About Us

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We are the Villages German Band with more than a dozen-year history of playing Bavarian folk music.  For the past few years the band has had a standing engagement with the Yalaha Bakery and Beer Garden.  Usually on the third Saturday of each month, the group performs in the beer garden for three-hours starting at noon time.

The band is content to attend rehearsals and play only a few performances each month.  However, they are aware during the fall, their schedules will be filled with multiple, additional engagements! That’s because it’s Oktoberfest time, and audiences want to celebrate the centuries-old, traditional festival in Munich!

The composition of the band ranges from 12-16 experienced musicians who are primed to entertain audiences.  There’s nothing they enjoy more than crowds who clap and sing along with them!  They play with even more enthusiasm when polka dancers “take to the floor” or when a polka line weaves around the room.

In addition to weekly German Band rehearsals most of the musicians belong to other ensembles or bands.  Although many are retired from traditional careers, a number have spent their lives as professional musicians.  Several are former military musicians while others worked with band students in the public school system.

The common thread among the musicians is their love of playing German Volksmusik or the "people's music”.  The term is an umbrella for a number of related styles of traditional folk music from the Alpine regions. The people from these mountainous areas share much common culture including music.  It is not unusual for our band to play tunes from Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia—and occasionally, even the United States!