Everything Nac

Faculty members of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will be the featured performers during the annual Pi Kappa Lambda Music Faculty Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The concert showcases the talents of the diverse School of Music performing faculty, according to Nita Hudson, instructor of voice and opera. All concert proceeds benefit the Pi Kappa Lambda scholarship the School of Music gives each year to the sophomore music major with the highest grade point average.

“This is always a fun and exciting night for our music faculty,” Hudson said. “Not only do we get to perform for the Nacogdoches community, but we also raise funds for music scholarships.

“Twenty-four music faculty members will perform a wide variety of concert repertoire, ranging from a traditional vocal spiritual to a Mozart operatic duet,” Hudson added.

The program also features a barbershop quartet, a mellow brass quintet, a string quartet and saxophone and percussion performances. Traditional folk songs will be played on an Irish harp. An audience favorite, SFA piano professor Mario Ajero will perform a piano piece for six hands with his children, Antonio and Olivia.

Other faculty performers include Debbie Berry, soprano; Jennifer Dalmas, violin; Charlotte Davis, soprano; Tod Fish, tenor; Charles Gavin, horn; Christina Guenther, flute; Nita Hudson, mezzo-soprano; Scott LaGraff, baritone; Brad Meyer, percussion; Emily Milius, soprano; Emily Mitchell, harp; Melissa Nabb, viola; Nathan Nabb, saxophone; Hyun Ji Oh, Andrew Parr, Ron Petti and James Pitts, piano; Evgeni Raychev, cello; J. D. Salas, tuba; Deb Scott, trombone; Chris Turner, baritone; Jacob Walburn, trumpet; and Gary Wurtz, trumpet.

The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is a feature of the 2017-18 Calliope Concert Series. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building at 2210 Alumni Drive.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Two Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music alumni were recognized this past summer at the Texas Bandmasters Association convention in San Antonio.

It was announced at the convention that Corey Graves, a 2007 summa cum laude graduate, was named “Young Bandmaster of the Year” by Phi Beta Mu Honorary Band Fraternity, and George Little, a 2002 graduate, was elected to serve on the TBA board of directors.

“These two alumni are excellent representatives of SFA in everything they do,” said Fred J. Allen, director of bands at SFA. “They are shining examples in our profession and even to our current students.”

Phi Beta Mu is a service organization whose goals are the promotion of school bands, school musicians and the furtherance of school bands in the eyes of the public. Graves, who currently teaches in Roma ISD, said he was “humbled” by the recognition.

“Considering the incredible list of previous recipients, and the numerous music educators across the state of Texas who are making such an impact on the lives of their students and communities, it is quite humbling to be even put in the same category,” he said. “I am grateful for the recognition of what the students and faculty of Roma ISD do daily.”

Graves earned a Master of Music in Euphonium Performance from The Ohio State University as a graduate fellow in 2008. He is in his 10th year of teaching and has been with the Roma ISD since 2010. Prior to moving to Roma Middle School, he taught two years with La Joya ISD.

Graves is a Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar and the Region XV Middle School Coordinator. Bands under his direction have consistently received superior sweepstakes ratings at UIL Concert and Sight-reading Contest and have also earned high levels of recognition on state, national and international stages.

Mike Brashear, TBA executive director, welcomed Little to the organization’s board, stating, “We look forward to his leadership and expertise as he represents the fine band programs from East Texas.”

“Being elected to the TBA board of directors is a very humbling and exciting experience,” Little said. “I am thrilled to have the chance to serve with such an outstanding group of fellow directors. Professionally, I know that I will learn a lot during my years on the board, and I hope to be able to contribute to best of my ability.”

TBA board members start as sergeant-at-arms, then move up through the offices of secretary, treasurer, vice president, president-elect, president and past president. Board members serve on the board for seven years and oversee all activities of the TBA, including the annual TBA Convention/Clinic held in San Antonio at the end of July.

Little is director of bands at Lufkin ISD. He is entering his 16th year of teaching and his second year at Lufkin. He taught for eight years at New Diana High School and six years at Henderson Middle School. His bands consistently earn top rankings in UIL and invitational competitions.

Both Graves and Little credited SFA with preparing them to be successful as band directors and music educators.

“SFA provided so many great opportunities for learning,” Graves said. “I have always felt that the staff was giving of their time, even after graduation, to help propel their students to success. It is a great student-centered environment that I am proud to call my alma mater.”

“SFA is, in my opinion, one of the top music schools in the state,” Little said. “There are many successful band directors that graduated from SFA. The faculty is very purposeful in what students learn as they progress through their degree plan. One thing about SFA that aids in the success of their future band directors is that professors are available for mentorship, even after you have graduated. The professional help network that Lumberjack Band alumni enjoy is second to none.”

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music recently sponsored a hurricane relief project to benefit students at C.E. King High School.

“The band directors, who are SFA alums, requested help, and we jumped right in,” said Fred Allen, SFA director of bands. “It was a way for us to help a specific high school that we knew needed help.”

The two alums, Michael Murdock and Ronnie Ross, said flooding at the school had damaged equipment and requested color guard equipment, percussion equipment and reeds used with woodwind instruments.

“We posted the list, and many of our students and faculty members responded with items that we could send them right away,” Allen said.

For more information about the SFA School of Music, visit sfasu.edu/music.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the inaugural Kiwifruit Field Day with Dr. David Creech, SFA Gardens director, and Tim Hartmann, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service employee, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building.

Through this introduction to growing kiwifruit in East Texas, Creech will lead participants on a journey through kiwifruit production practices in China, New Zealand, Nacogdoches and Alabama. He also will discuss best management practices from established growers across the world.

Hartmann will discuss the “nuts and bolts” of growing kiwifruit, including site selection, pruning, pest control, trellising, and pre- and post-harvest techniques. He also will discuss species and varieties that will grow best in the South.

“SFA Gardens is home to the very first production of green and golden kiwifruit in Texas,” Creech said. “While the verdict is not in, there’s plenty of room for optimism. With the right varieties, proper pruning and training, good irrigation, and a strong post-harvest and marketing program, this exciting fruit may be part of the Texas fruit picture.”

Research into the adaptation and feasibility of kiwifruit production in the state by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and SFA has been made possible thanks to a Specialty Crop Block Grant through the Texas Department of Agriculture.

The registration deadline is Sept. 25. The field day costs $25 and includes lunch. To register, contact SFA Gardens at (936) 468-4404 or dawnstover@sfasu.edu.