We proudly celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2021! 50 years and stronger than ever!

Our History

The band was formed in 1971 by Dr. James Hammerle of North Carolina State University. Jim was sitting in the bar of the NCSU Faculty Club and told his friend Henry Bowen that someday he’d like to run a German band. Soon after, Jim left for six months in India. When he returned, Henry handed him a list of interested musicians. Jim chuckled and was about to file the list away in a drawer when Henry said “and you’d better start scheduling practices, because you’re booked to play at the Faculty Club in a month!”

The Schuhplattler dance group was formed four years later, in 1975, to let the spouses of band members in on the fun. In the early years, many members performed in both groups. Members were primarily faculty and staff at NC State University.

Today, there are about 100 active members in our organization, from all walks of life and all ages. Having both a band and a dance group allows us to provide continuous entertainment, a unique combination in the U.S.! In addition to standard band instruments, we perform with alphorns, Bavarian cow bells, and a glockenspiel.

Highlights from our history include:

Performances on US and Bavarian television and radio

TV recording of NCSU-Duke basketball show 1978 (Windows Movie File download)