[143] Celebrate Your Rights with 'Freedom Sings' Nov. 2 at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 25, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Deborah Gump, 615-898-5150, or dgump@mtsu.edu

Celebrate your rights with ‘Freedom Sings’ Nov. 2 at MTSU

MURFREESBORO—Renowned musicians will celebrate the First Amendment in song on Wednesday, Nov. 2, during a special performance of “Freedom Sings” in MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.

Scheduled performers include Ashley Cleveland, Dave Coleman, Craig Krampf, Bill Lloyd, Jonell Mosser, Jason White and Joseph Wooten.

They’ll tell the story of three centuries of banned or censored music in the United States, and the show will feature several protest songs from the 1960s still being used today, most notably by the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The 2:20 p.m. multimedia performance, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Liberty Tree Initiative, the campus-grant program of “1 for All,” a national, nonpartisan campaign to raise awareness and understanding about the First Amendment.

The program is sponsored by the McCormick Foundation, the First Amendment Center, the Newseum, the American Society of News Editors and the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and hosted by
the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies in MTSU’s College of Mass Communication.

Before the performance, visitors can view the original music associated with the songs featured in “Freedom Sings” via a Tucker Theatre lobby exhibit of original sound recordings, sheet music, music books, photographs and more from the collections of MTSU’s Center for Popular Music.

“Some you will recognize as being protest songs, but you may be surprised to find out what other songs were banned or censored,” said Lucinda Cockrell, the center’s assistant director and archivist.

After the show, several “Freedom Sings” performers, including Lloyd and Krampf, will join a panel discussion on the First Amendment's importance to free expression and creativity in music.

The discussion, moderated by Dr. Paul Fischer from MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, is scheduled from 4:10 to 5:35 p.m. Nov. 2 in Room 164 of the new College of Education Building.

"Freedom Sings" began in 1999 with a concert at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville and began touring nationwide in 2000.

"Freedom Sings never fails to inspire me," said Dr. Deborah Gump, who directs the Seigenthaler Chair. "When Freedom Sings came to MTSU in 2009, it was my first year on campus, so I wanted to check it out. I blown away by how packed Tucker was and how pumped the audience was. Frankly, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens this year.”

"Freedom Sings" is a national program of the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center. The Nashville-based The First Amendment Center works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education.

The Seigenthaler Chair supports a variety of activities related to free-speech and free-press rights, including welcoming visiting professors of First Amendment studies and lecturers who address issues of freedom of speech and press, along with funding research, seminars and meetings related to free expression.

For more information about Freedom Sings, including details about the performers, visit www.firstamendmentcenter.org/freedom-sings. For more information about “1 for All,” visit www.1forall.us.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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