Film Screening: Songcatcher

Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Time: 6:30 p.m. EST

Location: The Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Cost: Free and open to the public, but please RSVP HERE

Join us on Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. for a screening of the 2000 film Songcatcher.

The fictional story of musicologist Dr. Lily Penleric, Songcatcher traces her journey of discovery in the mountains of Appalachia. After losing out on a promotion at her university, Lily visits her sister, a teacher in rural Appalachia. There she discovers the Scots-Irish music of the mountains. She decides to travel into the isolated Appalachian region to “collect” these old ballads in an effort to prove herself as a university researcher and secure her promotion. There she meets war veteran and musician Tom, who makes her question the motivations and ethics of her work and shares a deeper understanding of the music and the people of Appalachia.

This film screening is complementary programming for the museum’s current special exhibit, I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music, on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum through December 31, 2023.

Special thanks to the East Tennessee Foundation Art Fund for their support of the exhibit programming. Other funders of the exhibit and related assets include Virginia Humanities, the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation, Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Crooked Road, Friends of Southwest Virginia, Artemis Consulting Services, LLC, Bristol Ballet, Suzi Griffin (Studio 6), Kim Sproles (KS Promotions), and Kayla Stevenson (Matte Nail Bar.