Monthly Events

One of the regular events at the German Society of Pennsylvania is the “Konversationsabend,” held in the Ratskeller from 6 to 8 pm on the second Wednesday of the month - February through May and September through December.

A group of about 20 people share an evening of pleasant and stimulating conversation in German. The conversations center on a predetermined theme, usually with a speaker who provides a brief introduction followed by open discussion and refreshments. The themes cover a wide range of interests reflecting the diversity of the group and the special expertise and the preferences of the speakers. Speakers can include members of the German Society, local or international professors, politicians, artists, and more.

The group welcomes newcomers from all backgrounds, those who would simply like to speak German as well as those who wish to practice and improve their language proficiency in the relaxed environment of sympathetic native and non-native speakers.

If you are interested in joining, click here to sign up for our mailing list.

Konversationsabend

Friday Film Fest

The Friday Film Fest invites you to another season of German cinema, offering unique insights into German language, culture, history, and current events through the lenses of some of the German-speaking world’s best directors.

Held in the gemütlichen Ratskeller – the cozy bottom floor of the German Society – each evening starts with dinner, dessert, and a bi-lingual introduction to the film. Commentary is provided, often including background information, analysis, criticism, and the directors’ larger body of work. Films are selected from the early German "golden era" of cinema to contemporary works. Afterwards, participants can take part in an English-language discussion. Most films are shown in German with English subtitles or German with German subtitles, see the schedule below for more details.

This year’s festival offers a wide variety of contemporary films and themes from which to choose. We hope you will come along for another year of thought-provoking art and exploration.

Film Schedule 2025/2026:

Friday, October 10, 6:30pm

September 5 (2024) (English/German with English subtitles)

Friday, November 21, 6:30pm

Riefenstahl (2024) (German with German subtitles)

Friday, January 16, 6:30pm

Munich - The Edge of War (2021) (English/German with English subtitles)

Friday, February 20, 6:30pm

Zwei zu Eins (2024) (German with German Subtitles)

Friday, March 20, 6:30pm

Die Kaiserin (2022/2024) (German with English Subtitles)

Friday, April 17, 6:30pm

Eine Million Minuten (2024) (German with English subtitles)

Friday, May 15, 6:30pm

Film Selection TBA

To read more about this season's films, please take a look at our 2025/26 Film Fest Brochure.

You can also peruse an archive of our film commentaries going back to 2001.

German music and musicians are world renowned, and music is an important part of the Society’s cultural offerings. The Music Program began more than twenty-five years ago, thanks to the financial largess of Dr. F. William Sundermann, a former Board member and amateur musician. Initially, the focus was on presentations by the Wister Quartet, a distinguished group of Philadelphia Orchestra members. Renowned musicians, such as Maestros Sawallisch and Eschenbach, as pianists, often augmented these concerts. The Sunday afternoon programs had a fairly large audience, largely on a subscription basis. More recently, the number of concerts has been expanded to between eight and ten each year, involving a very diverse collection of musicians anchored by the Wister Quartet, ranging from solo recitals to choral groups, presenting music from the classical repertoire to modern compositions. In 2014, the Society even presented an opera composed by a Society member in honor of our 250th Anniversary. These changes have expanded our audience, with single ticket sales significantly supplementing subscriptions. In addition, the new world class Bösendorfer Konzertflügel has proven to be an attraction to accomplished pianists.

“Wister and More!” Concert Series

Click here to download a brochure of our current concert season.

Click here to view our archive of past brochures.

Ticket Policy: Tickets cost $20 each. A variety of Concert Subscription Packages are also available. If available, single tickets will be on sale at the door on the day of the concert. Tickets are not refundable, but may be exchanged for other concerts, subject to availability. Unused tickets will also be gratefully accepted for resale to benefit the Society (a tax-deductible contribution). Please contact the office to reserve tickets and learn more about our ticketing policies.

Buchclub

Since 2010, a monthly Buchclub has been meeting at the German Society on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 1:30pm. We strive for a mix of recent literature and "the classics" - think from Kleist and Fontane to Herta Müller and Daniel Kehlmann - with one condition: our selection has to be available in translation. We're interested in literature originally published in German, but we also want the book club to be open to those who don't feel that comfortable reading a whole book in German. The same holds true for our discussions - they're in German if that works best for the participants, but if somebody prefers English, we're not going to pretend we don't understand! So please click here to sign up for our mailing list if you're interested in joining our group, and bring your suggestions for what we should read next.

Click here to see all the books we've read so far!