1913 Strike Singers Concert Updates

Music to march to during a 1913 strike parade. (Photo courtesy of the MTU Archives, Keweenaw Digital Archives)

I have added two new events to the Calendar of Events, with more to come in the near future.  The 1913 Strike Singers, a small ensemble based in the Houghton/Hancock area, will be performing at various locations throughout the strike centennial. Two performances are taking places this month.  On Monday, August 12 at 7 pm the Singers will provide a brief selection of songs as the opening act for Gary Kaunonen’s Calumet Heritage Days lecture. This performance will take place at the Heritage Center in Calumet.  The second August performance for the Singers will be Thursday the 22nd at 7 pm at the Calumet Arts Center.  The performance is entitled All the news that’s fit to sing: verses from the 1913-14 copper strike newspapers.  It is taking place as part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park’s “Fourth Thursday in History” lecture/concert series.

The 1913 Strike Singers present a unique sort of strike centennial celebration by incorporating an aspect of strike culture that is typically glossed over or completely overlooked in scholarly histories of the strike. Songs about the strike, such as “The Federation Call”, “Kuparialueen lakkolaisten marssi” (The Copper Territory Strikers’ March, in Finnish) and “Inno dei Scioperanti” (Hymn of the Strikers, in Italian), were an important cultural component to strikers’ morale and these songs remain an important part of the cultural history of the region.  I hope you will make an effort to attend one of these performances and stay tuned for further concert updates as the Singers are working to confirm more dates in the months ahead.