Berne Swissfest, Minnesota, USA (57th annual)

The Charm of an Old World Festival, Family Entertainment at its best!

 

The guest biographies

 

2010 guest biographies  

 

 

 Check back for new information 

2009 guest biographies 

 

Annelies Caprez 

Annelies Caprez was born in Bilten, Canton Glarus, Switzerland. She acquired a love of singing from her mother and an ear for music from her father who was a hobby musician. In 1959 she immigrated to Washington State and later sang with the Seattle "Alpenroesli". She participated in two "Jodlerfests" in Switzerland; 1992 in Glarus and 1995 in Dietikon, ZH. When Starbucks opened in Zuerich, Annelies was asked to represent Switzerland with a yodel at their corporate headquarters in Seattle. Annelies loves to sing "Natur" yodels in the traditional style. For the past 20 years she has been a charter member of the Enzian Swiss Ladies Choir. Also Annelies and an Enzian member, Lisa Pozzi, formed a duet to sing at different occasions.

Annelies has been asked numerous times to yodel at funerals for departed members of various Swiss Clubs in the Tacoma area. Last July she participated at the twenty-sixth Pacific Coast Swiss yodeling and singing Festival in Portland, OR with solo yodels and in the mass choir as well as in duets. For the last 10 years she helped out at the "Kids Swiss Kamp" in the Tacoma,WA area teaching kids Swiss songs in the hope to instill some of the musical traditions.
 

2008 guest biographies 

 

The Yodelling-Duet of sisters, Iren Kiser and Hedy Hodel, has performed since 2000 at a wide variety of events and has received top performance marks at local and federal yodelling contests. They have appeared on TV and radio, singing with their groups and together on compact discs. This past year they produced their own CD “Wunder vom Augeblick” which means miracles of the moment. Hedy and Iren will be accompanied on the button accordion by Manuela Kiser, Iren’s oldest daughter. 

 

Woodcarver, Roman Räss learned the profession of Weisskufer and woodcarver in Appenzell. He studied in Brienz and worked for one of the famous companies there. He now carves on his own producing traditional Swiss milk buckets and wood sculptures.
 

 

 Scherenschnitte Artist, Erika Hager, made her first appearance at the Berne Swissfest last year. She specializes in the typical traditional Swiss style of scissor cutting showing farmers, animals and country objects. Her cuttings include little birds, flowers, rabbits or squirrels everywhere being produced on a folded sheet of paper.


edited January 25th, 2010 2008 by  William Andrist       Copyrights by its authors