Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and the Children’s Performing Arts Series will present two performances of ArcAttack Science Show on Friday, March 4.

Described as “the most electrifying science show on tour,” ArcAttack was seen in the fifth season of “America’s Got Talent.” A highlight of an ArcAttack show is the use of two custom-built singing Tesla coils that have been modified to play musical notes.

“Students will explore concepts such as electricity, voltage and current, magnetism, robotics, and lightning through demonstrations and experiments with ArcAttack’s signature Tesla coils, capable of throwing electrical arcs up to 12 feet long,” explains Diane J. Peterson, Fine Arts Box Office manager and director of the children’s series.

The ArcAttack crew and their trusty robot take classrooms on an interactive journey of discovery where students will learn the science behind the amazing display they see on stage. To view a video of the performance, visit www.arcattack.com/

This show targets students in third through 12th grades.

Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in W.M. Turner Auditorium. Tickets are $7.50 for individuals and $6 per person for groups of 20 or more.

To order tickets, call 936.468.6407 or 888.240.ARTS. Visit the CPAS website at www.cpas.sfasu.edu for additional information.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present “Gen, Jen and Friends,” a concert of 20th century trio music composed for violin, piano and another instrument, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Joining pianist Geneva Fung, staff accompanist in the School of Music, will be colleagues Jennifer Dalmas, violin; Christopher Ayer, clarinet; Evgeni Raychev, cello; and Gary Wurtz, trumpet.

Featured on the program are Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano by Gian Carlo Menotti; Space Jump for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op. 46 by Fazil Say; and Trio for Trumpet, Violin and Piano by Eric Ewazen.

“Different composers of different nationalities have different perspectives and aesthetics of sound and timber with instrumentation combinations,” Fung said. “I would like to show the different characters and composition techniques through these compositions.”

Italian composer Menotti’s Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano was commissioned by The Verdehr Trio, which was formed at Michigan State University. The ensemble premiered the first and second movements at the Spoleto Festival in July 1996, and Menotti promised that the third movement would be ready in time for a concert at Michigan State University, which was to take place in September of that year, Fung said.

“However, administrative duties at Spoleto kept Menotti from completing the piece until the week of the Michigan State premiere,” she said. “He was determined to finish it. In fact, he literally finished the third movement at noon on the very day of the concert.”

A free-fall jump from 39 kilometers above Earth by Austria’s extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner in 2012 inspired Turkish-American composer Say’s Space Jump for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op. 46, according to Fung.

“In his musical illustration of this revelatory voyage from space to Earth, Say depicts each phase of the jump, from takeoff to safe landing,” Fung said. “Say’s intense fascination with this event prompted a work containing every emotion he experienced as a spectator.”

In Trio for Trumpet, Violin and Piano, Ewazen “uses the trumpet heroically and dramatically, but at the same time lyrically,” Fung explained. “Each of the four movements in this composition demonstrates different timbre and color of the uncommon instrumental combination.”

The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is a feature of the Cole Performing Arts Series.

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 Oasis Quartet will present a diverse program of works for saxophone when they perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

“The music on this program represents some of our favorite works for saxophone quartet and actually features two new pieces written for Oasis Quartet,” said Dr. Nathan Nabb, professor of saxophone in the SFA School of Music and quartet member. Other members include James Bunte, Dave Camwell and James Romain.

“We put a great deal of thought into our programs and always plan to present an exciting blend of original works for the instrument as well as transcriptions from varying periods and styles,” Nabb said. “This approach leads to a diverse program with something for every listener and allows us to show the flexibility of the instrument and ensemble.”

“Scallywag” is a new work Stephen Lias, professor of composition at SFA, wrote for Oasis last spring. Oasis premiered it this past November during the ensemble’s fall tour of the Midwest.

“This is a challenging work that blends elements of jazz and funk with more traditional ‘classical’ saxophone techniques,” Nabb said. “Steve has collaborated with Oasis on various projects for over five years now, and he certainly knows the strengths of the group. The result is a really fun and energetic concert opener.”

Also on the program is “Recitation Book” by David Maslanka, which is a work that became popular in the saxophone quartet repertoire in the early 2000s, according to Nabb.

“Like much of Maslanka’s music, this work draws from various musical periods, including madrigals, chorales and chant,” he said. “The fifth movement, ‘Fanfare and Variations on Durch Adam’s Fall,’ is a powerful and virtuosic closer to the piece and stands alone as a work unto itself in this program.”

Also featured will be a piece by Dutch composer and saxophonist Guillermo Lago, founding member of the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, and another piece written specifically for Oasis by Richard Lavenda, professor of composition and theory at Rice University.

Each member of Oasis is a concert artist in his own right, and they appear regionally, nationally and internationally as chamber musicians, clinicians, orchestral musicians, solo recitalists and adjudicators. They can be heard on the Teal Creek, Centaur, Innova, Amp Recordings, and Mark Custom labels, and in performances with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, as well as a number of regional orchestras.

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.