Widmarsom – A concert by the American Eastern Mennonite University Chamber Choir in Widmarsom on May 11, 2011, with the participation of local singers Schebbingskave and Popkor Widmarsom, turned out to be a bright and devout musical gathering of high quality. A wide audience, together with a choir of 190, enjoyed it in Kobelkerk. The Mennonite Municipality De Lytse Streek and Stichting het Gouden Land can look back on the successful concert of the EMU Chamber Choir, who performed consecutively in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Witmarsom on their European tour 2023! After this, they went on a 14-date tour, which included shows in Leipzig, Munich and Colmar in Ingersheim, France.
From Witmarsum, volunteers organized two days of American choir members in Witmarsum and Pingjum, villages associated with Witmarsum-born church reformer Menno Simons. They started their ‘pilgrimage’ at the Afsluitdijk Waddencenter, followed by a visit to the Menno Simons monument, the fringe church, the Madame de Molenaar mill, the Menno bread baker and the Menno Simons exhibition panels in Witmarsum. Gobelkerk. It was special to have the Mennonite choir there and to walk where Menno Simons did 500 years ago.
Host families
Choir members stay overnight with host families at Widmarsom. On the day of departure, they visited the winter-sown ‘Primitive Grains’ west of Pingjum, grains used centuries ago, and the story of ‘From Ancient Grain to Mennobrut’ brought to life for the Americans. With Thanksgiving goosebumps at the Schuilkerkje in Pingjum, the young aspiring choir members bid farewell and continued their journey to Germany. The concert was recorded by Gerke Terpstra from Ekspedysje Wytmarsum and can be found on the Youtube channel Witmarsum in the picture. https://youtu.be/hM9t4v6C5xE. D.G. Margrid Faber of De Litche Streak: “We really enjoyed everything. Singing connects!”
Volunteers were ready to fill the whole, including sleeping places. Stitching Dot Knot and Tober’s Fondsen provided the funding objective.
