Tamburitzans to Appear at Ironwood Theatre August 16th

IRONWOOD, MI - Friday, August 6, 2010 - Their families played a great role in the building of America.   They came from the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe. Places with strange names like Transylvania, Montenegro and Slovenia.  They came to America in search of the fabled “Streets of Gold” and they brought with them the customs, fast paced music and fiery dances of their countries of origin. Known across the United States as the finest group keeping the Slavic traditions alive, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans will appear at the Ironwood Theatre at 7:30 PM on Monday, August 16.

The group continues a tradition established in 1937 by a small band of students entering Duquesne University in Pittsburg in a most unusual way. They exchanged their musical talent for scholarships to attend the school, and a chance to perform, a process that carries through to today.

They came from families whose fathers worked the coal fields of Pennsylvania and Appalachia, mined the iron ore of the Gogebic and other Iron Ranges of the Lake Superior region and poured hot steel from the blast furnaces of Pittsburg, South Chicago and Gary, Indiana. 

On the Gogebic Iron Range the binding tie to the countries of Europe is very strong. In the early 1900s local mining companies recruited thousands of workers from the eastern countries and from Scandinavia, Finland, Italy. Groups from all these nations kept traditions alive in scattered mining enclaves. They gathered in halls, neighborhood taverns, backyards and basements to enjoy the food, stories and music of their homelands.

From our own area, the Gogebic Range Tamburitzans were known nationwide and played in Slavic Extravaganzas across the country, occasionally traveling great distances by bus.  Mothers, fathers and children performing for others the love of their music, songs and dance.

At Duquesne, generations of students carry on the decades old traditions. They gather early each summer at a camp outside of Lake Nabagamon, Wisconsin to plan and rehearse their tour program for the year. Late each summer audiences at regional venues like the Ironwood Theatre are treated to fresh performances and new faces as the Tamburitzans stop here and there to premiere their work as they travel back to Pittsburg to start the new school year.

For young audience members, the Tamburitzan performances are a complete surprise. In the new age of blackberry devices and computer games, it amazes youngsters that so many artists find an interest in things old. For those who remember the heyday of mining and gatherings of small groups in the old mining locations for a pig roast and a few tunes from the old country a Tamburitzan performance can bring a tear to the eye.

Locally, individuals remember Tamburitzan performances going back more than 60 years as the group appeared on stage at the Ironwood Memorial Building. The Ironwood Theatre today is committed to keeping alive the culture of the region through programs like the Tamburitzan concert and the work of Donna Salli, a former resident who recently brought her play about Finnish family life, “The Rock Farm” to local audiences.

Tickets are now on sale at the Ironwood Theatre box office at 109 East Aurora Street for the Tamburitzan performance. Advance sales range from $18 for reserved seating to $15. and $12. for general seating. Student tickets are $5. They can also be purchased at the door at a higher rate. More information is available at 906/932-0618 or by browsing www.ironwoodtheatre.net.