Shantys are working songs, which were traditionally sung by sailors on tall ships. Accompanying repetitive tasks aboard, the unique stomping interval of shantys supports finding a common working rhythm. In most sea shantys, a shantyman starts the singing and the crew joins in for the refrain. Since our campus was designed as an "ocean of knowledge" harbouring the science vessels. Therefore, founding a shanty group was only a reasonable consequence.

Started as a joke, ShantyChor HHU quickly gathered members and has become an inherent part of the university's culture. Since early 2014 ShantyChor HHU has been constantly growing in number. In several concerts we entertained the audience with shantys and sea songs. On this page you may find all relevant information regarding ShantyChor HHU, practice sessions, past gigs, background and trivia on shantys and sea songs.

Photo: Steffen Köhler