Category Archives: Events

Kommers 2019

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Kommers 2019 was held on Sunday April 7th at Hart Park in Wauwatosa.  MGV Harmonia Kenosha won the competition, with the Madison Maennerchor in second place and Milwaukee Liederkranz, the 2018 winner, in third. Milwaukee Liedertafel was the host choir and the set up and food were great.

Below are some photos; click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.

 

GERMAN GENEALOGY Workshop in Madison, Saturday, February 23, 2019

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Finding Our German Ancestors in Europe:

a Workshop for Genealogists 

with Antje Petty 
Saturday, February 23, 2019
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
UW-Madison Memorial LIBRARY, Room 126,
728 State Street, Madison
Cosponsored by the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies and the Wisconsin Historical Society

REGISTER ONLINE at www.wisconsinhistory.org  Registration begins on December 14 and is first-come-first-serve. Limited to 75 registrants!

Fees (including lunch): $36 for members of the Friends of MKI, the Wisconsin Historical Society, or the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society; $40 for non-members

Session I         “All I know is they were from Germany”

Before you can do any meaningful family research in Europe, it is crucial to know where your ancestor lived at a certain time. This session will give advice on how to identify your ancestral hometown in the context of Central Europe’s complex territorial history.

Session II        Lives lived and documented

Vital records are usually the first ones we try to find when researching our ancestors in Europe, but people’s lives were documented in many more ways. Whether our ancestors owned land (or not), paid taxes, attended a school or a church, joined the military, had a business or a bank account; were members of a guild, club, or community organization; etc. – chances are, they left traces that can help us discover their stories.

Session III      Finding documents from German-speaking Europe

This session is an introduction to finding historical records from German-speaking Europe online and off. It will include tips on how to do archival research as well as on how to navigate and use the ever-growing online selection of German and other European historical documents and genealogical resources.

Session IV      Working with historical German documents 

You found a family document. You made a copy.  But now what?  In this session you will learn strategies to efficiently interpret historic German documents, even if you do not speak the language and cannot read the script.

PRESENTER

Antje Petty is the Associate Director of the Max Kade Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She shares the resources of the Institute with the community through lectures and workshops and has done extensive research on German-speaking immigrant families.

For more information go to: https://mki.wisc.edu/events/2018/finding-our-german-ancestors-europe-workshop-geneaologists

or contact Antje Petty (apetty@wisc.edu / 608-262-7546) or Lori Bessler (Lori.Bessler@wisconsinhistory.org / 608-264-6519)

Beloit Chorale Concert

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The Beloit Chorale performing at Bethel Lutheran Church, July 21, 2018

The Beloit Chorale performing at Bethel Lutheran Church

The Beloit Chorale performed at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison on Saturday July 21st. This is the Chorale’s first season and we were pleased to have the opportunity to sponsor the concert.

This is a recording of one of the songs that the chorale performed. It is “Stars” by Erik Esenvalds.

Bucky on Parade

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Gemuetlichkeit Bucky on the Capitol Square

Gemuetlichkeit Bucky on the Capitol Square

Those of you who live in the Madison area have probably seen or heard of the “Bucky on Parade” public art project. This involves 85 different Bucky Badger statues in the Madison area, each one 6 feet tall and 160 pounds. Every statue is transformed by a local artist into a unique representation of Bucky. Here is a link to the WMTV story.

Tim found the “Gemütlichkeit Bucky” near the Capitol and took this picture. Click on the thumbnail to see the larger image.

For more information on the art project, here is the official Bucky on Parade web site. There are maps on the web site showing the location of all 85 of the Buckies. The project runs from May 7, to September 12, 2018.

 

Kohl Center January 2018

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We were invited to sing the national anthem at the Kohl Center on January 26, before the UW mens hockey game against Penn State. We got to see a lot of the facilities at the Kohl Center. We did a couple of sound checks – it was a new experience for us to sing in such a large hall with microphones.

After we sang the anthem, we had a chance to watch the first period before going up to the Kellner Club to sing during the first intermission. We had a great time and were able to sing a lot of favorite songs. It was a great evening and best of all UW came from behind to defeat Penn State 4-2!

Here are a few photos:

Christmas Concert 2017

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On Sunday December 10, 2017 we had our annual Christmas Concert & Dinner at Madison Turner Hall. It was a very festive occasion despite the lack of snow on the ground. We had a record crowd for the concert and the dinner afterward. Thanks to everyone who helped plan, set up, take tickets or clean up. Special thanks to Sankt Nikolaus for fitting us into his busy schedule.

Thanks to everyone who attended. We hope to see you again next year!

Here are some photos of the event. As always, click on the thumbnail image to see the full photo.

Christmas Concert & Dinner 2017

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A visit from Sankt Nikolaus

A visit from Sankt Nikolaus

Our annual Christmas Concert & Dinner will be held at Turner Hall, 3001 S Stoughton Road in Madison, on Sunday December 10, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. After the concert, there will be a visit from Sankt Nikolaus followed by dinner at approximately 5:00 p.m.

Tickets are $25/adult and children 13 or older. Children under 13 eat free when with an adult also eating dinner. Cash bar. Tickets for the concert only are $10/adult. Tickets can be purchased at the door but we would appreciate it if you made a reservation in advance. For the full details, including how to make a reservation, please click on the link below:

2017 MMC Christmas Concert flyer

Please make your reservations by December 5th if possible. Email us at xmas@madisonmaennerchor.org or call Alan at (608) 335-0770.

Note: if the concert is canceled due to bad weather (as has happened in the past) we will post the news here on our web site and on our Facebook page. We will also attempt to contact everyone on the reservation list if we have a phone number or email address.

Swissfest 2017

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On November 5, 2017 we traveled to Monroe to sing as a guest choir at the 51st Annual Swissfest. the event was held at Turner Hall in Monroe and included the Monroe Swiss Singers, the Maennerchor New Glarus and the Jodlerklub New Glarus.

It was a great event and I think we had a great time both performing and listening to the other choirs and other performers. The acoustics in the Grand Hall were great. Afterward, we headed downstairs to the Ratskeller for some refreshments.

Here are some photos; as always, click on the thumbnail to see the larger image.

Kommers 2017

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The 2017 WSB Kommers was held on May 20th at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Kenosha. Below are a few photos from the competition. Our hosts MGV Kenosha were the eventual winners; we placed third.

International Fest 2017

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On Saturday February 25th we sang at the International Festival in the Overture Center. this year we performed on the stage of the Capitol Theater instead of the Rotunda Room where we performed the last few years. After we sang, quite a few of us headed over to the Buck & Badger for a drink. Or perhaps two.

Here are some photos from the day. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.