Everything Nac

The Piney Woods Camerata at Stephen F, Austin State University will perform great works from the Baroque Era when the faculty-student string ensemble performs at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The recital is part of the SFA School of Music’s Calliope Concert Series.

“As this year is the 10th anniversary of the Piney Woods Camerata ensemble, we wanted to plan a concert that featured some of our favorite Baroque composers,” said Dr. Jennifer Dalmas, professor of violin at SFA and an ensemble member.

Works by J.S. Bach, George Frideric Handel, Arcangelo Corelli, Georg Philipp Telemann and Henry Purcell will be represented in the program.

Kerry Hughes, adjunct professor of oboe, and Dalmas will perform Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor, BWV 1060. Hyun-Ji Oh, SFA pianist, will also join the group for the first time, playing the harpsichord.

Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor was written around the same time as his Brandenburg Concertos and cello suites while he was living in Cothen, Germany.

“This piece is in standard concerto form, with three movements in fast-slow-fast tempos and lots of wonderful interweaving melodies between the solo instruments and orchestra,” Dalmas said.

The Purcell Chacony in G minor is based on the French Chaconne, which is a set of variations over a repeating base line. “This work is one of the finest Baroque examples of this form,” Dalmas added.

Although Corelli was not the most prolific composer of the Baroque Era, his works were very influential, according to Dalmas.

“His 12 concerti grossi really establish that form of composition, and the first of the set that we will play is a perfect example of his mastery,” she said. “We also chose this work as it was featured on our very first Camerata concert 10 years ago.

The concert is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

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 (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The printmaking and graphic design programs within the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art will sponsor visiting artist Leon Loughridge the week of Feb. 26 through March 2.

Loughridge, a printmaker from Denver, Colorado, and owner of Dry Creek Art Press, will work on an edition of handmade prints while in residency on the SFA campus, and he will teach classes in the Japanese Moku Hanga style of printing.

A free public presentation of his work and unique techniques is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Art History Lecture Room B106 in the Art Building off Wilson Drive.

Loughridge developed an affinity for the Southwestern landscape while growing up on a ranch in Northern New Mexico and then attended the Colorado Institute of Art. While stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and studied painting techniques of the old masters for two years.

He is noted for his layered woodblock prints, which capture the atmospheric qualities of the southwestern landscape. His woodcuts are exhibited nationally and collected by museums and collectors. He has also developed a versatile ink base.

As a printmaker, Loughridge states that he wants to record in printed form the “emotional connection” he has to his original plein-aire sketches and paintings.

“While sketching is a very direct and invigorating process, creating a print in the studio is almost the opposite – slow and methodical,” he writes in his artist statement. “The challenge of translating a painterly image into a block print is to capture the energy of the original into the print, not to merely duplicate the image. Using the technical aspects of relief printing as expressive tools, and not as limitations, allows for an intuitive and spontaneous print. To see that the passion of the original sketch has been translated into the print is the artist’s reward.”

Art faculty members Neal Cox (printmaking) and Peter Andrew (graphic design) have organized Loughridge’s residency. For more information, call the School of Art at (936) 468-4804.

Nacogdoches bluegrass fans have a unique opportunity to enjoy some of the freshest music on the bluegrass scene when The Barefoot Movement performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

Start your spring break celebration a little early with this Nashville-based group that has been heralded by CMT Edge as “one of the most promising bands on the bluegrass scene.” The performance is the last in this year’s College of Fine Arts’ University Series.

“When this up-and-coming, youthful quartet of superb musicians romps through pop-infused ‘newgrass’ medleys and country-flavored ballads, you can expect an evening of music with something for everyone,” said Scott Shattuck, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and director of the series.

Billboard Magazine describes their sound as “slices of bluegrass, country, folk and even a little bit of rock and roll.”

In September of 2014, they received a Momentum Award, naming them “Band of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association. They have been selected as showcase artists at both the International Bluegrass Music Association and the Americana Festival conferences and were first runners up at the 2013 Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s New Band Competition.

The group has enjoyed almost non-stop touring including a trip to Burkina Faso, Africa, where they were guests of the American Embassy. Already this year they have played from coast to coast, in venues from California to Virginia’s Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

“Their show is as fun to watch as it is to hear,” said Shattuck, who saw them perform in a showcase at the Arts Midwest conference in Milwaukee in 2016.

The “movement” can be traced back to the teen years of singer-songwriter and fiddler Noah Wall, of Oxford, North Carolina. Just as she had begun penning her first compositions, she met mandolinist Tommy Norris their senior year of high school. Convinced of their musical chemistry and driven by mutual ambition, they continued to build the band from the ground up throughout their college careers.

