2019 marks the 100th year since the birth of Pete Seeger – a true music legend and steadfast social activist. This show pays tribute to his life, legacy and songs.
To celebrate, Comox United and Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship are presenting a fundraising concert featuring many local artists singing the songs that Seeger made famous. Helen Austin, Judy and Bruce Wing, Doug Cox, Tony Turner and others are all in the lineup for this concert. The concert will include the many Seeger hit songs recalled from his life of activism as well as the opportunity to sing along with the songs that framed generations of social activists.
On May 3, 1919, at the French Hospital in Manhattan, Constance de Clyver, a highly regarded concert violinist, and Charles Seeger, Jr., a leading Harvard musicologist went in to have a baby boy but became the proud parents of an icon: singer-songwriter Pete Seeger.
Seeger is a 20th century icon not only for the songs he wrote and made famous – but also for his commitments to social activism. As a singer, and as a songwriter, Seeger was an unabashed supporter of the labour movement (Which Side are You On?), civil rights movement (We Shall Overcome), the anti-war movement (Where Have All the Flowers Gone?), the peace movement (If I Had a Hammer and Turn! Turn! Turn!), and environmental activism (the album God Bless the Grass).
In keeping with the spirit of Seeger’s social justice activism, this fundraising concert will split the proceeds between the social outreach projects of Comox United, the Unitarian Fellowship and Project Watershed’s Kus-kus-sum project. Kus-kus-sum aims to un-pave a parking lot and turn it into a paradise. It will return the Fields Sawmill site to its natural state and create a vibrant and productive habitat connected to Hollyhock flats, which is adjacent to the site.
Tickets for the March 1, 7:30 p.m. concert at Comox United Church are $25, and are available from Eventbrite (Pete Seeger Comox) or at the door. There is a pay-what-you-can option for tickets purchased at the door so this show may be affordable for all.
