Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University music faculty member Nathan Nabb and collaborative accompanist Hyun Ji Oh will present a saxophone and piano recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

A feature of the SFA Friends of Music Concert Series, the recital will showcase pieces that are either originally written or arranged for string instruments and are by French composers in the late 19th or early 20th centuries, according to Nabb, professor of saxophone in the School of Music. The performance also serves as preparation for an upcoming recording by Nabb and Oh of the works.

The program includes Sonata in A by Cesar Franck.

“Originally for violin, this work is dedicated to famed Belgian violinist Eugene Ysaye,” Nabb said. “In my opinion, this is one of the truly great works of chamber music. It has beautiful harmonies and melodies, demanding technical passages, and delicate interplay between the violin (saxophone) and piano.” The arrangement for saxophone and piano was set by French saxophonist Jean-Yves Fourmeau.

The program also includes Sonate posthume by Maurice Ravel. Written in 1897, it is an early work by the famous French composer and pianist, written when he was only 22.

“Yet, it is unmistakably Ravel,” Nabb said. “It’s a beautifully lyrical work. This is my first performance of this wonderful piece, and I recently completed the arrangement.”

The performance also features Sonate in C# by Fernande Decruck.

“Though it fell out of favor after the composer’s death, this piece has become very popular in the last 16 years, since the release of Calude Delangle’s A la française recording,” Nabb said. “Nick Bissen arranged the version performed on this concert. It takes much of the extended range published in the viola version of this work and incorporates it into the version for saxophone.” Bissen teaches saxophone in the School of Music.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s dance program will showcase senior choreographic works during its production of Danceworks: “You”phoria, which premieres at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 in the HPE Complex Dance Studio, Room 201, on the university’s campus.

Additional showings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 15 and 16. Admission is free for SFA students. Tickets cost $5 for non-SFA students and children; $8 for faculty, staff and senior citizens; and $10 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

The production will feature seven senior choreographic works focused on the theme “You”phoria, which plays on the idea of pleasure, excitement and the intense feeling of well-being.

Marcus Williams, dance performance and choreography major from Lufkin, said this experience has helped him learn the creative process behind productions.

“The ups and downs in our pieces represent our personal feelings of how we experience ups and downs in life,” Williams said. “Our pieces have a variety of topics, such as love and neurological disorders.”

Danceworks serves as the capstone course for dance seniors. During the summer, seniors research concepts for their works and rehearsals begin on the first day of the semester.

Heather Samuelson, dance program co-coordinator and assistant professor, explained the production teaches students a variety of skills other than choreography. For example, students learn how to cast a show, promote a performance, design lighting, select costumes and edit music.

Modern and contemporary dance are the main styles that will be featured during this production, along with jazz and hip-hop.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.