Das Deutsche Kulturzentrum Santa Cruz wurde ursprünglich 1888 gegründet und heißt alle willkommen, die sich für deutsche Kultur, Musik und Sprache interessieren und/oder deutschsprachige Herkunft haben.
Originally founded in 1888, the German Cultural Center of Santa Cruz welcomes everyone who is interested in German culture, music and language and/or has German speaking heritage.
To celebrate German and German speaking culture we host:
– Unterhaltungsabende/ Conversation evenings
– Büchereitage/Library Days
– Liederkranz/Song Circles
– German Classes
– Kinoabende/Movie Evenings
– Cultural Events: Music Concerts & Art events:
Oktoberfest
Martinstag Lanteren Umzug
Nikolaus Fest
Adventsingen
Annual Membership Meetings
Willkommen !
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Brahms & Haydn Quartet
We are happy to announce that in addition to the concerts that we produce, musicians in Santa Cruz are offering concerts and hosting recitals in our hall. Here is one such concert, performed by Ensemble Santa Cruz, coming up Sunday Nov 5th .
See details on the flyer above.
Brahms & Haydn Quartet
"Ein Nachmittag in Wien" -"An Afternoon in Vienna"
Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 4 pm
Our German Cultural Center is excited to present the 2nd annual German Language Opera and Song tradition with our members and music lovers in the community. This year we are delighted to host Delmar McComb, an accomplished tenor who is well-known to Bay Area Opera lovers. Delmar will be joined by baritone Hans Grunwald and accompanied by Michael McGushin on piano. If you attended last year's concert, you know you are in for a treat.
Delmar and Hans have chosen gems from Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, Korngold, and the Viennese Operetta repertoire to share with us. Furthermore, it is rumored that some Linzer Schnitten and other Austrian & German treats will make an appearance post-performance.
This concert is very special for another reason:
Thanks to the Tristram/Oshetsky Family we will be toasting the debut of our new concert piano!
This promises to be a memorable event, please invite your friends and music lovers and RSVP
by August 22nd.
$20 members /$25 Guests / $10 Students / Youth free
Tenor Delmar McComb has performed many roles with various companies including Manrico in Verdi's Il Trovatore, Otello in Verdi's Otello; Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre; Rodolfo in Puccini's La bohème; Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata; Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen; Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Prince Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola and Prince Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute. He trained in voice for many years with the late Salvatore D'Aura of Palo Alto. He has also studied with Licia Albanese and with William Workman in Hamburg, Germany. He currently works with Maestro Michel Singher of Felton, CA. Balancing his passion for singing, Mr. McComb is co-owner of Blossom's Biodynamic farm in Aromas with his partner Carin.
Baritone Hans Grunwald is a young classical baritone from Santa Cruz who has recently been achieving accolades on a national level. Hans won a fellowship at the prestigious Academy of West this summer, performing the role of Schaunard in concert. Last year, Hans was a finalist in the prestigious Schmidt Vocal Arts National Competition for Undergraduates. This led to being named a Schubert Fellow at SongFest in San Francisco in 2022. Hans is completing his Bachelor of Music at the University of British Columbia, where he studies with J Patrick Raftery and Joseph Frank. This fall, Hans will appear as baritone soloist in Vaughn William’s Dona Nobis Pacem, with orchestra and chorus at the Salt Spring Island Music Festival in British Columbia.
Accompanist Michael McGushin is a professor of music at Cabrillo College and the coach/accompanist for the Music Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is the conductor of the chamber choir Ariose and Cabrillo’s Westside Choir. From 2002-2004 he served as the director of the Full Spectrum Chorus of Santa Cruz. He has served as music director for a number of theater and opera productions in the Santa Cruz area including Shakespeare Santa Cruz’s productions of Princess and the Pea, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty; Cabrillo Stage’s productions of The Fantasticks and The Music Man; to name a few. Furthermore, Michael is a long-time member of the New Music Works Ensemble for which he also serves as an artistic advisor, and has appeared with many performing groups in the Santa Cruz and Monterey County areas. He is a featured performer on recordings of chamber music by Paul Bowles, Lou Harrison, and Germaine Tailleferre. This summer Michael was the musical director of the highly acclaimed production of Hunchback of Notre Dame with the Cabrillo Stage.
Project Day 2023
PROJECT DAY 2023
Was für ein toller Tag! What a great day!
A HUGE THANK YOU to all who came to help and are still helping to support our Hall! As most of you know, maintaining and upgrading our Hall, built in 1959, is no easy feat.
