Founded in 1935 by Fritz Sauter, the Philadelphia German Brass Band has been playing continuously for over 70 years. When Herr Sauter retired, Alois Haidl, a native of Passau in Bavaria, took on the leadership of the Blaskapelle. Herr Haidl expanded the repertoire and the size of the ensemble to as many as 25 musicians. Although the composition of the band still varies with the type of event, 8 to 12 musicians and a vocalist is the norm.
The band performs extensively on the East Coast from Connecticut to Virginia. Large audiences have enjoyed the band's music at New Jersey's Garden State Arts Center as well as Action Park, Hunter Mountain in New York and the U.S. Army Base at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. A wider audience has been reached through a live radio broadcast from WFMZ in Allentown, PA. The band's wide repertoire adds an appropriate touch at diverse venues ranging from formal gala concerts at the Robin Hood Dell in Philadelphia's beautiful Fairmount Park and liturgical services at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in historic downtown Philadelphia to providing authentic German brass band music for public and private Oktoberfests, German festivals or other ethnic events.
The Philadelphia German Brass Band is presently under the musical leadership of Peter Wilhelm Palan the Blaskapelle's fine tuba player. Len Forlenza, the group's business manager and baritonist / trombonist, tirelessly arranges all logistical performance details. The band is blessed with in-house talents: Bill Moore, BIll Trimble and Charles Evans arrange and compose many of our own original selections. The band's vast and historic musical collection is cared for by Bob Bugge. Our sound specialist is Charles Thompson.
