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Sterling Heights In accordance with long standing tradition and
continuous efforts to keep the German heritage alive, the GACC (German
American Cultural Center) recognizes one person for outstanding
contributions to the German culture across the state of Michigan once every
year. The recipient of the award is determined by majority vote among the
election committee members of the GACC, preceded by a formal nomination
process.
This year's award was apparently a clear-cut decision since the vast
majority of votes were cast for Mr. Erwin Aufdemberge. He is well known
among educational and musical circles in Michigan and beyond.
Born and raised in the state of Kansas, Mr. Aufdemberge developed a love and
affection for music in early childhood. After securing a Bachelor degree in
Education at Concordia College in Seward, Nebraska he moved on to attend the
St. Louis Institute of Music. Eventually, he obtained a Masters Degree in
Music Education at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Not only did Mr. Aufdemberge excel as an educator, 12 years of which he
served as a school principal, but he devoted a great deal of time and effort
to music, specifically to work with choruses in the religious and ethnic
genres. Not only did he remain faithful to this cause for all of 49 years,
but also the number of choruses and related organizations he worked with is
equally impressive.
The shortlist of choirs directed by Mr. Aufdemberge in our area are the
Schwäbische Männerchor, the Lutheran Choralaires, the St. Peter's Church
Men's Choir, the St. John's Lutheran Mixed Chorus and the Michigan/Ohio
Lutheran Chorale. One interesting but challenging aspect among all these
choirs is the fact that most, if not all of them, have German songs in their
repertoire. However, significant portions of the singers do not speak any
German. And this is where the devotion and dedication of Mr. Aufdemberge
comes to bear. Not only did he take German classes to enhance his knowledge
of the German language, he also constantly strives to pickup the meaning and
pronunciation of every single word in every song, even if it is a word or
phrase from ancient times or a very regional dialect which is often
difficult to interpret, even for native German speakers.
Since taking the position as Musical Director of the Schwä-bische Männerchor
in 1985, Mr. Aufdemberge conducted every single National Sänger Fest event.
He is also nominated to be one of the directors at the upcoming 2007
National Sänger Fest in Evansville, Indiana.
Back in 1990, he attended the International School for Directors of German
choruses in Solingen, Germany. Another musical foray right into Germany was
a series of five concerts by the Lutheran Chorale in 1996. The purpose of
this concert series was to highlight the German heritage of both, the
Choralaires and Martin Luther.
Another more recent achievement by Mr. Aufdemberge was the success of the
Youth Group Competition at the Donauschwaben Trachtenfest in Anaheim, CA,
during August 2005. Mr. Aufdemberge selflessly practiced and studied the
songs from the old homeland with the Carpathia Youth Choir to perform at a
very high level. The purpose of the event was to prove that the traditions
and customs of the Donauschwaben are kept up and continue to be practiced
among the younger generations. The Carpathia Youth Choir finished in second
place. While this success in itself is quite an achievement, it does once
more illustrate Mr. Aufdemberge's dedication and support of German culture
and heritage.
The German community of Michigan is proud to have such gifted and remarkable
individuals among our midst.
We
all are proud to have awarded the 2006/2007 German American of the Year
award to Mr. Aufdemberge. Congratulations!
H.G. |
