Wistariahurst examines Holyoke's Musical HistoryDate: 7/2/2014 HOLYOKE – On July 26 at 7 p.m., Wistariahurst will host “A Legacy of Holyoke’s Music, People and Place: 1800 to 1950.” This concert, which is sponsored by the Holyoke Cultural Council and Country Dance and Song Society, is the culmination of months of research by historian Jacqueline Cooper.
Cooper has collected stories and music anecdotes from residents of Holyoke and nearby towns and the results will be heard in two song and story-telling performances by a story teller, amateur, and seasoned musicians. The playlist will consist of music from the early 1800s through the 1950s that was enjoyed by folks living and working in Holyoke, once known as Ireland Parish.
Cooper is collaborating with Wistariahurst Museum as the project director. A week-long mentored immersion workshop will take place between July 19 and 27, where local musicians will further their skills, form a band and learn the music for the two performances. The musicians will learn about cultural history that is a legacy of their music in a collaborative environment. Tunes will be learned that were played, sung, danced to, and listened to on back porches, around kitchen tables, at gatherings,
schoolyards, work-breaks and dance halls.
Tickets for “A Legacy of Music” at Wistariahurst on July 26 at 7 p.m. are $12 general and $10 members and can be purchased by calling the museum at 322-5660 or at the door.
On July 27 at 2 p.m. the second and final performance of Legacy of
Music will take place at the Holyoke Senior Center. Admission is free, donations are welcome.
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