Everything Nac

The combined choirs at Stephen F. Austin State University, along with the Orchestra of the Pines, will present “An SFA Christmas Garland” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

A highly anticipated holiday event, this concert will feature the choirs and orchestra performing Part 1 – often referred to as the “Christmas portion” – of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah,” according to Tim King, director of choral activities for the SFA School of Music and director of the performance.

“At the end of each fall semester, the School of Music offers a special musical Christmas present to the community,” King said of this popular event. “It is one of the best-attended concerts all year, especially when the program features Handel’s ‘Messiah’ – everyone’s favorite!”

The Orchestra of the Pines, directed by Gene H. Moon, will perform selections from Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky’s ballet, “The Nutcracker.”

An audience and community caroling will feature an arrangement of carols by Leroy Anderson, titled “A Christmas Festival.” The Boston Pops first featured the arrangement, said King, who will direct this portion of the concert.
The event is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Turner Auditorium is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 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 visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present free, one-night screenings of two short documentaries Friday night, Dec. 5, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

The night’s features include “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” and “A Better Me.” The screenings begin at 7 p.m.

In the Oscar-winning documentary “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” Academy award-winning filmmaker Malcolm Clarke tells the story of 109-year-old Alice Herz Sommer, known as the world’s oldest pianist and holocaust survivor. Discussing music, laughter and her optimistic outlook, Sommer shares her views on living a long, happy life. The film runs 39 minutes.

“A Better Me,” a 5-minute film written and directed by Drew Scott, is described on the IMBD website as “the story of one man’s journey of self realization, from uncertainty to acceptance.” This film is presented in conjunction with the appearance of Scott and his brother, Jonathan, of “Property Brothers” fame, in Nacogdoches as part of the Nine Flags Festival.

These screenings are part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Night Film Series and are sponsored in part by the Nacogdoches Junior Forum, The Liberty Bell, Main Street Nacogdoches, Bill Arscott, Jill Carrington, Karon Gillespie, John Heath, David Kulhavy and Brad Maule.

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

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts will present Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano performing “Fiesta Navidad!” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus as part of the 2014-2015 University Series, “Connect.”

For more than 50 years, Los Camperos de Nati Cano has featured the finest mariachi musicians from Mexico and the United States.

“The ensemble is noted for complex musical arrangements that highlight the individual skills and voices of the players,” said Dr. John W. Goodall, associate dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts. “This festive program is a great way to kick off the holiday season and should put everyone in the Christmas spirit.”

Mariachi Los Camperos was founded in 1960 by mariachi “giant” Natividad “Nati” Cano. His passing in October 2014 was mourned nationwide by performers, students and lovers of mariachi. This concert is dedicated to him.

In the words of Jesus “Chuy” Guzman, artistic director of Los Camperos, “… el mundo del mariachi ha perdido un gigante (the mariachi world has lost a giant).” A traditionalist and a visionary, Cano played an integral role in the development of mariachi music in North America by training and mentoring new generations of mariachi musicians, by expanding the repertoire, and by bringing mariachi performance out of the traditional venue – the cantina – and into the concert hall.

Mariachi Los Camperos was one of four mariachi bands that collaborated on Linda Ronstadt’s album, “Canciones de Mi Padre (Songs of my Father).” In 1988-89, the group worked on the promotion of the album, including national television appearances on programs such as “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and the Grammy Awards Show. They also appear on Ronstadt’s “Mas Canciones (More Songs).”

The ensemble has recorded nine albums. In 2006, the album “Llegaron Los Camperos” was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album. In 2008, the group released its third CD with Smithsonian Folkways, entitled “Amor, Dolor y Lágrima,” that won the 2009 Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Album.

Prior to the concert, J.D. Salas, assistant professor of tuba and euphonium studies at SFA, will present a 7 p.m. informative talk in Griffith Gallery about the artists and their music. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to meet the performers and to honor the event’s corporate sponsor, Nacogdoches Medical Center.

Mariachi Los Camperos is presented by Opus 3 Artists.

Griffith Gallery and Turner Auditorium are located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

Tickets range from $20 to $40, with discounts available for seniors, SFA faculty/staff, students and youth. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6406 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus as part of the College of Fine Arts’ 2014-2015 University Series, “Connect.”

The SFA Percussion Ensemble and SFA Steel Band, both directed by Dr. Brad Meyer, will perform their annual “Percussion in the Pines” holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The Percussion Ensemble will play several holiday favorites, including “Deck the Halls,” “Away in a Manger,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Oh Holy Night” and “Silent Night,” according to Meyer, director of percussion studies for the SFA School of Music.

The ensemble’s performance of “The 12 Days of Christmas” is always a “hilarious and exciting way to end the first half of the concert,” Meyer said.

The second half of the concert will feature the SFA Steel Band, also known as the “Jacks of Steel,” performing numerous traditional and contemporary steel band tunes and will culminate in the favorite “Pan Christmas,” Meyer said.

“This concert is a great, annual tradition that gets the university and community ready for the upcoming winter break,” he said. “Audience members are welcome to sing, clap and dance along during the concert.”

For anyone who cannot attend in person, the concert will be streamed live at: www.music.sfasu.edu/stream.php

This year, for the first time, “Percussion in the Pines” will sponsor an “ugly sweater” contest.

“Students and audience members are encouraged to participate by wearing the ugliest, tackiest holiday sweater possible,” Meyer said. “During intermission, we will bring everyone on stage to vote on a winner, and he/she will get a festive percussion gift.”

This concert is a joint presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is part 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.

To find out more information about the SFA Percussion Studio, visit/subscribe/”like” their online presence at:
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SFAPS
• Website: www.Brad-Meyer.com/sfa
• Twitter/Instagram/Vine/Tumbler/Pinterest: SFAPercStudio

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present the SFA Trombone Choir performing a program titled “Planets” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone at SFA and the choir’s director, selected the theme because the choir will perform the movement “Mars: The Bringer of War” from The Planets by Gustav Holst, arranged by Randall Malmstrom.

“This arrangement of ‘Mars’ is bombastic and exciting, particularly with our talented bass trombonists; it is very well-scored for the trombone choir,” Scott said.

The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst, according to information at wikipedia.org.

The choir will also perform Quartet for Trombones by Chris Culver, former chairman of the music department at Long Island University. Culver was a friend of Scott’s from graduate school where she was in the initial ensemble that played the piece for the composer. Culver died from cancer in 2007.

“The piece is now well-known and played often by trombonists,” Scott said.

“Every Time I Feel the Spirit,” a traditional hymn arranged for trombone choir by Irving L. Wagner, professor of trombone at the University of Oklahoma, will also be performed.

The concert is a feature of the Cole Performing Arts Series.

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 visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The SFA Gardens will host a seminar titled “Deck the Halls – Using Evergreens to Decorate for the Holidays” from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 6, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at Stephen F. Austin State University’s Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St.

Evergreen branches and garlands once served as symbols of enduring life and a fruitful year to come. Join Dawn Stover, research associate at the SFA Mast Arboretum, to learn how to create elegant wreaths and garlands using materials from the garden. Participants will learn principles of wreath, garland and centerpiece construction and make a wreath to enjoy at home for the holidays.

In addition to the traditional wreaths and garlands, Stover will be introducing new crafts using natural items from the garden and forest. All materials will be provided.

Class size is limited, so register in advance for this holiday seminar. To register or for more information, call (936) 468-1832 or email erodewald@sfasu.edu. Cost is $25 for SFA Garden members and $30 for non-members.