Purdue Convocations announces Spring 2021 virtual events

NEWS RELEASE

February 8, 2021

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

Purdue Convocations announces Spring 2021 virtual performances in their Convos At Home series

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Convocations announces its Spring 2021 lineup of virtual performances in its Convos At Home series. This series features livestream engagements with world-class artists specifically designed for our audiences with a compelling mixture of in-depth discussions and high-quality performances. Notably, all performances are free of charge.

Following the Convos at Home presentations earlier this academic year with the innovative artists Manual Cinema and Scott Silven, Convocations continues to invest in artists who are imagining creative ways to connect to you, discuss their work, and let you in on their creative process. “We’re thrilled to be using the virtual livestream medium in a way that capitalizes on what it does well: create a forum for in-depth discussion and open the door to expanded audience access with free events,” said Todd Wetzel, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Life and Executive Director at Purdue Convocations. “We invite everyone to enjoy these free performances on their largest screens from the comfort of their favorite chairs.”

LIVE FROM EMMET’S PLACE with the Emmet Cohen Trio & special guests
Every Monday at 7:30pm ET, February 8 – April 26, 2021
Join jazz pianist and Convos alum Emmet Cohen with his trio every Monday evening as they livestream from Cohen’s apartment in Harlem. Each week is an exciting adventure with A-list guests sitting in with the band—including stellar vocalist and Convos alumna Veronica Swift on February 8th! This weekly event comes to you live from Emmet Cohen’s Facebook and YouTube pages. No advance registration required.

SOYEON KATE LEE & RAN DANK
February 25, 2021, 7:30pm ET
Prize-winning pianists and spouses, Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee, tackle Franz Liszt’s towering transcription for two pianos of Beethoven’s orchestral masterpiece, the Symphony No. 9 in D minor. In a live interview, the artists will discuss the work and musical themes, examine the pianistic challenges, and share their perspectives on performing it, preparing you to enjoy a high quality performance captured for the Library of Congress in December 2020. Free with advance registration.

DISSONANCE: TEDxPurdueU’s Main Event
March 20, 2021, 12:00pm ET
Dissonance involves a clash—of musical notes, of ideas, of beliefs. But those who listen closely may find value and true beauty emerges out of the dissonance. TEDxPurdueU invites you to join us on the journey to discover all the ways in which dissonance enriches our lives and challenges us at our virtual main event, Dissonance. Free with advance registration.

ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET: The Haydn Discovery Experience
March 25, 2021, 7:30pm ET
Franz Josef Haydn is generally acknowledged as the “father” of the string quartet, having conceived of the ensemble and the musical approach that still serve as a foundation and a point of departure today. In The Haydn Discovery Experience, the St. Lawrence String Quartet reveal Haydn’s genius in a virtual journey filled with a live discussion about the history and musical conception of a Haydn quartet (the ebullient Opus 20, No. 3), followed by a full performance of work that was beautifully captured at Stanford University’s Bing Hall. Free with advance registration.

BALDWIN & BUCKLEY AT CAMBRIDGE (work in progress)
April 15, 2021, 7:30pm ET
In 1965, James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Jr. were invited to the Cambridge University Union (England) to debate the resolution, “The American Dream is at the Expense of The American Negro.” New York-based theatre creatives Elevator Repair Service re-create this still resonant debate verbatim for an intimate-scale, work-in-progress performance. Free with advance registration.

Tickets for all these events and experiences are free with advance registration, unless otherwise noted, at the Stewart Center box office at (765)494-3933 or (800)914-SHOW or online at www.convocations.org. For information on how to become a Friend of Convocations, make your initial gift and have access to the presale, please go to https://live-convocations.pantheonsite.io/support/.

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: Mike Armintrout, Purdue Convocations senior associate director, (765) 496-2913, mikearmintrout@dev-convocations.pantheonsite.io.

Related websites:
Purdue Convocations: https://live-convocations.pantheonsite.io/
Emmet Cohen: https://emmetcohen.com/
Soyeon Kate Lee: https://www.soyeonkatelee.com/
TEDxPurdueU: https://tedx27.wixsite.com/tedxpurdueu
St. Lawrence String Quartet: http://www.slsq.com/
Elevator Repair Service: https://www.elevator.org/