I attended a very entertaining performance on Sunday afternoon at the Minnesota History Center. It was about a famous musical family with a Minnesota connection. It was created by Dan Chouinard, Jeff Raz, and Jordan Sramek.
“Singing for Freedom” is a story about the Hutchinson Family Singers, a group from New Hampshire. This family sang songs that advocated for the abolishment of slavery. They even performed at the White House for President Tyler, who happened to be a slave holder. After that experience, they decided their songs needed to be more aggressive. In 1855, three of the brothers invested in land in Minnesota and founded Hutchinson, Minnesota. The Rose Ensemble, Maria Jette, T. Mychael Rambo and Dan Chouinard did a marvelous job in presenting the story and the songs that were sung in the mid-1800’s.