Students from the German Fair perform several pieces of music for residents of the United States.

German fair unites cultures

German students come to create memories and music

By: Ross DeRosier

Posted: 4/23/09

This year's German Fair was more than just a celebration of culture, language, and music for Lakeland College. It has laid the foundation for a lasting relationship by connecting two schools with a common alumnus.

The main aim of Lakeland's German Fair is to bring LC German learners together with native German speakers in hopes of sparking enthusiasm for learning the language.

Serving as an SAP project for LC students, it also helps recruit potential German majors from local high schools.

Last year's inaugural German Fair was host to around 50 students from Germany who helped with the production of the musical Till Eulenspiegel. This year, April 8 marked the second annual Lakeland College German Fair, headlined by the Orchester der Edertalschule, (Eder Valley School Orchestra) from Frankenberg, Germany.

Comprised solely of high school students, the orchestra travels to perform in various venues globally. Until connecting with Lakeland College, however, Orchester der Edertalschule had never been to the United States.

The history of Lakeland's connection dates back to pre-World War II Germany, when the late, former Lakeland College professor Rev. Dr. Reinhard Ulrich was a boy.

Reinhard was attending high school at Edertalschule when WWII broke out. During the war, Reinhard was in charge of a program that collected and delivered care packages to allied soldiers through Liebfrauenkirche (The Church of the Virgin) in Frankenberg.

From his work with a church in Colby, Wis. Reinhard established a relationship with a minister here in the States. When the war ended, Reinhard was unable to get into college in Germany due to the influx of veterans seeking a higher education.

Reinhard's contact in America helped him get accepted into the seminary school here at Lakeland which, at the time, was still Mission House. After doing his undergraduate work, he moved to Chicago for graduate school. He spent nine years there as a student/minister, earning his masters and then his doctorate.

In 1964 Reinhard rejoined the Lakeland community, this time as faculty where he stayed until his retirement in 2001. On January 10, 2007, Rev. Dr. Reinhard Ulrich passed away. After Reinhard's death, his son, our very own Dr. Martin Ulrich, made a pilgrimage of sorts to Frankenberg to visit one of his father's childhood friends, Wolfgang Ochse.

During Martin's visit Wolfgang took him around the city to various landmarks significant to Reinhard's life: Liebfrauenkirche, Frankenberg's city hall building, and most importantly Edertalschule. At the high school, which is renowned for its music program, Martin ran into Markus Wagener, the school's music director, who had been traveling and just happened to stop for his mail before leaving on another trip.

The two educators began planning the orchestra's first journey to America.
From beginning to end it took about two years to get the Orchester der Edertalschule to Lakeland. Once the seed was planted the orchestra had to raise money to make the trip, and Martin had to come up with a reason for them to visit. The German Fair was the perfect justification.

Once the venue was determined, Martin had to find places for the sixty-two German guests to stay during their nine nights in Sheboygan. Between the offerings of faculty members, members of the First Congregational Church, the First Presbyterian Church, and the Sheboygan Area Youth Symphony, all of the German travelers had a place to lay their heads.

Jean and Bill Wagner (members of the First Congregational Church in Sheboygan), who hosted three of the students from Frankenberg, said in an email to Martin that, "We are still smiling and enjoying the memories of our great week with Pia, Sarah, and Steffi. Our dog [still] goes to Sarah's room every morning to see if she is ready for their walk..."

While in Sheboygan, the Edertalschule students stayed quite busy. They spent two afternoons shadowing students from Howards Grove, and Cedar Grove high schools. While not in American classrooms, the students could be found hanging out with the co-sponsors of their trip (Sheboygan Area Youth Symphony (SAYS), First Congregational Church, First Presbyterian Church), touring Lambeau Field, and performing at various locations in the area.

On April 9, the day after their performance at Lakeland, the Edertal students played a mixed performance during the Maundy Thursday service at the First Congregational Church in Sheboygan. They teamed up with students and alumni from Lakeland College, the First Congregational Church, the First Presbyterian Church, and SAYS to deliver Bach's Cantata #48, which contemplates our fate after death. In the piece the chorus, orchestra, alto soloist (Lakeland alumna Rebecca Charbonneau) and tenor soloist (Lakeland alumnus Tim VanZeeland) ponder the question, "O wretch that I am , who will deliver me from the body of this death?"

Overall Martin feels the event was a success. Lakeland College German students were not only able to put together the event, gaining valuable experience in the role of Student as Practitioner, but were able to break the ground on what Martin hopes to be an "ongoing exchange program between Lakeland College and the Frankenberg high school orchestra."

Details for next year's event aren't quite ironed out yet. However, Martin is excited for another great experience.