Gil’s Hootenanny is delighted that Tony Turner will be the Opening Act for the 2025 Concert, leading the audience in singing some of our favourite sing along songs. Tony is a Canadian singer-songwriter and, since 2017, a resident of Nanaimo, BC. Since the early 1990s Tony has...
Continue reading...2025
Posts specifically for the 2025 event.
Gil & Helen Levine’s Legacy: Changing the World Through the Power of Song
When Gil Levine died at 85 in 2009, three words in his obituary, “…plan a hootenanny”, were the beginning of Gil’s Hootenanny, an Ottawa tradition now into its 16th year and getting stronger. Held each year on May Day, this...
Continue reading...What is a Hootenanny?
Gil’s Hootenanny, Ottawa’s annual community singalong, celebrates songs of hope and protest with exuberant audience participation. While the word “hootenanny” may not be in everyone’s lexicon, Gil’s Hootenanny is hell-bent on reviving this form of entertainment for folks of all ages. Gil’s Hootenanny traces its roots back to folk legends Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie who popularized hootenannies in...
Continue reading...Rebecca Campbell to Headline Gil’s Hootenanny 2025
Musician, activist, song writer and song interpreter extraordinaire Rebecca Campbell will headline the 16th Annual Gil’s Hootenanny on Wednesday, April 30th at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa. Rebecca is a magical performer who creates music that is “emotionally rooted”, “honest” and “interactive”. She honed her musical artistry in Ottawa in the 1980s and 90s, before moving...
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