NEW GLARUS - At the request of the Swiss Embassy, a group of alphorn players and flagthrowers from the New Glarus Jodlerklub performed Friday night at a fundraising gala in Washington, D.C.
Nine members of the yodel club made a whirlwind trip to the National Building Museum to play at the Prevent Cancer Foundation's 18th annual spring gala.
The foundation salutes a different country every year during its gala. This year Switzerland took the spotlight, with ambassador Michael Sager as the guest of honor.
"We were blowing alphorn when he came in," said John Colstad, a member of the club for more than 30 years.
The New Glarus group left home at the crack of dawn Friday morning to make the engagement, and had to catch a 6 a.m. flight back to Wisconsin Saturday morning. The Swiss embassy covered the trip costs, Colstad said.
About 900 people attended the exclusive gala, estimates Richard Arn. His son Michael, now living in California, traveled with the New Glarus group to perform at the gala as a flagthrower.
The representation of Swiss culture impressed Arn, as did the "beautifully lit" hall.
"I was really in awe of how glittery and glamorous it was," he said.
The group fielded questions from attendees curious about the alphorn, an 11- to-12-foot horn carved out of single pine or spruce tree.
"There were quite a few people who were interested in what they were and where they came from," Colstad said. The instrument's curved end has its origin in the pine trees that grow horizontally off the Swiss mountainside, with the trunk curved upward.
"They leave the curve in, then carve it out," Colstad added.
The enormous horns break down into three pieces, so the group only needed to reserve two extra seats for their alphorn cases on the flights to and from Washington.
The Swiss Embassy initially contacted the New Glarus Jodlerklub to hire flagthrowers for the event, Arn said. When the originally scheduled Swiss alphorn players unexpectedly canceled, the embassy asked the New Glarus club to provide the music, too.
The Jodlerklub has been a New Glarus institution since 1928, when five Swiss-born men founded the group. It now claims a membership of about 30, according to its website. For more information, visit jodlerklubnewglarus.com.
Nine members of the yodel club made a whirlwind trip to the National Building Museum to play at the Prevent Cancer Foundation's 18th annual spring gala.
The foundation salutes a different country every year during its gala. This year Switzerland took the spotlight, with ambassador Michael Sager as the guest of honor.
"We were blowing alphorn when he came in," said John Colstad, a member of the club for more than 30 years.
The New Glarus group left home at the crack of dawn Friday morning to make the engagement, and had to catch a 6 a.m. flight back to Wisconsin Saturday morning. The Swiss embassy covered the trip costs, Colstad said.
About 900 people attended the exclusive gala, estimates Richard Arn. His son Michael, now living in California, traveled with the New Glarus group to perform at the gala as a flagthrower.
The representation of Swiss culture impressed Arn, as did the "beautifully lit" hall.
"I was really in awe of how glittery and glamorous it was," he said.
The group fielded questions from attendees curious about the alphorn, an 11- to-12-foot horn carved out of single pine or spruce tree.
"There were quite a few people who were interested in what they were and where they came from," Colstad said. The instrument's curved end has its origin in the pine trees that grow horizontally off the Swiss mountainside, with the trunk curved upward.
"They leave the curve in, then carve it out," Colstad added.
The enormous horns break down into three pieces, so the group only needed to reserve two extra seats for their alphorn cases on the flights to and from Washington.
The Swiss Embassy initially contacted the New Glarus Jodlerklub to hire flagthrowers for the event, Arn said. When the originally scheduled Swiss alphorn players unexpectedly canceled, the embassy asked the New Glarus club to provide the music, too.
The Jodlerklub has been a New Glarus institution since 1928, when five Swiss-born men founded the group. It now claims a membership of about 30, according to its website. For more information, visit jodlerklubnewglarus.com.