"It's different and a novelty, and we are hoping that people can enjoy it even if they don't understand German. Music is a universal language," said Linda Husler, president of the Lancaster Liederkranz chorus, when describing the upcoming concert event that the chorus will host on Saturday, June 18, at 3 p.m. at Centerville Middle School, 865 Centerville Road, Lancaster.

The concert, which will feature German choruses from throughout the northeastern area of the United States, is being presented by the Nordöstlicher Sängerbund (NOSB), also known as the Northeastern Sängerbund of America. The event will be the 53rd NOSB Sängerfest, which is the German word for a singing festival.

"The last (Sängerfest) was in 2018 in the Philadelphia area at a German club. It's a festival that is held every two to three years," explained Husler. "We were supposed to host in 2020, but COVID shut it down." She noted that the concert was also canceled in 2021 because of the pandemic and that the next event will rotate to a different German club.

For this year, seven choruses will perform individually and then combine for the finale, which will conclude with a performance of "God Bless America" in English.

"There are going to be seven German choruses represented that will be singing individually. They will each do a 15-minute segment of their own repertoires. All of it is basically in German," said Husler. "Our chorus, since we are the host, will perform last. We will perform music by German composers like Beethoven and Brahms and German folk songs. All seven groups will then get up together on the stage and perform five numbers in a mass chorus."

To prepare for the combined chorus performance, the various groups will rehearse earlier in the day prior to the concert. "At the rehearsal we will put everyone in their proper voice section - soprano, alto, tenor and bass," said Husler. "All the groups have the music ahead of time and they know the music, so it's not that hard to put the five numbers together."

The large, combined choir will be accompanied by Lancaster Liederkranz chorus pianist Bill Rhoads.

The chorus is part of the Lancaster Liederkranz German Cultural Club. Established in 1880, the club's goal is to preserve German singing, dancing, music, language and customs. The club's headquarters is located at 722 S. Chiques Road, Manheim.

"Anyone can join, but most people have a German heritage. We have about 2,000 members," Husler noted.

In addition to its German restaurant and social club, the Liederkranz offers four cultural groups. In addition to the chorus, the club has a Hobby Chor, an all-male chorus, and two German folk dance groups.

The club holds several special events throughout the year, including a Sommerfest in June, a Parrot Fest in July, an Oktoberfest in September and a Christkindlmarkt in December.

Tickets for the upcoming concert will be sold at the door. There will be separate prices for adults and for children age 12 and younger. For more information, visit http://www.lancasterliederkranz.com or http://www.facebook.com/lancasterliederkranz.