Under the direction of Micah Graber, the choir has been a cultural staple in the Toledo area since 1869 — over 155 years of celebrating Swiss culture in the area. The chorus in its current form has been around since 1924. Its aim is to retain and preserve the culture and songs of Switzerland, to live up to the singers’ ancestors’ tenets of faith and behavior, help others, and to be good citizens.
The group is part of the North American Swiss Singing Alliance (NASSA), made up of 13 choirs from Canada and the U.S. Singers compete internationally every three years. The Singers were recently awarded a silver prize at Saengerfest, held in Pittsburgh in June 2024.
The nonprofit organization is also part of the larger German American Festival (GAF) Society, which most people associate with the festival held annually in August. The society consists of seven German-speaking societies. During the festival, the Singers set up and operate the Swiss Cheese Haus, along with the Stein Stossen contest. The GAF Festival draws more than 30,000 people on an average weekend and is the largest ethnic festival in this part of the country.
The Swiss Singers practice Wednesday evenings at 7:00 at Oak Shade Grove from September to May.