'Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait' comes to Purdue on Nov. 11

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Composer and violinist Jenny Scheinman will present "Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait" at 8 p.m. on Nov. 11 in Purdue University's Loeb Playhouse.  The performance is presented by Purdue Convocations.

Laid low by the Great Depression, portrait photographer H. Lee Waters invested in a movie camera. From 1936 to 1942, he filmed "Movies of Local People," a collection of silent vignettes showcasing everyday life across 118 towns in Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas. Waters then screened his footage at local theaters. "Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait" features Scheinman further exploring people's inner thoughts through music.

Scheinman's original score of folk songs and field sounds is performed live over Waters' footage, reassembled by film director Finn Taylor (Cherish). Cut to match the performance, the film's subjects seemingly move to the music played by Scheinman, multi-instrumentalist Robbie Gjersoe and Midwest folk musician Robbie Fulks (who has played several Friends of Bob shows in Lafayette).

Scheinman has collaborated with Bono, Lou Reed, Ani DiFranco and Aretha Franklin. She also performed alongside Bill Frisell in 2010 at Purdue for "Frisell's Disfarmer Project," a roots-music response to images of America's past. Kannapolis was commissioned by Duke Performances at Duke University. The piece premiered at Duke's Reynolds Industries Theater in March 2015.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $18 for those 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Stewart Center box office at 765-494-3933 or 800-914-SHOW. Group tickets are also available to groups of 10 more. Call 765-496-1977 for more details or visit https://purdue.edu/convocations/group-sales/

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations was one of the first professional performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 30-40 performances of widely varying genres. Purdue Convocations aims to promote frequent exposure to and familiarity with human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media.

Contact: Abby Eddy, Purdue Convocations director of marketing, 765-494-9712, aeeddy@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Publication-quality photographs are available at http://www.convocations.org/press