Everything Nac

A guest flute recital featuring Baylor University music professor Francesca Arnone performing with pianist Jeffrey Peterson, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 17 in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus, has been canceled.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the student-directed “God of Carnage” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Colleyville senior Michael Spencer directs this full-length play by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton. “God of Carnage” is about two sets of parents who meet to discuss an altercation involving each of their sons. What begins as civilized conversation devolves into childish behavior and, eventually, chaos, according to Spencer.

The cast includes Katy senior Lauren Bowler as Veronica; San Antonio junior Kevin Holloway-Harris as Michael; Dallas sophomore Dominique Rider as Alan; and Frisco junior Shelby Gilliland as Annette.

The production staff includes Lauren Wijangco, Sugarland freshman, stage manager; Andy Bauerle, Conroe sophomore, scenic designer; Brianna Veselka, West senior, costume designer; Kaycee Counts, Gladewater senior, lighting designer; Lane Davidson, Denton freshman, sound designer; Angel Williams, Beaumont sophomore, props; and Amanda Lee, Houston junior, assistant stage manager.

Faculty production advisor for the play is Scott Shattuck.

Spencer first appeared on the Mainstage in the fall of 2012 in the School of Theatre’s production of the musical “Little Shop of Horrors.” He has since appeared in “Blood Wedding” and in the Downstage production of “W;t.” Last semester, he directed the one-act play “The Man Who Turned into a Stick.” He will play the role of Steve in the Mainstage production of “August: Osage County” later this spring.

Tickets are $6. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu “God of Carnage” is recommended for mature audiences (teens or older).

Christina Guenther, associate professor of flute at Stephen F. Austin State University, will celebrate 10 years of teaching at SFA with a recital that features her performing with colleagues and former students.

Guenther will present “10th Anniversary Celebration” at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus. The recital will include collaborations with pianist Geneva Fung, SFA staff accompanist, and SFA’s Stone Fort Wind Quintet, which, along with Guenther, includes John W. Goodall, oboe; Christopher Ayer, clarinet; Charles Gavin, horn; and Staci Spring, bassoon. Fred J. Allen, director of bands at SFA, will conduct.

“Additionally, I will be joined by more than 15 alumni from the last decade who are coming back to SFA to perform with me on the final piece,” Guenther said. “This will be a great way to celebrate their successes since graduation, as well as the growth and success of the SFA flute studio.”

On the morning of the concert, the alumni and current flute students will gather for “a fun studio event, allowing old and new to meet, play together and exchange ideas,” Guenther said.

Among the program pieces are Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach’s “Hamburger Sonata,” which Guenther will perform with Fung. Guenther describes CPE Bach as Johann Sebastian Bach’s “most famous son, who composed during the transition period between Baroque and Classical, writing in what is known as the Sensitive Style (known as Sturm und Drang in literature and the arts).”

Guenther and Fung will also perform Carl Reinecke’s “Undine Sonata.”

“One of our only true Romantic sonatas, this piece depicts the story by Friederich de la Motte Fouque of the water nymph Undine, who, in order to obtain a soul, has to procreate with a human,” Guenther said. “This piece depicts the tumultuous love affair between Undine and the knight, Huldebrand, with storms and a love theme thoroughly depicted in both instrumental parts.”

The Stone Fort Wind Quintet will perform Hungarian composer György Ligeti’s “Six Bagatells for Woodwind Quintet.” Concluding the concert will be a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Concerto La Primavera” for solo flute with flute choir, in which Guenther will be joined by SFA alumni with Allen conducting.

“One of Vivaldi’s 4 Four Seasons concertos, this arrangement of ‘La Primavera’ for solo flute and flute choir will be a fun closer to this 10th anniversary celebration,” she said. “I will be joined in these three well-known movements by my alumni from the last decade in the flute choir. It is an honor to welcome them back to perform with me.”

Following the concert, there will be a reception in the Cole lobby.

