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The Rockin’ Axes at Stephen F. Austin State University will continue performing music of “The ’90s and the New Millennium” when the student group performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3, in Cole Concert Hall in the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus.

Directed by Andrew Sperandeo, instructor in the School of Music’s Sound Recording Technology program, the Rockin’ Axes’ study theme and program from last semester – “The ’90s and the New Millennium” – continues into the spring. Since 2014, Sperandeo’s students have examined the history of rock from the 1950s to the current decade.

“As always, I try to mix up the set list with many subgenres within the category of rock/pop,” said Sperandeo, who also teaches guitar. “I want to keep it interesting for students and expose them to styles they may not be too familiar with in order to improve their overall musicianship and, potentially, give them more opportunities in their future careers within the music industry.”

Among the selections to be performed is Bruno Mars’ “Chunky.” “It is the epitome of modern pop, and it’s a fun groove tune most people can enjoy,” Sperandeo said.

The Rockin’ Axes will perform “Hysteria” by the English rock band Muse.

“Muse is a very talented, original hard rock band that all the students really enjoy listening to,” Sperandeo said.

The program will also include a performance of “A Thousand Years,” which Sperandeo describes as “a beautifully written tune” by singer-songwriter Christina Perri.

“As a professional musician, I have played this one in many settings since it was released several years ago,” he said. “I chose to arrange this song for the group because it is one I still enjoy listening to all these years later.”

The Rockin’ Axes will also perform a difficult tune by the American progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as tunes by Sade, Incubus, Stone Temple Pilots and Tori Amos.

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.

The Wind Symphony at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “Red Sky,” a concert featuring the music of J. Clifton Williams, Anthony Barfield and Steven Reineke, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 30, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone in the SFA School of Music, will perform on Barfield’s composition for trombone and band, “Red Sky.”

“‘Red Sky’ is, in the composer’s words ‘a mere representation of The Big Bang Theory,'” said Dr. David Campo, associate director of bands at SFA and director of the Wind Symphony.

“As history tells us, the Big Bang is a theory that explains how the universe expanded from one single point. This work focuses on space, matter and energy as a whole,” according to the composer’s website at abarfield.wixsite.com/barfieldanthony.

After Barfield moved to New York City from his native Mississippi to pursue trombone performance, he quickly emerged as a composer. Recognized for his lyrical writing style, Barfield’s compositions have been performed throughout the United States and Europe. Barfield has received commissions from trombonists including Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, and Steven Lange, second trombonist of the Boston Symphony, as well as for the Manhattan School of Music Brass Orchestra and other ensembles.

Scott enjoys an active schedule as clinician and performer in both classical and jazz styles. Her solo CD, “Playing Favorites,” was released in 2017. She has been called “one of the premier soloists for her instrument” by Cinemusical.

The Wind Symphony will open the concert with Williams’ march “The Hermitage,” written on commission for the Future Music Leaders of America organization in 1975. Originally titled “March FMLA,” the march was composed one year before the composer’s death, Campo said.

“Williams was fond of the concert march, composing many memorable pieces in this form, including ‘The Sinfonians,’ ‘Strategic Air Command’ and ‘March Lamar,'” Campo said. “This march exhibits Williams’ trademark march style utilizing bitonality, obligato flute lines and fanfare trumpet flourishes.”

Closing the concert is Reineke’s “Symphony No. 1 – New Day Rising.” The work is in four movements, each describing an aspect of the April 18, 1906, earthquake in San Francisco, which, along with the subsequent fire, leveled the city, costing millions of dollars and thousands of lives.

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.

The bands at Stephen F. Austin State University will present the annual Concert in the Park Sunday, April 29, in the wooded area along Vista Drive and in front of the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus. The concert begins at 2 p.m. and is free to the public.

All four SFA concert bands will perform. Opening the concert will be University Band, under the direction of David Campo, associate director of bands, and graduate assistant Brandon Beavers.

The Symphonic Band, under the direction of Tamey Anglley, assistant director of bands at SFA, will follow with a performance of “Vesuvius” by Frank Ticheli. Graduate student Gary Jones will conduct “Chant and Jubilo” by W. Francis McBeth.

The Wind Symphony, also directed by Campo, will perform the Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst.

The Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Fred J. Allen, director of bands, will close the concert and will perform four pieces, including the exciting overture “Folk Festival” by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. The band will also perform the official march of the United States of America, “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” by John Philip Sousa.

A meeting of the Lumberjack Band Alumni Association will be held in the Band Hall following the concert.

Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, honorary band service fraternity and sorority, will sell hamburger plates beginning at 1 p.m. Plates are $5 each and will include a burger, chips and beverage.

For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Dr. Patrick Jenlink, Stephen F. Austin State University’s 2017-18 Regents Professor, will present at the Regents Lecture Series at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, in the Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center, Room 212.

Jenlink’s lecture titled, “Dare Educators Build a New Social Order?,” will focus on the responsibility of educator preparation programs to prepare teachers and leaders who embody a passion for public concern – including issues of oppression, poverty, and economic and political injustices – and how this may ensure the future of our democracy.

Jenlink joined the SFA faculty in 1997 and is doctoral program coordinator and professor for the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership. He is a prolific writer, speaker and scholar, having authored or co-authored hundreds of books, book chapters and journal articles. He has presented at numerous national and international conferences, and he has served on myriad committees for students completing their theses or dissertations to complete master or doctoral degrees.

This is the 13th in a series of lectures delivered by SFA faculty members selected as Regents Professor.

The SFA Office of the Provost and the University Lecture Series Committee sponsor the event. There is no charge for admission, and refreshments will be served during a reception following the lecture.

For more information, call (936) 468-2605.

The SummerStage Festival at Stephen F. Austin State University will present a fun and funny children’s musical and an emotionally powerful American play in its 2018 summer theatre season.

Make plans early to enjoy this year’s SummerStage Festival, which is slated for June 29 through July 19 with performances in W.M. Turner Auditorium and the Downstage Theatre. Both venues are in Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus. This year’s plays are “Pinkalicious the Musical” and “Crimes of the Heart.” The festival is sponsored in part by Tipton Ford Lincoln.

Launched in 2014 to take the place of the traditional Summer Repertory Theatre season, SummerStage is designed to provide less formal, fun and easy-going live theatre experiences for East Texas audiences, according to Cleo House Jr., director of the SFA School of Theatre.

“SummerStage is about deepening the School of Theatre’s relationship with the community,” House said. “It’s about doing our part to keep the arts alive for Nacogdoches, even during the summer months when things tend to quiet down.”

“Pinkalicious the Musical” with book by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann, music by John Gregor, and lyrics by John Gregor, Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann, is the story of Pinkalicious, a little girl who can’t stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor’s office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toe – a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this predicament.

“At face value, ‘Pinkalicious’ is a musical for young audiences that teaches moderation and self-control,” said House, who is the play’s director. “However, it also has a message about being true to what makes you unique and the importance of family.”

“Crimes of the Heart” by Beth Henley is about three sisters with very different personalities and lives who reunite when the youngest of them, Babe, has just shot her husband. The oldest sister, Lenny, takes care of their grandfather and is turning into an old maid, while Meg, who tries to make it in Hollywood as a singer/actress, has had a wild life filled with many men. Their reunion causes much joy, but also many tensions, according to the description at imdb.com.

“A play about family, love and loss, ‘Crimes of the Heart’ is both funny and serious, as well as lighthearted and profound,” said Dr. Inga Meier, assistant professor of theatre and the play’s director.

Winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, “Crimes of the Heart,” in the end, is “the story of how people escape the past to seize the future,” according dramatists.com.

“Warm-hearted, irreverent, zany and brilliantly imaginative, the play teems with humanity and humor as it examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions,” the website states.

“Pinkalicious the Musical” will be presented in Turner Auditorium at 10 a.m. June 29, July 10 and 19; at 2 p.m. July 7, 10 and 18; and at 6:30 p.m. June 30 and July 14. General admission tickets are $8. A pay-what-you-can performance is at 2 p.m. July 10.

“Crimes of the Heart” will be presented in the Downstage Theatre at 7:30 p.m. July 5, 7, 12, 13, 17 18 and 19 and at 2 p.m. July 14. General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students/youth. A pay-what-you-can performance is at 2 p.m. July 14.

For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.