Bergvagabunden, the Bavarian band of Elmar Wiesenmüller

Bergvagabunden: the Bavarian band with singer Elmar Wiesenmüller specialises in Oktoberfest events and is among the bands most often booked by international event organisers. We usually perform as a trio: two professional musicians and singers plus a professional female singer. Every member of the band has formal training, either vocally or on their instrument.

Bavarian musicians who also play Paris and London

The Oktoberfest is not only popular throughout Germany: Oktoberfest events are held in a great many countries, and the Bergvagabunden are now well known in cities such as Paris and London.

Which instruments are used in traditional German music?

• Accordion
• Tuba or euphonium (baritone)
• Trumpet
• Clarinet
• Zither
• Alphorn
• Guitar

These belong to the folk music of southern Germany and differ from the instruments of classical German music. The common traditional genres are folk music, Tanzlmusi, Stubnmusi and Oberkrainer: the last of these originally from Slovenia.

Yodelling

Singing matters, and yodelling is the rapid switch between head voice and chest voice. Well-known yodelling songs include the Kufstein Lied, “Heidi” and the Sonnenjodler (“Sunny Yodel”).

One thing is worth stating plainly: at events with an Oktoberfest theme, traditional German and Bavarian music is always combined with pop and rock. German-language pop: Schlager: is played a great deal.

“Ein Prosit”: meaning and translation

The literal translation of “Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit” is “Cheers to cosiness”. What it means is: it is good to be here, in this warm atmosphere, so let us drink to that, and not just one. (Source, including a video of the song.)

The Schuhplattler

The most famous German dance is a Bavarian one. In the Schuhplattler the male dancers slap their calves with their hands while young women in long dresses twirl around them. Dancers for corporate events in Munich and Bavaria are arranged through the event agency Wiesenmüller Entertainment; prices and videos are on the German site schuhplattler.de, and there is an English overview on our own Bavarian dancers page.

Bavarian, Austrian and Swiss music

Traditional Bavarian, Austrian and Swiss music sound very similar. German is sung and yodelled in all three regions, and the alphorn: originally Swiss: appears throughout. The songs of each region are known in the others too.

A Bavarian band in France, Belgium and western Switzerland

Anyone organising an Oktoberfest in France, western Switzerland or Belgium should choose the band carefully. French songs are unknown in Germany, just as German songs are unknown in French-speaking countries, and a band that only has the German repertoire will lose the room.

The Bergvagabunden sing in both German and French, which is unusual for a Bavarian band from Germany (source). Our French site is orchestre-bavarois.fr.

Oktoberfest in Italy and Spain

The Oktoberfest is well known in Italy and Spain too. German songs are not, but the sound of Bavarian music is very popular. So when you book a Bavarian band for Italy or Spain, make sure it plays Italian or Spanish songs alongside the English ones.

Many German bands manage the Italian song “Sarà perché ti amo” and stop there. The Bergvagabunden carry roughly a dozen Italian and a dozen Spanish songs: enough for an Oktoberfest in Barcelona or Bologna.

For events in Italy there is a dedicated Italian-language site: oktoberfestband.it. For Spain there is no separate site, just write to me here in English, German or French.

Beer fest band for Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai

People from all over the world work in the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar: some German, some British, and they all like to celebrate once work is done. That is why hotels and companies there host authentic Bavarian beer festivals, which means flying a Bavarian band in from Germany. The Bergvagabunden regularly play Oktoberfest-themed corporate events in Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai.

Where corporate Oktoberfest events actually happen

If you are planning a corporate Oktoberfest in Germany, it helps to know where they cluster. The great majority take place in Germany’s trade fair cities, because that is where the international corporate audience already is:

• Munich: the obvious one, and the only place where the real Oktoberfest sets the benchmark your guests will measure you against
• Frankfurt: Messe Frankfurt, the banking sector, and Germany’s largest international airport
• Düsseldorf and Cologne: two major trade fair grounds half an hour apart
• Hanover: Deutsche Messe, the largest exhibition ground in the world
• Berlin: congresses, agencies and corporate headquarters

All of these we reach by car, which keeps the cost down: no flights, no extra travel day. It is one of the reasons a Bavarian band from Germany is cheaper to book for a Frankfurt event than for one in Singapore: even though the band is the same.

Beyond the band: full event production

The Bergvagabunden are the band. When an event needs more than music: DJs, dancers, audio and video, sound and light, staff and hostesses, catering, transport and shuttles, or venue scouting: that is handled by a separate event agency, Wiesenmüller Entertainment, based in Krefeld.

Other occasions

An Oktoberfest is not the only reason to book us. We also play New Year’s Eve parties, birthdays, topping-out ceremonies and trade fairs.