If You Go
The Monroe Swiss Singers will sing at the 9 a.m. service Sunday at St. John's United Church of Christ. The church is located at 1724 14th St., Monroe.
MONROE - Monroe's musical ambassadors of Swiss heritage, the Monroe Swiss Singers, will sing at the 9 a.m. service on Sunday, Sept. 14, at St. John's United Church of Christ, 1724 14th St., Monroe.
In addition to presenting a number of choral folklore pieces during the service, alphornists from the group will play pieces for alphorn and organ for the prelude and postlude, and the offertory will feature cowbells and Talerschwingen, or Swiss musical coin-rolling.
The Rev. Dr. William T. "Mike" Heath, senior pastor at St. John's, will speak on the topic "When Opinions and Beliefs Diverge," citing passages from Romans and Matthew.
St. John's is handicapped-accessible, and the public is cordially invited to attend this special service.
Founded in 1963 by nineteen Swiss immigrants, the Monroe Swiss Singers numbers 50 members from south-central Wisconsin and north-central Illinois. Almost all are native Swiss or German, or descendants of immigrants to the area.
The choir is a member organization of the Turner Hall of Monroe, its home and headquarters, and is also an active and participating member of the North American Swiss Singing Alliance, a national organization of Swiss choral groups in the Upper Midwest and Canada.
Their programs of traditional Swiss choral and instrumental folk music are presented several times annually and at the area's major events, including St. John's annual German Christmas communion service.
Additionally, the group has performed by invitation at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry; Daley Plaza in Chicago for the Consulate's Swiss Week; Folklore Village Farm in Dodgeville; the World Dairy Expo in Madison; Berne Heritage Days in Berne, Ind.; and for the Max Kade Institute for German Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A part of the choir toured Switzerland in the summer of 2005, performing in various locations.
The Monroe Swiss Singers is also featured in Wisconsin Folks, the Wisconsin Arts Board's folk artists online directory; in a video and CD produced by Discover Wisconsin Productions (DWP) for its nationally broadcast television/radio tourism series, Discover Wisconsin; and on a DWP CD titled Discover Wisconsin Music: State-of-the-Art.
They are also featured in a book and recording by UW-Madison folklore professor, Dr. James P. Leary, titled "Yodeling in Dairyland: A History of Swiss Music in Wisconsin."
In late 2005, the Wisconsin State Journal featured the second edition of the singers' well-received cookbook, "Old World Swiss Family Recipes." The group has its own Web site at www.MonroeSwissSingers.org.
Deborah Krauss Smith, the granddaughter of Swiss and German immigrants to Green County, is a summa cum laude music graduate of UW-Eau Claire and has directed the Monroe Swiss Singers since 1985. Since January 2008, she has served as organist/director of Music at St. John's UCC, a position she previously held from 1986-1996 before serving 10-1/2 years in the same capacity at Asbury United Methodist Church in Madison.
In addition to presenting a number of choral folklore pieces during the service, alphornists from the group will play pieces for alphorn and organ for the prelude and postlude, and the offertory will feature cowbells and Talerschwingen, or Swiss musical coin-rolling.
The Rev. Dr. William T. "Mike" Heath, senior pastor at St. John's, will speak on the topic "When Opinions and Beliefs Diverge," citing passages from Romans and Matthew.
St. John's is handicapped-accessible, and the public is cordially invited to attend this special service.
Founded in 1963 by nineteen Swiss immigrants, the Monroe Swiss Singers numbers 50 members from south-central Wisconsin and north-central Illinois. Almost all are native Swiss or German, or descendants of immigrants to the area.
The choir is a member organization of the Turner Hall of Monroe, its home and headquarters, and is also an active and participating member of the North American Swiss Singing Alliance, a national organization of Swiss choral groups in the Upper Midwest and Canada.
Their programs of traditional Swiss choral and instrumental folk music are presented several times annually and at the area's major events, including St. John's annual German Christmas communion service.
Additionally, the group has performed by invitation at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry; Daley Plaza in Chicago for the Consulate's Swiss Week; Folklore Village Farm in Dodgeville; the World Dairy Expo in Madison; Berne Heritage Days in Berne, Ind.; and for the Max Kade Institute for German Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A part of the choir toured Switzerland in the summer of 2005, performing in various locations.
The Monroe Swiss Singers is also featured in Wisconsin Folks, the Wisconsin Arts Board's folk artists online directory; in a video and CD produced by Discover Wisconsin Productions (DWP) for its nationally broadcast television/radio tourism series, Discover Wisconsin; and on a DWP CD titled Discover Wisconsin Music: State-of-the-Art.
They are also featured in a book and recording by UW-Madison folklore professor, Dr. James P. Leary, titled "Yodeling in Dairyland: A History of Swiss Music in Wisconsin."
In late 2005, the Wisconsin State Journal featured the second edition of the singers' well-received cookbook, "Old World Swiss Family Recipes." The group has its own Web site at www.MonroeSwissSingers.org.
Deborah Krauss Smith, the granddaughter of Swiss and German immigrants to Green County, is a summa cum laude music graduate of UW-Eau Claire and has directed the Monroe Swiss Singers since 1985. Since January 2008, she has served as organist/director of Music at St. John's UCC, a position she previously held from 1986-1996 before serving 10-1/2 years in the same capacity at Asbury United Methodist Church in Madison.