A Swiss Alphorn Concert featuring Swiss singers, yodeling, alphorns, accordian, flute, trumpet, and keyboard, will share a religious concert on Saturday evening, Nov. 15, at Conestoga Mennonite Church, 2779 Main St., Morgantown.
Lorenz Schwarz and Ernst Baenninger from Wattwil, Canton Zurich, Switzerland, were at Conestoga Mennonite Church last year with a packed-out audience, and this year are returning again.
For those who have never had the privilege of enjoying this special music, the alphorn or alpenhorn or alpine horn consists of a natural wooden horn of conical bore with a wooden cup-shaped mouthpiece. Today, it is usually Swiss farmers who pass this traditional music down to the next generation.
Folksongs, yodelling, parties, and a couple of drinks was Lorenz Schwarz’s life until something happened! “Sing, Lorenz, sing,” they called-and he sang-no questions asked. But the former goatherd, grown up in humble circumstances, could not handle this life. Sympathic reception in the pub did not help him. He fell into addiction and bondage. A long courtship crumbled. His angry young life hung on a thin string until a radical change took place!
Today, this popular alphorn player is witnessing in the media and on the stage. “In reality, I was nothing, a nobody. But there is One who can make something out of nothing. I am a prime example of this,” says Lorenz Schwarz.
Conestoga Mennonite Church is located at 2779 Main Street, Morgantown. For more information, call 484-798-8556.
