MONROE — When the Monroe Swiss Singers held their first Swissfest in November of 1963, the 19 charter members at that time probably never dreamed the event would still be going strong over 55 years later with more than double the membership. Although some of the faces in both the mixed choir and the audience have changed over the years, the Monroe Swiss Singers’ annual trademark event remains synonymous with quality Swiss folk music and entertainment, all for the sake of carrying on the traditions and culture brought to Monroe and south central Wisconsin by its Swiss forbears.
Marking the 53rd Annual Swissfest, the event is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 in the Grand Hall of the Turner Hall of Monroe, 1217 17th Avenue. Sharing the stage and program along with the Monroe Swiss Singers are two other Green County staples, the Männerchor New Glarus and the New Glarus Yodel Club. Alphorns, accordions, Swiss coin rolling, Swiss flag throwing and yodeling, all perennial favorites, will again be part of the show.
Special acts this year include a father-daughter performance by veteran accordionist Henry Blumer and vocalist and Monroe Swiss Singers member, Julie Blumer, assisted by accordionist Ruth Ruf. Mary Zimmerman and Lynn Liechti, also of the Monroe Swiss Singers, will sing a song once recorded by Roger Bright, “Yodeling Through Life”, as well as one recorded by Martha Bernet and the late Betty Vetterli, “Uf de Bärge möcht i läbe”. Duo-accordionists Bobbie Edler and John Waelti will return to the stage this year, as will zither player, Jeff Palenik. George Albright and Heinz Mattmann will present a duet playing the Büchel, a small, folded and high-pitched alphorn-type instrument from central Switzerland.
Monroe has had a long history of Swiss choral groups, primarily men’s yodel quartets and choirs, dating from the late 1800s. The immediate predecessor of the Monroe Swiss Singers was the Swiss Club Men’s Chorus, which was established in 1958. Due to dwindling membership, female voices were added in February of 1963 and the group came to be known as the Gemischter Chor Monroe. In 1968, the name was officially changed to the Monroe Swiss Singers. Of the original 19 charter members, all except one were native Swiss. Deborah Krauss Smith, whose paternal grandmother was a Swiss native from canton Aargau, has directed the group since 1985. Previous directors included Edwin Schuetze (1963 — 1966), Christian Gafner (1966 — 1971), Betty Koehler (1971 — 1976) and Marie Power (1976 — 1985). The group has won many first-place awards in competition singing, performs at area events, and has accepted invitations to perform at places such as Daley Plaza in Chicago, Folklore Village in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, the Berne Heritage Festival in Berne, Indiana, the Holy Cross Sisters 100th Anniversary in Merrill, Wisconsin, and numerous times at Oakwood Village — University Woods in Madison, Wisconsin. The group is also a member of the North American Swiss Singing Alliance, and participates in NASSA’s triennial Swiss singing festival and competition, the next of which will be held in Edmonton, Canada in 2021.
General seating tickets are $10 in advance through Saturday, Nov. 2, at Turner Hall’s Ratskeller Restaurant or at Orange Kitten Yarns on the north side of Monroe’s Square, or $12 at the door. Tickets for children in grades K-12 are $1 and preschoolers are admitted free. Grand Hall doors will open at 1:30 p.m. The Ratskeller Restaurant will be open following the program.
The Turner Hall of Monroe, of which the Monroe Swiss Singers is a member subsection, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. Established in 1868, it is believed to be the only Turner (gymnast) Hall of Swiss origin still operating in the United States. Following the original structure’s destruction by fire in 1936, the current building was designed by German architect Max Hanisch and reopened in 1938. More information is available at TurnerHallofMonroe.org.
