Event
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF A SAN FRANCISCO SINGING TRADITION
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Description
San Francisco, CA – On Saturday, December 11, 2021, from 11am to 1pm, one of the Bay Area’s most beloved musical traditions celebrates its 40th year – from your own home! Long a monthly “landmark” aboard San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park’s historic ships, the multi-generational Chantey Sing gathering has been sidelined by COVID-19. But with help from the San Francisco Maritime Park Association, the Park’s non-profit partner, the sing has gone virtual and international!
Park volunteer and retired Park Ranger Peter Kasin will emcee, in the the role of chantey V-Empresario: introducing singers and setting up the songs. Singing participants, who have signed up for performing slots in advance, will share their favorite songs, either accompanying themselves on traditional instruments, or a cappella.
The chantey sings became a park program in 1981, led by it’s founding Park Ranger Dave Nettell from 1981 to 1989 aboard the Schooner C.A. THAYER. And the square-rigged ship BALCLUTHA. Over the years, the sings popularity, led by Park rangers, required them to be held in a larger venue, and, up until Covid, were held aboard the historic ferry EUREKA, garnering 100 to 200 people monthly.
Chanteys, the work songs of seafaring, dock labor, fishing and rowing, are one of the most compelling ways to celebrate our maritimer heritage. International and multi-cultural in scope, they tell stories of life in long-ago History, but resonate today with tales of bravery, fear, international post of call, and of longing for a better life.
Visit https://maritime.org/events-home/chantey-sing/ for complete details, including links to an online signup sheet, instructions for lead singers, and some suggested virtual backgrounds (just in case your bunk isn’t completely ship-shape). You’ll need a good internet connection, and should be prepared to have fun!
Kasin’s rousing collection of Sheltered-In Chantey videos at https://go.nps.gov/shelteredchanteys is a great way to get your voice warmed up in advance. And if you’d like to learn more about this fascinating folk music tradition, the Park Maritime Research Center’s Chantey Pathfinder has links to books, music and scholarly journal articles at https://go.nps.gov/chanteyinfo.
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