While Norris studied classical music and recording engineering at Western Carolina University, Wall chose East Tennessee State, particularly for its Bluegrass, Old-time and Country Music Program. With the addition of versatile guitarist and singer Alex Conerly of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 2013, and most recently, Katie Blomarz of Frankfort, Illinois, on the upright bass, the lineup was complete with all the elements that make up the Barefoot sound: lush harmonies, thoughtful instrumentation and memorable melodies, according to information at www.thebarefootmovementofficial.com.

Over the past seven years, The Barefoot Movement has appeared in Country Weekly Magazine, RollingStone.com, Music City Roots, and Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour. Their original music was featured on the Outdoor Channel’s program “Huntin’ the World: Southern Style,” and their music video for their popular song “Second Time Around” has been seen nationally on the Zuus Country Network.

The band’s University Series performance is sponsored in part by Commercial Bank of Texas.

Prior to the performance, artist, musician and SFA Professor Emeritus Charles D. Jones will present an informative talk at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium, which is inside the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

Tickets for the University Series are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3. For tickets or more information, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Cutline: The Barefoot Movement bluegrass band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus as part of the College of Fine Arts’ University Series.

The North Forney High School Indoor Percussion Ensemble will present a performance of the show “End of Days” at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, in Cole Concert Hall on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.

A 5A school, North Forney High School opened in 2009 with only freshman and sophomore students. Jim Gist, the school’s percussion director, began the program, which has experienced much growth and earned the reputation as a premier percussion program in the North Texas area.

In addition to the group’s performance at SFA, the ensemble’s 2018 spring tour includes a performance at Tyler Junior College and culminates with the WGI Houston Regional competition at Klein Oak High School in Spring.

The group is competing in the 2018 season with show “End of Days,” which reflects on the tumultuous events surrounding the end times as told in the Book of Revelations.

“The number seven is significant in the program, as it is in Revelations, including the pulse of much of the program being in seven and the seventh seal being broken as heard in a subtle bass drum roll,” Gist explains. “The armies marching into the Battle of Armageddon, victorious scenes of redemption, and the final judgment as described in Revelations can all be heard and felt through the musical imagery.”

The program begins with Modest Mussorgsky’s mysterious “Night on Bald Mountain” and transitions to Jacob Remington’s “Prelude to Paradise.” The final victory is portrayed by Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 Movement 5, also known as “The Resurrection Symphony.”

Admission to the concert is free.

The North Forney Indoor Percussion Ensemble competed in the North Texas Colorguard Association circuit during the spring 2017 season. During its first year of competition, the North Forney Ensemble was promoted twice to a higher classification and earned first place at every contest the group entered. At the finals championship, North Forney earned the highest percussion score in NTCA history with a 93.5.

For more information, contact Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies for the SFA School of Music, at meyerbe@sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the full-length play “Antigone in New York” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

“Antigone in New York” is written by Janusz Glowacki. Play translation is by Glowacki and Joan Torres.

Directed by Plano senior Cecily Maucieri, the play is loosely based off the Greek tragedy “Antigone” and centers on the character Anita, a homeless woman who is searching for her boyfriend, Paulie, according to Maucieri. Anita ends up enlisting two Eastern European refugees to help her find Paulie.

The cast includes Palestine senior Olivia Santone as Anita; Pearland junior EJ Villanueva as the Policeman; Lufkin senior Jacob Carr as Sasha; Leander freshman Zach Loveday as Flea; and Tyler sophomore Holden Guinn as Paulie.

The production staff includes Jamie Carroll, Dallas sophomore, as stage manager; Connor Morrison, Princeton senior, assistant stage manager; Katie Irwin, Arlington sophomore, assistant director; Isabel McNeil, Katy junior, scenic designer; Anais Saenz, Houston senior, costume, makeup and hair designer; Kamron Key, Frisco sophomore, lighting designer; and Jessica Tinker-Akers, Marshall graduate student, sound designer.

Faculty production advisor for “Antigone in New York” is Jack Heifner. The play is recommended for mature audiences.

The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

Tickets are $6. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Dr. Heather Olson Beal, associate professor in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership, is hosting the second teach-in from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 8 in the Wyatt Room of the Steen Library on the university campus.

SFA faculty and staff as well as community members will offer 30-minute sessions on topics such as body image, professional profiling, bias, intersectional feminism and more.

“Gender inequality is a problem at all levels and in academia,” Olson Beal said. “As faculty, staff and community members and students, we wrestle with difficult and important issues. Then, we act to try to improve our worlds.”

This event is free and open to the SFA and Nacogdoches communities. ID scanners will be available for SFA students who are eligible to receive points for attendance.

For more information, visit facebook.com/events/138873876914671/.

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