'Songs of Freedom' comes to Purdue University on April 5

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – “Songs of Freedom” explores three iconic voices of the 1960s — Joni Mitchell, Abbey Lincoln and Nina Simone — and the complex ways in which they call out to each other. Developed for Jazz at Lincoln Center by Grammy-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr, the concert will include powerful vocal performances by Alicia Olatuja, Joanna Majoko and Theo Bleckmann. “Songs of Freedom” comes to Loeb Playhouse in the Stewart Center on April 5 at 7:30 p.m. This performance is presented by Purdue Convocations with support from the Purdue University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer center, Student Concert Committee and the Student Fee Advisory Board.

Mitchell’s environmentally and emotionally resonant folk, Lincoln’s haunting political protests through jazz and Simone’s vocally dexterous and declarative stands against racism may seem strange bedfellows. But in their own way, each of these iconic, influential musicians demanded freedom — Mitchell to feel conflicted about love’s complexities, Lincoln to gain political ground through potent expression, and Simone to use success and influence to confront and challenge racial rancor. Developed for Jazz at Lincoln Center by producer, composer, and Grammy-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., “Songs of Freedom,” explores three indelible voices of the 1960s and the complex ways in which they call out to each other.

Tickets are $26 for adults and $20 for children 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: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, children's theater, world music, jazz, and chamber music, along with rock, pop, country and comedy attractions. With a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, Purdue Convocations aims to promote frequent exposure to and familiarity with human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media.

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

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