Author Archives: Tim

Max Kade Institute Free Lecture

Virtual Lecture

“Wo man singt”
German-American Singing Festivals, 1849–1914

with

Heike Bungert

Wednesday, April 5, at 12:00 pm Central Time

Free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Email Antje Petty to receive a Zoom link: apetty@wisc.edu

​Links will be emailed the day before the event.

Between 1849 and 1914, German-American singing festivals with thousands of participants and visitors were a constant yet changing element in the cultural landscape of the United States. They brought German and European music to America, helped immigrants construct a German-American (musical) identity, and contributed to asserting their status in society. This presentation will focus on the beginnings and the expansion of German-American choirs, especially Männerchöre (choirs for male voices), singing federations and their festivals, and the musical repertoire that was performed from the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of World War I.

Heike Bungert is Professor for North American History at the University of Münster in Germany and has published extensively on the festivals of German Americans.

Click here for further information about this presentation

or contact Antje Petty (apetty@wisc.edu)

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**The Max Kade Institute Virtual Lectures Series is made possible with the support of the Friends of the Max Kade Institute. ​To learn more about the Friends of the Max Kade Institute, including how to become a member, click HERE.

CANCELLED Spring Concert 2022 – June 5

Unfortunately, Covid-19 has still not left the building. Several of our singers, and our director, tested positive for the virus, so in the interest of safety of our concert attendees and our singers, we have decided to cancel the June 5 concert.

Join us on Sunday, June 5 at 3:00 p.m. for our first concert in two years! The Concert will be held at Madison Turners, 3001 S. Stoughton Road in Madison. Tickets are $10 at the door; children are free.

We’ll be singing a mix of old German favorites and a few new English songs in our repertoire. We hope you can join us as we re-start this annual tradition after the pandemic.

On the Road to Prohibition: The Temperance Battle and German-American Brewers

Live Virtual Lecture

On the Road to Prohibition:
The Temperance Battle and German-American Brewers

with Jana Weiß

Thursday, December 10, 2020, at 12:00 noon CT

Free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required
​email Antje Petty (apetty@wisc.edu) to receive a link to the event
[Links will be sent a day before the event]

A hundred years ago, Prohibition was enacted nationwide in the United States. This lecture juxtaposes the evolution of the temperance movement with the role of beer and wine in German-American communities. Special emphasis will be on the Midwest in the period from the founding of the Anti-Saloon League in 1893 until World War I, when German-American brewers became the main target of pro-temperance activists.

© Markus Reinke
Jana Weiß is Associate Professor of History at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Germany). Her research focuses on the interplay of technology, race, religion, and human migration in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. Dr. Weiß’s current research project examines the lager beer revolution in the U.S., led by German-American brewers.

For more information go to the MKI website or contact Antje Petty (apetty@wisc.edu)