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To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Tønder Festival is giving a special gift: a podcast about and featuring the legendary American folk musician Pete Seeger.
The podcast, "Weekend with Pete," consists of five episodes that contain unique and previously unreleased interviews with folk music legend Pete Seeger. The many hours of interviews were recorded in 1999 by Swiss radio journalist Jean-Claude Kuner. This material forms the basis for the new podcast, which was created in collaboration between Jean-Claude Kuner and Danish radio journalist and podcast host Claus Vittus.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Pete Seeger (1919-2014) is an icon and one of the most important figures in modern American folk music. He was part of the group The Weavers in the 1950s, co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival, and for decades, the epitome of the American protest singer. Pete Seeger was a musician, songwriter, environmentalist, human rights activist, and a leading figure in the politically awakened folk music movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He also performed at the Tønder Festival in 1990.
Now, you can listen to the story of Pete Seeger in the podcast series "Weekend with Pete," and the special thing is that the main character tells it himself.
In 1999, Jean-Claude Kuner traveled to Beacon in the USA to interview Pete Seeger. This turned into an entire weekend where the then nearly 80-year-old Pete Seeger both sang and played guitar, banjo, and flute, and talked for hours. Pete Seeger also performed his own acoustic versions of songs like “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “We Shall Overcome,” and many more. Everything was recorded on tape.
These tapes have not been released until now. Thanks to the collaboration between Claus Vittus and Jean-Claude Kuner—and with support from the Tønder Festival—you can now listen to this spectacular and music-historical story in the podcast.
About Claus Vittus: Music journalist since 1980. Has worked for websites, music and daily newspapers, radio journalist for DR since 1985, most recently for Radio Mars since 2024, and emcee and podcast producer for the Tønder Festival.
About Jean-Claude Kuner: Born in Switzerland, lives and works in Berlin. Director of plays and opera, writer, documentarian, and radio journalist specializing in music. Has won several awards for his radio dramas and documentaries.
Find the podcast here:
Tønder Festival 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th August 2024
www.tf.dk
www.facebook.com/tonderfestival
Twitter: @tonderfestival
Instagram: TONDERFESTIVAL
Tickets: www.tf.dk
Scots band Elephant Sessions is already on the roster for next year's Tønder Festival. They were to have played on the Open Air Stage on Saturday evening this year, but the show was cancelled because of the violent rainstorm.
Tønder Festival 2024 was a great success despite the severe weather, which challenged guests, artists, and volunteers alike. However, the atmosphere remained high, and it became an unforgettable experience for everyone who attended. Don’t miss the 2025 festival, where we will once again gather for a fantastic weekend filled with music, community, and celebration!
David Ritschard, along with Tim O'Brien and Jan Fabricius, have canceled their performances at Tønder Festival due to illness.
Already this year, the new egg cartons will be used to serve the local delicacy, solæg, which is one of the festival’s most beloved and traditional dishes.
