Name: Sing Our Songs!
Start: 2026-07-04T21:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-07-04T22:00:00+02:00
Location: Ehemalige Kirche St. Mariä Himmelfahrt

When Workers' Songs Fill the Church: Sing Our Songs! in Gelsenkirchen-Buer

On July 4, 2026, the former Church of St. Mary's Assumption in Gelsenkirchen-Buer will become a resonance space for memory, solidarity, and collective singing. Sing Our Songs! is a project as part of Manifesta 16+ and invites you to experience historical workers' songs in a special concert format. Admission is free. ([manifesta16.org](https://manifesta16.org/de/programme/sing-our-songs?utm_source=openai))

A Space with History, an Evening with Attitude

The music does not meet an arbitrary stage here, but a place with patina, transformation, and symbolism. In the former church, a concert experience unfolds that oscillates between choral sound, communal singing, and historical perspective. The content focus: labor struggles, strikes, and regional as well as international workers' songs as expressions of self-assertion and cohesion. ([manifesta16.org](https://manifesta16.org/de/programme/sing-our-songs?utm_source=openai))

Community Instead of Distance

The opera choir of the Music Theater in the Ruhr collaborates on the project with amateurs and interested participants; the audience is explicitly invited to sing along. This creates no classic distance between stage and hall, but a dense live atmosphere where voices come together and the church space itself becomes an instrument. ([manifesta16.org](https://manifesta16.org/de/programme/sing-our-songs?utm_source=openai))

Manifesta 16+ as a Cultural Framework

Manifesta 16 Ruhr will showcase various former churches in the region in 2026, focusing on artistic interventions, workshops, and participatory formats. The project in Gelsenkirchen is part of this larger European context and connects music with urban history, architecture, and social dialogue. ([manifesta.org](https://manifesta.org/editions/manifesta-ruhr/about?utm_source=openai))

What Awaits Visitors

Those who come on July 4 will experience a free, participatory concert with a clear thematic line, historical depth, and emotional impact. Between choral passages, communal songs, and the unique acoustics of the church, an evening emerges that goes far beyond a normal concert. A must-see live experience. ([manifesta16.org](https://manifesta16.org/de/programme/sing-our-songs?utm_source=openai))