Everything Nac

The PEN Trio with special guest Francesca Arnone will present a program of 20th century music for woodwinds when they perform at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The PEN Trio includes Dr. Nora Lewis, oboe, Kansas State University; Dr. Phillip O. Paglialonga, clarinet, Virginia Tech University; and Dr. Eric Van der Veer Varner, bassoon, Lynn Conservatory. The name PEN Trio comes from the first letter of each person’s name – Phil, Eric and Nora.

The trio is performing at SFA as part of the group’s Texas tour, which includes Baylor University, University of North Texas, Rice University and Texas A&M University-Commerce, according to Staci Spring, instructor of bassoon in the SFA School of Music.

The program will include Divertimenti for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon by Frank Bridge; Quatuor for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon by Jean Francaix; Suite pour Trio D’Anches by Alexandre Tansman; and Cinq Pièces en Trio by Jacques Ibert.

“The quartet for winds by Francaix is typical of the composer’s humorous and quirky style,” Spring said. “Light, somewhat airy melodies hide deceptively difficult ensemble playing and passage work. This is one of his more popular works, and it is always an audience favorite.

“Ibert’s Cinq Pièces en Trio includes five short, charming movements, and is one of 11 pieces dedicated to the original Paris Reed Trio in the 1930s,” she added. “The group was responsible for establishing much of the standard reed trio repertoire and is part of the inspiration behind the formation of the PEN Trio.”

Special guest Arnone, assistant professor of flute at Baylor University, will perform on the Bridge and the Francaix pieces.

The PEN Trio bridges performance and scholarship to explore and expand the repertoire for the traditional trio d’anches, or “reed trio.” The ensemble regularly tours throughout North America and abroad. The trio has visited dozens of universities and has performed at numerous academic conferences, chamber music series and private functions. Their 2015 season includes performances in China, Hong Kong and Trinidad as well as tours in Florida and Texas.

Arnone has more than 20 years of regional orchestral experience performing in the United States and Mexico, including serving as principal flute of the Boise Philharmonic and the Waco Symphony.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and the music community to hear exceptional artistry,” Spring said.

The group members will also present master classes on Saturday morning.

Tickets to the recital 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.

Soprano Dr. Sooah Park will present “Introduction to the Songs and Life of Poldowski” as part of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music’s Cole Performing Arts Series at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

This lecture recital will feature information on the life and works of Lady Poldowski, a Polish-British composer whose maiden name was Regine Wieniawska, followed by a performance of Poldowski’s songs and those of her more famous contemporaries, including Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Reynaldo Hahn, and Ernest Chausson, according to Scott LaGraff, professor of voice at SFA.

Lady Poldowski was the youngest daughter of the celebrated violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski. She composed 35 published songs, mostly settings of the poetry of Paul Verlaine.

“Poldowski’s songs show the influence of the French school but are strongly original and individual expressions,” Park said. “This recital will present Poldowski’s settings of Verlaine poems with those by Debussy, Fauré, Hahn and Chausson. Performing these songs will honor the legacy of many other women composers whose works have remained unperformed for many years.”

An active opera performer, Park is a member of the voice faculty at UT Tyler. Her vocal talent was recognized at the 2007 Lois Alba Aria Competition where she was a finalist. She was also awarded honorable mention and 3rd prize for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition in 2005 and 2002. Houston Arts Week praised her Oscar from Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera,” saying “Sooah Park shines as Oscar, and her singing is utterly delightful.”

Dr. Gjergji Gaqi, music faculty member at Tyler Junior College, will accompany the artist. Equally at home in solo and collaborative music, Gaqi maintains an active performing career throughout North America and Europe. Together with his brother, accomplished pianist Piro Gaqi, through the Gaqi Piano Duo, they have brought the varied, folk-inspired piano duo repertoire of Europe and North America to audiences of both continents.

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.

Light bulb! Stephen F. Austin State University junior interior design majors Jessalyn Welch and Hayley Breshears had the right idea when they designed a feminine boutique called “Marguerite” for the Illuminating Engineering Society Lighting Competition in the spring semester. While Welch and Breshears worked on their project from February to May, the two were recently notified that they placed fourth in the competition out of 39 other entries representing four universities.

“We were both surprised and excited when we received the news,” Welch said. “It was an honor to represent SFA as one of the winners in the competition.”

Breshears agrees it was a wonderful feeling receiving the email announcing their win. She said she had to read the email a few times before she was able to absorb the good news. Their win earned them $250.

The pair completed their entry under the guidance of Dr. Mitzi Perritt, professor of interior design at SFA. The project was part of the curriculum in Perritt’s studio class.

The IES Lighting Competition required students to design unique lighting and interior layouts for the same retail space. Each contestant needed to include three custom-lighting fixtures that illustrated creativity and efficiency. Welch and Breshears used a garden as their inspiration in creating the feminine boutique Marguerite, which translates to daisy in French.

“In a garden, you think of the air being light, breezy and filled with sunshine, and that is what we went for with our lighting,” Breshears said. “Our three custom fixtures were a backlit Polaroid, an uplit curtain of crystals and a wall that appeared tufted with light shining behind the buttons.”

The curtain of crystals represented raindrops on rose petals, and the Polaroid furthered the feeling of nostalgia. Also, the students chose to use true white light to convey sunshine.

Throughout the project, Welch and Breshears continually developed their design concept and constantly looked for ways to improve their lighting ideas. Before sending their final draft to the judges, Welch and Breshears traveled to Dallas to present their ideas to industry professionals who offered critiques. Once the final revisions were made, the students submitted the final board and PDF to the IES competition.

“25 Veinticinco: Mexican-American Prints from UT San Antonio,” will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

“25 Veinticinco” is a suite of 25 prints by 25 Latino and Latina artists, and each print is signed, numbered and issued in a limited edition of 30, according to John Handley, director of art galleries for Stephen F. Austin State University.

The images are printed on 22-inch by 30-inch archival paper and were produced using various techniques, including stone and aluminum plate lithography, etching and aquatint, linocut and screen-printing, Handley said. The artists worked in collaboration with master printers Neal Cox, associate professor of art in SFA’s School of Art, and Steven Carter, who works in the print studio of The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Department of Art and Art History.

“The common thread binding all of the work together is the cultural heritage shared by the artists,” Handley said.

The most well known artist showing in the exhibition, Handley said, is the late Luis Jimenez, who died tragically halfway through the completion of his included work – a lithograph portrait of Cesar Chavez.

Before coming to SFA to accept an appointment as a professor in the School of Art, Cox acted as the master printer for the UTSA Collaborative Editions program. His primary task involved the technical execution of the prints to be exhibited in collaboration with each artist. Cox accepted his appointment at SFA before completion of the print suite and had in mind to exhibit the prints at SFA when the project was finished, according to Handley.

“25 Veinticinco” will show in Ledbetter Gallery. Opening the same night are two other exhibitions, including “The Devil You Say! The Saintly, and Not so Saintly, in Folk Art” in Reavley Gallery and “The Tenderness of Egocentrism: Drawings by Manuel Miranda” in the Reception Gallery. “25 Veinticinco” and the Miranda exhibitions run through Jan. 2, while “The Devil You Say!” exhibits through Jan. 16.

The exhibitions are free and open to the public. They are sponsored in part by the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and the Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For additional information, call (936) 468-1131.