The mining counsellor of the Royal-Prussian Mining Office, Herrmann Cramer, in 1856 initiated the founding of a representation orchestra. The orchestra came into being at the 2nd of December in the same year. Very fast it became a constant element of the village Rüdersdorf. During the next years it developed into a big wind orchestra. The orchestra’s biggest successes were already made in the 1930s by giving concerts in the radio and during the radio fairs in Berlin. The culminating moment was ment to be a concert tour through the USA in 1939. The beginning of the World War II spoiled these meticulously prepared plans.

In the space of the coming years the orchestra changed several times. For some years it became the Factory’s Orchestra of the Cement Works in Rüdersdorf. Later on the orchestra was jointed with the orchestra of the Sport and Technics Association. Currently it works as an independent association. In 1980 Wolfgang Schmiele became the artistic leader of the band (In 2005 he celebrated the 25th anniversary of his conductor’s activity). The orchestra regularly took part in nationwide competition as for example the Arbeiterfestspiele (Worker’s Festival) classifying itself in the category of the advanced orchestras. With success it took part in the International Meeting of Musicians in Grimma (Niemcy). During the international event entitled „Fete de la Musique“, the orchestra several times enjoyed the hospitalities of the inhabitants in Rüdersdorf’s twin town Pierrefitte (near Paris). The orchestra recorded two CDs. The first one contains classic repertoire of wind music. At the second CD you can find modern music pieces like swing, rock and pop. This musical variety has been kept until today and is highly appreciated by organizers and the audience. The orchestra plays about 25 concerts each year during different occasions in the region.

more about the orchestra: www.bergkapelle-ruedersdorf.de