Lancaster Liederkranz Chorus is inviting the community to "kommt und learnt die Deutsche Kultur kennen."

That translates to "come and get to know the German culture."

The choral club will provide the opportunity to do just that when it holds its spring concert Saturday, May 3, at 4 p.m. at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 85 Brandt Blvd., Landisville. "The venue is a lovely place to sing," Lancaster Liederkranz Chorus director Barry Sawyer said. "The acoustics in Zion are phenomenal. The audience will enjoy that, as well."

There is no admission charge; a freewill offering will be accepted.

"We want to introduce the community to the German culture, and hopefully it will spark some people to come and join (Lancaster Liederkranz)," chorus president Linda Husler said. "We are open to anyone. We have people here who can't read music, and that's OK. Don't know the German language? That's fine. It's all taught in here. It's open to anyone who is interested in singing and preserving the culture. We have a really good time in here."

One of the 13 numbers will feature the women, and another will be performed by the men. Except for one verse of "Edelweiss," the lyrics will be in German. Attendees will receive a packet of the English translations when they enter the concert.

"We try to preserve the German heritage and the German culture through song and dance," Husler said. "Our group specifically, we do German folk songs, other chorus repertoire, mostly by German or Austrian composers. Ninety-five percent of our concert is in German."

Sawyer stated that one of his friends remarked, "Oh, you just sing folk songs." The director bristled at that depiction. "Something that's important to me is that the impression of our chorus shows a broader picture of our repertoire," Sawyer said.

Many attendees will be familiar with the composers of songs that will be performed with Sarah Repkoe playing piano.

"We go way beyond just German folk songs," said Sawyer. "We are also including some of the masters. We're doing some Felix Mendelssohn. We're doing some Johannes Brahms, but also in German. We do something from Rodgers and Hammerstein, and we always end with something that is becoming a signature piece, a number called 'Alte Kameraden,' which means 'old friends, old comrades.' That's a little bit of a rousing number to end our programs with."

Liederkranz is a German word that translates to "wreath of songs" or "garland of songs." The chorus had 30 members before Sawyer took over as director in 2019, and that number has risen to 55. The membership includes people in their 20s to people in their 80s, married couples, siblings, and mothers and sons. "The chorus has grown in the last couple years, which is good, and we're always looking for new members," said Husler.

The chorus rehearses once a week from September through May and performs several concerts. "It's a relaxed thing, yet we know when it's time to get to work, and we want to make the concert the best we can," Husler said. "We don't want it to be shoddy. We want it to be a first-class concert."

Sawyer is the latest in a long line of the distinguished directors of the group, which was founded in 1880. His grandfather, Charles Messer, a German immigrant who lived in the Cabbage Hill neighborhood of Lancaster city, also sang with the Lancaster Liederkranz Chorus.

"(The concert) will give people exposure to our German heritage," Sawyer said. "Lancaster County has the German roots built in through agriculture and the Amish. This gives another picture of the immigrants coming over in the late 19th century, bringing their dance customs, their singing customs. This would give the listener an opportunity to have some exposure to our efforts to promote the German culture."

Husler said Lancaster Liederkranz is made up of four cultural groups, two singing groups and two dancing groups. There are 2,000 members of the club, which is located at 722 S. Chiques Road, Manheim.

People must be sponsored by a member in order to join the club. There is an orientation process, and then prospective members are voted on at the general meeting on the first Thursday of every month.

For more information about Lancaster Liederkranz, go to http://www.lancasterliederkranz.com.