"Singing Revolution," chronicling Estonian freedom, premieres in Geneva at Smith Opera House

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2008
FROM: KEVIN SCHOONOVER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
315-781-5483
PHOTOGRAPHS ATTACHED

"Singing Revolution," chronicling Estonian freedom, premieres in Geneva at Smith Opera House

GENEVA -- Few countries had their national resilience and cultural pride tested as sorely in the 20th century as the Republic of Estonia. But as the new film "The Singing Revolution" shows, the people always had their songs. It will be screened at 7 p.m., October 10, 13, and 14, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 12 at the Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca St.

First occupied by the Soviets in 1939, then by the Nazis, and then by the Soviets again, Estonia lived through decades of terror. By the end of World War II, more than one-quarter of the population had been deported to Siberia, been executed, or had fled the country. Music sustained the Estonian people during those years, and was such a crucial part of their struggle for freedom that their successful bid for independence is known as the Singing Revolution.

James Tusty and Maureen Castle Tusty's improbable and delightful documentary tells a fascinating story. Estonian folk singing, enshrined annually at Laulupidu, a song festival, endured throughout the nation's darkest days. It was the only form of cultural identity available through decades of brutal invasion, slaughter and occupation by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

In 1969, when about 30,000 singers took the stage to sing the defiantly nationalistic "Land of My Fathers, Land That I Love," it was clear that singing would soon lead to a nonviolent protest movement. But independence wouldn't happen until Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika in the early 1990s, when Soviet states were granted relative freedom of self-expression.

Repeatedly overrun by larger neighbors, and occupied by the Soviets since the end of World War II, Estonia nearly had its idiosyncratic culture and language wiped off the map. But as the Tustys'
interviewees explain it, the choral tradition literally kept the nation alive, and the result was that in 1991 Estonia had a democratic revolution in which no guns were fired and no one was killed, even in a bitter standoff between the country's Estonian majority and a large and belligerent Russophile minority.

"This is a story that has not been told outside Estonia," said filmmaker James Tusty, who is of Estonian descent. "We felt it was time the rest of the world knew of the amazing events that happened here."

The movie, narrated by Linda Hunt, chronicles Estonia's journey from oppressive beginnings, as Estonia's citizens were summarily executed or sent to hard-labor camps, to the final chapter of self- determination, with exhilarating, colorful displays of thousands of proud citizens singing. It's a powerful story of a nation that, almost literally, sang its way to freedom.

"The Singing Revolution" is a wonderful exploration of that still little-understood period, from the mid-1980s through 1991, when the empire of Soviet communism rapidly collapsed. The film is not rated but contains footage of Soviet and German atrocities. In English and some Estonian with subtitles, it has a running time of 96 minutes.

As part of The Smith's annual "Hot Docs" documentary film series, Robert Cowles, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Professor of Music, speaks and leads a town-hall style discussion following the Friday screening.

Tickets are $5 general admission, $3 for students and senior citizens. Call 315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll-free 866-355-LIVE (5483) for details or to order tickets. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.TheSmith.org.

The Smith Opera House is owned and operated by the Finger Lakes Regional Arts Council, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization supported, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, the City of Geneva, the Town of Geneva and by contributions from individual supporters.