We are grateful that 28 members came to help and are still helping to continue finishing our projects. We got so much done:
– painted stripes on the parking lot
– remodeled one of the bathrooms
– cleaned out shed and chairs
– did landscaping
– shared camaraderie
– enjoyed a scrumptious Spätzle, soup and salad lunch
Cellos by the Sea
Vielen Dank to member Judy Roberts, who leads the group and to the 10 cellists for performing a wonderful concert with 10 cellos for us!
Thank you also to the musicians and some of our members for providing lovely refreshments which were enjoyed by an audience of circa 70 people.
Die Bücherei für Klein und Gross
Our German library for ALL Ages is open
the 3rd Saturday of every month except in June this time and in July we're on Sommer Pause.
Next Library Dates: Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Dec 16
10:00 to 11:30 AM
Our library collection includes over 1700 children and youth books along with over 600 books for adults!
CLICK HERE for the catalog of our children and youth books.
(our books for adults are not catalogued)
Ein HERZLICHES DANKESCHÖN
to our LIbrary Team:
Karin Behrens
Milian Hennerkes
Ingrid Hostetter
Christa Jaster
Clark Magruder
Kai Tamkun
and various helpful Bücherei Members
Questions? Contact Jasmin at
kleinekinderbuecherei@gmail.com
Please share this news anyone who would enjoy reading German!
Thank you!
Haydn/Schulhoff/Armenian Folk Musik Concert
SATURDAY Feb. 25,
The German Cultural Center was excited to present a Haydn/Schulhoff/Armenian folk music string quartet concert played by wonderful musicians: Irene Herrmann, Samantha Bounkeua, Shannon Delaney D’Antonio, and Benjamin Bregman.
This concert consisted of music and stories about the composers.
To learn more about Schulhoff's life and career as a 20th century Austrian-Jewish composer, we recommend viewing the following documentary:
Erwin Schulhoff’s Early Life and Music: Tradition Meets Dada on you tube.
November 11th and the Legend of St Martin
Martinstag
" There is a traditional German custom that has a few things in common with Halloween: Martinstag (St. Martin’s Day, Martinsmas). Although they are very different celebrations, the Catholic Martinstag observance on 11 November includes costumes and a lantern procession for children. Also known as Martini (from the Latin Festum Sancti Martini) in Austria and Bavaria, the feast day of Martin of Tours is celebrated in many parts of Europe, including even some Protestant regions. According to legend, Martin cut his red cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm. The traditional roasted goose (Martinsgans) meal on Martinstag is based on another part of the legend. Feeling unworthy of becoming a bishop, Martin hid in a stable filled with geese. The noise made by the geese betrayed his location, and the people of Tours had him consecrated as a bishop. In parts of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland the Martinstag observance is a children’s affair. Carrying paper, candle-lit lanterns they have made, the young children take part in an evening procession, sometimes led by a rider on a white horse, emulating St. Martin and his red cloak. In some places the lantern procession ends with a Martinsfeuer (St. Martin bonfire). Depending on the region, at the end of the lantern procession, the children are rewarded with a cookie called a “Weckmann” (Rhineland) or a “Stutenkerl” (Westphalia). In some regions the children go door to door and sing for candy, fruit, or cookies. This is called “Martinssingen” or “Martinisingen.” In this way, the custom is very similar to Halloween’s trick-or-treat." On Friday, November 11th children, their parents, grandparents, and other family are welcome to participate in our little lantern procession through the neighborhood, followed by after dinner refreshments and a social time around a fire with refreshments. We will be baking Weckmänner and enjoying Tee and Glühwein. RSVP to join this event.
Oktoberfest!
Unser Fest war ein riesen Hit und es haben so viele mitgeholfen, um es zu gestalten! Es braucht tolle Zusammenarbeit um ein Essen und Fest für 120 Personen auszurichten und die hatten wir dank so wundervoller HIlfe.
Our Oktoberfest was a huge hit and we are so appreciative of the many volunteers that helped make it happen!
Making a meal and setting up a Fest for 120 people takes great teamwork and we had that thanks to tremendous help from volunteers.
Bariton Hans Grunwald wurde für seine Leistungen im Bereich des deutschen Liedgesangs zum „Schubert Fellow“ ernannt nachdem er am Songfest Young Artist Program am San Francisco Conservatory teilnahm. Wir freuen uns dass er einige seiner deutschen Lieblingslieder, darunter Lieder von Schubert, Beethoven, Schumann für Gesang und Klavier, mit uns geteilt hat. Baritone Hans Grunwald was named a "Schubert Fellow" for his accomplishments in the area of German Lieder performance after he took part in the Songfest Young Artist program at the San Francisco Conservatory. We are delighted that he shared some of his favorite German Lieder with us, including songs of Schubert, Beethoven, Schumann for voice and piano.