CP Photo: Jared Wickerham
At most Pittsburgh protests, picket lines, and rallies, practically wherever a morale boost helps, the Pittsburgh Labor Choir blares songs like “We Shall Not Be Moved” and “Solidarity Forever.” You can find It’s all about getting protesters excited, and unafraid to reach that high note.
“We are keenly aware of how reassuring it can be to play music with amateurs and friends alike,” says choir founder Edwin Everheart. “It’s not about being good at it. It’s about having fun with it and being expressive.”
Everhart founded the choir in February 2020 after feeling the need to spice up songs and chants at protests. It’s a fitting endorsement for Pittsburgh, the site of historic steelworker labor struggles, with recent union strikes and choral protests at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, La Prima, and the Carnegie Museum. Done.
The Pittsburgh Labor Choir is made up of about 20 members, a mix of amateur and trained singers, and uses high-energy choral songs to provoke as many protests in the city as possible. The group will meet for practice at the Pittsburgh Friends Meeting House in Shadyside. There, they sing a mix of traditional union songs and contemporary international and English creations (a pro-union song on the theme of “His Twelve Days of Christmas” is ongoing).
As more and more Pittsburgh workers demand fairer labor rights, you can expect the choir to sing alongside them in solidarity.
labor choir. twitter.com/pglaborchoir