South Street Seaport Museum Announces an Afternoon of Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music with virtual views from the deck of 1885 tall ship Wavertree

South Street Seaport Museum’s monthly sea-music Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music continues – virtually. From our living rooms and kitchens, and even from the deck of Wavertree, join our round-robin of shared songs, featuring members of the New York Packet and friends. Listen in, lead a song, and belt out the choruses for your neighbors to hear during a Virtual Chantey Sing on Sunday, September 6, 2020 from 2-4pm. The event is FREE. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link 24 hours prior: events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eh8fu5tv57ec27db&llr=4pcqx8iab.

On Sunday, September 6, Laura Norwitz, Senior Director for Programs and Education, will host from atop the foredeck of Wavertree, which will also be available for in-person visit that day. 

The South Street Seaport Museumwill open the 1885 tall ship Wavertree to the public on September 5, 6, 12, 19 and 26 with timed entry, from 11am-5pm at Pier 16 (Fulton and South Streets). Entry is FREE and includes access to the ship’s outdoor areas, including the main deck (via stairs and an angled gangway) and raised rear deck (accessible via ladder-type stairs). seaportmuseum.org/visitwavertree

Old-time sailors on long voyages spent months living together in close quarters with no outside entertainment, no new people to interact with, a monotonous diet, and each day pretty much just like the day before. Sound familiar?  How did they keep their spirits up? Singing together! Work songs and fun songs, story songs and nonsense songs, songs of nostalgia and songs of up-to-the-moment news – all were part of the repertoire onboard. At South Street Seaport Museum, the Chantey tradition lives on. The September singing session will be moderated by Deirdre Murtha of The Johnson Girls and The New York Packet, a collection of traditional chantey singers in the New York area.

Virtual Chantey Sings have been a resounding success, with attendees from around the globe sharing that the event was:

“One of the best moderated virtual gatherings I’ve been in.  Not only was it as smooth as it could be, given the vagaries of the internet, but the variety of songs, locations, on-the-spot reports, who is in the queue, a few words from our hosts, made it engaging and memorable.”

“As someone who lives far enough away from NYC that I can rarely make it to South Street Seaport (or anywhere in NYC) in person, I absolutely loved this, thanks so much for putting it on!!  I gave a donation to the museum in thanks.”

“Seeing and hearing people both in New York and in other parts of the world. It is very valuable to hear music during this time of confinement.”

“Being able to hear singers from so many places. Somehow I never connected singers from the Netherlands with sea chanteys. But it just goes to show us how interconnected we all are no matter where we are from!”

“Seeing so many young, also the short view of Wavertree. Congratulations on doing a great job on her deck. Have not toured her since the 1980s.”

“The feeling that we were all together even across oceans.”

“Loved it all! Including the beautiful views from the ship.”

South Street Seaport Museum hosts Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music on the first Sunday of each month from May to September.  This year virtual sings will continue through the fall and winter. 

“Sea chanteys fit in beautifully with the New York tradition,” siad Laura Norwitz, SSSM’s Senior Director of Program and Education. “Sailing ships were a melting pot of languages and cultures, and chanteys and forecastle songs, along with hard work and shared challenges, helped sailors merge into one community. When we sing these songs today — some old, and some updated with up-to-the-moment lyrics – we celebrate our connection with our maritime heritage and also with the community we create enjoying home-made music together.”

The New York Packet was established over 30 years ago as the official maritime singing group of South Street Seaport Museum. First singing on the iconic vessel Peking, they have endeavored ever since to keep chantey singing alive in lower Manhattan. Even when the Seaport encountered “heavy weather” during and after hurricane Sandy, the Packet found places to fill with sound while awaiting a return to their beloved ships at the Seaport. In May of 2019, the moment came when the Packet could return and sing aboard Wavertree. It was a magical and welcome moment.

About the South Street Seaport Museum
The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working nineteenth century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of “Where New York Begins.” www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org

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