Tickets for this Cole Performing Arts Series event 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 poetry of Stephen F. Austin State University theater major Ashe Vernon was recently published through Words Dance Publishing, and Vernon’s book, “Belly of the Beast,” will be celebrated with a reception at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Vernon, a senior from Spring, will read selections from her collection starting at 7:30 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event, and Vernon will be available to autograph them.

Describing herself as a “spoken-word poet,” Vernon said her poetry is free verse. She often competes in poetry slam competitions, and “The Belly of the Beast” contains the type of work “I could put in front of a microphone,” she said.

With the book’s dedication page closing with “this is a book full of ghosts,” Vernon said she feels like that’s probably one of the best ways to describe its contents.

“My writing typically addresses themes like self worth and belonging, as well as recovering after loss and heartbreak,” she said. “It’s a book about making friends with your demons and finding the strength in your hurts.”

The inspiration behind “Belly of the Beast” is as varied as the collection, with some poems relating back to Vernon’s personal struggles with body image and self esteem. Some poems are about relationships while others are about emotions or experiences.

“I also get a huge amount of inspiration from Greek mythology, and you can see some of that in this book,” she said.

The collection is divided into three sections: “Kisses That Are All Teeth,” “Blood in the Water” and “A Heart In Flowering Spring.”

“The title is a good indication of what type of poetry you’ll find in each section,” Vernon explained. “Although each poem in the book was written separately, I did arrange them in a way that tells a sort of narrative and progresses through the story of the ‘beast.’”

Vernon noted that some of the poems in “Belly of the Beast” are not child-friendly, stating the subject matter is intended for a teen-and-up age range. She also said the book is for “everyone who has ever felt too big and too small, all at once.”

“It’s for people who are looking to feel a little less alone, and trying to figure out how to love themselves,” she said, adding the poetry reflects a belief that, “you are bigger than the things that hurt you. You are more than a collection of your own heartbreak. And you could tear down the whole world if you wanted to, but instead you’re putting it back together. And that’s important.”

“Belly of the Beast’ was published last fall just before the holidays, and Vernon has already been contacted by another publisher interested in her work. Her next project, “Wrong Side of a Fist Fight,” is scheduled for publication this summer through Where Are You Press.

Vernon has served as a gallery attendant for SFA art galleries for the past three years.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information about the reception and poetry reading, call (936) 468-1131.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present pianist James Cho in a guest recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Currently on the piano faculty at Sam Houston State University, Cho was invited to present a recital of classical piano repertoire at SFA, according to Andrew Parr, professor of piano at SFA.

Cho’s program contains some lesser-known pieces by J.S. Bach and Joseph Haydn, plus two Nocturnes, Op. 62, of Frédéric Chopin, which were composed near the end of his life, Parr said. The major work on the program is Igor Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka, which Parr described as “a highly colorful and virtuosic piano work based on the composer’s ballet of the same title.”

“The ballet tells the story of three puppets brought to life only to discover that life can include love, jealousy, anger and hurt,” Parr said. “The ballet was premiered by Sergei Diaghilev’s famous Ballets Russes with Bronislava Nijinsky as Petrushka.”

A pianist from southern California, Cho made his first appearance as the Young Artist’s Guild winner where he performed numerous solo and chamber recitals. Cho earned his bachelor’s degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

In the competition scene, Cho has been successful at the Joanna Hodges International, the MTNA Collegiate Nationals and the New Orleans International, and he has captured first prizes on many occasions including at the Kingsville International, the Isabel Scionti and the Los Angeles Liszt International piano competitions. He has frequently performed at the Aspen Music Festival and also in Canada at the Centre d’Arts Orford.

Cho is often an adjudicator for many piano competitions and presents master classes at music festivals throughout Texas and Louisiana. His students have won scholarships to Montecito International Summer Piano Festival and top prizes in both local and national events, including the TMTA Young Artists Piano State Competition, Forum Competition in Texas and the MasterWorks Festival Concerto Competition in Indiana.

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.