Bosco Tech Concert Band Awarded

Forwarded From Los Angeles Donauschwaben

by Karl Seitz

Congratulations to the Don Bosco Technical Institute Concert Band as Recipient of the 2011 Hans Schmelzer Music Award! The Alemannia Music Foundation has selected the Don Bosco Technical Institute Concert Band (Rosemead, California), as a recipient of the Ensemble Component of the 2011 Hans Schmelzer Music Award. The award was made in recognition of the efforts being made at the school to develop its music program and provide students the opportunity to study the music of Central and Eastern Europe. The award includes a $600 grant to be used by the school for its music program. The award selection committee cited the coming performance of the Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms by the Bosco Tech Concert Band as an excellent example of the music of Central and Eastern Europe that has helped shape contemporary and classical music development. In a letter to Daniel Almanza, Bosco Tech Director of Bands, the committee stated, “We know that by studying and performing such music, your students will have a greater appreciation for the origins all genres of modern music and will have a broader awareness of the rich spectrum of music from around the world.” The performance was scheduled at the school’s Tech Hall on May 19.

Don Bosco Technical Institute Concert Band 2011 Hans Schmelzer Music Award Recipient

Hans Schmelzer A number of our members have given generously of their time but when it comes to music, fewer names quicker to mind that Herr Schmelzer. From the beginning, Hans Schemlzer has been volunteering his time to the Danube-Swabian community along with his band members. The Hans Schmelzer Award was established in 2010 by the Alemannia Music Foundation to promote the study of Central and Eastern European music in high schools and universities in Southern California. For more information please go to www.alemanniamusic.org.

Hans and his band played at this year's Danube-Swabians Day on July 31st at The Phoenix Club

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JULY  2011

Tag der Donauschwaben

in Cleveland, Ohio

By Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

          Am 12. Juni 2011 fand der traditionsgemässe Tag der Donauschwaben auf dem Gelände des Lenauparks statt. Man war etwas besorgt weil es trübe war und in den vergangenen Wochen, ja Monaten, sehr oft geregnet hatte. Trotzdem wagten die Gruppen sich am Pavillon aufzustellen und angeführt von den Fahnen, zu den Klängen der D.S. Blaskapelle zum Gedenkstein zu marschieren. Wir hatten Glück! Es regnete nicht! Wir konnten unsere Totengedenkfeier abhalten. Präsident Rimpf eröffnete diese und gedachte der Toten der alten und der neuen Heimat. Er erinnerte an die Opfer des Krieges, der Flucht und der Vernichtungslager und erwähnte auch die Jugendlichen Mitglieder die viel zu früh aus unseren Reihen gerissen wurden. Es wurden Kränze an den Gedenksteinen niedergelegt. Hilde Hornung las ein ergreifendes Gedicht und der Banater Chor sang: So nimm denn meine Hände und die Jugendgruppe sang mit der Frauengruppe: Donauschwaben werden wir genannt.

          In der Holzerhalle wurde was Programm fortgesetzt. Nach den Hymnen führten Hilde Hornung und Ingrid Pejsa (Dorr) durch das Programm. Präsident Rimpf sprach Worte der Begrüssung. Ein Grusswort des Landespräsidenten der Donauschwaben USA, Robert Filippi wurde von Karl Helfrich verlesen, da Präsident Filippi sich auf einer Reise nach Ungarn befand, zum Welttreffen der Donauschwaben. Dann wurde an die langjährige Schulleiterin, Frau Edith Hebrank eine Ehrennadel des Landesverbandes von Präsident Rimpf überreicht als Anerkennung.

          Dann folgte die Verabschiedung der Abschlussklasse der Deutschen Sprachschule die von Frau Karoline Lindenmaier eingeleitet wurde. Frau Hebrank begrüsste besonders die Eltern und Grosseltern und bedankte sich, dass sie die Kinder zur Schule bringen und grossen Wert darauf legen, dass sie die deutsche Sprache in Wort und Schrift erlernen. Die Kinder sagten ein Gedicht auf und erhielten ihre Zeugnisse und Prämienbücher. Ausserdem wurden Urkunden verteilt an Schülerinnen und Schüler die verschiedene Test hervorragend bestanden haben. Frau Astrid Julian stellt die Gewinner des Deutschen Sprachdiploms vor und Martin Hebrank war beim verteilen der Urkunden behilflich. Auch die vier Gewinner des Gus und Gertraud Huhn Stipendiums wurden namentlich erwähnt und erhielten ihre Urkunden. Frau Lindenmaier verlas einen ausführlichen Bericht, der von der langjährigen Unterrichtsleiterin, Frau Gerda Juhasz verfasst worden war um die unermüdliche Tätigkeit von Frau Edith Hebrank zu beschreiben. Sie überreichte zusammen mit Frau Haddenbrock eine Plakette an Frau Hebrank als Anerkennung für ihre unermüdliche, selbstlose Tätigkeit als Lehrerin und seit 14 Jahren als Schulleiterin. Man nahm zur Kenntnis, dass Frau Hebrank bereits Frau Haddenbrock gründlich vorbereitet hat, die Schulleitung im nächsten Schuljahr zu übernehmen um zusammen mit Frau Gabriele Samodelov als Unterrichtsleiterin die Deutsche Schule erfolgreich weiter zu führen.

