! If
it’s true that everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, let’s all be
German in Oktober!
Delbert Hausman, Ph.D.
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Support of German-American Immigration Mural
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The Concordia Trust is proud
to have contributed to the mural entitled “Building America: German-American
Immigration and Contributions to the New World.”
It is located at 605 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia (next to the German
Society of Pennsylvania).
The mural, created by the
artist, Michael Webb, was sponsored by the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and
dedicated in October 2008.
Additional funding was
provided by the German Society of Pennsylvania and other private donors. |
The Starbucks Make Your Mark Program Volunteer
Program
On Saturday, January 19, 2008 the Concordia Trust, together with the
students and faculty of the Immanuel German School, collected non-perishable foods and
slightly used clothing in conjunction with the Starbucks Make Your Mark Volunteer Program. The donated items were packed and then
delivered to the Somerton Food Bank and the St. Vincent de Paul and St. Francis Societies
so they can be shared with needy families in the area.
In total, two pick up truck loads of clothing and a carload of food were donated.
Starbucks
believes volunteerism is vital to a healthy community. With that in mind, it created Make
Your Mark, a program that matches its partners’ and customers’ volunteer
hours with cash contributions to designated nonprofit organizations.
The
Starbucks Make Your Mark Volunteer Program generously donated $1,000 to the Concordia
Trust in recognition of the 164 volunteer hours. The
Immanuel German School was then awarded this grant to support its programming.
Anna
Knudson, Starbucks Coffee’s Community Affairs Specialist, thanked the Concordia Trust
for its ongoing efforts to improve the lives of people living in our community. |
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Making
Philadelphia a German Town:
Looking Forward to German-American Day |
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Irish-Americans have St. Patrick’s Day, Mexican-Americans have
Cinco de Mayo and Italian-Americans have Columbus Day.
Not wanting to be left out, German-Americans will have a retooled and re-energized
way to celebrate German-American Day on October 6, 2007 and everyone is invited to
participate! There is much to celebrate and
this is why!
The 325 anniversary of the arrival of the first German families to
America and the founding of Germantown, PA, after which approximately 8,000,000
inhabitants from German-speaking countries followed, will be celebrated on October 6,
2008. This gives the German-American
community the perfect opportunity to showcase 325 years of contributions made by German
immigrants and their descendents to many aspects of American life.
These innumerable contributions to the American mosaic have been well
documented. In his 1993 German-American Day
Proclamation, President Clinton proclaimed:
"All of us can take pride in the accomplishments of German
Americans – as soldiers and statesmen, scientists and musicians, artisans and
educators. It is fitting that we set aside this special day to remember and
celebrate how much German Americans have done to preserve our ideals, enrich our culture,
and strengthen our democracy."
Many still reminisce about the German-American Tricentennial
observance in 1983, when the academic, educational, musical, cultural, historical and
business communities collaborated to offer a rich variety of programs and events
commemorating these contributions. The
German American Day Celebration Committee will recreate this model, using October 6, 2007
as a dress rehearsal for the 325th celebration in 2008. Organizations like the University of Pennsylvania,
the German-American Chamber of Commerce – Philadelphia, the German Society of
Pennsylvania, the German-American Committee of Philadelphia, Historic RittenhouseTown, the
American Association of Teachers of German – Philadelphia Chapter, the Immanuel
German School, Immanuel Lutheran Church, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Concordia
Trust have already enthusiastically committed to sponsoring events. To this end, a diverse and innovative calendar of
events is being planned for the weekend of October 6, 2007 concentrating in Center City
Philadelphia, but also including the neighboring counties.
The current calendar of events for October 5-7, 2007 includes:
Mayor Street’s Reception” at City Hall,
Uwe
Kind Concert” for middle and high school students of German, sponsored by the AATG
– Philadelphia Chapter. (Uwe Kind is an international communicator who escaped from
the former East Germany to the West in 1960. As a German teacher at the New School in New
York City, Uwe Kind developed SingLing, a language learning technique based on familiar
tunes, which he later refined as a graduate student at Harvard University.)
German
Fair”, sponsored by the Immanuel German School
Restaurant
Promotion” with German beers and foods
German
Film Evening: Das Leben der Anderen sponsored by the German Society
Colonial
German Cooking Program”, sponsored by Historic Rittenhouse Town
Bier
und Wurstfest”, sponsored by the German Society
Sing-a-long
of German Folksongs”, sponsored by the German Society
Susanne
Linke Lecture and Dance Demonstration”, sponsored by the German Society. (The internationally renowned Viennese
choreographer will share her background, style and dance philosophy through a moderated
discussion, dance video and demonstration by Jeanne Ruddy Dance dancers. Ms. Linke unites in her dance both her origins in
the historic German dance tradition and the development of contemporary German dance
theatre.)
Cabaret
Performance”, sponsored by the German Society
Beck
Brass Band Concert”, sponsored by the German Society
Wine
Tasting with Marnie Old”, sponsored by the German Society
Ecumenical
Worship Service”, the Immanuel Lutheran Church
Culinary
Event”, sponsored by the German-American Chamber of Commerce–Philadelphia
Lecture”,
sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania
5K
Walk/Run”, in collaboration with the Liberty Bell Wanderers and the United
German-American Committee to benefit the National Heritage Center in Washington, D.C.
For more
current and detailed information, please visit www.GermanAmericanDay.org.
Benjamin
Franklin may well have articulated it best when he observed, "America cultivates
best what Germany brought forth."
Karlsruher Konzertduo
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The internationally acclaimed Concert
Duo of Karlsruhe, featuring Dagmar Hartmann, piano, and Reinhard Armleder, violin
cello, will showcase its award-winning talent and rich chamber music repertoire during a
late afternoon concert on Saturday, October 28 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, in the
Somerton section of Philadelphia.
