Gesangverein Arion
Gesangverein Arion Members appearing in Vancouver BC
Soprano: Irmela Koehler, Hedy Lachmann, Gisela Lovekin, Gabriele Pitts, Elke Weyer Alto: Helga Caldwell, Shamin Li Tenor: Etienne Brecht Bass: Gordon Kramer, Manfred Zinserling
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Gesangverein Arion
Seattle, WA The harmony of German songs has sounded in the Puget Sound area for a long time. Already in 1884, years before the famous Seattle fire, a German Singing Society was in existence. On October 13, 1910, our Verein Arion was founded and German songs were heard at rehearsals from the Arion Hall in the Pioneer Building. In 1926, the "Arion Verein" merged with the Seattle Liedertafel, which originated in 1892. The name "Arion" was taken from Greek mythology. Arion was a Greek poet and player of the lyre, a hand-held harp, in the seventh century B.C. "The Gesangverein Arion (German Singing Society)" is a member of the North Pacific Sängerbund, which was founded in July 1901 in Bellingham. The first North Pacific Song Festival was held in 1902 in Seattle with guest choirs from Portland, Spokane, Tacoma, Bellingham and Everett. Together, forty-one Song Festivals have been held in different cities of the Pacific Northwest. Seven of these were hosted by the "Gesangverein Arion," a mixed choir, in Seattle. It is our desire to uphold the German word and song for us and those who will follow. |