          Dann führten die Mitglieder der D.S. Jugendgruppe das Programm vor, welches sie im Juni dieses Jahres auf ihrer Tournee in Deutschland den dortigen Gastgebern presentieren werden. Es besteht aus drei Teilen, zuerst in D.S. Tracht mit Tänzen, Liedern und Gedichten, dann in sportlicher Kleid amerikanischer Tänze und dann wieder in Einheitsdirndeln mit Tänzen und Liedern usw. die unsere Jugend mit Schwung und einmaliger Präzision vorgeführt haben. Das Publikum im Holzersaal war begeistert und bedachte sie sowie die Kindergruppe und die neugegründete Kulturgruppe, die in den Pausen aufgetreten waren, mit anhaltendem Applaus. Wer Lust hatte konnte noch das gute Essen einnehmen und die leckeren Krapfen, soweit noch welche vorhanden waren, geniessen, bevor sie die Heimfahrt antraten.

Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JULY  2011

Carpathia Jugendkönigsball 2011

 

Forwarded by Carpathia Donauschwaben 

          On Saturday the 12th of February the Jugendgruppe held their formal dance of the year – the Jugendkönigsball.  Our gentlemen dressed in black tuxedos with tails and the ladies in satin ball gowns which have become a tradition of the Carpathia Königsball.

          The evening began with a delicious dinner followed by Jugendleiter Rob Schwalbe welcoming all guests from near and far – not only did we have a good turn out of Carpathia members, but there were also many guests from youth groups from Milwaukee, Cleveland, Chicago and St. Louis. Kevin from St. Louis presented each lady with a rose – a tradition he started for Valentine’s Day at his home club.

          The program began with the regal entrance of the royalty – Königin Victoria Schwager and König Robert Thomas. Carrying the queen’s train were Brett Roek and Kurt Fleischer; guards Sebastian Cole and Ian Jabour and flower girl Sophia Morelli. Next was the presentation of the Royal Menu, complete with roast pig, turkey, Wurst, assorted wines, and decadent desserts. The menu items were later raffl ed off to many lucky winners.

          The program continued with the Kindergruppe as they marched in and filled the dance floor. All dressed in their finest, they danced the Annen Polka by Strauss. It was wonderful! The Kindergruppe always does a great job, much to the delight of the audience.

          As we moved to the finale of the evening’s program, fifteen couples of the Jugendgruppe were introduced to the audience. They marched into position and then music director ‘Leopold’ was once again called into service. As the music of the ‘Kaiser Walzer’ (Emperors Waltz, by Strauss) began, the royalties stepped down from the stage and joined the group in the performance…and what a performance it was! Absolutely beautiful! There were many proud parents, grandparents, family and friends… and we heard there were a few teary eyes too!

          The Sorgenbrecher provided the music entertainment for the evening. I was very happy to see so many of our Jugend on the dance floor all night. It was obvious that most of them really do enjoy dancing!

          The Jugendgruppe later did an encore performance of their Christmas program – the Lichtertanz with candles in the darkened hall. As dance groups leaders, it’s rewarding to get compliments on the group, but more important is that the dancers themselves hear the compliments, and on this night both the Kinder and Jugend heard many.

          We are very proud of them all.

By Karin Schwalbe

	Carpathia Jugendkönigsball 2011

          As a member of the Jugendgruppe and as an individual who has performed at Königsball eight times, one of which I was Prince, this year's Königsball was absolutely amazing. The food was great, the band was excellent, and we even had several visitors from Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis, and Milwaukee.

          With the exception of watching Leopold make a grand (rolling) entrance, the best part of the night was after the formalities were over and the music started playing. It was at this point when the ladies changed back into their beautiful evening gowns and the guys began to loosen their ties, roll up their sleeves, and get more comfortable. The dance floor filled up with polkas and waltzes and the fun really started. It was great to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in awhile and also to steal a dance or two from some of the girls. By the end of the night, I was tired, my feet hurt from dancing so much, and I was thoroughly upset that the fun was over. On the upside, I have a pretty good feeling that next year’s Königsball will be just as much fun, if not more.

By Paul Schwalbe

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JULY  2011

The Best Trivia Night in St. Louis

By Helga Thalheimer

 

Forwarded From German Cultural Society, St. Louis

 

 

          Ask anyone who attended “The Best Trivia Night in St. Louis” on March 19, 2011, and they will tell you the name is well deserved – this is truly the BEST Trivia Night in St. Louis!