These two
young artists have thrilled their audiences with a stylistic and varied repertoire
featuring works from Bach to Piazzolla. The
German print media has praised both virtuosi for immersing themselves into their work with
fascinating emotion while displaying their exemplary talent and perfect instrumental
training.
This
concert, the only Philadelphia performance of their US tour, will feature a diverse
program including works from the baroque, classical, romantic, impressionistic and modern
eras. Spirited jazz, as well as expressive
Tango and Spanish selections will complement the program. |
Co-sponsoring the concert, along with the Immanuel Lutheran Church, is
the Concordia Trust, a non-profit charitable organization that supports and promotes
German language education and scholarship, as well as German cultural programming.
The Concert
Duo of Karlsruhe will perform at 4:00 pm at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 14100
Worthington Road, Philadelphia, PA 19116. A
free-will donation is requested. A reception
will follow the concert. For more information,
please call 215.464.1540. |
Danube Swabian Cultural Exhibit
A cultural exhibit, representing the heritage
of the ethnic Germans who, during the 18th century, settled along the Danube River in what
became Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslavia, took place on April 8 and 9, 2006 at
the Philadelphia Danube Swabian Society.
The exhibit was sponsored by the Philadelphia
and Trenton Danube Swabian Associations, as well as the United German Hungarian Club. Various items, reflecting this heritage, such as
costumes, pictures, tools, genealogies, maps, books, crafts and dolls were displayed.
The same three
groups sponsored the Third Trachtenfest on May 20, 2006 at the United German Hungarian
Club in Oakford, PA . The evening spotlighted
ethnic dances performed by dancers in the colorful costumes (Trachten) of the Danube
Swabian region, poem recitations and skits spoken in regional dialect, and lively dance
music.
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A
collection of the original household tools, utensils, decorative linens and recipe books
used in Danube Swabian homes in Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslavia. |
Authentic
Danube Swabian
costumes (Trachten) |
These
photos reflect life in the Carpathian mountain
region of Slovakia, known as the Zips, which was also
settled by Germans. |
Rosalie
E. Matico, the President of the Donauschwaben Philadelphia wrote:
“I
want to thank the Concordia Trust for your support of the Danube Swabian Cultural Exhibit. Through your help, we were able to reach out to the
German teachers in the area. I also wanted to
thank you for your generous contribution towards the exhibit. Your support of the German language and culture is
greatly appreciated.”
A Lieder Konzert
to benefit Concordia Trust’s
language and cultural programming took place on Sunday, October 30, 2005
at 3:00 pm at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 14100 Worthington Road, Philadelphia, PA
19116.
Sopranos
Jacqueline Smith and Michelle Schulman were joined by Mezzo-soprano K. Rebecca Oehlers and
pianist Ken Borrmann in performing a collection of familiar German Lieder.
Albert Cramer, a student of the Immanuel German School, performed a Schubert piano
selection
Ken
Borrmann, Jacqueline Smith, K. Rebecca Oehlers, Michelle Schulman and Albert Cramer
The
concert included works from Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Beethoven.
A reception followed the concert.
The concert was dedicated to the memory of Doris Knott.
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Kaffee, Kuchen und Kanzlerwahl
on Sunday, September 18, 2005 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm
at the Vereinigung der Donauschwaben
A small gathering enjoyed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and a slice of homemade
German Torte,
as though you were in a German coffeehouse and also listened to the results of the German
national elections
via livefeed provided by GermanTV. |
Lieder
Konzert on April 24, 2004
| Sopranos
Michelle Schulman, an Immanuel German School teacher, and Jacqueline Smith, an Immanuel
German School parent, performed a collection of familiar German Lieder featuring
the poetry of Goethe, Heine, Eichendorff and others. Many leading composers were so
inspired by these poems, that they set the words to music to create a large collection of Lieder.
The music of Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Beethoven was also
featured. Several
students from the upper classes participated by reading and interpreting some of the
chosen texts.
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Sopranos Michelle Schulman, left, and Jacqueline
Smith, right, with accompanist, Joseph Krupa, after the performance |
The students of
Frau Frei's class gave their interpretation of Goethe's Erlkönig. |
Der
Gärtner, die Zigeunerin, and Nachtlied
were read by these students in Herr Dellaporte's class. |
Ray Anderson and
Margaret Stiles' class recited the text from the famous Schubert Lied, die Forelle. |
Frau Woitas' class
chose the well-known poem die Lorelei by Heine, and Heidenröslein by
Goethe. |
Internationally renowned Uwe Kind performed for the Immanuel German School on
Saturday, November 22nd at 10:30 a.m. in the Audion of Lower Moreland High
School.
Monty Weathers of Royal Oaks High School, in Michigan recently wrote: “Uwe
Kind never fails to bring down the house with his unique interactive foreign language
performances. All concerts begin with an inspiring video to warm up the audience.
Then the music starts and Uwe gets them singing, rapping, and dancing in no time. A live
performance is a great way to break down inhibitions, to motivate, and to build enrollment
in German classes.
Uwe is an inspiration to students and teachers around
the world with his Lingo Tech method. Lingo Tech builds on the premise that music helps
language students with memorization, intonation, and pronunciation. Uwe Kind has created a
new breed of dance music – and a new way to acquire languages.”
Uwe Kind
maintains: "It is my mission to demystify language learning, - to facilitate quick
learning, memorization, communication and to make it an easy and fun experience."
After all, he taught a David Letterman audience to order a beer and schnitzel in 2
minutes.
For more information on Uwe Kind, please visit his web site:
http://www.kindinternational.co