They will be singing a handful of German heritage songs while guests eat bratwurst, drink beer and dance to the tunes from the Little German Band from State College, free of charge.

Because most chorus members are in their 80s and 90s, however, the group’s media manager

Harald Dertinger said this event may be their last to include longtime members.

“If this is the last time we come together celebrating 60 years, then it’s a good way to go out,” he said.

The Little German Band will perform Saturday as the Altoona Men’s Chorus celebrates its 60th anniversary at the Unter Uns in Altoona. Courtesy photo

Merging music

Before becoming the Altoona Men’s Chorus, there were two prominent German singing groups in the area: the Frohsinn Singing Society and the Concordia Singing Society.

When the immigrant population “exploded” in America during the 1860s, many people brought their culture with them, Dertinger said, which is how these clubs were originally formed.

The Frohsinn Singing Society was created on Feb. 22, 1864, and lasted 101 years, while the Concordia Singing Society was established on Jan. 8, 1870, and continued for 95 years.

In 1965, however, these two groups — along with nearby church choirs — merged to create the Altoona Men’s Chorus, also known as the Altoona Maennerchor.

Together, more than 40 singers were selected from each club to sing at local events and contests such as the annual Pennsylvania Saengerfest.

The group traveled once a year to compete against other choirs in cities such as Pittsburgh, Reading, Williamsport and Altoona. As a result, they won the competition several times, according to Dertinger.

One time in the 1970s, Dertinger said the group was asked to perform at the House of Representatives in Harrisburg, from which they received a certificate for their performance.

But today, the chorus has only eight active singers.

Notably the youngest member, Dertinger, 56, called himself an “optimist” because he wants to “reboot this thing.”

Looking forward, he suggested that they merge with other local culture choirs, calling themselves the “Altoona Heritage Club,” saying that it’s an option he hasn’t dismissed yet.

No matter how the club evolves, longtime member Tom Triforo said getting more members “would make a lot of us happy.”

From near and far

Although 60 years have passed, some members, such as club pianist Jean Ann Mitchell, 93, remain dedicated.

Since the club’s formation, Mitchell has been the pianist while her husband, Greg Mitchell, helped create the club.

According to Mitchell, her husband decided the local area needs “some culture and German heritage.”

Because of her husband, she said she was “drafted” to the club because they needed a piano player and was told “you’re it.”

She attended the chorus’ first meeting at the Bavarian Aid Society, and all of the interested clubs came and helped create what is now known as the Altoona Men’s Chorus.

Throughout the years, she said the club has been a “big part of her life” because Wednesday nights was designated as “chorus night” in her schedule.

Altoona native Triforo, 74, also said he was a “regular” member until he moved to Swedesboro, New Jersey, in 2011.

Remaining as a senior club member, Triforo said he tries to attend as many events as he can.

“I miss the camaraderie,” he said, which is one reason why he came back to Altoona this weekend for the celebration.

Triforo comes from Italian heritage, but he chose to be a part of a German chorus instead because he liked “being a part of something ethnic, even though it wasn’t my culture.”

Dertinger is the only club member who was born in Bavaria, however.

Because he speaks German, he helps the chorus with cultural details like pronunciation during songs.

In clubs like the Altoona Men’s Chorus, “you have to have a sense of history and culture,” Triforo said. “No matter what you do, you get a sense that stays with you.”

Celebrating culture

Dertinger said if he sees 100 people at Saturday’s event, he will know it was successful.

“If it’s 150, I’ll be over the moon,” he said.

Prior to the Little German Band performance, the men’s chorus will sing a handful of songs, including “Rosamunde / Roll out the Barrel” and “In Muenchen steht ein Hofbrauhaus,” which is translated into English as “In Munich there is a Royal Court-Brewery,” according to Dertinger.

Mitchell said she is excited to play the piano this weekend and doesn’t have a favorite song because she “likes them all so much.”

The event is for “people to have fun,” Dertinger said, since German heritage food such as brats, sauerkraut and red cabbage will be served along with beer to wash it all down.

For people who know the chorus, Dertinger said they can “come to reminisce over those years we experienced together.”

“We will also be recognizing Mitchell,” he said, stating that she is someone who has made a big contribution to the chorus.

Hopeful of a good crowd, Dertinger said he has “no doubt” they can spread the German heritage that echoes the 1860s and 1870s.

If you go

What: Altoona Men’s Chorus celebrates 60 years

When: 4 p.m.

Where: Unter Uns Musical and Entertainment Society, 1401 Van Buren Ave., Altoona.

Tickets: Free of charge