 

          This year we hosted a total of 34 tables of 8 (a total of 272 players) who helped make this year’s event a great success. This was our best attended event yet. Word has gotten around the St. Louis area that we have THE best trivia nite and demand was so great we had to limit the number of tables we would reserve this year). The event benefits the German Cultural Society Youth. They were an integral part of the success of Trivia Nite and members of the Youth Group did a great job setting up, handling admission, selling raffle and game tickets, and checking answers.

 

          Once again, Trivia Master, Ralph “Buzz” Ullrich, amused, excited, and baffled the group. There were so many fun and interesting questions in the 10 categories. Because the scores for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place were so very close throughout the evening, everyone focused on John Unterreiner, Scorekeeper Extraordinaire, as the tallied the points.

 

          Rosemarie Ficken organized the efforts of the Youth Group and their parents. Katherine Palmer and Amanda Tate did an outstanding job getting donations for atten­dance, raffle, and game prizes as well as the amazing do­nations they received for the Silent Auction. Kathy Stark sent out emails to DKV members and also set up a wonderful video of the Youth Group for people to watch.

It was worth the price of admission to just win an at­tendance prize! We had 30 attendance prize gift bags and each contained a gift certificate, some fine German chocolate, a Proctor & Gamble product, a very nice gift, such as a bottle of wine, spa set, etc., and an interest­ing extra – Rattlesnake Eggs!!!! (You’ll have to look those up to see exactly what they are).

 

          The winners of the Heads or Tail game and the Dead or Alive game walked away with gift bags full of lovely prizes and gift certificates. The winner of the Great Gift Giveaway raffle took home a variety of gift certificates to area restaurants and retailers worth $250! The big prize of the evening was the Big Booze Basket raffle. The winner took home a laundry basket filled with fine wines, liquors, and bar accessories valued at $400+. Let’s not forget all those with winning bids in the Silent Auction. Wow, what great prizes!

This was an evening filled with friends, family, food, and fun for all ages. Everyone that attended had a fantas­tic time, whether they knew answers or not. We look forward to welcoming everyone again next year and, for those of you who couldn’t attend, or have never at­tended a trivia nite, please join us for THE BEST TRIVIA NITE IN ST. LOUIS – 2012! It’ll be bigger and better than ever!

 

 

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JULY  2011

Kitchener Viennese Ball

Donau Dancers

Forwarded From Kitchener Donauschwaben

Mary Kraehling

          Once again the Viennese Ball Gala, the Donau Dancer’s annual fundraiser, did not disappoint. Feedback has been extremely positive. The decorations transformed the hall into an atmosphere of elegance. Clouds of turquoise feathers and chiffon in the chandeliers, with turquoise accents on the tables, provided a splash of spring-like colour.

          During the social hour and dinner we enjoyed lovely chamber music from a young talented string quartet. For the third year these young musicians have come from Eastwood Collegiate. Complimentary champagne, provided by Irma and Mike Urschel, was available to guests as they entered the hall. The four course dinner started with a lovely butternut squash soup and ended with a lemon yogurt torte.

          The Donau Dancers took to the floor on three occasions. The dance portion of the evening was started with a polonaise followed by a Viennese waltz during which the guests were invited to join the dancers on the dance floor. The highlight of the Donau Dancer’s performance was later in the evening when 12 couples took to the floor and performed a choreographed dance to traditional Viennese music. The ladies in their floor length gowns and the men in their tuxes looked impressive but this year the ladies also held black fans. It was a beautiful sight to see all the fans move in unison throughout the performance. The dancers came back one final time for two dances, an Austrian Ländler and an elegant slow waltz.

          The Variations provided the dance music and throughout the evening the dance floor was full. The guests also enjoyed the raffle portion of the evening where prizes, valued between $50.00 to $250.00 were won. Approximately 20 sponsors provided a variety of prizes from gift baskets, spa lotions, and gift certificates to green fees, quilts and ice wine.

          Those who have been to the gala come back every year. The number of attendees is increasing but we have room for more. If you haven’t been to this exciting, elegant event then be sure to add it to your social calendar next year.

Mary Kraehling

President, Donau Dancers

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JULY  2011

St. Louis Rosenball

 

Forwarded From German Cultural Society, St. Louis

 

 

          This Year we continued our tradition of show casing the talents of our Jugendgruppe at our annual Rosenball. Our Jugendgruppe has grown quite a bit in the last year and each of them put in hours of practice to display their talents on the ball room dance floor. We had as many as 32 dancers on the floor at once. They were able to show us traditional dances such as the Landler, the Waltz, and the popular Tango. This annual performance also serves as a fundraiser for the Jugendgruppe. As in years past, our raffle tickets were gone in minutes, with many wonderful prizes donated from family and friends. The youth would like to thank everyone who helped make the evening a success, from the Fest Committee for their wonderful meal to their leaders who always spend so much time working with them.