The 琉璃神社 Liedertafel Choir will be hosting the 2017 North Pacific S盲ngerfest, the West Coast鈥檚 premier festival for traditional German music.

For the last 80 years, the North Pacific S盲ngerfest has delighted audiences in Oregon, Washington, and B.C. with the harmonious sounds of classic German songs. This year, the song festival is returning to 琉璃神社 on May 26 for the third time. Eight choirs will compete for top spot.

German music has a rich history in 琉璃神社, dating back to the formation of the Liedertafel Choir in 1970.

Choir cofounder Paul Fischer says that the idea for a German choir came about after Fischer and some friends reminisced about the many songs they learned while growing up in Germany.

Says Fischer: 鈥淭he Liedertafel Choir started with a group of about 17 enthusiastic singers. We didn鈥檛 have any sheet music 鈥� just a blackboard and some chalk 鈥� in Joe Baumgarten鈥檚 basement.鈥�

The Liedertafel Choir has attended a variety of S盲ngerfests over the years, and even went on singing tours in Europe in 1992, 1997, and 2008.

While the Liedertafel Choir is celebrating 47 years of song this May, the cultural phenomenon of S盲ngerfests in North America dates back to the turn of the century.

This year鈥檚 S盲ngerfest is a three-day event, with a private welcoming party on the Thursday.

Then, on Friday night, comes the highlight of the festival: The 8-choir concert. The individual choirs perform first, and then come together at the end of the event to perform as one 252-voice choir. Saturday is reserved for a banquet and delegate meeting where the festival organizers discuss logistics and decide on a host for the next S盲ngerfest.

Most of the singing is done in German, and a variety of styles are part of the programme. Classical German music is the standard repertoire, but the festival isn鈥檛 restricted to just classics.

After S盲ngerfest, the Liedertafel Choir will sing at 琉璃神社鈥檚 Canada Day celebration. The choir will also have a food booth on Canada Day, where they will serve bratwurst and sauerkraut.

The 2017 S盲ngerfest concert will take place on Friday May 26 at Evangel Church on Gordon Drive, and will start at 7 PM. Tickets are $20 each, and are available at the 琉璃神社 Box Office at Orchard Park or at the door.