Author: Peter

  • Swiss National Day Celebrations

    Swiss National Day Celebrations

    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.

    Alphorns at the Swiss Consulate in San Francisco
    Alphorns at the Swiss Consulate in San Francisco

  • FirnFern in Oakland

    Jonathon, Stephen, and Peter practiced today in our usual spot at the Edoff Bandstand at Lake Merritt in Oakland. Mostly we played in Gb, meaning in a typical key that Swiss alphorns are tuned in.

    However, we also practiced a few tunes that are written for a combination of alphorns tuned in F and F#.

    The video shows Jonathon and Stephen practicing an excerpt from FirnFern 1 composed by Balthasar Streiff.

  • Alphorn at a Wedding in San Luis Obispo

    Monika in San Luis Obispo

    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.

    Monika and Peter in San Luis Obispo
  • Alphorn at a Wedding Cocktail Reception in Woodside

    Alphorn at a Wedding Cocktail Reception in Woodside

    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.

  • Music from the Swiss Alps in the San Francisco Bay Area

    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.

    Mary and Jonathan at the Berkeley BART Station
    Jonathan at the Swiss Consulate in San Francisco


    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.

  • Music from the Swiss Alps in the San Francisco Bay Area

    Music from the Swiss Alps in the San Francisco Bay Area

    AlphornsSF is a group of musicians interested in playing the alphorn. We meet every two weeks at locations around the San Francisco Bay Area, including at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, at Lake Merritt in Oakland, and additional locations in the South Bay and East Bay.

    Please contact us if you are interested in joining a meeting, learning more about the alphorn, or having alphorn players for your event.

  • Schwingfest in Newark

    Mary, Monika, Jonathan, and Peter at the Schwingfest in Newark

    Schwingen (Swiss Wrestling) is one of the unique sports that is very popular in Switzerland. The Aelpler Gruppe Swiss Club hosts an annual event in Newark to celebrate this tradition at the west coast of the United States.

    The Aelpler Gruppe invited Mary, Monika, Jonathan, and Peter to contribute to this Swiss tradition by playing alphorn between rounds in the tournament. Fortunately, they played well enough that the organizers didn’t get the idea to turn the wooden instruments into sawdust for the rink 🙂

    It was a great event and a nice opportunity to celebrate multiple Swiss traditions in a land far-away from their origins.