You've probably heard concerts with local musicians playing 100-year-old music composed in Germany, but how about a concert featuring German musicians playing 100-year-old music composed in Peterborough?

Between 1899 and 1906, well before the time of Monadnock Music, one of Peterborough's performance groups was a mandolin orchestra called "The Mandolin Club." In 1903, Peterborough High School principal Francis Mason composed"The Mandolin Club March" in the style of John Philip Sousa in their honor.

According to August Watters, a mandolin professor at the Berklee College of Music who lives in Peterborough, other than copies collecting dust in old Peterborough attics, the fully orchestrated score has been lost to time. Now, Watters is bringing the long-forgotten piece back to life by re-orchestrating the tune for the Youth Orchestra of the North Rhine, a German youth orchestra made up of mandolin, guitar and bass players, who will play at the Town House at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Watters is orchestrating the Mason piece based on a surviving piano score sold as a Peterborough High School fundraiser near the turn of the century. According to Watters, the piano score was popular at the time because every Victorian parlor that could afford one had a piano. Multiple copies are in the archives at the Peterborough Historical Society.

The fundraiser itself was for a piano for the high school. They raised $25, quite an amount for the time.

According to Watters, Wednesday's performance will be the first time that the piece has been played by an orchestra in more than 100 years.

Mason, who composed the piece, came to Peterborough in 1901 from Keene High School, where he held the position of sub-master. As principal of Peterborough High School from 1901 to 1904, Mason was known for his musical talent. According to historical society records, Mason was praised by the school board the same year he composed the march for his "remarkable skill and enthusiasm" in training students in both vocal and instrumental music. He left Peterborough in 1904 to take a position as sub-master of Pawtucket Rhode Island High School.

Mandolin orchestras, while popular 100 years ago, are few and far between these days. Because such orchestras fell out of fashion before recording technology became prevalent, very few recorded versions of mandolin orchestra music exist.

Watters says the sound of a mandolin orchestra is unique.

"It's all pluck strings, so you don't have the long notes of the violins and the other bowed string instruments, but when you play many pluck instruments together, they form a lush, beautiful sound," Watters says.

Classical mandolin was popular among great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, according to Watters. Orville Gibson, founder of the Gibson Guitar Company, originally called the company the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company. He got his start making mandolins first.

Watters became aware of the Youth Orchestra of the North Rhine through a former student named Annika Lueckenbergfeld, who is currently a coach for the orchestra.

"She is an international contest winner," Watters says. "Her sound is breathtakingly beautiful, one of the things I can't describe."

Lueckenberkfeld will play with the orchestra Wednesday along with classical guitarist Fabian Hinsche.

The members of the orchestra of high school and college age (between 15 and 27 years old) are all winners of national music competitions. It is the premier German youth orchestra in the guitar/mandolin format and is supported by private sponsors and the German state of Westfalia.

"The program is going to be a combination of classical and contemporary music and jazz," Watters says.

The orchestra is touring around New England.

"The concert is going to be a lot of fun and accessible," Watters says. "Anyone interested in youth and music will be interested in this."

Among the pieces presented will be a rock and roll electric guitar piece.

The concert will take place from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. at the Town House Wednesday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, and are available in advance at the Toadstool Bookshop. For more information, call Watters at 617-306-8055.