Gil’s Hootenanny: Songs of Protest, Songs of Hope at the Glebe Community Centre on May 1st
“A good song reminds us what we’re fighting for”.
Pete Seeger ( (1919 – 2014)
Scotton Hall – 2013 Gil’s Hootenanny
On May 1st, people from all over the city will gather in Scotton Hall of the Glebe Community Centre. Led by musicians from Ottawa and elsewhere, all are invited to come together in song. The event is called “Songs of Protest, Songs of Hope” and takes place annually in memory of long time Ottawa activist Gil Levine, who believed that music had the power to change the world.
Three Little Birds, Kristine St. Pierre, Mighty Popo at 2013 Hootenanny
“Hootenanny”, a Scottish word for celebration or party, is a gathering where folksingers sing and play with an emphasis on audience participation. Gil loved to host hootenannies and, after his death in 2009, his family and friends organized “Gil’s Hootenanny: Songs of Protest. Songs of Hope” in celebration of his life. A life-long trade unionist, Gil loved May Day, Pete Seeger and folk music. The tribute was so well received that the group, joined by the Spirit of Rasputin’s, decided to organize a second hootenanny the following year. And the one after that. Gil’s Hootenanny is now an annual event that draws hundreds of participants, eager to join their voices in song. This is the second year that the hootenanny will take place at the Glebe Community Centre.