Sangerbund and Washingtonia in Glover Park

Most Glover Park residents are familiar with Old Europe restaurant, a German culinary and cultural institution in the neighborhood since 1948 at 2434 Wisconsin Avenue, but did you know what international intrigue transpires in the dachboden directly above the restaurant? Musik! And maybe some DC spy ops, but there is no proof of that, as far as you know. While they don’t advertise it much, The Washington Sangerbund and the Shoe-slapping and Mountain Costume Club of Washington (a.k.a. the Schuhplattler und Gebirgstrachten Verein Washingtonia, or simply “Washingtonia”) both practice their music in this loft and you are invited! Sort of…welcome anyway.

The Washington Sangerbund is “the oldest continually operating chorus in the Washington DC metro area,” and has a storied history since their 1851 beginnings. Their stated mission is “to preserve German song and the German language.” The choir has about 50 active members currently and is led by conductor Chris Knoedler, who was a choir member previously. In 1851, German members of the choir at the Concordia Church at 20th and G St NW decided to form a German singing society, which performed in the following years at many song festivals, where they won awards and went on to perform for Washington dignitaries. The choir was present at the head of Abraham Lincoln’s catafalque at his funeral, where they sang "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern" (Song of the Spirits over the Waters), a poem by Goethe put to music by Franz Schubert for men’s voices (back then the Sangerbund was exclusively male).

The Sangerbund did have about a decade-long hiatus during Prohibition and the Great Depression but came back to life in 1934. Concurrently, in the spirit of women’s suffrage in the U.S., a group of German-American women formed their own Sangerbund, successful for 3 decades, upon which the male and female choirs merged in 1967 into the organization that exists today. The Washington Sangerbund performs a handful of concerts locally each year, but you don’t need to wait for that – you can take in their rehearsals above Old Europe each Monday from 7:00-9:00pm! The second floor of Old Europe is called the “Concord Club” maybe hearkening back to their beginnings at the old Concordia Church downtown. They welcome you, as well as German language students and music majors to expand their knowledge. If you wish to join the chorus, you must attend and sing at four consecutive rehearsals and then the chorus will take a vote on your acceptance. Plus I’m sure there is some German hazing to follow, but I swear I haven’t seen anything… You don’t need to participate, you can simply come watch and listen and even help out at concerts if you wish.

Washingtonia last year had its 100th anniversary of celebrating traditional Bavarian culture through dance, music and costume (and a lot of shoe-slapping and bell ringing). As with the Sangerbund, they began as a men’s group of German immigrants – these from Bavaria - and joined with women in the 1930’s. Back then it was known as the Schuhplattler Club Edelweiss. They also performed for many Washington dignitaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt. WWII resulted in a years-long hiatus but the popularity of German culture rebounded in the decades to follow. Washingtonia helped form the Gauverband Nordamerika in the 1960’s, an organization of Bavarian dance clubs in North America, to promote the culture and music of Bavaria.

The group has participated frequently in the Oktoberfest parade in Munich and is a staple at Oktoberfests and German music festivals in the DC metro area and the mid-Atlantic. Men wear the traditional Lederhosen while women sport the Dirndl dresses with aprons. Washingtonia practices every other week on Wednesdays at 8:00pm above Old Europe (the next session on August 28th). Get a reservation at the restaurant for 7:00 for a schnitzel washed down with a pint of pilsner or a hefeweizen, then head upstairs when you hear the music start, grab feathered green felt hat and enjoy the show! No need to wait so long for Oktoberfest.