The Aelpler Gruppe Swiss Club celebrated its 100-year anniversary and held its traditional Schwingfest (Swiss Wrestling Festival) at the Swiss Park in Newark on the weekend of September 13/14.
Peter, Monika, Jonathan, and Stephen entertained the audience by playing Alphorn between the wrestling rounds and at lunch. The event and AlphornsSF even made it into the Swiss and US News.
Our congratulations to the Aelpler Gruppe to their anniversary and to Damian Ott for winning the competition.
Monika, Kate (visiting from Sierra Horns), Peter, Stephen, and Mary met for their usual practice session at Lake Merritt in Oakland when a Venetian Gondola crossed the lake nearby. Attempting to match the Italian spirit, they performed the Rossini Fanfare.
Some more practice is needed but a good first attempt at performing this music.
Some performances happen by chance! Monika and Peter stopped by Kirigin Wine Cellars to taste their wine. Having brought their alphorns with them, they asked if the winery would mind if they practiced for a bit in their yard.
Dhruv Khanna heard the practice session and extended an invitation to play alphorn a few hours later at the 25-year anniversary of him owning the winery. Peter and Monika playing their alphorns welcomed the arriving guests at the Tuscan-style clubhouse.
We congratulate Dhruv and Kirigin Wine Cellars to their anniversary!
AlphornsSF were invited by the Sierra Horns to join them for an exquisite Alphorn playing performance at Palisades High Camp on August 22nd. Monika and Jonathon followed the invitation and entertained visitors and tourists on a beautiful Friday morning in an alpine-like setting with their wooden instruments wearing traditional Swiss clothing.
On August 1, the Swiss National Day, Switzerland celebrated its birthday for the 734th time since it was founded in 1291 by the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden and for the 134th time since 1891 when August 1 was established as the the day to celebrate Swiss independence.
Swiss people in the San Francisco Bay Area celebrated, too, and alphorns traditionally play a musical part at those celebrations.
In the picture above, Stephen, Monika, and Peter played at the celebration at the Swiss Park on August 2 while the kids paraded the flags of all the Swiss cantons.
In the picture below, Monika and Peter played on August 1 to welcome guests to the official celebration at the Swiss Consulate in San Francisco on Pier 17.
Monika and Peter provided a touch of the alps to a wedding celebration in San Luis Obispo by playing the alphorn surprising guests with unique music from a traditional Swiss instrument perfectly suited for such occasions. As guests arrived, the warm tones of the alphorns welcomed them with a selection of traditional and melodic pieces, setting a serene and joyful atmosphere.
During the procession of the bride, Monika and Peter performed Heilig (“Sacred”), adding a moment of solemnity and grace to the ceremony. Later, after guests were seated for dinner, the alphorns echoed Amazing Grace across the setting, offering a moment for pause and reflection.
We congratulate bride and groom, wish them all the best on their joint path forward, and thank them for giving us the opportunity to bring a special note to their celebrations.
Peter and Jonathan played alphorn during the cocktail reception at a wedding in Woodside, adding a touch of Switzerland to the occasion. Their music offered a special note to the celebration, giving the lovely couple and their guests something memorable and a little different to enjoy.
We congratulate bride and groom, wish them all the best on their joint path forward, and thank them for giving us the opportunity to bring a special note to their celebrations.
The first part of 2025 has been challenging, but alphorn makes good therapy. We have had the most participation when meeting at the Lake Merritt location. Since that location seems to work best, and it’s nice to play by the lake, we’ll continue to meet there for the weekend morning get-together. Because some folks can’t meet on Sundays, we’ll have some Saturday meetups too.
Additionally, Jonathon and Mary have been meeting when their schedules allow at BART stations in Berkeley and Oakland where we have attracted a lot of attention, including on social media, and brought alphorn joy to many.
Jonathon played at the Swiss Consulate at their “Heidi goes AI” event, which was a ton of fun! Many kids tried the alphorn, and enjoyed the experience. I hope that we can continue to bring our natural tones to the Swiss Consulate.
Looking ahead to summer events including alphorn meetings in Washington and Utah, as well as at Swiss Park in Newark.